Ashford POL201 2019 September Week 1 Discussion (dq1+dq2) Latest

POL201: American National Government

Week 1 Discussion

Dq1

The U.S. Constitution

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Prepare: Prior to writing your initial post, read Chapters 1 and 2 of American Government and review the Week 1 Instructor Guidance.

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Reflect: The U.S. Constitution is the cornerstone of our federal government. The Constitution establishes a basic operational framework that enables the three branches of government—executive, legislative, and judicial—to interact and function as a unit. Embedded in this operational framework are two key principles: separation of powers and a system of checks and balances. Think about how these branches interact and the importance of these checks and balances and the separation of powers.

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Write: In your initial post, please fully and directly respond to the following:

Explain the difference between checks and balances and the separation of powers, and explain why they are important to our democracy.

Discuss one recent real-world example of checks and balances, and explain the impact of it.

Discuss one recent real-world example of balance of power, and explain the impact of it.

Discuss one recent real-world example of how the Constitution directly protects individual and group rights.

Your initial post must be at least 300 words. If you are citing statistics or outside sources for your examples, please list the website or the reference entry.

 

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Respond to Peers: By Day 7, respond to at least two of your classmates’ initial posts. Your peer responses should be substantive and at least 100 words each. Demonstrate your understanding of the topic by respectfully asking questions, raising new points for consideration, or requesting clarification from your fellow students. For example, you may want to compare your real-world examples to those of your classmates, see how they are similar or different, and discuss why.

Dq2

This discussion forum allows you the opportunity to explore topics that interest you and relate to United States government and the political processes we are discussing. Within this forum, you will share critical insights and discuss questions and issues that we are studying, share your personal challenges and successes, and discuss any concepts that you do not completely understand in our materials this week. Your initial post should focus on your personal experience within the course over the past week and should prompt further discussion from your classmates. Please be sure to address the following questions first:

Begin thinking about the policy you would like to write about in your Final Paper. What are you considering? Why is this policy important to you?

In addition to the questions above, also address at least one of the following questions as you reflect on the learning week:

What was the most interesting and/or intriguing concept you learned about during this week?

Are there any current events that you can recall that relate to the course concepts we are studying this week?

What insights have you had?

What concepts are causing you to struggle?

What questions have arisen for you at this point?

Do you have any helpful tips or ideas to help students better understand the material and course concepts?

What questions do you have regarding any of the discussions or assignments that your classmates might be able to provide insight? (Please note, if you have a question for the instructor, be sure to contact them through email or in the Ask Your Instructor forum, as they may not see the question here.)

You are required to post at least 100 total words in the forum this week. You can post one time or ten times; the only requirement is that you post at least 100 words total and that you engage in conversation related to the course materials. Ask questions, answer questions, provide extra resources you found interesting, or engage in a debate (respectfully, of course) about something you learned this week. The only requirement is that your posts must relate to the course content.

This open forum is a place for you to collaborate and connect with your classmates as well as one another. Your instructor will monitor this board and may post but is not expected to answer all questions.

If you notice that a classmate is struggling with something that you can help address, use your responses as a way to support them. Helping your classmates will not only benefit them, but it will also help to solidify your own knowledge.

All of your participation in this forum is due before Day 7 of the week. Students who post early in the week, using this forum to engage their classmates on a regular basis, tend to do well and get more out of the course.