POS2041 - U.S. Government, Where do people get their opinions

POS2041: U.S. Government

Valencia College

Dr. Paul Labedz

FINAL EXAM

Directions: Please provide DETAILED type written responses to five questions: three questions from section 1 and two questions from section 2. Each response will be evaluated on a scale of 0-20 (Total points available: 100)

Answers will be submitted via the Canvas assignment submission function. Please do not send an attachment with a .wps suffix. I cannot open these files. The due date can be found within the course syllabus and in a course announcement.

Section 1: Answer THREE of the following questions:

1) Where do people get their opinions about politics, and what are the forces that shape those opinions?

2) How do interest groups influence public policy?

3) How have the role and place of political parties in American politics changed during the past two centuries?

4) What role have minor parties, often called third parties, played in American history?

5) How does the campaign for the presidency differ from campaigns for other offices that are less visible, powerful, and prestigious?

Section 2: Answer TWO of the following questions:

6) Many Americans praise the president when the economy is healthy and blame him when the economy is unhealthy. Does the president have effective control over the economy? Are Americans mistaken when they praise or blame the president? Are presidents at least partly responsible for this?

7) What are the respective roles of the president and Congress in producing the federal budget each year?

8) Is American sovereignty threatened by the economic and political changes in the world political environment? Suggest specific ways by which this sovereignty may be compromised.

9) Is it fair to say that the United States has been an expansionist power throughout its history?