Special Note about Exam 2:

We will include a few questions about topics from discussion section in the examination. Those questions will be drawn from these articles:

1. Brand, Jonathan. "Early Media Coverage Focuses on Horse Race" (Media, Sept 21-Oct 1/Week 6) (06_Brand_PBS-HorseraceCoverage).
2. Andrews, Edmund and Robert Pear. "With New Rules, Congress Boasts of Pet Projects" (Congress, Oct 18-22/Week 9) (09_Andrews_NYT-earmarkRulesBackfire).
3. Landmark Cases. "Miranda v. Arizona" (Courts, Nov 1-5/Week 11) (09_StreetLaw_MirandaVArizona).

Ch. 9 Mass Media

1. What are mass media?
2. Who regulates ownership and content in the mass media? What regulations does the FCC enforce on ownership of broadcast outlets? Which branch of government is responsible for fairness in newspaper coverage?
3. What effects do the media have on public opinion? Do the media exercise mind control? Or are the effects more subtle? (You know what your professor things on this, so if you take the other view, be ready to defend it)
4. What is the agenda? What's agenda-setting?
5. What is framing? What is priming?
6. What is spin? How can candidates for office attempt to control the spin on events?
7. The media often ignore long-standing problems, such as the S&L crisis of the late 1980s or, for example, nuclear waste. Why don't they bring these to the attention of American citizens sooner?
8. What is the importance and impact of advertising in campaigns?

Ch. 10 Presidential Elections

1. What are the most important parts of the presidential nomination campaign?
2. How are delegates chosen to the nat'l conventions?
3. What is an open primary? A closed primary?
4. Describe the matching funds system used to fund presidential campaigns of major party candidates.
5. What is the importance of the media in presidential campaigns? What's a "sound bite"?
6. Are the activists of the parties more likely to be "mainstream"; or ideologically extrem?
7. What is "momentum"?; How do the media create a "horse race" atmosphere in a campaign?
8. Describe the main features of the Electoral College(how many members, how are they selected; how can the EC say the one who had the most popular votes is not going to be president?)
9. Describe the most important variables that can be used in predicting voter decisions in presidential elections
10. The book argues that the popular view of media influence is exaggerated. Why? What factors cut down on media impact?

Ch. 11 Congressional Elections

1. How is apportionment of congressional districts handled in the US?
2. What are the qualifications of the members of the two houses and how have they been chosen? What are the Constitutional powers of the two houses?
3. What is gerrymandering? Describe the Sup. Ct. decision in Wesberry v Sanders.
4. How significant is the incumbency advantage in Congressional elections? What are its sources?
5. How do representatives insulate themselves from national political tides?
6. Describe "constituent assistance" and the "ombudsman role" of the member of congress.
7. Describe the campaign fund raising advantages of incumbents
8. How likely is it that incumbents win because they are highly responsive to their districts?
9. Why is the incumbency advantage less substantial in Senate elections?
10. Describe the Sup.Ct's current position on racial gerrymandering?

Ch. 12 Congress as an Institution

1. What are the names of the houses of Congress. What's bicameralism?
2. What is a "constituency"? Why is geography important?
3. How does the law-making process work? What is the president's role? Describe veto powers.
4. Who are the leaders in Congress? What role do they play in law-making?
5. What are the goals of Congresspeople? What are the benefits (perks and privileges) of being in Congress? What kinds of staff are there in Congress?
6. What is the role of standing committees in Congress? Why were they developed and how do members get positions on committees? What are the advantages of the standing committee system? Disadvantages?
7. What are Select committees? What other kinds of committees are there and what different functions do they perform?
8. What is a filibuster? What is a unanimous consent agreement? Nongermane amendment?
9. What is the House Rules Committee. Why is it instrumental in policy making?
10. Describe the seniority system and its effect on congressional committees.
11. Lecture contrasts the "distributive theory" of the committee system with the informational theory. If I could think of a question, I would use it.

Ch. 13 Presidency

1. How can the president be removed from office? Make a list!
2. What is the line of succession? (check the Constitution Article II). What changes occurred in the 1960s in this subject (see amendment 25)?
3. What roles does the president perform?
4. What are the formal (enumerated) powers of the president?
5. What are the implied (or inherent) powers (War powers, Executive Agreements and Executive Orders, etc.)? Where do they come from?
6. How have the overall powers, and duties as policy leader, grown for the president over the years?
7. How is the presidency organized? What kind of staff does the president have and when was it officially created? What dilemmas face the president when the White House office staff is organized?
8. What factors shape the success rate of the president in battles with Congress? Contrast formal and informal resources.

Ch. 14 Bureaucracy

1. How is the executive branch organized? What is a cabinet department? What is an independent agency?
2. What is the spoils system? When was it implemented and eliminated? Why did the political parties like it.
3. Remember the principal-agent problem? If you don't, you had better review!
4. Describe how bureaucracies behave as budget maximizers.
5. What is rule-making? What is adjudication? Why are these called "quasi-legislative"
6. Describe some tools that the members of the Congress can use toc ontrol bureaucracy. Note contrast between "fire alarm" style tools and "police patrol" style tools.
7. How can the president try to control the bureaucracy?
8. We try to ask questions to check to see if students know what a Cabinet department is, and how it is different from an Independent Regulatory Commission (like FCC or FRB) and an Independent Agency (like EPA).
9. What is the role of the OMB in policy making in the bureaucracy? (look back to presidency chapter's discussion of "legislative clearance").
10. Remember that after 1828 there was the "spoils system" of appointment and the "civil service" system replaced it. In the lecture, these important ideas will be addressed. Also, the so-called Managerial Orthodoxy will be presented
11. Describe the so-called iron triangle and its affects on public policy.

Chapter 15. Courts

1. Which federal courts are in the Constitution? Which aren't? Where did they get their powers? What are their powers?
2. How are judges appointed? Have Supreme Court appointments become more "political"? What would Robert Bork's experience have to do with your answer?
3. What is original jurisdiction? Appellate jurisdiction? Where do most cases start in the federal court system? What is the second step for most?
4. What is the difference between judicial review and statutory interpretation (same as statutory construction)?
5. Describe the leading philosophies of constitutional interpretation?
6. Where are most crimes prosecuted? How do they get into the federal court system?
7. What is a writ of certiorari? What is an amicus curiae brief? Where can you get one? How?
8. What is a majority opinion? Dissenting opinion? Concurring opinion?
9. Do courts make policy? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Supreme Court as a policy maker?
10. Describe the importance of precedent and stare decisis in judicial decision making.
11. What is judicial activism? Judicial restraint? Each of these has a liberal and a conservative variant. Do you understand that? Since some students said my lecture was confusing, here's a summary.
    • Judicial activism: generally speaking, the term "judicial activist" is a label (an insult) that people use when they disagree with a judge's decisions. That means they think the judge goes "too far" in
      • changing precedents adopted by judges in the past, especially re-interpreting the Consitution to create "new rights" or "new government" powers
      • ignoring decision of other "higher up" judges
      • telling Congress or President or state legislature or governor what to do
      • ignoring what the public wants
    • Judicial restraint: staying out of trouble, generally by avoiding hearing cases or making decisions that do any of the things described under judicial activism.
    • An active judge can be liberal or conservative in a political sense, because a conservative judge might be active in telling a liberal President what can be done, and a liberal judge might be telling a conservative president what may be done.
    • Why is it an insult? Well, the principle of stare decisis is very well established and lawyers and judges respect the idea, even if they don't seem to follow it all the time. So, judges who are active, especially ones who want to change policy, usually don't come right out and say so. Usually, they search around for past cases to use as arguments. In other words, hardly any judges will admit to being activists, even though it appears they are to us.
12. Under what conditions might the Supreme Court hear a case in which a state is either a plaintiff or defendant?
13. What is "borking?"

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-- PaulJohnson - 23 Oct 2008