Post AS: A2 American delivery

Here are details of an idea about getting something interesting and productive done once students come back after the AS exams. If you are one of the lucky institutions that doesn’t welcome back students after AS exams are over, then this could work equally well as a bit of summer homework.

Experience suggests that American Politics is a steep learning curve for students. I would even go as far as saying that despite the fact that the structure of the course is very similar to the AS in terms of looking at participation and institutions, it is a much steeper learning curve than AS. This is because although students may embark on AS study believing they have little or no British Politics knowledge they do have a bit of background understanding of the people, organisations and institutions. For example, it would be surprising if students didn’t already know that there was a strong link between the trade unions and the Labour Party in the UK. But it is unsurprising to find they were aware that the NRA has links with the Republican Party in the USA.

For this reason it is important that students begin to connect with the subject and try to familiarise themselves with some of the issues and terminology by exposing themselves to news and politics sites on the internet. In terms of teaching we are going to look at the principles upon which the USA was founded, and trace the history of the USA from the Declaration of Independence through the constitutional convention before looking at how effectively America has lived up to these ideals with regards to race. Alongside this students will be given an introduction to what America is today before looking at the electoral landscape and seeking to explain Obama’s election victory. In other words, we are starting the race and election topics with a view to Unit 3.

The task students will be set is to produce a 2,000 word report on the title “A political introduction to America” (total marks = 100). The rubric for this is below. I have also put together a short reading pack from a range of US Politics texts. I won’t mention the big prizes on offer for the two best entries, lest I make other blog readers green with envy!

Structure and content
You are expected to produce a short, introductory guide to America’s people, political system, and politicians.

Thought should be given to the mark allocation.

Section 1: The people of the USA (30 marks/750 words approx).

Some points for consideration:
• What is the population of the USA?
• How has it changed in recent years?
• Where do people live?
• How is the racial composition of the USA changing?
• How is income distributed?
• What issues are controversial in American society?

Section 2: The USA’s political system (30 marks/750 words approx).

Some points for consideration:
• What are the main characteristics of the Constitution?
• Is there a Bill of Rights?
• How powerful is the Supreme Court?
• What are the separation of powers and checks and balances?
• What is the federal structure?
• What is the composition and membership of the three branches?
• What are the main parties, and what do they stand for?

Section 3: Profiles America’s leading politicians and past leaders (20 marks/500 words).

Four leading political figures at the moment could be drawn from:

• Hillary Clinton
• Barack Obama
• Nancy Pelosi
• Harry Reid
• Justice John Roberts
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Joe Biden
• Dick Cheney
• John McCain
• Ralph Nader

For past leaders it will probably be more helpful to your studies if you choose relatively recent ones. You could choose from four of the following:

• Ronald Reagan
• Bill Clinton
• George W Bush
• Jimmy Carter
• Richard Nixon
• George H Bush
• Lyndon Johnson

The ‘best’ presidents are listed below. Choose one to profile if you must.

• George Washington
• Abraham Lincoln
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• Theodore Roosevelt
• Harry S Truman
• Woodrow Wilson
• Thomas Jefferson

Credit worth a total of 20 marks will also be awarded for the quality of your research, i.e. the ability to synthesise independently sourced material beyond what’s in the reading pack and what we have covered in class.

It is advisable to include footnotes in your essay. These should not be lengthy explanations of a particular point but should be used to attribute data, quotes, etc. As a guide, I would say that a very good essay or report would include ten footnotes per thousand words.

This should be an incentive not simply copy and paste from Wikipedia – although using this to follow up further links and identify further sources is acceptable.

Sources

General
The BBC websites country profiles make a good starting point

The Economist produces slightly more in depth coverage of countries

Population and demography
The US government’s official figures are here

Guide to the political system
Again the BBC is helpful here

Past leaders
The Independent ran a series on presidents in the run up to the 2008 election