Lecture Notes: Unit 2 Overview - September 13, 2024

Announcements

• Unit 2 Overview Video: To be posted by the morning of September 16th.
• Unit 2 Opening: Likely to open over the weekend.

Unit 2 Topics

• Federalism

  • Relationship between the states and the national government.
  • Concept of state sovereignty.
  • Differences in perspectives between Democrats and Republicans (2024 context).
    • Republicans tend to favor increasing state power.
    • Democrats generally support national power since the Great Depression.
  • Historical shifts in party positions regarding state sovereignty.
  • Emphasis on state sovereignty in Texas.

• Legislative Branch (Congress)

  • Some content may be familiar, but not all.

Unit 2 Structure

• Subunits
  • Unit 2A: Focus on Federalism
    • Study Sections 3.1 and 3.4 from the textbook.
  • Unit 2B: Focus on the Legislative Branch
    • Study Sections 11.4 and 11.5.

Important Dates

• Engagement Exercise 2

  • Topic: Policy Solutions for Public Policy Problems.
  • Available: Morning of September 29th.
  • Due: October 9th.

• Unit 2 Exam

  • Opens: October 14th at 7:00 a.m.
  • Closes: October 16th at 4:00 p.m.

• WebEx Conference

  • Scheduled for October 3rd from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
  • For discussions on the research paper.
  • Link to be sent out prior to the meeting.

Additional Information

• Students encouraged to visit the professor on campus.
• Online course offers limited face-to-face interaction.

Conclusion

• Quick overview of Unit 2 layout and topics.
• Encouragement for success in upcoming exam.

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Prepared as a concise study aid for Unit 2 overview.