For my GOVT 2301 M2 TBA class, these are the written quiz questions. Consult your syllabus for the due date. Call or email me if you have questions.
Solid answers get solid grades.
1. Define government and outline the differences between autocracy, oligarchy and democracy. Using news sources, find an example of each type of government.
2. Outline the differences between a totalitarian, autocratic and democratic government. Using news sources, find an example of each type of government.
3. What are the three reasons why philosophers have argued that government is necessary? Evaluate these critically.
4. What does the term “politics” refer to? What is the purpose of politics?
5. The Lowi textbook states that “institutions routinely solve collective action problems.” What does this mean? How do institutions solve them?
6. What is "path dependency" and how does it explain the current nature of poltiics in the United States and Texas?
7. The Declaration of Independence states why governments exist and what justifies them. Outline that argument.
8. Review the grievances in the Declaration of Independence (they begin with the phrase "He has refused his Assent to Laws...") and speculate how our current system of government is a response to them.
9. What is political culture? Describe the three types outlined in Practicing Texas Politics and describe Texas' political culture? Using current events, determine whether this description is true.
10. How does Texas' geography influence its politics?
