The goal last week was to (1) explain why you have to take this class, (2) make sure you are familiar with key terms, and (3) dig into the history of ideology. I wasn't able to lecture on these all in class, but expect a few questions here and there, plus blog posts that focus on current issues that use these terms.
Any of this material can reappear on the final later this semester, so be mindful of that.
This week we have another 3 sections.
- Public Policy and Sub-Governments. This actually should be considered to be another introductory section. Establishing public policy is what governments do. This section walks through the stages in the process and - perhaps more importantly - explains the networks of actors that assemble around a piece of public policy.
This last part - which introduces the concept of an iron triangle and describes the relationships involved in it - is one of the more important concepts we will cover in class. It helps explain the logic surrounding much of what happens within government and politics. Networks of actors develop around pieces of public policy that provide tangible benefits for these groups, They find ways to establish and maintain relationships with each other in order to mutually preserve that public policy item. In our area one of the better ways to describe this relationship is around preserving the Johnson Space Center, or funding to keep the Houston Ship Channel operational.
We will refer to this concept later this semester hen we talk about Congress, executive agencies and interest groups.
- Natural Rights, Separated Powers, and the Declaration of Independence. In this section we start to look at the concepts and historical events that led to the decision - by colonial leaders - to break the governing relationship with Great Britain. This was done - officially - when it was decided to draft and sign a declaration stating the reasons why this decision was being made.
We don't cover the Revolutionary War in this class. I leave that to our history instructors.
The principle goal here is to understand the logic contained in the document's argument, and the fact that this argument embodies major shifts in political thought. The first had to do with the proper source of governing authority. Did it rest on the divine right of the monarch or the consent of the governed? The second had to do with the scope of executive power. Did all governing power rest - absolutely - with the monarch or was the monarch to be restrained by other institutions?
The answers to each question helps us understand how the colonists were able to justify the extreme measures they were about to take. It's problematic when you decide to overthrow a king.
- The U.S. Constitution. This is the first of many sections where we look at parts of the document. The purpose here is to take an overview of it. We'll cover what constitutions are, factors associated with the Articles of Confederation, the decision to have a constitutional convention and why the participants produced what they did.
This will also include a look at the ratification process and the changes to the document since it was ratified in 1789. Afterwards - next week - we start to dig into detail.
