Spring 2022  |  POL 3329 Section 001: The Balance of Power: Federalism & Community in the United States (65673)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
01/18/2022 - 05/02/2022
Mon, Wed 09:45AM - 11:00AM
UMTC, West Bank
Blegen Hall 130
Enrollment Status:
Open (28 of 55 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
The appropriate balance of power between the national government and the states has been the subject of intense debate since the United States became an independent country in the eighteenth century, and it has never been resolved. This unresolved controversy has profound democratic and policy implications. Some of the political and social rights that are part and parcel of what it means to be a member of the American community are influenced by geography and the specific state in which an individual resides. For example, state governments make numerous decisions that define voter eligibility, an especially important form of community membership and political participation. In addition, federalism strongly affects the policymaking process. In fields as diverse as environmental protection and health care, the relationship between the national government and the states affects which policies are adopted and how they work in practice. While federalism is rarely at the forefront of the minds of the American public, it plays a central and increasingly important role in the U.S. political system. This course seeks to give students a better understanding of American federalism. By examining both the historical evolution of intergovernmental relations in the United States and contemporary policy debates, it also aims to help students develop the substantive knowledge and analytical skills they need to become critical thinkers. All of the writing assignments that students will complete in the course have been designed with this objective in mind, and the course will emphasize systematic thinking about politics, the explication of logically coherent arguments, and the use of relevant and appropriate empirical evidence to evaluate those arguments. The successful development of the critical thinking and writing skills emphasized in this course will enable students to communicate effectively in a variety of future roles, including as employees and citizens.
Class Notes:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?ajkarch+POL3329+Spring2022
Class Description:
Even before the proverbial ink was dry on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March 2010, over a dozen states filed suit against the health care reform law and challenged its constitutionality. When President Obama announced a series of immigration-related executive actions four years later, another large group of states launched a lawsuit to fight the policy change. A similar dynamic emerged after the presidency changed hands. After President Trump issued an executive order in January 2017 that restricted travel and suspended the admission of refugees from seven majority-Muslim countries, the state of Washington (later joined by Minnesota) filed suit and seventeen other states filed an amicus brief outlining the undesirable effects of the order. These legal challenges are especially dramatic manifestations of what appears to be heightened tension between the fifty states and the national government. Indeed, the contemporary period has been described as one of "uncooperative" or "fend for yourself" federalism.

Such sweeping generalizations understate the complexity of contemporary American federalism and the historical record. The appropriate balance of power between the national government and the states has been the subject of intense debate since the United States became an independent country in the eighteenth century, and it has never been resolved. This unresolved controversy has profound democratic and policy implications. Federalism was designed to encourage policy differences among the states while simultaneously establishing a national government that was powerful enough to prevent interest groups in the states from abusing the rights of their minorities. As a result, some of the political and social rights that are part and parcel of what it means to be a member of the American community are influenced by geography and the specific state in which an individual resides. For example, state governments make numerous decisions that define voter eligibility, an especially important form of community membership and political participation. In addition, federalism strongly affects the policymaking process. In fields as diverse as environmental protection and health care, the relationship between the national government and the states affects which policies are adopted and how they work in practice. While federalism is rarely at the forefront of the minds of the American public, it plays a central and increasingly important role in American politics. Some scholars even argue that it is partly responsible for the growing inequality and political polarization that characterize the contemporary United States.
Learning Objectives:
This course seeks to give students a better understanding of American federalism. By examining both the historical evolution of intergovernmental relations in the United States and contemporary policy debates, it also aims to help students develop the substantive knowledge and analytical skills they need to become critical thinkers. All the assignments that students will complete in the course have been designed with this objective in mind; they emphasize systematic thinking about politics, the explication of logically coherent arguments, and the use of relevant and appropriate empirical evidence to evaluate those arguments. The successful development of the critical thinking and writing skills emphasized in this course will enable students to communicate effectively in a variety of future roles, including as employees and citizens.
Grading:
20% In-Class Assignments
25% Take-Home Midterm Exam (1,500 words)
15% Voting Rights Opinion Column (750 words)
15% Congressional Hearing Analysis (1,000 words)
25% Final Exam
Exam Format:
The take-home midterm exam consists of one essay. Students receive three different essay prompts and choose one of them.

The final exam consists of three essays. Students receive four essay prompts and choose three of them. At least six potential essay prompts, including the four that appear on the final exam, are distributed in advance of the final exam.
Class Format:
65% Lecture
10% Discussion
25% Small Group Activities
Workload:
75-100 pages of reading per week
Two exams
Two short papers (750-1,000 words)
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/65673/1223
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
17 December 2021

ClassInfo Links - Spring 2022 Political Science Classes

To link directly to this ClassInfo page from your website or to save it as a bookmark, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=3329&term=1223
To see a URL-only list for use in the Faculty Center URL fields, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=3329&term=1223&url=1
To see this page output as XML, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=3329&term=1223&xml=1
To see this page output as JSON, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=3329&term=1223&json=1
To see this page output as CSV, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=3329&term=1223&csv=1
Schedule Viewer
8 am
9 am
10 am
11 am
12 pm
1 pm
2 pm
3 pm
4 pm
5 pm
6 pm
7 pm
8 pm
9 pm
10 pm
s
m
t
w
t
f
s
?
Class Title