This document provides discussion questions and prompts for weekly online discussions in a political science course. It includes 8 topics, each with a discussion question related to readings from two textbooks - The American Democracy and Understanding the Arizona Constitution. For each discussion, students are asked to post a response by Wednesday answering the question in 6 sentences, citing 2 sources, and writing clearly. Topics address issues like federalism, the electoral college, the Bill of Rights, and democratic principles in state constitutions.

1. pos 301 discussion questions 1
Discussion Questions Textbook Patterson, T. E. (2013). The American democracy(11th ed.).
New York, NY: McGraw Hill. ISBN-13: 9780073526409McClory, T. (2010). Understanding
the Arizona Constitution (2nd ed.). Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press. ISBN-13:
9780816529445 DQ Responses:Each week, you must post your response to the discussion
question by day 3 (Wednesday). Each DQ response is worth a maximum of 10 points.
Grading will be conducted as follows:6 points for answering the question asked (be sure
your answer is directly related to the question, and not a discussion of another topic, and be
sure that you cover all aspects of the question).2 points for using substantive sources and
citing those sources.2 points for overall clarity, organization, grammar, and use of spell
check. Topic 1 DQ 1Read Chapters 1 and 2 in The American Democracy.In 1787, the
Constitution was drafted with a Preamble to explicitly state that the origins of power in this
new democracy resided not with a king, but with the people. “We the People― has
generally evolved over the years to include more than it did in the late 18th Century. In your
opinion, are there still groups who are disenfranchised and are not considered as an equal
source of power in our democracy? Topic 2 DQ 1Read Chapters 11, 12 and 14 in The
American Democracy.In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional the
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which was passed by Congress. Would this be an example
of checks and balances between the legislative and judicial branches? Should the U.S.
Supreme Court, a nonelected body, have the power to make such decisions? Topic 3 DQ
1Read Chapter 3 in The American Democracy.Federalism results from the interaction
between the different layers of government. Many issues are discussed not in terms of right
and wrong, but who is responsible for addressing the issue. Immigration has long been a
federal issue. However, in 2010, the state of Arizona passed a controversial bill (Senate Bill
1070) that essentially gave power to the state to implement immigration law. Several
sections of this bill were deemed unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. This
situation is a prime example of the conflict federalism can create. Please provide your
opinion on immigration within the context of federalism. Topic 4 DQ 1Read page 46 and
Chapter 12 in The American Democracy.Should we keep the electoral college or go to
straight popular vote? Why? Topic 5 DQ 1Read Chapters 4 and 5 in The American
Democracy.How would you describe the purpose of the Bill of Rights at the time the U.S.
Constitution was drafted and today? Topic 6 DQ 1Read Chapters 1, 2, and 4 in
Understanding the Arizona Constitution.At the time of the drafting of the Arizona
Constitution, the Progressive Party and Movement was very influential in American politics.

2. As such, the framers of the Arizona Constitution added specific powers to the people, such
as the recall of judges. What are the pros and cons of such democratic principles being
embedded in a state constitution? Topic 7 DQ 1Read Chapters 3, 5, and 6 in Understanding
the Arizona Constitution.Federal judges do not have a mandatory retirement age, yet
Arizona and 32 other states require all state judges to vacate their positions upon turning
age 70. Should Arizona’s judges be forced to retire at age 70? Might this be considered
age discrimination or is it a necessary protection for the people? Topic 8 DQ 1Read Chapter
7 in Understanding the Arizona Constitution.Arizona citizens retain several very
progressive rights, namely the right to initiative, referendum, recall of elected officials,
recall of judges, election of corporation commissioners and election of a state mine
inspector. Please select three of these democratic rights and make an argument as to why
giving power directly to the people in this manner is a benefit for all of society.