Third Assignment

Choose one:

1. Take part in the legislative simulation as a congressional aide, a journalist, an interest group representative, or some other “player.” Do research on your real-life counterparts, and cite the relevant literature. (For instance, if you are playing an aide, consult studies of congressional staff.) Afterward, briefly your role and analyze your activity. What were you trying to accomplish and how? What opportunities and constraints did you face? What did you learn about Congress?
2. Choose a specific interest group such as: a trade association (e.g., PhRMA), a policy group (AIPAC), a corporation (Google), or a labor union (SEIU). Pick a specific policy goal that this organization is pursuing. Why is it pursuing that goal? What resources does it bring to bear on the issue? What strategy is it using? What are the prospects for success?
3. Would the United States be better off with a multiparty system? In your answer consider the advantages and disadvantages of the two-party system. You may want to ponder Michael Eisner's thoughts in today's Los Angeles Times.
4. Pick a tossup 2012 Senate race. Why is it so close? What is your best estimate as to who will win in November?
5. Do the “How a Member Decides to Vote” exercise at the Center on Congress site. Explain your role and your voting decision. Do some research on how Congress has actually dealt with the issue and then appraise the exercise itself. Did it oversimplify or distort the story, or was it an accurate depiction?
6. Watch "We Didn't Start the Fire."  Read the lyrics.  Explain how the items in one verse relate to American political history.  Remember that the verses are in rough (though not exact) chronological order.  Also remember that the items may be is significant in more than one way. "Little Rock," for instance, played one political part in 1957, and quite another in 1992.  Not every item has a direct and serious relationship to U.S. politics, but a surprising number do.

• Essays should be typed, stapled, double-spaced, and no more than four pages long. I will not read past the fourth page. 
• Put your name on a cover sheet. Do not identify yourself on the text pages. 
• Cite your sources with endnotes, which should be in a standard style (e.g., Turabian or Chicago Manual of Style). Endnote pages do not count against the page limit. 
• Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors will count against you. 
• Return essays by the start of class, Wednesday, April 4. Late essays will drop a letter grade. I will grant no extensions except for illness or emergency.