Week of 3/1

Here are this week's plans:

3/1 (Monday)--Quiz on Federalism and the Constitution. The quiz is worth 30 points. Lecture notes are posted at Docushare under the Unit II folder, under these subfolders: "The Constitution" and "Federalism." Reading Assignment: Read Chapter 5, Sections 1-4 this week.

3/2 (Tuesday)--House and Senate--Structure, Organization and Operations. Today we will look at some of the "nuts and bolts" aspects of how Congress goes about making laws ... how leadership positions are filled, how committee appointments are made, how committees go about their work, and how Senators and Representatives decide how to vote on proposed legislation. Lecture notes for today's lesson are located on Docushare in the Unit II folder in the "Legislative Branch" subfolder. For tomorrow: Make sure you have read through Handout I of the Senate Debate simulation. We will begin the simulation tomorrow.

3/3 (Wednesday)--Senate Debate Simulation, Part I. Today we will complete Steps 1 through 4 of the Senate Debate simulation, as outlined in Handout 1. Step 1 has already been completed--determining party affiliation and experience. Step 2 is for the Democratic and Republican caucuses (groups) to meet and select party leaders. Each caucus will pick a floor leader and a "whip" (assistant to the floor leader). Step 3 is to assign senators to the three committees that are part of the simulation: Education, Environmental Affairs and Armed Services. There will be six Democrats on each committee and four Republicans on each committee, reflecting the approximate make-up of the real-life Senate. The committees will then choose a chairperson, who must be a member of the majority party (Democrat) and in most instances will be the most senior Senator on the committee (the longest-serving member). Finally, in step 4, each senator will make a preliminary determination of how he or she currently plans to vote on each of the three bills to be considered: S.1 (high school exit exams), S.2 (recycling for foreign companies), and S.3 (women in combat). A sample Preliminary Position Statement is posted on Docushare in the "Senate Debate Simulation" subfolder in the "Legislative Branch" folder. Use this sample as a guide to prepare your own statements. Be sure to consider your constituent profile, your personal views and those of your party leadership in deciding how to vote!! These preliminary positions are not binding when you cast your final vote. Complete your Preliminary Position Statement as homework and have it ready by the beginning of class tomorrow. The Preliminary Position Paper will be worth 20 points (out of 50 total) on this simulation.

3/4 (Thursday)--Senate Debate Simulation, Part II. Today is Committee Work Day. Each senator will meet with the other members of his/her committee (Armed Services, Education, or Environmental Affairs). Under the direction of your committee chair, you will consider the testimony of various experts, discuss the merits of the bill as written, consider possible amendments, and ultimately report a final version of the bill for consideration by the full Senate.

3/5 (Friday)--Senate Debate Simulation, Final--Today is the culmination of the Senate Debate simulation. We will spend approximately 10-15 minutes debating and voting on the final version of each bill. You may change your vote from that stated in your Preliminary Position statement if the amendments (if any), the expert testimony, or matters discussed during the debate have swayed your opinion. For the final graded component of the simulation, prepare a Final Position Statement. The final position statement should (i) restate the preliminary position, (ii) state how you finally voted, and (iii) explain how and why you voted as you ultimately did. If you changed your position, you should cite the specific reasons why (e.g., amended version of the bill was acceptable; persuaded by evidence presented during debate, etc.). The Final Position paper is worth 30 points, and will be due by next Tuesday (March 9).