Assignment 1

Prepare: Prior to posting your introduction, read the two articles provided by the Pew Research Center on Political Typology: Key Facts from Pew Research's Political Typology and Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political Typology. Next, take the Political Typology Quiz by clicking on "Begin Quiz" at the bottom of the web page. Respond to the questionnaire to get information about your political philosophy or ideology. Save your results for future reference in this course.

http://www.people-press.org/2014/06/26/key-facts-from-pew-researchs-political-typology/
http://www.people-press.org/2014/06/26/the-political-typology-beyond-red-vs-blue/

Write: Describe your political philosophy based on the results of the Political Typology Quiz. Include why you agree or disagree with the results. If you disagree with the results, please discuss what you found inaccurate about the results and what you contend is your personal, political ideology. 150 words

Quiz Results:

http://www.people-press.org/quiz/political-typology/results/

Assignment 2

Prepare: Read Chapters 1 and 2 of American Government and review the Week One Instructor Guidance.

Reflect: The U.S. Constitution is the cornerstone of our federal government. The Constitution establishes a basic operational framework that enables the three branches of government - executive, legislative, and judicial - to interact and function as a unit. Embedded in this operational framework are two key principles: separation of powers and a system of checks and balances. Think about how these branches interact and the importance of these checks and balances and separation of powers.

Write: This post must be 300 words, explain why the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances are important for our democracy. Provide recent, real-world examples of the separation of powers and checks/balances in action (one example each). Also, discuss how the Constitution protects individual and group rights. Again, provide a recent real-world example of these Constitutional protections being applied here in the U.S.