DISCUSSION 1

"Unofficial Actors" Based on the lecture, address the following:

· Using Anti-Bullying Policy as an example, please assess the degree of influence that the news media has on this policy.
· Identify a policy issue where unofficial actors have made a significant presence in changing a federal or state policy.

Here is a checklist for you to consider as you construct responses for Discussion Question 1:

Quality: Did you assess media influence on Anti-Bullying?
Relevance: Did you use appropriate examples?
Quality: Did you identify a federal or state policy?
Relevance: Did you identify and analyze unofficial actors?
Word Count/Grammar: Is your post written in academic language and not slang or jargon?
Word Count/Grammar: Is your post longer than 250 words?
Participation: Did you provide substantive responses to at least one other post?

DISCUSSION 2

"Interest Groups"

Pick a policy of your choice and identify the following:

· The top three interest groups dedicated to the policy
· The relative power and influence of each interest group
· The main venue each uses to influence public policy

Here is a checklist for you to consider as you construct responses for Discussion Question 2:

Quality: Did you identify the top 3 interest groups, their power, and main venue?
Relevance: Did you provide specific details?
Word Count/Grammar: Is your post written in academic language and not slang or jargon?
Word Count/Grammar: Is your post longer than 250 words?
Participation: Did you provide substantive responses to at least one other post?