Category: Political Science

I’ve graded all reading responses that were submitted on time. Please take a look at my feedback and let me know if you have any questions.
Here’s what we’re up to this week:
This week’s readings
We the People, pp. 96-104
*Texas v. Johnson (1989) (excerpt)

This week we’re discussing civil liberties, focusing on the First Amendment to the Constitution, which provides for religion and speech protections.

As you’ll read in We the People, it took a while for the Supreme Court to finally incorporate the speech protections outlined in the First Amendment — meaning, bar the individual states from restricting citizen speech. But even with incorporation, the Supreme Court was initially willing to allow the federal government to silence citizen speech that it deemed dangerous to national security.
After completing the readings in our textbook, you should also be ready to discuss the following questions:
Broadly, how would you define civil liberties? Where do they appear in the Constitution?
What is incorporation, and why is it important? How does the Fourteenth Amendment play a pivotal role in the process of incorporation
Where in the Bill of Rights does the establishment clause appear? What does it mean? What does it prohibit government from doing? Has it always been easy for the Supreme Court to interpret the establishment clause? Why or why not?
Where in the Bill of Rights does the free exercise clause appear? What does it mean? What does it prohibit government from doing? Has it always been easy for the Supreme Court to interpret the free exercise clause? Why or why not?
Where in the Bill of Rights does freedom of speech appear? What does it mean, and why, why is it an important democratic value? How does government suppression of speech harm a democracy?
In the Supreme Court’s 1989 Texas v. Johnson opinion, Justice Brennan wrote:
“The Government may not prohibit the verbal or nonverbal expression of an idea merely because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable, even where our flag is involved.” Using evidence from the excerpt, explain the Court’s reasoning in siding with the speaker in this case, Johnson.
What was the case about? What was the Supreme Court saying about the meaning of the First Amendment and the limits its places on government regulation of speech?
This week’s assignment
News Journal #4 due Friday by 11:59 pm; comments due Sunday by 11:59 pm
PICK ANY RECENT NEWS ARTICLE AND RELATE IT TO THE ABOVE READING EXAMPLE PROVIDED.

1. The great divergence between West and East – A case study/ here you can imply the theoretical framework of Niall Ferguson
2. Occidentalism and Colonialism – A case study of prejudicial attitudes in the East – West context
choose one topic and write an essay on it 6-7 PAGES,
STUDENTS CAUGHT USING AI OR EXCESS PLAGARIAM WILL BE PENALISED

1. Islam and Europeanization
2. Secularization and Modernization: The case of Turkey.
Choose one topic and write an essay on it 6-7 pages.
STUDENT CAUGHT USING AI OR excessive plagiarism WILL BE penalised.

“Is creation of a real Common EU government inevitable?”
Please write a paper with a structure similar to the structured essay, titled “Is creation of a real Common EU government inevitable?”. The paper should be 12-15 standard, 12 times new roman pages long, 1.5 line spacing including title page and a bibliography. The paper should attempt to defend or refute the hypothesis that the creation of a common EU government inevitable in the future 1) given the fact that the EU’s economic governance is highly complex and 2) simultaneously working in sub-optimal efficiency mode and 3) the forces of political and economic convergence create centripetal conditions for further integration and 4) the EU governance institutions are blamed to be suffering from problems connected to democratic deficiencies and accountability.
In your papers, you should attempt to evaluate either scenario on the basis of how realistic it seems to you personally, based on the literature on the topic you are familiar with.

Write an essay on totalitarianism. the definition attribute, history, and relevant details. and provide an example of a famous totalitarian regime or government.
STUDENT CAUGHT USING AI OR EXCESS PLAGARISM WILL BE PENALISED
6-7 pages

MATHIAS HAMMER: Russia has notably not condemned Hamas’s attacks on Oct. 7 as terrorism. Instead, Russian officials have called for both sides to put down arms and reaffirmed its support for a Palestinian state. At the United Nations Security Council, a Russian resolution that called for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages was voted down as it failed to condemn Hamas.
ANDREW OSBORN: Russia’s ties with Israel, traditionally close and pragmatic, have suffered. Moscow’s reception of a Hamas delegation less than two weeks after the Oct. 7 massacre angered Israel, prompting it to summon Russia’s ambassador, Anatoly Viktorov, for sending “a message legitimizing terrorism.”
A former Kremlin advisor said Russia sees the crisis as a chance for Moscow to try to grow its clout in the Middle East by casting itself as a potential peacemaker with links to all sides.
Russia may believe that it can profit from the Israel-Hamas conflict. How so?

I need a PowerPoint presentation done on the homicide rates and the incarceration rates for black men, black women, and white men, white women over the last 30 years. It should be 1991-2021 or 1992-2022 if that is available. The city I want to use is NYC. I am including a sample presentation, instructions and a blank PowerPoint slide to start with. If there are any questions please let me know.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/1GBAllxvRJDfYCI5El29L3WcT6rGrwnZ5/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword

TOPIC : Should NATO accept Ukraine? (War between Russia and Ukraine)
My debate is no they should not.
You are writing a term paper, minimum length 10 pages, suggested length 10-15 pages, actually, no limit. It should be on a debate topic in international relations. You will debating both sides of the issue, empirically and, both sides of the issue, theoretically.
You are to identify a topic for debate in contemporary international affairs. You argue one side or the other empirically and, provide a supporting debate, theoretically.
Use neoliberalist writers and theorists and cite their work/sources
SUGGESTED OUTLINE
.
I. Brief Topic Description
II. Research Question
III. Hypotheses. Empirical and theoretical
IV. Background: More detailed topic description
V. Pro-Con debate
VI. Conclusion

Complete the attached assignments according to the instructions. The following book must be used to complete the assignments: O’Neil, Patrick. Essentials of Comparative Politics. 7th edition. Norton. (Must be 7th edition) Also the country I will be focusing on this term is Lebanon.