Week 1

Agenda - 8/28/17

• Introductions
• Syllabus
  • Sunday shows
  • The site vs. Brightspace
    • Daily Reflection/Feedback
    • Resources
  • The readings - how to prepare for Mon vs. Wed
• Survey

Glenn Greenwald and Democracy Now present a very important lesson on the news media in the era of Trump, prompting me to give a....

Sunday Show Disclaimer

Sometimes even well-respected media outlets (like the Washington Post) get it wrong... sometimes for political reasons. In politics, everyone is pushing their own agenda. Journalists in the news media (and ppl on the Sunday shows) are not immune to this. You can trust most of what is said on the Sunday shows, but it never hurts to be a critical consumer of political news/information.

Agenda - 8/30/17

• Outstanding questions about class/syllabus?

Foundations of American Democracy

1. Why do we have/need government?
2. What is politics?
3. What are key features of American political culture?
4. What are the roots of American democracy/political culture?
5. The Declaration of Independence
   1. What was its purpose?
   2. What are its underlying ideas?
      1. Who/What inspired these ideas?
6. What kind of government did the Founders want?