1. A few years ago as the former Soviet Union was collapsing, social theorists began to reflect upon the condition of the successful western-style "democracies" and many came to the conclusion that a large number of citizens were critical and distrustful of these "successful" systems. Five social theorists (Bellah, Madsen, Sullivan, Swindler and Tipton) wrote two well-known books: Habits of the Heart and The Good Society. In the second book, the following statement is made:

"Freedom for most Americans is an essential ingredient in a definition of a good society, and one we affirm. But, as with all the great moral terms, we need to probe more deeply to find out what freedom really means. For many of us, "freedom" still has the old meaning of the right to be left alone. In an older America, where one could spend most of one's life on one's own homestead, that notion has a certain plausibility. But in the great society of today, freedom cannot mean simply getting away from other people. Freedom must exist within and be guaranteed by institutions, and must include the right to participate in the economic and political decisions that affect our lives. Indeed, the great classic criteria of a good society--peace, prosperity, freedom, justice--all depend today on a new experiment in democracy, a newly extended and enhanced set of democratic institutions, within which citizens can better discern what we really want and what we ought to want to sustain a good life on this planet for ourselves and the generations to come."

Critique this paragraph from a democratic theoretical perspective being sure to incorporate ideas from Schuman's "Politics As Evil People".



2. Americans have always looked to the president in times of crises whether the crisis is economic (like the Depression) or military (WWI, WWII, etc). Indeed, one political scientist has characterized the president's role as crisis management!

        A. What does this say about the nature of the executive branch and its relationship to the other branches of government?

        B. Why does the Ruritanian model offer us a different perspective?

        C. Which do you think is better? Why?



3. Elitism, pluralism and democracy. You've heard these terms over and over again for 17 weeks! You are probably sick and tired of them! They are so important however, that I have to make sure you know the difference between them.

        A. Identify the core belief of each theory and then briefly describe the fundamentals of the theory (DO NOT tell me all of the components--just highlight the basics!)

        B. Empirically, which do you think most accurately describes how American government actually operates by giving me "evidence" from the one institution most reflective of that particular theoretical point of view.

        C. Normatively, which theory do you think best describes how you would like to see American government operate? Why?

4. Due to the nature of the current "political crisis", differences in the nature of representation and the  interest articulation process  in both the US and Ruritania are quite evident.   

        A. What are the basic components of the electoral, interest group and party systems in each country?

        B. How is representation different in each? 

        C.  Why can it be argued that one system guarantees a government (Ruritania) while the other does not?  Be sure to use the current state on American confusion regarding BOTH the President and Congress as an example! 

        D. Characterize each system in each country as democratic, elite, or plural being sure to justify your response. Then tell me which country's set of systems is better and why.