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Discussion Board 7.1

  1. Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems.
  2. Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power.
  3. How does the federal government shape the actions of state and local governments? Write your answer based on doing a bit of research on how the federal government has influenced the actions of NY state and local governments, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posted on by Arto Artinian

Discussion Board 6.2

  1. What concept that we have already discussed does “faction” remind you of?
  2. According to Federalist #10 (written by James Madison), what is the source of wealth (private property)? What factor explains why some people get to possess wealth by owning private property, and others don’t (thus remaining poor)? This is a key question, because it shows how the authors of the Constitution thought about the difference between different classes of Americans! HINT: focus on the passage that begins: “The diversity in the faculties (WHAT DOES FACULTIES mean or refer to?) of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not les….”
  3. Do you agree with this explanation of wealth and poverty?
  4. What is the core mission (“first object”) of the US government? Does this surprise you, does it sound different from what our society today seems to suggest the core mission of the government is? Explain.
  5. Given the discussion in questions 1-4, are you surprised that Federalist #10 is not in favor of democracy, and supports a Republican (representative) form of government? Why would d the author dislike a (pure) democratic form of government? Hint: think about how this question connects with the social classes…
Posted on by Arto Artinian

Discussion Board 6.1

  1. Based on the arguments presented in Readings 6.1 and 6.2, which social class wrote the Constitution, and which class was excluded and not allowed to participate in this process? In your comment, make sure you clearly specify the difference between the two classes by giving examples from the readings.
  2. Would say that the social class structure of early United States society, was the same as ours today, or different? Explain.
  3. Why were the people who wrote the Constitution so afraid of democracy? Hint: think about how to answer this question by discussing it in terms of social classes.
Posted on by Arto Artinian

New module posted

Hi class,

I just posted our new module, Module 5: https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu/pol-100-0505-spring-2025-introduction-to-american-government/module-5-social-class-part-2-9-21-9-27/

Please note that this module takes 2 weeks to complete. All assigned discussion boards and the reading response paper is due by 3/2/2025. Pace your work over the next two weeks, this material is more challenging from the previous modules, thus don’t rush through it.

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Discussion Board 5.3

  1. Which statistic on wealth inequality in the US (discussed on p. 29) made the biggest impression on you? Explain why?
  2. What could be some of the implications of living in a society that has such huge wealth inequalities? Do you see this dynamic getting played out in everyday life in our society? How so? Example?

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Discussion Board 5.2

  1. As we learned thus far, the capitalist class consists of people who own wealth, as well as the means of production in American society. An important question in understanding how this class works is to ask: how does a capitalist remain wealthy? The answer to this question depends largely on understanding the diagram M-C-M’. So, let’s practice by explaining what happens in this diagram in our own words (but basing our ideas on Reading 5.1). Respond to the following question: Explain M-C-M’ to show how capitalists maintain and increase their wealth. (hint: your answer should weave a summary that includes what you reviewed in the self-assessment exercise question 1-7)

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Discussion Board 5.1

  1. Two key concepts in this video are the means of production and labor. In your comment, explain how you understand the means of production and labor. Give an example of each.
  2. Another important concept in understanding social class is value. Based on the ideas presented in Video 5.1, what is value?  What give “value” to value, what makes something valuable? 
  3. How are labor and value related? What’s the relationship/connection between the two?
  4. How do you understand the difference between labor and labor power? Hint: this is a key difference, give it your best shot based on what the video says about it, and your own ideas. We’ll clarify and develop it in our discussions, and in my video comments.
  5. Surplus Value: what is it? Why is it important to know about, in our study of social classes? Think about an example of surplus value?