1) Identify the components of the American political system that reflect the intentions of the Framers and evaluate how well they reflect the pluralist model of government.
2) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the American political system. In doing so, consider the following questions: a) should a majority be able to pass quickly any piece of legislation it wants? Or should the process be more deliberate and take into consideration groups not part of the contemporary majority? b) Should policies be national in scope? Or should they reflect the conditions of the states? c) If you want quick policies that reflect the wishes of the majority, what changes would you make in the electoral and governmental systems?
3) Some argue that the American political system and the policymaking process, in fact, are more representative of the elite model of government. For example, Lindblom and Woodhouse in their seminal The Policymaking Process argue that the process reflects " the pernicious effects [of] political inequality" on the policy making process and, "especially the possibility that policy ideas are systematically misshaped by the pro-business cultures of market-oriented democracies."