NEW Politics A-level – US Congress Topic
6th September 2017
NEW Politics A-level – US Congress Topic
Our resources will support you in teaching either of the specifications for the new politics A level.
In order to cover the topic of the US congress comprehensively for both specifications, use our lesson powerpoints in conjunction with the activities, handouts and articles.
| AQA Requirements | PEPED |
| · The structure, role and powers of the US Congress | Yes |
| · Composition of Congress, the different terms of office and party allegiance | Yes |
| · Debates concerning the functions, powers and effectiveness of Congress in legislation, oversight and the power of the purse | Yes |
| · Party system and committee system and their significance within Congress | Yes |
| · Representative role of senators and representatives | Yes |
| · Relative strengths of the House of Representatives and the Senate | Yes |
| · Relationship of Congress to the executive branch of government and the Supreme Court. | Yes |
| Edexcel Requirements | PEPED |
| The structure of Congress; bicameral nature, membership of Congress and election cycle | Yes |
| Distribution of powers within Congress; powers given to Congress in the constitution, exclusive and concurrent powers | Yes |
| Functions of Congress; representation, legislation, oversight | Yes |
| Representation; congressional elections, significance of incumbency | Yes |
| Factors that affect voting behaviour – parties, caucuses, constituency, pressure groups and lobbyists | Yes |
| Legislative process, including strengths and weaknesses | Yes |
| Differences between legislative approach in each chamber | Yes |
| Policy significance of Congress – impact and effectiveness of laws passed | Yes |
| Factors that influence the relationship between Congress and the presidency | Yes |
| Checks on other branches of government and the extent of its institutional effectiveness | Yes |
| Interpretations and debates around Congress – changing roles and powers and relative importance | Yes |
| Changing significance of parties in Congress | Yes |
| Significance and effectiveness of the powers outlined in the constitution | Yes |
Scheme of Work
Below is an example scheme of work, complete with flipped learning homework tasks to encourage independence and engagement with the content of the following lessons. This scheme of work would meet all criteria for either examination board.
| Lesson | Objectives/Outcomes | Assessment Opportunities | |
| 1. What is the structure and role of Congress? | • To explain the bicameral structure of Congress
• To analyse the roles of Congress |
Application Task:
N/A Flipped Learning Preparation Task: Functions and Structure of Power in Congress (McKay p183-193) Stretch & Challenge Task |
|
| 2. What powers does Congress have?
|
• To describe the enumerated powers of Congress in the constitution
• To analyse the extent to which Congress has increased the reach of its power through expansive reading of the constitution • To evaluate the impact of these constitutional clauses on the extent of congressional power |
Application Task:
Create a Venn Diagram showing the exclusive and concurrent powers of the Senate and House of Representatives. Flipped Learning Preparation Task: Powers of Congress (Bennett p185-189) Stretch & Challenge Task Article: The Necessary and Proper Clause |
|
| 3. How do the roles and powers within Congress differ?
|
• To identify the shared and exclusive powers of the Senate and the House of Representatives
• To analyse the impact of these • To evaluate the extent to which the chambers of Congress are equal |
Application Task:
To what extent are the two chambers of Congress equal in power and influence? (15) Flipped Learning Preparation Task: Composition of Congress Task Stretch & Challenge Task Article; Membership of the 115th Congress; A Profile |
|
| 4. Who sits in Congress? | • To describe the current composition of Congress
• To explain the different congressional terms and elections • To analyse the role of party allegiances in Congress |
Application Task:
How significant is the role of political parties within Congress? (15) Flipped Learning Preparation Task: Functions of Congress: Representation (Pearson p344-348) Stretch & Challenge Task Demographics; 115th Congress |
|
| 5. How do senators and representatives fulfil their representative role?
|
• To explain what influences the voting of members of congress
• To analyse the different models of representative • To evaluate the extent to which members of Congress prioritise local interests over national interests |
Application Task:
Assess the factors that influence the votes of members of Congress. (15) Flipped Learning Preparation Task: The Changing Significance of Parties in Congress (Pearson p355-358) Stretch & Challenge Task Article: The Weirdest Members of Congress |
|
| 6. How do the party and committee systems work within Congress? | • To explain the committee structure and party leadership roles in both chambers
• To analyse the extent to which committee chairmen and party leadership are competing sources of leadership • To evaluate the extent to which party leaders have become dominant over the past 30 years |
Application Task:
A choice of: How much power do the party leaders exert in Congress? (15) What is the role of Committee Chairmen in Congress, and why have they been the subject of criticism? (15) To what extent does the Speaker of the House of Representatives remain a powerful political figure? (15) Flipped Learning Preparation Task: Functions of Congress: Legislation (Pearson p348-352) Stretch & Challenge Task Extract: Congress in the Information Age |
|
| 7. How is legislation passed?
|
• To describe the legislative process
• To explain the complexities of the legislative process and the factors that can affect it, including partisanship and bipartisanship • To evaluate the extent to which the filibuster is still a useful legislative tool |
Application Task:
Why do only a small percentage of bills introduced into Congress become laws? (15) Flipped Learning Preparation Task: Functions of Congress: Oversight (Pearson p353-355) Stretch & Challenge Task |
|
| 8. What characterises the relationship between the legislature and the executive?
|
• To explain the checks and balances between the legislative and executive branches
• To analyse the power relationship between congress and the presidency in both domestic and foreign policy • To evaluate the extent to which oversight of the congressional branch is driven by partisanship |
Application Task:
‘Congress is significantly less effective when different parties control its two chambers.’ Discuss. (45) Flipped Learning Preparation Task: 114th & 115th Congress: Comparison Task Stretch & Challenge Task Congressional Oversight: An Overview (Full Article) |
|
| 9. How effective has the 115th Congress been?
|
• To evaluate the efficacy of the 115th Congress in relation to its roles of:
• Representation • Legislation • Oversight of the executive branch |
Application Task:
What is meant by ‘pork-barrel politics’, and what is its significance in Congress? (15) Flipped Learning Preparation Task: Congress Under Fire (McKay p194-209) Stretch & Challenge Task Article: Is This the Worst Congress Ever? |
|
| 10. How powerful is Congress?
|
• To evaluate the extent to which Congress is still a powerful body | Application Task:
‘Congress has become the least powerful branch of government.’ Discuss. (45) Flipped Learning Preparation Task: Revision in preparation for end of topic test Stretch & Challenge Task Attempt one (or more!?) of the example exam questions….OR examine the SAMPLE ANSWER: To what extent can Congress be considered the “broken branch” of American government? |
|
| EXAMINATION PRACTICE: | |||
| 15 mark questions:
· Assess the significance of the exclusive powers of the Senate. (15) · To what extent are parties the most significant influence on voting in Congress? · Explain the key factors that affect the relationship between the Senate and the House of Representatives. · Why could the Senate be regarded as superior in status and power to the House of Representatives? · Does the House of Representatives carry out its representative role more effectively than the Senate? |
45 mark questions:
· ‘Members of Congress are more concerned with local issues than with national or international issues.’ Discuss. · ‘Members of Congress are out of touch with the people who elect them.’ Discuss. · To what extent does Congress still have a meaningful foreign policy role? · To what extent does Congress remain a powerful body? · The main problem with Congress is the lack of effective leadership.’ Discuss. |
||
| 12 mark questions:
· Explain and analyse significance of the exclusive powers of the Senate. (12) · Explain and analyse the factors that affect how members of Congress vote. (12) · Explain and analyse the key factors that affect the relationship between the Senate and the House of Representatives. |
30 mark questions:
· Evaluate the extent to which members of Congress are more concerned with local issues than with national or international issues. · Evaluate the extent to which members of Congress are out of touch with the people who elect them. · Evaluate the extent to which Congress still has a meaningful foreign policy role. · Evaluate the extent to which Congress remains a powerful body. · Evaluate the extent to which there is a lack of effective leadership in Congress. |
||
0 Comments