Final Exam - Wednesday, 5/14

Your final exam will be given in-class on May 14. You will have the full class period to write your exam; that means 80 minutes, or approximately 40 min. per question. The exam will consist of two essay questions. You will be randomly assigned two of the following four questions:

1. What are the tradeoffs between equity and efficiency?
2. Why can some policy designs be seen as anti-democratic?
3. In what ways are symbols used in politics? Provide at least two examples.
4. What’s wrong with cost-benefit analysis?

We will review these questions in class on Monday, May 12.

As a reminder, I look for two things in your answers. First is coherence; make sure you answer the question, and present a coherent, organized answer to it. It helps if you include an introductory paragraph that lays out your thesis and explains what will follow. A concluding paragraph that restates the thesis is also helpful. The second thing I look for is completeness. This does not mean to spit out everything you know about a subject; instead, include everything you can that is relevant to the question asked. Examples are helpful, but not required. Finally, please remember that there is no single right answer to these questions; your solution can be different from mine, as long as you provide evidence and argumentation.

Please note that you are allowed to bring ONE 3x5" index card to the exam. You can write whatever you would like on this card, on either side, using however small a font as you'd like - WITHIN REASON. Do NOT try to use 5-pt font to squeeze in every possible word you can; do NOT simply try to write out your essay, and then copy it into your exam book. You will have to submit your card with your exam, and I will not give credit for answers that are chiefly copied off of your card. I'm trying to give you the tools to succeed in this exam; please do not abuse my generosity.

One final note that is already in the syllabus: if you fail to show up for the exam, and are unable to produce a valid excuse WITH DOCUMENTATION, you will fail the exam. Good luck!

Assignment for Wednesday, 5/7

For Wednesday, please read the healthcare policy plans for each of the three major party Presidential candidates. If you are pressed for time (and I know most of you are), you should read at least one. If you still need to submit a summary, you may summarize ONE of the plans.


You can find the plans on each of the candidate's websites:

• John McCain
• Hillary Clinton
• Barack Obama

Assignment for Monday, 5/5 (PAPERS DUE)

For Monday, please read Chapter 9 in Stone, "Interests." This might be your last chance for a summary, so please submit them if you need to.

Also, please remember that final drafts of your research papers are due Monday as well.

Assignment for Wednesday, 4/30

Next time we'll discuss cost benefit analysis. Read -- and, if you'd like, summarize -- the article, "Pricing the Priceless," by Tufts researcher Frank Ackerman and Georgetown Law Professor Lisa Heinzerling.

(If you have trouble with the link above, try copying and pasting the following link into your browser: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/Heinzerling/Articles/Pricing_the_Priceless-U_Pa_LR.pdf)

Assignment for Monday, 4/28

For next week, read Chapter 7 in Stone, "Numbers." Summaries are welcome.

Assignment for Wednesday, 4/23

On Wednesday, we'll have one more student presentation, and then we will return to discussing Stone's book. Read (and, if you'd like, summarize) Stone's Chapter 6, "Symbols."

No assignment for Monday, 4/14

There are no assignments for the next two weeks, as we will get into paper presentations.

Please remember that there is NO CLASS on Wednesday, April 9 (Advisement Day).

Next Monday is our first batch of paper presentations. You can find the presentation schedule here. I expect EVERY student to make every effort to attend and provide useful feedback to each other.