Take Home Final Exam
Section One: Politics Within the Nation-State
Section Two: International Relations (and Theory)
- Due: Thursday, June 21st - 1pm - Please send/ share with [email protected]
- You must answer two essay questions. One essay question from each section.
- Word limit: 600 words (per essay)
Section One: Politics Within the Nation-State
- Is a particular kind of political culture needed to develop and sustain a democratic political system?
- Do you think you will vote in the next national, provincial, and local elections? Why do you think that younger voters are less likely to vote than older voters? Is voting a civic duty that all citizens have a responsibility to perform?
- Is there a particular party (or more than one party) that seems to reflect your viewpoints, interests, or identity, or do you feel that none of the major parties really represent you?
- What criteria will you use in deciding how to vote? Should you vote for the best leader, the best party, or the best local candidate?
- Discuss the character of the American Electoral System and whether it is 'undemocratic', whether it is in need of reform, and why such reform might well be difficult.
- Assess the arguments in favour of presidential and parliamentary systems. Do the experiences of states that have made the transition to democracy provide any evidence that would justify one choice or the other?
Section Two: International Relations (and Theory)
- What are the major differences between the realist and liberal-international approaches to the study of world politics? What are the implications for policy suggestions?
- Discuss the structure of the United Nations Security Council. Should the Security Council be reformed or abolished? How so? Would the UN/World be better for it?
- Discuss Canada's involvement in UN Peacekeeping Operations. Have we been a force for good?
- Discuss the current challenges of Canada-US relations. Is the Trudeau government approach valid? What critique, if any, would you make of it?
- If states are no longer considered the only relvant actors in the international sphere, are they still the most effective when it comes to diplomatic activity?
- In what ways does foreign diplomacy link the domestic and international spheres?