POL/115: American National Government

Wk 2 – Congress & the President Paper or Presentation [due Mon]

Wk 2 – Congress & the President Paper or Presentation [due Mon]

Assignment Content

1. This assignment is designed to help you think about how the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution and examine how the presidency and Congress are functioning today.

   Consider the current Congress and Office of the President.

   Discuss how contemporary activities of these two branches of the U.S. government compare and contrast with the intentions of the founders. Use specific examples, and include support from at least 3 sources, 1 of which can be your textbook. Your examination of the topic should include information about the following:

   • Structure and makeup of Congress
   • Differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate
   • Powers granted to Congress and the president under the Constitution
   • Checks and balances of power, considering Congress, the president, and the judiciary
   • Roles and responsibilities of the president
   • Evolution of presidential power
   • How bills become laws
   • Format your assignment as one of the following:
   • 12- to 15-slide presentation with detailed speaker notes in a separate word document.
   • 875-word paper
   • Another format approved by your instructor
   • Cite 2 peer-reviewed, scholarly, or similar references to support your assignment. Do not use Wikipedia, Quora, Yahoo Questions or other crowdsourced websites as references.
   • Include a reference list in APA format.
   • Use in-text citations in APA format.