Q Follow and use the structure when answering these questions (this is a part of your grade) Reading Notes Assignment - (refer to instruction in syllabus) read assigned pages in the “Democracy in 21st Century America” (PDF) book and the articles for this unit. Take notes on all of the assigned readings. Then, in an extended memo format using the format provided below: 1. Summarize & Explain (in about 400 words+) in an overview of a couple of The Highlights of what the Major Points of Knowledge or what you understand now (ideas or concepts or facts and/or what you think it all means), which you gained from the book readings for this unit. Do this using one paragraph summary narratives (with additional bullet points - IF NEEDED - using whole sentences to illustrate the highlights). 2. Then, Summarize & Outline (in about 400 words+) the Major Skills or points of Critical Political Thinking (ways to think about political questions and how to see & understand social & political phenomenon that affect your life in your world) – do this using bullet points with whole sentences (NOT just one or two words) - to illustrate the key thinking skills you seek to highlight, 3. Finally, in about two or three paragraphs (about 600 words+); make a Conclusion with Commentary explicitly using ideas you take away from reading the articles to suggest how these (with in text citations) and ideas from the book, offer “us” (you) lessons we should all learn from what you have read and thought about, as to how the material in this unit section relates to the following explicit question(s): a) The Constitution: It has been suggested that the US Constitution is remarkable for how long it has been in continuous operation. The document has structured American politics for almost 2 ½ centuries with very few change. Yet, some of the amendments were profoundly significant in altering the distribution of power and guaranteeing rights for all. • To what extent do you think this document is still relevant today? • If a new Constitution were created today, how might this document differ from our current one? • Who would shape its provisions and would it be more or less “socially just” (civil rights & civil liberties) than the version written in 1787? b) Relative to Federalism: • Can you think of one issue that is governed differently from state to state? • What level of government (local, state or national) do you think should solve this problem? • What are the benefits and consequences of having national versus state laws? • Can you think of examples of problems that have occurred due to lack of uniformity in such laws? c) Civil Rights & Civil Liberties: The Bill of Rights is where the U.S. Constitution “claims” to be “democratic” in that it protects the democratic values known as civil rights and civil liberties. Civil rights and civil liberties as terms are often used interchangeably. They are both freedoms and/or privileges to which one has a claim; however, • What is the difference between the Civil rights and civil liberties? • Please explain and give examples of each