3.2: Federalism - Classroom Activity
- Page ID
- 231655
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Exploring Federalism in Action: A Case Study Analysis
Analyze real-world examples of federalism, evaluate its pros and cons, and propose solutions to federal-state conflicts.
1. You are assigned to a group and given a real-world federalism issue, for example:
- Marijuana Legalization – State vs. Federal drug laws
- Voting Rights Laws – State election rules vs. Federal oversight
- Disaster Response – Hurricane Katrina & FEMA’s rol
- COVID-19 Policies – State vs. Federal pandemic responses
- Education Policy – Common Core vs. State Curriculu
2. Research your topic and answer these questions:
- How does this issue illustrate federalism?
- What are the state's and federal government’s roles?
- What are the benefits and drawbacks of how power is distributed?
- What solutions could improve cooperation between state and federal levels?
3. Presentation
Each group relays its case study findings.
4. Class Discussion
- Did federalism help or hurt in each case
- How well was the public served -in all its diversity- in each case?
- Should power shift more to the states or the federal government?
Evaluation Rubric
| Criteria | 4 (Excellent) | 3 (Good) | 2 (Needs Improvement) | 1 (Unsatisfactory) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Understanding of Federalism | Demonstrates a clear and thorough understanding of federalism and its principles. | Shows a good understanding of federalism with minor gaps in knowledge. | Demonstrates a basic understanding but lacks depth or accuracy. | Shows little to no understanding of federalism. |
| Case Study Analysis | Provides a detailed and insightful analysis of the issue, addressing all questions thoroughly. | Analyzes the issue well but may lack depth in some areas or miss minor details. | Provides a superficial analysis with limited insight or incomplete answers. | Fails to analyze the issue effectively or answer the questions adequately. |
| Research & Preparation | Uses a variety of reliable sources and demonstrates thorough preparation. | Uses adequate sources and shows good preparation with minor gaps. | Uses limited sources and shows minimal preparation. | Lacks research and preparation, relying on incomplete or unreliable information. |
| Presentation Skills | Presents findings clearly, confidently, and engagingly within the time limit. | Presents findings clearly and mostly confidently, with minor issues. | Presents findings with some clarity but lacks confidence or organization. | Struggles to present findings clearly or stay within the time limit. |
| Critical Thinking | Offers thoughtful solutions and evaluates pros/cons of federalism effectively. | Provides good solutions and evaluation but may lack depth or creativity. | Offers basic solutions and evaluation with limited critical thinking. | Fails to propose solutions or evaluate federalism effectively. |
| Class Discussion Participation | Actively engages in discussions, providing insightful comments and questions. | Participates in discussions with relevant contributions. | Participates minimally or with limited relevance. | Does not participate or contributes irrelevant points. |