PS240
Final Celebration Study Guide
Dr. Miller
Scope
Of the following ten questions, six will appear on the exam. You will be asked to write on
five. They will be worth ten points each. You must have a Blue Book for this portion of the
exam.
1) Explain what is meant by presidential and parliamentary government? What are the
strengths and weaknesses of both structures?
2) Greenstein posits a series of skills that we should want in a president. What are the skills
on his list? Which do you believe to be the most important? Least?
3) What is street-level bureaucracy? Why do these bureaucrats have so much power? Is this
a good or bad thing for government?
4) What are the characteristics of good bureaucracy? How do these compare to Weber’s list
of characteristics of the ideal type of bureaucracy?
5) What are social movements? What is typically considered to be their cause? Why have
they spiked in the 20th and 21st centuries?
6) How are case law and code law similar and different? What are the advantages and
disadvantages to each?
7) What is the Sharia? How do Sunni and Shi’a Muslims differ on their interpretation of
Sharia? What makes Sharia law extremely difficult for judges?
8) At the conclusion of the Cold War, numerous things occurred that ultimately have shaped
the modern political world. What are the things that occurred during this period and how
have they impacted modern politics?
9) There are numerous areas where nations draw power from. What are the five sources the
book mentions and how does each of them contribute to a country’s power?
10) While few people are willing to condone acts of terrorism, there are many circumstances
in which political scientists believe that terrorism can be an effective strategy. What are the
five examples provided in our book for when terrorism is likely to be a tactic undertaken by
a group?
Methods
No Blue Books for this section. No exact questions either on the study guide. Here is the
question/point breakdown.
These correspond directly to the questions as posed in Assignment 4.
Q1 (3)
Q2 (2)
Q3 (4)
Q4 (4)
Q5 (4)
Q6 (2)
Q7 (9)
Q8 (4)
Q9 (8)
Q10 (10)