Review Sheet: Midterm II
Midterm II
Please remember to bring a photo id and
an orange scantron with you on Friday.
A word of caution: This is not an
exhaustive list by any means; it is not
intended as a sole study guide, nor is it
intended to reflect what might appear on
the Midterm. It is intended to serve as a
general guide for review. It is your
responsibility to review all materials
listed on the syllabus and mentioned in
lectures.
Here is a list of topics we have reviewed
in the past four weeks. Remember, it is
not enough to simply recognize a term
and identify its meaning. You should
have a good working knowledge of how
specific terms fit into the overall big
picture. While a listing of terms implies
a narrow review, it is not the intention to
force a narrow review. You should make
a considerable effort to see the big
picture, and know how the pieces of the
puzzle fit together.
Ch 6 Donovan—Who get’s on the
Ballot?
 Methods of selecting Presidential
delegates: (caucuses, closed
primaries, open primaries, blanket
primaries);
 change in presidential nomination
process in 1972;
 consequences of frontloading
primaries (also, what is
frontloading?);
 what is an “invisible primary”;
 why is the N.H. primary so
important;
Ch. 7 Kernell—The Presidency
 Constitutional powers granted to
President (commander in chief,
head diplomat, chief executive);
 executive privilege;
 State of the Union address (what
is it?);
 unified vs. divided government;
 the decline of majorities in
presidential elections;
 what are presidential coattails?;
 determinants of presidential
reelection?;
 Executive Order
Ch. 5 Donovan—Reforming the
Electoral College
 What is the electoral college?;
 Problems with electoral college
and alternatives—proportional
representation, direct election of
President; winner-take-all by
congressional district;
 What happened in Florida in
2000?
 Alternative voting/preference
voting
Ch. 8 Kernell—The Bureaucracy
 What is bureaucracy?;
 Early history of bureaucratic
departments?;
 Red-tape?;
 Independent Executive Agencies
(NASA, CIA, Selective Service
System, etc.);
 Independent Regulatory
Commissions (FDA, OHSA);
 independent governmental
corporations;
 Cabinet agencies;
 Spoils System
Ch 10 Kernell—Public Opinion
 How do you measure public
opinion?—scientific v. nonscientific polls, straw polls,
 the logic of probability sampling;
 ideology;
 liberal v. conservative—know
each group’s view of the role of
government, e.g., how they view
individual equality;
 right v. left;
 how do people acquire their
political beliefs?
 Political socialization
 Measurement error
Foreign Policy Lecture—Oct. 20th
 What is foreign policy and what
are its determinants?;
 who are the internal/external
actors in foreign policy
formulation? (know the different
categories and examples of
each);
 executive and congressional
powers in foreign policy and
know how this dichotomy
contributes to “checks and
balances”;
 War Powers Act;
 know the different instruments of
F.P.
Ch. 11 Kernell—Voting
 Know the different periods of
expanded suffrage, e.g. women,
African Americans, young
Americans;
 Who votes—who’s represented,
underrepresented and
overrepresented?;
 How do voters decide who to
vote for—issue voting,
performance voting, single issue
voting, party labels, party
identification?
 Negative campaigning;
 efforts to regulate campaign
donations—past legislation, court
cases;
 hard v. soft money;
 who does the money
predominantly go to;
 know the different voting
models—Michigan and
Retrospective Voting Models;
 swing voters.
 Focus group
 Access