As time passes since the attacks of September 11, 2001, homeland security has improved, but concerns over privacy and civil liberties have increased.  Advocates for security claim that new technologies and techniques in homeland security are necessary to protect the public. Privacy advocates believe that the mining of personal information and increased surveillance have altered, negatively, the American way of life. Watch Spying on the Home […]

Immigration enforcement issues have continued to grow in complexity and intensity over the past several years. These debates have stemmed from legal battles, state’s rights, and Department of Homeland Security jurisdiction over immigration enforcement. Questions continue to swirl. Who is an illegal alien? Who can detain illegal aliens? When can they be deported?    Conduct a case study researching and addressing the following:

This week we will look at the debate on gun issues and 2nd Amendment rights.  Numerous tragedies, from the Tuscon shootings of Congresswoman Giffords and others in January 2011 to the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shootings of July 2012, to the school shootings in Newtown back in December 2012, to the mass shooting in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, have prompted current discussion of the gun issue.  With the […]

In Chapter 1 of the text, our author talks about “putting it all into perspective.” After reading chapters 1 and 2 and reviewing the video Young Kids, Hard Time (this video is recommended, but not required), select one of the juveniles from your reading, the movie, or you may speak from personal experience and a particular juvenile in mind. Address the three questions in the following quote […]

When looking at the relationship between social justice and juvenile justice, there are two overarching concepts when addressing juvenile delinquency – treatment and punishment. These two concepts have driven a cycle of changes in the juvenile justice system over the years. Your task is to support your premise that your state or city should either implement a philosophy of treatment or punishment for juvenile offenders for a […]

Fire Service Project  Please select a significant incident that has occurred within the fire service in the last 10 years to complete the project, answering the following questions in a well-organized and researched four- to six-page paper related to the concepts in this course. Your paper must contain at least three Internet sources in addition to professional journal articles or resources related to the profession […]

Reflect: The executive and judicial branches of the U.S. national government often seem to operate independently and with little conflict. Many laws are signed by the President and then implemented without a word from the judicial branch. However, there are times when executive decisions are challenged by the judicial branch in a process called judicial review. In addition, there are times when a judicial review has […]

Following the Revolutionary War and separation from England, the need for a new government was clear. A group of men, who became known as the “nation’s founders” or Founding Fathers, developed a new government based on principles and beliefs they knew through their experiences, readings, and study. The Founding Fathers had a great deal in common with each other, including property interests, education, and extensive […]

Students will write an essay, 500-750 words in length, on a topic selected from the list below. The purpose of the project is to give students an opportunity to discuss a key political science concept, and to show a basic understanding of academic research and reporting skills. The project consists of producing a 500-750 word essay on one of the provided topics (see below), as […]

For this final week, let’s discuss the role of the news media in a democracy, reflecting on what you have read from Chapter 15 of our text.   We have all heard the term “fake news,” but this term has been widely misued in order to denigrate news stories we do not agree with.  Here is a clip from NPR to help understand this phenomenon: http://www.wnyc.org/story/breaking-news-consumer-handbook-fake-news-edition/.  And […]