Prof Anne Rose (History, Religious Studies, Jewish Studies) assigns students to engage in informal debates about issues surrounding the Constitution in her HISTORY 459 course. She and her students did their first informal debate this morning. With her permission, this activity is described below.
Sept 18(M)
U. S. Constitution (packet);
James Madison, selections from The Federalist, no. 10 and 51, AIT, v. 1Debate: The United States would be better off today if the nation had adhered more closely to the political theory behind the Declaration of Independence rather than the Constitution. Yes or no?
In his contribution to The Federalist, James Madison (1751-1836) not only explained the political theory behind the Constitution, but aimed to rally support for the Constitution’s ratification. Without saying as much, he recognized that the nation’s political ideas had changed in the course of a decade. Even at the time, however, there was fierce debate about the wisdom of the new direction, and today we will have an informal debate about the basic issues in relation to what you see as their long-term effects.
On Friday, Sept. 15, I will assign you either to the “yes” or “no” side of this issue. To prepare for today’s class, I ask you to write down three potential arguments that might be used to defend your position. At the beginning of class today, you will have time to get together with other students in your group and decide which arguments may best be used. We’ll then debate the question informally. You do not need to complete a journal entry. Instead, I will collect your list of reasons and grade it on a check plus, check, check minus basis and factor that grade into your class participation grade.
