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Language
English
Description
Although John Dewey lived in a markedly different era, many of his concerns are still highly relevant to life today. This program introduces students to his philosophy and his critical studies of education, the arts, and the implications of democracy for the lives of individuals and their communities. Contemporary examples of the influence of his work include film sequences of noted educator Deborah Meier's Mission Hill School in Roxbury, Massachusetts;...
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English
Description
Can the shortcomings of representative democracy - failing political parties, increasing distrust of government - be addressed within the current system, or is it time to explore a new political model? In this program, five top thinkers in political sociology discuss issues in modern democracy. Fareed Zakaria asserts that the West has been unable to impose short-term pain for long-term gain; John Keane points to political innovation in South Africa...
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English
Description
This program reveals how the American bureaucracy delivers significant services directly to the people, how it has expanded in response to citizen demands for increased government services, and how bureaucrats sometimes face contradictory expectations that are difficult to satisfy.
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English
Description
This program shows how political parties perform important functions that link the public to the institutions of American government. Parties create coalitions of citizens who share political goals, elect candidates to public office to achieve those goals, and organize the legislative and executive branches of government.
Language
English
Description
This program examines the search for balance between the original Constitution and the need to interpret and adjust it to meet the needs of changing times. It explains the original Jeffersonian-Madisonian debate, the concept of checks and balances, and the stringent procedures for amending the Constitution.
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English
Description
This program introduces basic concepts of government, politics, and citizenship. It explores the tension between maintaining order and preserving freedoms, the essential role of politics in addressing the will of the people, and the need for citizens to participate in order to make democracy work.
Language
English
Description
This program shows that the American Presidency has been transformed since the 1930s. Today, presidents are overtly active in the legislative process: they use the media to appeal directly to the people and they exercise leadership over an "institutional presidency" with thousands of aides.
Language
English
Description
This program examines the role of courts as institutions dedicated to conflict resolution, with the power both to apply and to interpret the meaning of law in trial and appeal courts. It shows the increased power of the Supreme Court through its use of judicial review and the difficulty of creating a judiciary that is independent of politics.
Language
English
Description
This program explores the crucial role of strategy in the two-stage electoral campaign system; the opportunities for citizens to choose, organize, and elect candidates who will pursue policies they favor, and the need for campaigns to increase voter turnout by educating citizens about the importance and influence of their vote.
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English
Description
This program examines the need for the United States to use the tools of foreign policy in ways that recognize the growing interdependence of nations - implementing both traditional and new forms of military, trade, and diplomatic strategies to promote benefits for America and the world as a whole.
Language
English
Description
Is it reasonable to expect the entire world to adopt democratic ways, or is it wrong to press other countries to embrace a system that-however beneficial it may, in theory, be-is completely at odds with their cultures and traditions? The motion under consideration in this Oxford Union-style debate is "Democracy isn't for everyone." Panelists in favor stress that true democracy is more than merely the holding of elections and therefore must evolve...
Language
English
Description
This program focuses on the Judicial Branch and its role in government. The Supreme Court's decisions concerning school desegregation, school prayers, abortion, prison overcrowding, the death penalty, and the rights of criminal defendants are explored. Students see how the Court's decisions affect their daily lives, how it resolves disputes without bloodshed, how it interprets our laws and explains what they mean, and how it prevents the other branches...
Language
English
Description
The 535 elected U.S. Senators and Representatives carry with them the desires and opinions of over 200 million Americans. Congress is often accused of being out of touch with the people-but what does the system demand of them? Is there enough time in the day to satisfy all of the varied interests and mandates of the job? This program explores the world through the eyes of those we elect. From the political meetings to the social functions to the time...