WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

HNR 235

Consult http://www4.gvsu.edu/dendulkk/papers.htm for very important rules and information on bibliographic style and other matters related to writing in HNR 235.

PAPER 1

Liberal Constitutionalism Across the World

This assignment asks you to compare and contrast the U.S. Constitution to the constitutions of two other states. Begin by choosing two countries from the list below and finding their constitutions at http://www.findlaw.com (or by simply clicking on the country name below). You will have to scroll through each country’s constitution to find the part where it lays out rights and freedoms.

· China

· Canada

· Israel

· Ireland

· South Africa

· Saudi Arabia

Address the following questions in no more than four double-spaced pages. Be sure to provide evidence for your responses.

· What are the basic similarities and differences among the countries’ constitutions? Do they focus on structural matters of institutional design or substantive rights and freedoms? What kind of structures (legislative arrangements? Elections?)? What kind of rights or freedoms (economic, political, “social” rights)?

· Do these countries’ expect anything of their citizens? In other words, do the constitutions invoke citizen responsibilities as well as freedoms? In what ways?

· Indicate what you would include or exclude in these constitutions. What are your assumptions in deciding what to include or exclude? What do these assumptions reveal about your own understanding of what it means to be a citizen?

· Finally, are there constitutional provisions in these constitutions that ought to apply across nations (e.g., representative legislatures, basic “human rights”)? Why or why not?

PAPER 2

Go to http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/citizenship/flashcards/Flashcard_questions.pdf for the link to a sample questions for the exam given by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services as a partial requirement for citizenship. Before you look at the answers at the bottom of the document, print out the test and take it (closed-book!), entering your responses immediately after each question. After completing the test, go to the bottom of the document and compare your responses to the correct answers. After you are done with the test, read the BCIS’s explanations at http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/citizenship/flashcards/M-638.pdf. In light of this information, assess the test as a means of determining citizenship in no more than four double-spaced pages. Be sure to address the following:

· What questions did you miss, if any? Are there certain types of questions that you systematically missed (i.e., is there a pattern)? Why? Do you think those questions matter to your participation as a citizen?

· More generally, should citizenship be contingent on knowledge at all, or are the BCIS’s other criteria for citizenship (you can read about them here) better grounds for determining citizenship? Discuss the implications of your position.

· On the fourth page of your paper, design your own immigration test in ten questions or less and explain in a paragraph why you chose those questions.

Turn in your completed test (I won’t hold it against you!) along with your written assessment of the test.

PAPER 3

Judiciary Board Proposal

In no more than four pages, propose a design for a judiciary board in the Honors College. The board would hear alleged infractions of the Student Code within the Honors College itself. In your paper, be sure to (1) explain how your proposal differs from the current Honors Constitution (available here) and (2) address the major themes of the course, including rulership, obligation, and justice. In addressing those themes, you might consider the following types of questions:

· RULERSHIP: Who should sit on the judiciary board? How should members of the j-board make their decisions (i.e., what kind of mechanism for deliberation or decision rule, such as unanimity or majority rule, will they use)?

· OBLIGATION: Is there a specific obligation that Honors students have to the Honors College? If so, what is the basis of that obligation?

· JUSTICE: If a student is found “guilty” of an infraction, what do they deserve?

Remember to describe your assumptions and reasons and to show me how your answers relate to specific arguments that we’ve considered in the course. You may also want to consider the way GVSU’s Student Code addresses these kinds of issues; click here.