This unit is about the concept of Federalism. Our system in the United States is "federal", which means that legal authority is held by more than one level of government (the national, or "federal" government; and ALSO the STATE governments). Our neighbors to both the north (Canada) and south (Mexico) are also federal systems. However, as we'll learn in this unit, this is actually unusual around the world. The majority of countries have "unitary" governments, which means that the national government determines ALL laws and policies for the entire country. They might have regional governments, but their job is to enforce and implement the laws passed at the national level. In our system, the states have a lot more independence. That's the focus of this unit.
Textbook Reading |
Chapter 2 (Parts 2.A through 2.E, and then 2.F.I and 2.F.II) - up through the end of the section on "Cooperative Federalism" |
Instructor Notes |
Federalism - Lecture Notes |
Outside Links |
Civics 101 podcast on Federalism (New Hampshire Public Radio) - (transcript included on same page) Bringing State Courts back into the Constitutional Picture (NCSC Court Talk podcast) - (no transcript) |
Unit Assignments |
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