Victor Lynde

Education 302-303
Prof. Sara Leo
Topic/Theme Section
Topic/Theme Section

The unifying topic for this unit is the legislative branch of government,

specifically the processes by which change is enacted on a local scale as well

as a more society scale. One of the big questions that guides this Unit is how

does it work?, which is the simple way of asking how does change actually

happen within the labyrinth of rules and processes that make up Congress.

For students, their idea of the legislative process can be limited in many

ways to the superficial: people demand change, politicians get elected, and

then they make laws. This Unit dives into the inner workings of Congress, the

nuts and bolts. Under this big idea/question comes the examination of

specific procedures and the structure of Congress as a bicameral legislative

body in Lesson 1, the effect of Congressional Leadership positions on the

process in Lesson 2, and the efficiency of committee system in Lesson 3.

Another important question is that partisanship and factions. Students

may simplistically see political differences within the Congress as simply

Republicans and Democrats. Lesson 4 deals with the complexities of factions

within parties and their impact on the democratic process, while Lessons 6 &

7, taught by my mentor-teacher, will explore these difficulties further as he

unpacks the process of constructing and passing a Bill.

 For students, these themes connect to their lives because the primary

way to enact the change that they want or that they will eventually want is

through the legislative process. By helping students understand some of

these complexities as well as the value of coalition-building they will be

better prepared should they either want to pursue a political career or

support the issues they care about through activism.