Lesson Report:
### Title:
**Exploring Political Institutions and Legislative Powers: A Focus on Checks and Balances**
**Synopsis:**
In this session, the class explored the topic of political institutions and bureaucracies with an emphasis on different branches of government—executive, legislative, and judicial. The core topic focused on understanding the balance of power provided by the structural design of modern governments, specifically the concept of checks and balances. Further, students were introduced to the origins of these systems and the historical context of their evolution from monarchies. A simulated debate on a hypothetical refugee crisis was introduced as an in-class activity, but time constraints mean it will be completed in the next session.
—
### Attendance:
– **Absent Students:**
– Bermet
– Eldar
– Aliya (presumed excused)
– Inayat Khan (excused)
—
### Topics Covered:
#### 1. **Introduction – Overview & Midterm Reminder**
– Brief review of technical issues (projector unavailable).
– Reminder about the midterm exam format: handwritten, no electronic devices allowed. Midterm review will continue next Tuesday.
#### 2. **Understanding Political Institutions and Bureaucracies**
– **Definition of Institutions:** Discussion started with a basic understanding of institutions as physical and systemic entities (buildings, organizations). Institutions are series of systems aimed at achieving a political purpose.
– Examples discussed: Educational institutions like AUCA, and governmental branches such as **legislative**, **judicial**, and **executive** were defined as political institutions.
– **Bureaucracies:** Explored how bureaucracies are specific administrative systems within larger institutions, with real-world examples given like AUCA’s admissions office, president’s office, and registrar.
#### 3. **Power and its Distribution**
– **Recap:** A review of key concepts covered in the course so far, including **power** dynamics, **state responsibilities**, and how regime types (democratic vs. totalitarian) influence the distribution of power.
– **Separation of Powers:**
– Government power is separated typically into three components: **Executive**, **Legislative**, and **Judicial**.
– The executive enforces laws, the legislative makes laws and represents people, and the judiciary interprets laws for constitutionality.
#### 4. **Checks and Balances in Modern Government**
– **System of Counterbalance:** A detailed exploration of checks and balances within modern political systems.
– **Real-world Examples:** Case studies involving checks such as **presidential vetoes**, legislative **impeachments**, and judicial reviews (e.g., **Roe v. Wade** case in the U.S.).
– **Class Free Write Activity:** Students wrote in their notebooks about why separation of powers is important in modern governance, reflecting on the concerns surrounding abuse of power, and healthy competition among branches.
#### 5. **Origins of Legislative Systems – From Monarchy to Modern Legislatures**
– Discussion on the historical origin of political institutions, specifically focusing on the shift from monarchies and feudalism systems to legislative bodies that eventually became modern parliaments.
– Example of the **British Magna Carta** as a pivotal historical document that limited absolute monarchical powers.
#### 6. **Different Legislative Systems**
– **Unicameral vs. Bicameral Legislatures:** Explanation of the differences between legislative systems with one (unicameral) and two chambers (bicameral).
– Example: U.S. has a bicameral Congress with the House of Representatives and the Senate; Kyrgyzstan has a unicameral system with the **Jogorku Kenesh** (parliament).
– **Presidential vs. Parliamentary Systems:** Explained how the executive is elected in both systems (president vs. prime minister) and the impact on governance.
#### 7. **Challenges to Checks and Balances**
– Potential issues in the system, such as **governmental deadlock** where inefficiency leads to nothing being accomplished due to too much internal conflict.
– Introduction of the concept of **democratic backsliding**, where executive branches gain too much power by undermining legislative and judicial branches.
#### 8. **In-Class Simulation Activity Preparation**
– Students were introduced to a **simulation activity** on the refugee issue in “Logmanistan,” meant to explore how the executive and legislative branches interact.
– Roles Assigned:
– **President:** Gleb.
– **Vice President:** Samira.
– **Minister of Economy:** Datkayim.
– **Parliament Members (divided into three political parties):** Economic Liberals, Social Democrats, and Nationalists.
– Scenario: Debate over a refugee aid package with various political party standpoints. The activity will continue in the next class.
—
### Actionable Items:
#### **For the Next Class:**
– Complete the **simulation activity** on the refugee crisis in Logmanistan.
#### **Midterm Review:**
– Continue **midterm review** (short answer and essay sections) next Tuesday.
#### **Homework:**
– **Reading assignment** posted to e-course. Must be read before Tuesday’s class.
Homework Instructions:
ASSIGNMENT #1: Reading on Political Systems
This assignment is provided to further your understanding of the concepts discussed in class regarding political institutions and the separation of powers. It will help you better grasp the distinct structures of governance, their dynamics, and their checks and balances which are key to understanding modern political systems.
Instructions:
1. Log in to the eCourse and locate the assigned reading on the topic of political systems and governance. It should cover material related to what we discussed today, specifically regarding checks and balances and the functions of various branches of government.
2. Read the assigned materials thoroughly, paying special attention to the details that link back to our class discussion on separation of powers, the importance of avoiding the concentration of power, and how different government branches interact.
3. Take notes while reading, making sure you understand examples given of different political systems (e.g., presidential versus parliamentary systems).
4. Be prepared to discuss the reading in our next class session as we will be continuing our review from where we left off.
Due date: Complete this reading by the next class session on Tuesday. Be prepared for discussion.