Week 7 — Readings & Resources

Introduction to Political Science Free sample edition

Your primary reading is Chapter 7 (in this module). Everything below is the optional, go-deeper layer — pick what helps, skip the rest.

How to use this page

This page has 11 items (5 readings and 6 videos). Allow 55–70 minutes for everything. Each group points back to the matching chapter section and class-session segment, so use the full menu when you want more depth, or take the quick path below.

Every video here has captions: turn them on with the CC button in the player. The chapter covers the same ideas in text.

Pick-one quick path (17–20 min total)

① One chamber or two?

Chapter 7, Section “Count the chambers: one or two?” · Session 1, Segment 2, “One chamber or two” · Remember: a second chamber is a common choice held by a large minority of national parliaments, and whether it is worth having is a value question.

Why does Parliament have two chambers? — Parliamentary Education Office — a parliament's own education office explains why its federation chose two chambers, one by population and one with equal seats for each state; it gives the case for a second chamber only, so pair it with the critics' side in the chapter. This builds on Week 6's work with what constitutions do and the separation of powers. (reading, 2–4 min)
The Bicameral Congress: Crash Course Government and Politics #2 — CrashCourse — a fast, captioned tour of one bicameral legislature, why it has two chambers, and how the two differ; listen for the represent, legislate, and oversee jobs as they come up. (video, 9 min) (captions: creator)

② Which design is it?

Chapter 7, Section “Apply the removal test: three designs” · Session 1, Segment 4, “The removal test and three designs” · Remember: ask how a failing government would be removed, by a vote of no confidence, by impeachment, or by both.

Parliamentary vs. Presidential Democracy Explained — TDC — an animated comparison of the fused and separate designs, including who chooses the executive and how each one can be removed; use it while working through the Week-7 module overview. (video, 7 min) (captions: creator)
COGO 2.1 Parliamentary, Presidential, and Semi presidential Systems — Fun Sized AP Reviews — a short review that adds the mixed design to the other two; afterward, sort each example it gives with the removal test before it names the answer. (video, 4 min) (captions: creator)
Overview of Impeachment Clause — Constitution Annotated, Library of Congress — the official annotated Constitution's short essay on Article II, Section 4, explaining that impeachment is a check on officials for serious wrongdoing and that its standard has been worked out through practice. (reading, 5–8 min)

③ How does a parliamentary government form and fall?

Chapter 7, Section “Treat coalition government as normal” · Session 2, Segment 6, “Coalitions as a normal mode” · Remember: a parliamentary government lives on the confidence of a legislative majority, and when no party holds one, a majority has to be built.

What is responsible government? — Parliament of Canada — a parliament's own short explainer: the prime minister and cabinet stay in office only while most members of the elected house support them, and a lost confidence vote leads to resignation or an election, with no wrongdoing required; notice how different that is from impeachment. (video, 3 min) (captions: creator)
Coalitions Explained: How Multi-Party Systems Get to a Majority — Lucas Bender — an animated walk through how parties in a parliament with no single-party majority hold exploratory talks, negotiate a coalition agreement, and then govern together; note each step that shows a coalition is a normal way to build a majority, not a breakdown. (video, 6 min) (captions: creator)
How is the Federal Chancellor elected? — The Federal Chancellor, Germany — the German government's own short page on how the legislature chooses the head of government and how the constructive vote of no confidence works. (reading, 3–5 min)
Government Formation and Removal Mechanisms — International IDEA — the description page of a free primer written for people drafting constitutions, on the rules for choosing and removing parliamentary governments; the page's summary and contents list are enough for this week. (reading, 3–6 min)

④ Is presidentialism riskier?

Chapter 7, Section “Weigh the trade-off: Linz versus the defenders of presidentialism” · Session 2, Segment 7, “Linz and the defenders of presidentialism” · Remember: Linz worried about rigidity, rival mandates, and winner-take-all stakes, and defenders answer with identifiability and checks.

Presidential vs Parliamentary Systems Explained — The System Map — a neutral visual guide to the three designs that sets the risks of a presidency (rival mandates, a fixed term that is hard to cut short, winner-take-all stakes) beside the replies (clear responsibility, separate branches that check each other) and picks no winner; match each risk to one of Linz's three worries and each reply to identifiability or checks. (video, 8 min) (captions: creator)

Optional one-stop reference (free online reference)

The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot — Project Gutenberg — the free online edition of the book this course quotes; choose "Read online now" and search for the words efficient secret to find the one sentence quoted this week, then stop unless you want more. (reading, 5–10 min)

Heads-up (links rot): these point to outside sites that occasionally move or rename pages. If a link ever fails, tell your instructor and use the reference above in the meantime.

Provenance: Built with The Course Maker · samples.thecoursemaker.com