General Questions
My understanding of politics and government are closely related. Indeed, while “politics” can occur in situations that are absent of government; government necessarily must include politics. This idea is based on my belief that politics refers to the interactions between humans to gain and maintain power, authority can control. Accordingly, politics in and of itself can occur wherever two or more people are competing for authority whether it is in a family, business or government. On the other hand, government refers to the people, institutions, and programs that are established for the effective administration of a country, state, or nation. Since governments involve the competition between people for power, either to gain it or maintain it, politics is essential to government.
Since politics and government are essential aspects of what it is to be a human, I am immensely interested in politics and government. As mentioned, politics is constantly occurring around us, and most people have an innate ability to participate in it, or at least in the politics that affect their lives. On the other hand, government is not something that everyone is interested in or likes but it still is mainly based on those abilities that we all have. So it is interesting to consider why are some people great at politics but make poor politicians; or why do some people like specific politicians but hate government.
I expect that this class will increase my level of interest in politics. Not only does the course cover issues that I am interested in, such as political behavior and how it influences the way that government works; since this is an election year I expect that the class will cover a range of timely and important topics that will help provide a better understanding of the election process
While my understanding of the Supreme Court is that it is not a “political” branch but as it is also an important part of the government, politics must nevertheless play a role in how it functions. Accordingly, this semester I would also like to learn about the role of politics in or on the Supreme Court and what role or political influence does the Supreme Court have on the other branches and the nation.
