Teaching Ideas for Chapter 12:
Congress
Distribute several copies of the Congressional Record in your class. Ask students to look for the main features of the Record: the Proceedings of the House and Proceedings of the Senate, which contain an official account of the floor proceedings of each chamber; the "Extension of Remarks," which contains various documents (some of them extraneous) inserted by members; and the "Daily Digest," which contains a list of meetings and hearings of committees and subcommittees and summarizes the day's congressional activities. Point out the black dots known as "bullets" that are used to designate speeches that were not made in person. Solicit views from the class about the practice whereby members may revise or edit speeches that were made from the floor.
Videotape several short segments of Congress is session and use them in class to discuss congressional functions. For example, you could show advise and consent hearings, a roll call vote, debate, and even a brief procedural segment. Alternatively, assign students to watch C-SPAN, and discuss the nature of the proceedings.
Members of Congress can obviously not claim descriptive representation since they come primarily from occupations with high status and usually have substantial incomes. Moreover, women and minorities are underrepresented. Ask your class to consider whether the personal characteristics of members of Congress are important. Can members of Congress effectively represent the concerns of their constituents when they do not share their constituents' economic and social backgrounds?
Surveys consistently show a high level of dissatisfaction with Congress, yet voters continue to reelect members by extraordinary percentages (especially for the House of Representatives). Ask your class to consider possible reasons for what seems to be a contradiction. Is it simply the advantage of incumbency? Is the American public more satisfied with their own representatives than with Congress as an institution?
As a library assignment or using the Internet, have students locate basic information about the responsibilities of their senator and representative--committee assignments, subcommittees, length of time in office, and major bills he or she has sponsored.
Ask your class to debate the relative merits of various roles of legislators--the legislator as trustee, as instructed delegate, or as politico. Does the particular issue under consideration have any effect on their views? How do they perceive the performance of their own congressional delegation?