PSC 2302 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Organizational Chart, Political Philosophy, Halifax Resolves

• School: Baylor University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: PSC 2302
• Professor: Andi Ramon

Document Summary

Constitution an actual document: gives you a structure of government, delineates the powers of government, outlines limitations of government, tells who is sovereign sovereignty is key, tells what type of governmental regime you have. Constitutionalism a presence of mind, principle that must be followed: there is a limitational government and the government must be accountable to the people. We have individual rights and liberties but we are also a nation: you want constitutionalism to ensure that the constitution is kept and meaningful. Central features of constitutions--today: preamble or statement of purpose, organizational chart of the government, separation of powers & federalisms, amendatory articles that describe the manner in which the supreme law may be changed, bill of rights. Aristotle the politics: father of political science, politics is the master science because man is a political animal. You (cid:272)a(cid:374)"t stud(cid:455) the de(cid:448)elop(cid:373)e(cid:374)t of the pla(cid:374)t (cid:449)ithout i(cid:374)tera(cid:272)ti(cid:374)g (cid:449)ith people: polis city-state= organic whole. Family the basic unit of a city state.