Citizen Nation

Response Paper #5 – due Wednesday 12/5 last day of class 2-3 pages
Review the last chapter of either Bellamy, Keyssar or Schudson. How does your chosen author characterize the state of citizenship today, or what the core problems are with respect to citizenship now? Apply the author’s argument to the 2012 election or to the current debate on immigration using the sources I provided for this unit. Are all Americans exercising and practicing effective citizenship? Do you need to be a citizen to be an American? What would your chosen author have to say about these current trends?

Response Paper #6 – due Friday 12/14 at the final exam 2-3 pages
Course reflection paper. The student learning outcomes of this course were:

• Develop a theoretical and interpretive framework for the concept of citizenship and how it has changed over time in the US
• Analyze and compare key episodes in US history in light of dynamic or competing definitions of American citizenship
• Explain the development of constitutions (US & MA) in context of historical political processes, including: convention, drafting, ratification, amendment, judicial rulings, challenge, protest, and reinterpretation
• Trace the expansion of the boundaries of American citizenship by constructing a well-researched historical narrative
• Craft a historically informed personal understanding of one’s own citizenship

How well have you achieved each of these outcomes? What elements of the course helped your learning the most? The least? Are you more likely to vote or be politically involved/aware as a result of this course? What would your advice be to the students in next semester’s class?