-How are U.S. elections conducted?
-What are the duties of the Supreme Court?
-What political concepts are represented in the American constitution?
-What is set out in the Declaration of Independence?
-What elements comprise the American Dream?
-What does the frontier symbolize in American mythology?
For Europeans, the American political system is a closed book. Exact procedures seem difficult and remain incomprehensible for outsiders. The resulting misjudgements, misunderstandings, and wrong ideas can be observed every day in the media.
The DAI is trying to balance that deficit of information by offering a program made up of various workshops that support English teachers in their work and enable their students to gain more insight into central U.S. topics.
Following our mission as an institution of political education and friendship between Germany and the United States, we want you to benefit from our enormous technical knowledge and our long teaching experience.
If you wish, a workshop can also take place in your school. There is a fee of € 3 per student (minimum € 60). The event will include presentations, screenings, discussions, and a project to be conducted by the students.
All workshops are conducted in English.
A workshop could be, for example, on the topic of “Immigration and the American Dream.”
A possible program would be:
9:30-10:30
Screening of a video, finding relevant websites
10:30-11:00
Presentation: Melting Pot or Salad Bowl? – Significance of History and Society
Questions and answers, discussion
11:00-12:00
Student project
12:00-12:30
Presentation of the student project, followed by comments of the lecturer
Here is an overview of some fundamental topics:
Presidential Elections
The following aspects will be discussed:
-Primaries, caucuses, and political conventions
-The electoral college
-Voter registration and voter turnout
-Campaign funding and campaign reform
For this topic, there will be a screening, a look at different websites, and a discussion. Students will research autonomously in the DAI library and prepare a poster.
The Supreme Court
The following aspects will be discussed:
-How major cases have changed American society
-Judicial review, judicial activism, and the changing role of the court
The Meaning of the U.S. Constitution
The following aspects will be discussed:
-The changing role of federalism
-State rights
-The Bill of Rights and other amendments
-Amending the constitution
Other topics
-The Declaration of Independence
-Immigration and the American Dream
-Melting pot or salad bowl?
-The frontier
-Civil rights
-The political position of the U.S. in the world
Further proposals for topics are welcome. If you have any questions about our program or about the arrangement of appointments, you can call us at 06221.607312
