how representative is congress?
TRANSCRIPT
“The 113th Congress last year was arguably one of the least productive bodies in history.”
112th Congress (2011-2012): 283 111th Congress (2009-2010): 383110th Congress (2007-2008): 460109th Congress (2005-2006): 482108th Congress (2003-2004): 498107th Congress (2001-2002) : 377
113th Congress (2013-2014): 142 public laws (as of July 31, 2014)
Examining the work of Congress
Could you be a political analyst?
How accurate is this statement?
Enquiry Question: How representative of US society is Congress?
Learning Objectives
• To investigate the composition of both Houses of Congress
• To produce a revision aid and presentation explaining the composition of Congress
• To evaluate to what extent Congress can be described as representative
Composition of Congress Project
YOUR TASK:• You are going to complete a project, in
groups of 3, looking at the composition of BOTH Houses of Congress.
• You need to;- find and analyse statistics- assess if Congress is representative- examine whether Congress should be a microcosm of society
• You will then present your findings to the rest of the class.
How representative is Congress?
“The 113th Congress is the
most demographically diverse one yet.”
• Socio-economic background (education, “class”) & Age
• Race and ethnicity, and Religion
• Sexual orientation, Disabilities & Gender
Composition of Congress ProjectHow representative is Congress?
HINT: Find national statistics and compare these with Congress e.g. % of women in population compared with % of women in House, % of
women in Senate, % of women in Congress overall
Composition of Congress Project
YOUR TASK:• You have this lesson and any
extra time you want to spend on this project outside of lessons.
• Next lesson you will be presenting your findings to the class.
How representative is Congress?
“The 113th Congress is the
most demographically diverse one yet.”
Learning Objectives
• To investigate the composition of both Houses of Congress
• To produce a revision aid and presentation explaining the composition of Congress
• To evaluate to what extent Congress can be described as representative
Enduring QuestionsTo what extent is Congress representative of US
society?
Should Congress be a microcosm of US society?
Enduring QuestionsTo what extent is Congress representative of US
society?
Evidence showing Congress is Representative
Evidence showing Congress is not Representative
To what extent can Congress be
described as “representative”
?
Key Question
NO AT ALL
COMPLETELY
LARGELY NOT
LARGELY
FAIRLY
SOMEWHAT
Learning Objectives
• To investigate the composition of both Houses of Congress
• To produce a revision aid and presentation explaining the composition of Congress
• To evaluate to what extent Congress can be described as representative
“The 113th Congress is the most demographically diverse one yet.”
Examining the composition of Congress
Could you be a political analyst?
How accurate is this statement?