How representative is Congress?
Transcript of How representative is Congress?
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“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?
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Enquiry Question: How representative of US society is Congress?
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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
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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.”
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• 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
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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.”
![Page 7: How representative is Congress?](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062823/587607361a28ab4a508b6cf5/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
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
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Enduring QuestionsTo what extent is Congress representative of US
society?
Should Congress be a microcosm of US society?
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Enduring QuestionsTo what extent is Congress representative of US
society?
Evidence showing Congress is Representative
Evidence showing Congress is not Representative
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To what extent can Congress be
described as “representative”
?
Key Question
NO AT ALL
COMPLETELY
LARGELY NOT
LARGELY
FAIRLY
SOMEWHAT
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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
![Page 12: How representative is Congress?](https://reader036.fdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062823/587607361a28ab4a508b6cf5/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
“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?