Prepare: Prior to beginning your journal this week, complete all course readings and assigned videos, review the Week Two Instructor Guidance, and the Discussion, “Policy and Your Life.” It would also be helpful to review last week’s readings.

Reflect: Once you have completed these assignments think about how American politics have and could affect your career aspirations. The Founding Fathers created a governmental structure that affects almost every aspect of our lives even today. For instance, if you are a criminal justice major, what parts of the U.S. Constitution are applicable to what you are learning in your major? If you are a business major, which branch of government – executive, legislative, or judicial – has, or will have, the greatest influence on your business ambitions? If you are a healthcare major, how does separation of powers in the U.S. government affect the operations of most economic, social, and political processes throughout the United States?

Also, think about how federalism and the U.S. Congress have affected or will affect your life. The federal structure ensures that there is a clear line between local, state, and federal government regulations, policies, and oversight—sometimes! Think about how federal statues affect your work or will affect your work in the future. Does Congress have oversight of any of the processes or products in your workplace? Do the government regulations, policies, and oversight sometimes conflict with local or state regulations, policies, and oversight?

Write: As you reflect on the information you learned this week, write in your journal, based on your current major and/or desired job, two detailed paragraphs about the following:

• How a federal policy affects your current or desired workplace.
• What role Congress has played in establishing workplace conditions in your current or desired job.

Your journal response must be a minimum one page, double-spaced. Justify your conclusions with facts and persuasive reasoning. Fully respond to all parts of the question and write your response in your own words. Outside research and references are not required for journal assignments, but if you choose to utilize outside sources they must be correctly cited utilizing APA format both within the body of your journal and include a full reference page