Political Science 100 Introduction to American Politics

Political Science (POLS) 100: Introduction to American Politics Bill Anderson, Adjunct Professor Dept. of Political Science 414 East Clark Street The University of South Dakota Vermillion, 57069 E-mail: wdanders@usd.edu Phone: 624-4761 (Home) Office Hours: Mondays, 12-1 p.m. or by appointment Course Objectives The American political system is unique. It has inspired scholars such as de Tocqueville, who viewed our system of governance as exceptional and wondrous. Today, when one mentions any institution of American government, it often is done with disdain, concern, or cynicism. Such criticism should provoke us to think about why this is the case. Perhaps most importantly, it should drive each of us to think about our roles within the American political system. Are we complainers or “do-ers?” Our task this quarter is to learn about the United States Government. We will examine its foundations, elections, institutions, relationship with the public, and domestic and foreign policies. Further, we will work closely together to help each of you learn to think critically about our political system, articulate your thoughts in clear, coherent written pieces, and explore together how each of us fits into the ideological continuum fostered by the American system of government. Performance Assessment Grades will be distributed as follows: 10% 10% 30% 20% 30% In-class quizzes Attendance Written Assignments Midterm examination Final Examination (10 @ 5 points apiece = 50 points) (13 @ 3.85 points per class period = 50 points) (2 @ 35 points; 1 @ 80 points = 150 points) (100 points) (150 points) Professor: Address: Grading Scale (out of 500 total points): >450 400-449 350-399 300-349 < 300 A B C D F Required Materials: Barbour, Christine, Gerald C. Wright, Matthew J. Streb, and Michael R. Wolf. 2005. Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics, 3rd edition, The Essentials. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press. Schlosser, Eric. 2002. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York: Perennial Books. Anonymous (Michael Scheuer). 2002. Through Our Enemies’ Eyes: Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America. Potomac, Maryland: Brassey’s, Inc. Regular access to one of four major U.S. newspapers: The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, or The Financial Times. A weekly viewing of a major, national Sunday morning news program (on NBC, ABC, CBS, or FOX). Seriously Recommended (primarily tips for better writing): Citing Sources in Political Science Papers: http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPSA.html A Free Copy of the American Political Science Association Style Manual: http://dept.lamar.edu/polisci/DRURY/drury.html Expectations and Assignment Descriptions Readings must be completed before class starts. Class Readings Quizzes will be given four times during the semester to keep everyone honest. These quizzes will be straightforward and require only that the student attend class and do the readings for the week. Students that miss quizzes will not be permitted a make-up quiz unless they have a documented reason for their absence or unless they contact me prior to the quiz (and have a compelling reason for missing it). Students will be expected to read and be prepared to discuss the two popular books assigned for the course—Fast Food Nation and Through Our Enemies’ Eyes. I would suggest that students take time over the semester—especially during breaks—to spend a couple of hours tackling these books. We will discuss them during our final class period and you will be required to write your final paper on one of the two books. Written Assignments. Three times this quarter (February 20th, March 27th, and May 11th), students will be required to use the Web or our class readings to write course papers. These papers should be approximately 4-5 pages in length, grammatically correct, logically organized, and well-written. Students will be graded both on the substance of these papers and the quality of the written work. Because I want everyone to develop their writing and critical thinking skills, students are welcome to submit their papers to me twice in advance of the paper deadline and I will provide written comments and feedback. Your completed written assignments should be sent to me via email on the date the paper is due. The papers should be written using MS Word or another comparable word processing program. I will provide students with comments/mark-ups using the MS Word text editor. Exams. Students will have midterm and final examinations that account, together, for 50 percent of your final grade. These exams will be multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short answer and cover the course materials and lectures. If students will be unable to be at an examination, I must be contacted either via e-mail or phone prior to the examination, approve the absence, and arrange a make-up time for the test. The only exception to this is a documented emergency that prevents the student from contacting me in advance. Students failing to contact me to make prior arrangements or who fail to provide evidence of an emergency that accounts for their absence will not be permitted to take the exam and will receive a zero. Final Administrative Details Plagiarism and Academic Integrity. We are adults here and the University code of conduct very clearly articulates what constitutes plagiarism. But as a fresh reminder—if you use someone’s information, you must give it the proper citation. I will periodically check student papers for evidence of plagiarism. If instances arise where plagiarism is discovered, the student will receive an immediate “F” for that paper and the grade, circumstances surrounding the grade, and evidence to support my conclusion will be immediately provided to appropriate USDSU officials. The same policy holds for cheating on examinations. Cancellation Policy for Inclement Weather. Please tune in to KDLT-TV, KSFY-TV, or KELOTV for weather-related cancellations at USDSU. If Southeast Technical Institute cancels their classes, please do not assume that USDSU classes are cancelled. If I am unable to reach Sioux Falls because of the weather, I will individually contact students via e-mail to ensure that everyone knows class is cancelled. Students with Disabilities. All benefits, services, and education opportunities are offered without regard for ancestry, age, race, citizenship, color, creed, religion, gender, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, or Vietnam Era veteran status. Persons of disability desiring to request reasonable accommodations must register with the Disability Services Officer from their home institution. In order to make sure requests are received and acted upon in a timely manner, the student should contact a Student Services Advisor at the Sioux Falls location as soon as possible upon admission. Course Schedule **January 23rd: Introduction and the Lowdown on American Politics Keeping the Republic, Chapters 1 Key Concepts and Questions  What is politics and why do we need government?  What types of government are there, what type do we have in the U.S., and what is unique about our system?  What are the fundamental principles we agree about, and about what do we disagree? **January 30th: Identity, Settlement, Separation, and Founding Keeping the Republic, Chapters 2-3 Federalist 10 and 51 from http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa00.htm Take the Political Ideology Test at http://www.self-gov.org/quiz.html Key Concepts and Questions  Who is the American public? What are our core values? (continued)  What drove the settlement of America and how did that shape our system of government?  How were the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution similar and different?  What debates mattered the most during the Constitutional Convention?  How does our system of government empower ordinary citizens? **February 6th: Separation of Powers, Federalism, and Fundamental Rights Keeping the Republic, Chapters 4 and 5 Key Concepts and Questions  Our government is divided vertically and horizontally. Why?  Which model of Federalism seems to best represent our system of government?  Are the consequences of Federalism/checks and balances positive or negative? Why?  What rights are we guaranteed as American citizens?  Why are there so many controversies about these rights? Where do you stand?  How can the strides made by the Civil Rights Movement be abused? **February 13th: Public Opinion and the Media Keeping the Republic, Chapters 11 and 15 Key Concepts and Questions     How does public opinion shape politics in a democratic system? Are Americans ignorant about politics? Are individuals ignorant, but the public wise? Does the media tell us what to think? Who controls the media? Is it inherently biased?  How does the media influence public opinion (or is it the other way around)? **February 20th: No Class (President’s Day) First written assignment (“Your Issues and Ideology”) due no later than 5 p.m. **February 27th: Campaigns and Elections Keeping the Republic, Chapter 14 Key Concepts and Questions    What did the Founders envision for our campaigns and elections? Why does the U.S. such low turnout rates? When people vote, what matters most in influencing who/what they support? **March 6th: No class (Spring Break) **March 13th: Midterm Exam and Political Parties (begin reading) Keeping the Republic, Chapter 12    What roles to political parties play in our democracy? Do parties matter? How and why? Why do we have only a two-party system? Is there room for other parties? **March 20th: Parties (cont.) and Interest Groups (begin reading) Keeping the Republic, Chapter 13   It’s not rational to be part of a group. Why do they form, anyway? What interests do these groups represent? **March 27th: Interest Groups The Washington Post series on Jack Abramoff (instructor will give details) Political blog search (instructor will give details)    How do interest groups attempt to influence the system? What matters most in doing so? Why is the Jack Abramhoff story such a scandal? Have the Founders’ worst fears been realized? What should we do? Second Written Assignment (“What’s Your Party and What does it believe?”) due no later than 5 p.m. on March 27th **April 3rd: Congress Keeping the Republic, Chapter 7 Key Concepts and Questions     What is the difference between a delegate and a trustee? What influences legislators’ voting decisions? How are the House and Senate the same and different? What does the normal legislative process look like? Why is legislative redistricting considered such a political “hot potato?” **April 10th: The Presidency and the Executive Branch Keeping the Republic, Chapters 8 and 9 Key Concepts and Questions      What does the Constitution have to say about the president’s powers? How have the president’s powers grown over time? What has been done to limit them? What type of person becomes president? Is the bureaucracy the fourth branch of government? Does a “spoils system” still exist in American politics? **April 17th: No Class (Easter Recess) **April 24th: The Courts Keeping the Republic, Chapter 10 Key Concepts and Questions     Why is an independent judiciary so important? What levels are there in the U.S. courts system? What do we mean when we say “an activist on the bench?” Why are court appointments so important in American politics? **May 1st: Contemporary Domestic and Foreign Policy Fast Food Nation and Through Our Enemies Eyes’ discussions Key Concepts and Questions for Fast Food Nation  Does Schlosser make a compelling argument that there’s a problem?   If there is a problem, should government be involved in solving it? Why or why isn’t this the type of policy issue worthy of the government’s attention? Key Concepts and Questions for Through Our Enemies’ Eyes    Are the comparisons between Osama Bin Ladin and our Founders fair? Why or why not? Are the U.S.’s foreign policy decisions responsible for 9/11? How might the U.S. either eliminate or manage the terrorism problem? **May 8th: Final Exam **May 11th: Final Written Assignment on either Fast Food Nation or Through Our Enemies’ Eyes due, by email, no later than 12 p.m. (noon).