American
Government
PLSC 201
Fall
2006
Instructor: Dr.
Office: 344 Bancroft
Phone #: ext. 4669
(323-4669 from off campus)
email: huffmons@winthrop.edu
Web Page: http://faculty.winthrop.edu/huffmons/
Office Hours: Tuesday 9am – 10am, Wednesday 8am – 9am, and by appointment
"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both."
--James Madison
Course Objectives
This course is designed to
familiarize you with the institutions and processes of the American government and
the forces that drive them. You may have
been previously exposed to a knowledge of the names of
some of the various governmental institutions, but through the course of this
semester you will (hopefully) begin to understand what they do and why they do
it. Perhaps most importantly, we will
examine how the ordinary citizen can (and should!) participate in the
governmental process.
An introductory course on
American Government is important on several levels. No matter what direction you take in life there
will be governmental departments, agencies, bureaucracies, and regulations that
affect you. In an ever changing and
shrinking world where events half a world away affect our daily lives
instantly, an ignorance of our own government is not merely unadvisable, it
could be downright dangerous! Finally,
we must all realize that this is OUR government and a
knowledge of how to make it accessible to ourselves should be basic.
Course Requirements
Grades will be calculated using
the following formula:
Exam
Average: 90%
Outside -
Assignments: 10%
There will be three
exams over the course of the semester (two mid-term exams and a final
exam). The exams may be multiple choice, short answer, fill-in-the-blank, essay, or any
combination thereof. Material for the
exams will be drawn from readings, lectures, and class discussions. Make up exams must be scheduled one week in
advance in the case of an unavoidable
planned absence; otherwise, make ups will be given only in the case of a documented illness or emergency. “Documented” means a legitimate doctor’s note
dating from prior to the exam. Any student health center note describing
vague symptoms dated the day of or after the exam will not be acceptable. In either case, make up exams will consist entirely
of essay questions.
The tests are topic-bound, not
time-bound. That is, the test will
occur when we have covered a certain amount of material; therefore, the exact
dates of the first two tests will remain uncertain until roughly a week prior
(so you better be in class for the announcement, “Test in a week”!). Why do I do it this way? Well, it isn’t just to make your life
miserable. It is to allow us the time to
fully explore every topic. Some topics
we will move through fairly quickly while others, due to current events or an
increased interest by the class, will take longer. The first test will be after we cover “Civil Rights” and the second test will be after we cover “The Federal
Bureaucracy.”
A Few Comments About Study Guides
Class announcements will be made via the class listserv. If you have an active winthrop.edu email account,
you should be automatically added to the listserv,
otherwise you must add yourself to the listserv. You are EXPECTED to regularly check your
email for class announcements!
Announcements made over the listserv are considered “official” class
announcements.
There will be three short assignments that fall under “Other Assignments” for grading purposes. Since each assignment corresponds to a specific part of the course, I will explain each assignment in class when it is handed out. These assignments will be graded “Check Minus,” “Check,” or “Check Plus.” Why do I grade them this way? Doing it this way helps you understand that I am not looking to take away points for grammar, spelling, or controversial content. Making a genuine effort will get you full credit. You will understand the term “genuine effort” more when I explain the assignments. In the short term think of it this way: if you fail to reach the minimum number of pages for a written assignment (or only reach the minimum by playing with the font and margins) you will get less than a “Check Plus.” Otherwise, you will get almost assuredly get a “Check Plus.” These assignments will include two short (3-5 page) papers and writing letters. Remember: 10% is equal to a full letter grade!
There is no "curve". As an incentive to participate, those students who are "on the bubble" between grades may be given the benefit of the doubt if they have taken an active role in the course.
This syllabus may be revised
throughout the semester.
Students with Disabilities
Required Text
The following book is required:
Fiorina, Morris P., Paul E. Peterson, Bertram
Johnson, and D. Stephen Voss. 2008. America’s New Democracy 4th Edition. New York: Longman Publishers.
The instructor reserves the
right to add supplemental readings if necessary. Between 45% - 55% of the questions on the
exams will come from the book...do not
neglect your readings!
The list of assigned readings
will merely serve as a guide for the class.
There is a high degree of probability that the actual content of the
lectures and discussions as well as the schedule of the readings will vary to
some degree. It will often be the case
that the readings will merely be a spring board for the lecture that allows you
to understand the class discussion. If
you miss a class you will not only have missed some material that may appear on
a test but you might not even have a clue as to what you actually missed!
Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct will not be
tolerated. Winthrop’s Conduct Code defines academic misconduct
as:
Academic
misconduct includes but is not limited to providing or receiving assistance in
a manner not authorized by the professor in the creation of work to be
submitted for academic evaluation including papers, projects, and examinations;
presenting, as one's own, the ideas or words of another for academic evaluation
without proper acknowledgment; doing unauthorized academic work for which
another person will receive credit or be evaluated; and presenting the same or
substantially the same papers or projects in two or more courses without the explicit
permission of the professors involved. In addition, academic misconduct
involves attempting to influence one's academic evaluation by means other than
academic achievement or merit. More explicit definitions of academic misconduct
specific to certain academic disciplines may be promulgated by academic
departments and schools.
I
will prosecute cases of academic misconduct to the fullest extent of university
policy, and that can mean expulsion from the university. Obviously, any student caught cheating, in
any manner, on an exam or assignment will receive a zero for that assignment in
addition to academic prosecution.
Reading Assignments
Below
is the order of topics as we will cover them in class; as we finish one topic, be prepared to move on to the next by doing the readings in advance.
|
Topic |
Reading Assignment |
|
History
of Democracy & Representation |
Chapter 1 |
|
|
Chpt. 2 pp. 20-29 |
|
Building
a Constitution |
Chpt. 2 pp. 29-end |
|
Principles of the Constitution |
Appendix A7 – A24 |
|
The
Federalists Papers |
Appendices
A25-A29 & A31-A33 |
|
Federalism |
Chapter
3 |
|
Civil
Liberties |
Chapter
13 |
|
Civil
Rights |
Chapter
14 |
|
Exam 1 |
|
|
Congress |
Chpt. 9 pp. 227-236, 241-end |
|
How
a Bill Becomes a Law |
Chpt. 9 pp. 236-240 |
|
The
Presidency |
Chpt. 10 |
|
The
Judiciary |
Chapter 12 |
|
The
Federal Bureaucracy |
Chapter
11 |
|
Exam 2 |
|
|
Public
Opinion |
Chapters
4 (all) & 5 (pp. 91-113) |
|
Political
Parties |
Chapter
8, pp. 194-210 |
|
Participation |
Chpt. 6 |
|
Campaigns
& Elections |
Chpt. 7 |
|
Interest
Groups |
Chapter
8, pp. 210-end |
|
Media
& Politics |
Chapter
5 pp. 113-end |
|
Public Policy |
Chapter
15 |
|
Final Exam 11:30am
Monday December 11th |
|