American
Government
PLSC 201
May 2009
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 & Wednesday for 30 minutes after the end of class
"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 -
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
-- which during summer session, translates into a few days!!!!!-- (so you better be in class for the announcement, “Test in three
days”!). 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! These are likely to be the only assignments in your entire college career where you are graded on effort as much as content.
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.
**ADDITIONALLY, the
Department of Political Science has it's own policies
on plagiarism and academic misconduct: Poli
Sci Statement on Plagiarism In the immortal words of Brad Hamilton:
"Learn it; Know it; Live it!"**
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, quiz, or
paper will receive a zero for that assignment in addition to academic
prosecution.
General Education and Constitution Requirement
PLSC 201, American Government, fulfills the University’s constitution requirement and fulfills a number of Winthrop’s General Education program goals: by requiring you to read, write, and speak standard English (1.1); by challenging you to understand the nature of social and cultural conflict and methods of resolution (4.3); by enabling you to examine problems, issues, and choices that confront citizens of the world (7.2); and by motivating you to take responsibility for the consequences of those actions and choices (7.4). Go to: http://www.winthrop.edu/universitycollege/GenEd/GNED%20Goals.htm
Class Policies:
Please provide a respectful learning environment for your fellow students. Repeated tardiness, cell phone disruptions, reading materials unrelated to the course (such as the student newspaper), and use of communication technologies (e.g., web browsing/ IMing/ texting during class) during class will adversely affect your grade. Failure to correct any behavioral issue immediately after having it brought to your attention will result in your being asked to leave the classroom at once. Should you fail to leave class when asked, Campus Safety will be immediately called to remove you.
Attendance Policy: Beginning with the third time a student is declared absent, the student will lose a full letter grade for each absence. Any student caught IMing, texting, or browsing the web will be declared “Absent” for that class. Since I don’t take roll, this is the only way to be declared absent.
Please arrive at class on time and switch off all pagers, cell phones, and alarms during class. The only exceptions to this rule are if you have children or an emergency family situation (e.g. family member in surgery). For these circumstances, you may leave your phone on vibrate and you must leave the class to answer a call.
I do not provide lecture notes for students under any circumstances.
Grade Appeals: If you wish to dispute a grade on a particular assignment for any reason other than an obvious arithmetic error on my part, you will need to type a one-page explanation of your position and turn it in, along with the original graded assignment, at least one week after the assignment is returned to you. I will then consider your appeal and make a determination.
Appeals must be submitted in hard copy format; no appeals submitted via email will be considered.
For appeals regarding your final grade in the course, please consult the Student Handbook and Catalog for procedures.
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 1pm
Friday June 5th |
|