Syllabus

Here's a copy of the syllabus. Note: Gary Younge article is below.

Political Science 100: American Government and Politics

Spring 2007

Instructor: Prof. Jaclyn Jacobsen

Email: JSJacobsen@gmail.com

347.968.5284

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to American Government and Politics. In this course, we will learn about the development of the American political system, understand the political philosophies of the Founding Fathers, and analyze contemporary political events in this framework.

This course is divided into four parts. The first section is devoted to understanding the foundational principles of American government. The second section deals with the politics of the American democracy, and who holds the power to effect change. The third sections concerns institutions in American government, and we will trace their development to the present day. Finally, we will learn how policy is made, both domestically and internationally, in the fourth section.

There will be additional handouts during the course of the semester. These are in addition to your textbook, and provide contemporary examples of the concepts introduced in the text. You will be expected to write short reaction papers on 5 of these handouts.

Required Reading

Barbes, Barbara, with Mack C. Shelley and Steffen W. Schmidt. American Government and Politics Today: The Essentials. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006.

Recommended Reading

I strongly suggest that all college students read a quality newspaper such as the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, or The Washington Post. I'd also recommend reading a weekly newsmagazine, such as Time, US News & World Report, or Newsweek.

For students who are Political Science or Economics majors, I'd strongly recommend reading The Economist.

Also work a look are the Financial Times (www.ft.com) and The Globe and Mail (www.theglobeandmail.com).

These publications all offer free online services. Also, the library at CSI has many of these newspapers on subscription and, these can be read on the premises.

Miscellaneous Items

Make-up Exams

Make-up exams are given only under exceptional circumstances - such as medical emergencies that can be verified with documentation.

Any assignment turned in late will be penalized 50% of its final grade for each day that passes between the actual due date and the day the assignment is turned in.

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in class in any form (cheating on exams, plagiarism, etc.).

The course will rely heavily on in-class discussion and debate. To this end, it is crucial that students come to class each session with assigned readings and other assignments completed, and be ready to participate actively and enthusiastically.

Grading

The grading will be broken down as follows:

Midterm Exam: 25%

Final Exam: 30%

Research Paper: 20%

Short Reaction Papers: 25%

Exams

There will be two exams given for this class, the midterm and the final. The midterm will be given on Wednesday, March 14, and we will have a mid-term review session on Monday, March 12. This exam will consist of short answer questions (multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank), and an essay portion. We will talk more about the structure and content of the final exam in May.

Papers

Research Paper:

Each student will write a research paper, numbering 5-7 pages, on a topic which has been introduced in the class. The papers should be written in APA Format, and should include five (5) references, one of which may be the textbook. These papers are due on Wednesday, May 9th.

***We will devote a class period to questions regarding these papers, and I will also conduct a writing workshop for any interested students.***

Short Reaction Papers

Each student will write five (5) short reaction papers (1-2 pages) in response to a reading handed out in class. There will be approximately 10 readings in addition to the textbook. These are due the day the reading is assigned on the syllabus.

LECTURE AND READING SCHEDULE

I reserve the right to change or modify the lecture and reading schedule.

I. 1/29 and 1/31: The Democratic Republic

Bardes, Chapter 1

II. 2/5 and 2/7: The Constitution

Bardes, Chapter 2

III. 2/14 and 2/15: Federalism (Remember, we meet on Thursday)

Bardes, Chapter 3

IV. 2/21: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (Wednesday follows Mon. schedule)

Bardes, Chapter 4 and Chapter 5

****Note: We will be discussing Chapter 5 first, so please read it first.

V. 2/26 and 2/28: Federalism Public Opinion, Political Socialization, and Interest Groups

Bardes, Chapter 6 and 7

VI. 3/5 and 3/7: Political Parties

Bardes, Chapter 8

VII. 3/12: Campaigns, Elections, and the Media, Midterm Review

Bardes, Chapter 9

3/14: Mid-Term Exam

NO CLASS 3/19 AND 3/21

IX. 10/26 and 10/28: The Congress

Bardes, Chapter 10

NO CLASS 4/2, 4/4, AND 4/9 – EASTER RECESS

X. 4/11: The President

Bardes, Chapter 11

XI. 4/16 and 4/18: The Bureaucracy

Bardes, Chapter 12

XII. 4/23 and 4/25: The Courts

Bardes, Chapter 13

XIII. 4/30 and 5/1: Domestic and Economic Policy

Bardes, Chapter 14

XIV. 5/7 and 5/9: Foreign and Defense Policy, PAPER DUE TODAY

Bardes, Chapter 15

5/14: Foreign Policy, cont’d

5/16: LAST DAY/ FINAL EXAM REVIEW

FINAL EXAM: TBD