Instructor: Kang Chen Govt 2301, CRN 63244 HCC Southwest, Stafford campus Spring 2011 TR 7pm-8:30pm Classroom: STF3 221 Department Website: http://swc2.hccs.edu/htmls/govdep/ e-mail: kchen28@yahoo.com Office hours: before/after class GOVT 2301 – AMERICAN GOVERNMENT I: National, State, and Local Course Description: Government 2301 is one of two courses designed to introduce students to the study of government in the United States at the national, state, and local levels. This course is fully transferable to all public colleges and universities in the great state of Texas. We will be interested in this class in analyzing how the structures of American and Texas government and the dynamics of American and Texas politics interact. For example, the electoral college is a structural or institutional feature of American government that has specific effects upon the actions and strategies of political actors. In order to understand the election strategies of presidential candidates, you must know what the electoral college is, both in terms of function and structure. Governmental structures do not simply appear out of nowhere. They are established and maintained by men, and embody ideals and principles. Knowledge of the structures of government is hollow without an understanding of the reasons given for their existence. For example, what justification(s) could be given for the role of the electoral college in United States presidential elections? Only when you have understood the arguments in favor of an institution or practice will you be able to offer a meaningful critique of that institution or practice. The broader goal in this class is to teach you to think about government and politics. It is designed to make you a more thoughtful and engaged citizen, especially in how you receive news stories. In 2010, some of the leading news stories were, in no particular order: (1) the respective fortunes of the Democratic and Republican parties in the 2010 mid-term elections, (2) the nature and significance of opposition to President Obama’s policy agenda, especially as embodied in the movement/organization known as the Tea Party, (3) continuing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, (4) the United States economy, and (5) the rehauling of the United States healthcare system. Now, whether or not you support (for example) the healthcare reform law depends first of all on whether you believe there is a problem with health care in the United States. If you believe that there is a problem, then the solution you favor will depend on what you believe the proper role of government is, including what you believe is the proper role of the federal government vis-à-vis the state governments. But your opinions regarding the proper role of government ought to be informed by, above all, knowledge of the United States Constitution, and the principles embodied therein. For that reason, we will spend almost a third of this class reflecting upon the Constitution and its principles. Put another way, in this class, I do not care whether you are for or against (for example) the healthcare reform law. What I care about is that you are able to give thoughtful and well-informed reasons to support whatever opinion you hold. If I can impress nothing else upon you, I want to impress upon you the fact that reasonable people can disagree. But we can disagree without being disagreeable. Class lectures will use the assigned reading as a beginning point, but will not be confined to explaining and reviewing the assigned reading. My goal in the class lecture will be to engage the class in an exploration of issues and concerns raised by the reading. In other words, it is imperative that you complete your reading assignments before you come to class. Furthermore, I will frequently discuss relevant current events in class. Therefore, if you miss a class, you are advised to procure class notes from one (or more!) of your classmates. Required Text: Tannahill, Neal. 2010. American and Texas Government: Policy and Politics, 10th edition. New York: Pearson Longman Publishing, Inc. Recommended Reading: I strongly encourage you to regularly read a major national newspaper (e.g., The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle; NOTE: if you choose one of the out-of-state newspapers, you should ALSO choose an additional source for Texas state and local news). All of the above have free Internet editions. Grading: 3 Exams Pop Quizzes and Homework Assignments 75% (25% each) 25% There will be three examinations during the instruction period. The exams will consist of a combination of at least two of the following five question formats: essay questions, questions requiring short answers, fill-in-the-blank statements, multiple choice questions, and true-false questions. In general, I may test you over anything that is covered by your reading assignments, as well as anything that I go over in class lectures, including current events. There will be no make-up exams. There will also be a number of pop quizzes over the course of the semester. The quizzes will be designed to make sure that you are keeping up with the assigned readings. To preserve the element of suspense crucial to pop quizzes, the number of quizzes to be administered will remain a closely guarded secret. I am, however, willing to offer you this range: there will be at least one (1) quiz, and no more than twentythree (23) quizzes, over the course of the semester. There will be no make-up quizzes. If I administer more than one quiz over the course of the semester, I will drop your lowest quiz grade. The following grading scale will be used: A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60-69 F = 0-59 Attendance and Tardiness/Leaving Early: The college provides that students may be dropped after missing more than six hours of class time (for this section, 6 hours = 4 classes). However, I generally do not drop or withdraw students. Do not stop showing up to class and assume that I will drop or withdraw you from the class. If you have not withdrawn from the class yourself and your name is on my roll sheet at the end of the semester, chances are you will be receiving a grade, probably a failing grade. With the foregoing in mind, if you decide you must drop or withdraw from the course, please fill out the appropriate form in the college office on campus. The last day you can drop a class is January 19, 2011. The last day you can withdraw from a class is April 21, 2011. 2 If you miss more than half a class, you will be considered absent from the class. If you miss more than 15 minutes of class, you will be considered tardy or to have left class early. Three tardies/early leaves equal to one absence. Scholastic Dishonesty: The College has approved the following statement on scholastic dishonesty: “Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion. Cheating on a test includes copying from another student's test paper; using, during a test, materials not authorized by the person giving the test; collaborating with another student during a test without authority; knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in whole or part the contents of an unadministered test; or bribing another person to obtain a test that is to be administered. ‘Plagiarism’ means the appropriation of another's work and the unacknowledged incorporation of that work in one's own written work for credit. ‘Collusion’ means the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work offered for credit.” In other words—Don’t cheat. If I catch you cheating, I will fail you from the class and take additional disciplinary action as appropriate. It’s that simple. Student Discipline: Adult behavior is expected. Disruptive behavior/ activities, which interfere with teaching and /or learning will not be tolerated, and may result in an administrative withdrawal without refund. Cell Phones and Other Electronic Devices: Please turn cell phones and electronic devices off or to silent mode before coming to class. Reasonable Accommodations: HCCS is compliant with the ADA and Sec. 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Service Office at the respective college at the beginning of each semester. Faculty are authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office. If you have any questions, please contact the Disability Counselor at your college or Donna Price at 713-718-7910. 3 READING SCHEDULE Week 1: Class Overview & Introduction to the Study of Government Jan. 18 Overview of the Class (or, Get Out Now While You Still Can) Jan. 19 Last day to drop/add/swap Jan. 20 READ Tannahill, Introduction AND Ch. 1 Week 2: The Foundations of American Government & Federalist 10 Jan 25 READ Tannahill, Ch. 2 AND Declaration of Independence & U.S. Constitution READ Perry, Ch. 1 Jan 27 READ Federalist 10, available here: http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa00.htm Week 3: Madison’s Advocacy of the Proposed Constitution Feb 1 READ Federalist 39 Feb 3 READ Federalist 51 Week 4: Brutus and the House Divided Feb 8 READ Brutus I-II, available here: http://www.constitution.org/afp/brutus00.htm READ Perry, Ch. 2 Feb 10 READ Davis, “Farewell Address” AND Lincoln, First Inaugural Address, available here: http://jeffersondavis.rice.edu/resources.cfm?doc_id=1507 and http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres31.html Week 5: Federalism Today Feb 15 READ Tannahill, Ch. 3 READ Perry, Ch. 3 Feb 17 EXAM 1 (bring Scantron and Blue Book) (+2 points) Week 6: Public Opinion & the Media Feb 22 READ Ch. 4 Feb 24 READ Ch. 6 AND Prior, “News vs. Entertainment” Week 7: Political Participation March 1 READ Ch. 5 AND Hibbing & Theiss-Morse, Introduction to Stealth Democracy: http://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/11385/excerpt/9780521811385_excerpt.pdf March 3 READ Ch. 21 Week 8: Interest Groups March 8 READ Ch. 7 AND Lowi, “The Public Philosophy: Interest Group Liberalism” March 10 READ Ch. 22 AND Schlozman, “Who Sings in the Heavenly Chorus” SPRING BREAK (March 15-21) 4 Week 9: Political Parties March 22 READ Ch. 8 AND Ch. 23 March 24 EXAM 2 (bring Scantron and Blue Book) (+2 points) Week 10: The Presidential Election Process and National Elections March 29 READ Ch. 9, pp. 216-35 AND Ch. 24, pp. 636-40 March 31 READ Ch. 9, pp. 199-216, 236-40 Week 11: Elections Continued April 5 READ Ch. 24, pp. 633-36, 640-62 April 7 READ Powell and Wilcox, “Money and American Elections” AND Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Week 12: Texas Government and Elections April 12 READ Ch. 18 April 14 READ Ch. 19 April 15 Last day to withdraw from a class Week 13: Units of Texas Government April 19 READ Ch. 28 April 21 READ Ch. 29 Week 14: Make-Up Week April 26 Make-Up Class #1 April 28 Make-Up Class #2 Week 15: Review May 3 Review Day or Make-up Class #3 May 5 EXAM 3 (bring Scantron and Blue Book) (+2 points) 5