Baruch College, CUNY
PAF 1250 (NETA/NETB): Citizenship and Public Affairs
ONLINE COURSE
Spring 2015
Professor Els de Graauw
Department of Political Science
E-mail: Els.deGraauw@baruch.cuny.edu
Office Hours: by e-mail & by Skype via appointment
 Overview
This online course provides students with a broad overview of the institutions,
ideologies, processes, and contexts that constitute politics in the United States.
Students will learn the basic architecture of American government: the Constitution,
federalism, and the core institutions of Congress, the Presidency, the Judiciary, and
the bureaucracy. Substantively, students will also learn the inputs into democratic
decision making—public opinion, voting, political participation, and the
intermediating influences of political parties, interest groups, and the mass media—
as well as the outputs of government—civil liberties, equal rights, and a variety of
public policies. In thinking about these topics, students will also grapple with
fundamental democratic concepts, including freedom, equality, justice, legitimacy,
accountability, pluralism, and citizenship.
 Learning Objectives
By the end of this course:
1. Students will know more about American politics from the past, the present, and
the future and why politics is directly relevant to our everyday lives.
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2. Students will understand and be able to evaluate and apply important concepts in
American politics and public policy.
3. Students will be able to think and argue critically about issues in American politics
and public policy and convey their thoughts in written form. The skills I
emphasize in this class—critical thinking, analytical reading, and writing—are
transferable and will be important no matter what you study and no matter what
career you choose down the line.
 Course Materials
Students will get the most out of this course by completing the assigned readings,
listening to the narrated lectures slides, and viewing assigned videos during each
week that they are assigned. All students should take notes on the assigned materials
since all will be covered on exams.
The following are required materials for this course:
1. E-book: Ginsberg, Benjamin, Theodore J. Lowi, Margaret
Weir, and Caroline J. Tolbert. 2014. We the People: An
Introduction to American Politics, 10th Essentials Edition,
e-book. New York: W.W. Norton (ISBN 978-0-393-522563). The course schedule (see p. 9) calls this “WTP.” This is
the specific electronic edition that this syllabus is based on.
Earlier editions likely are similar enough to be sufficient,
but I cannot guarantee they will be the same. You can
purchase the e-book at the campus bookstore or online:
http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=42949
87967. The e-book costs $56.24 to own, but you can rent it
for less.
2. Other reading materials: these include short articles and newspaper clippings
that are made available through Blackboard. The course schedule (see p. 9) calls
this “BB” in the “Read” column.
3. PowerPoint slides: narrated PowerPoint slides accompany and highlight key
aspects of the book and other assigned materials. These will be made available
through Blackboard, with Dropbox links to the narrated slides (these are big files,
FYI). The course schedule (see p. 9) calls this “PP#” in the “Listen” column.
4. Videos: these are short videos that bring course topics further to life. These will
be made available through Blackboard. The course schedule (see p. 9) calls this
“V#” in the “Watch” column.
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 Grading and Requirements
To receive a final grade in the course, students need to complete all assignments,
which include (1) weekly participation in the Blackboard Discussion Forum, (2) three
short writing assignments, (3) a midterm exam, and (4) a final exam.
Your grade will be based on the following:
Participation in Discussion Forum
Three short writing assignments
Midterm exam
Final exam
30%
30%
20%
20%
Participation in discussion forum (30%)
Students are required to contribute to the “Discussion Forum” on Blackboard on a
weekly basis throughout the semester. On the Monday of each week, I will post one
or more discussion questions on the Forum. Students are required to reply to at least
one question by Thursday (11:59pm EST) and respond to the posting of at least one
other student by Saturday (11:59pm EST) of that week. Individual postings should
not exceed 250 words (i.e., about two short paragraphs). I will monitor and
contribute to the Discussion Forum throughout the semester. Students who do not
participate in the Discussion Forum will be dropped from the course.
Students’ participation in the Discussion Forum will be evaluated as follows:
During the semester, there are 10 Discussion Forum topics, and students must post a reply
to all of them, for a potential of 3 points per topic or a total of 30 points for the semester.
Students must also post a response to at least one other student’s posting each week, for a
potential of 2 points per response, or a total of 20 points for the semester. Thus, there are a
potential of 50 points for the entire semester.
Responses to topics
To earn the full 3 points:
The student replies to the initial topic by the TH 11:59pm EST deadline.
The posting is directly responsive to the topic, substantive in content, with a clear
purpose, and helps move the conversation forward. The posting includes follow-up
questions, examples, and/or new perspectives.
The posting reflects comprehension and independent analysis of the assigned
readings/videos, and includes a thoughtful response to the course materials; the posting is
supported by accurate evidence and examples.
The posting is constructive and differences of opinion are expressed in a collegial
manner.
The posting is logically organized and has no spelling or grammatical errors; the
meaning of the posting is clear.
To earn 2 points:
The student replies to the initial topic by the TH 11:59pm EST deadline.
The posting is substantive in content, but does not respond to all components of the
topic and its purpose is not entirely clear. The posting includes examples, but no
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follow-up questions or new perspectives.
The posting reflects comprehension of the assigned readings/videos, and includes a
thoughtful response to the course materials; however, evidence and examples are missing
or inaccurate; or there are examples and evidence but no explanation of a new contribution.
The posting is constructive and differences of opinion are expressed in a collegial
manner.
The posting is well organized, but has minor errors in spelling and/or grammar.
To earn 1 point:
The student replies to the initial topic by the TH 11:59pm EST deadline.
The posting is substantive in content, but neglects one or more elements of the topic
and its purpose is not clear. The posting includes no examples, follow-up questions, or
new perspectives.
The posting reflects poor comprehension of the assigned readings/videos; evidence and
examples are missing or inaccurate.
The posting is collegial in tone.
The posting is disorganized and/or has serious errors in spelling and/or sentence structure,
making it difficult to understand.
To earn 0 points:
Late posting, no posting, disrespectful posting, or the posting has issues of academic
honesty or integrity.
Responses to other students’ postings
To earn the full 2 points:
The student responds to at least one other student’s posting (or existing comment
thread) by the SAT 11:59pm EST deadline.
The response is substantive, including comments and questions that enhance the
discussion.
The response provides evidence that the student has actually read the other student’s
posting.
The response is constructive and differences of opinion are expressed in a collegial
manner.
The response is logically organized and has no spelling or grammatical errors; the
meaning of the response is clear.
To earn 1 point:
The student responds to at least one other student’s posting (or existing comment
thread) by the SAT 11:59pm EST deadline.
The response is substantive, but does not include comments or questions that enhance
the discussion.
The response provides evidence that the student has actually read the other student’s
posting.
The response is constructive and differences of opinion are expressed in a collegial
manner.
The response is well organized, but has minor errors in spelling and/or grammar.
To earn 0 points:
Late response, no response, disrespectful response, or the response has issues of academic
honesty or integrity.
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Three short writing assignments (30%, or 10% each)
Students are required to complete three short writing assignments (about 1.5 singlespaced typed pages each) during the semester. These assignments will ask students
to comment on a current political event/public policy issue by drawing on what they
have learned from the assigned readings/PowerPoint slides/videos. I will evaluate
assignments based on the following criteria: (1) students’ comprehension of the topic
at hand, (2) students’ critical thinking skills and their ability to bring current events
in conversation with class materials, and (c) quality of writing (i.e., sentence
composition, spelling, organization of argument).
The assignment descriptions, submission guidelines, and a more detailed evaluation
rubric will be uploaded to Blackboard, under the “Assignments” tab. The assignments
will be made available and are due on the following dates:
Assignment #1
Assignment #2
Assignment #3
Available
SAT 2/14, 6pm EST
SAT 3/7, 6pm EST
SAT 4/18, 6pm EST
Due
SAT 2/21, 11:59pm EST
SAT 3/14, 11:59pm EST
SAT 4/25, 11:59pm EST
Midterm exam (20%)
The midterm exam will evaluate students’ comprehension of all materials (i.e.,
readings, PowerPoint slides, and video clips) covered in weeks 1-9. The midterm
exam will be a multiple-choice exam. Between TH 3/26 and SAT 3/28, students will
have a 60-minute window to complete the midterm exam online. The midterm exam
will be uploaded to Blackboard (more instructions will follow).
Final exam (20%)
The final exam will evaluate students’ comprehension of all materials (i.e., readings,
PowerPoint slides, and video clips) covered in weeks 10-17. The final exam will be a
multiple-choice exam. Between W 5/20 and F 5/22, students will have a 60-minute
window to complete the final exam online. The final exam will be uploaded to
Blackboard (more instructions will follow).
I will return all graded materials within 10 days of their due dates.
Late policy and missed exams
To get credit for Discussion Forum postings and responses, students need to abide
by the weekly due dates (see above and the course schedule below).
I will not accept short writing assignments that are submitted after the due date
(see above and the course schedule below).
Makeup exams will not be given, unless approved before the exam. If you miss an
exam and do not give prior notice, or if you do not have a valid excuse, you will
forfeit your right to a makeup exam and you will receive an “F” grade for that
exam. If you miss a makeup exam, there will be no subsequent makeups, and you
will receive an “F” for the exam as well.
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You will not be allowed to re-write your writing assignments, and there will be no
extra credit assignments to boost your grade. This means that you have to make
sure that the work you hand it is your very best. You can always set up an
appointment to talk to me over Skype to make sure you are on the right track and
get feedback on your work before you officially submit it.
 Course Website on Blackboard
The course has a website posted on Blackboard, the college’s on-line course
management system that will play an important role in the course. To access
Blackboard, you must login via the CUNY Portal at www.cuny.edu and create a CUNY
Portal account. Also, if you do not already have a Baruch e-mail account, please get
one as soon as possible and have this added to your Blackboard profile. The e-mail
messages I send via Blackboard are delivered only to Baruch e-mail addresses. If you
experience any trouble with Blackboard, contact the Baruch Helpdesk at (646) 3121010.
On Blackboard, you will find many materials useful to you in this class. They include
the following folders:
Updates regarding the course schedule and relevant due dates (“My
Announcements”)
A copy of the syllabus (“Syllabus”)
Discussion Forum, where I will post one or more discussion questions by Monday
of each week. In the Q&A Forum you can post general questions about the course
syllabus or course content; the answers I post will be informative to all students
(“Discussion/Q&A Forum”)
Links to narrated PowerPoint slides, posted by Monday of each week (“Lecture
Slides”)
Other required course materials, including articles and newspaper clippings
(“Other Reading Materials”)
Links to all the videos (“Videos”)
Homework assignment for week 1 and all short writing assignments
(“Assignments”)
Grades for participation in the Discussion Forum, for short writing assignments,
and for the midterm and final exams (“Grade Center”)
Students should check Blackboard (and their Baruch e-mail account) at least three
times a week, especially for “My Announcements” on the opening page.
 Class Policies – Do’s and Don’ts
Questions
I welcome your questions anytime. There are different ways you can get in touch
with me:
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Q&A Forum: if you have questions about the syllabus or particular course content
that I can easily address with a brief written response, pls. post your question to
the Q&A Forum on Blackboard. I strive to respond within 24 hours. You can also
use the Q&A Forum to post your feedback on any aspect of the course, both
positive and negative. Please do not be shy in sharing your thoughts; you have a
voice in improving your own learning experience. Students should check the Q&A
Forum once a week to familiarize themselves with the postings.
Skype: you can schedule a time to talk to me via Skype. This is the preferred way
to address more complicated questions or questions that require more back and
forth. Pls. know that I’m doing research in Texas and California during the semester
and my best availability to Skype is in the evenings.
E-mail: you can e-mail me with questions of a more personal nature that you don’t
want the entire class to know about. I strive to respond within 24 hours.
Pls. know that I do not check my e-mail or Blackboard on Saturday. Pls. respect my
one day off from work per week. Thank you.
E-mail etiquette
When you e-mail me, please use the following e-mail etiquette instructions – failure
to do so will cause delay in my response to your e-mail:
Subject: in the subject line of the e-mail include “PAF 1250” and the specific
subject that you are e-mailing me about.
Salutation: include a proper salutation at the beginning of your e-mail (not just
“hey”) and please address me as “Professor de Graauw.”
Sign your name: included your full name at the bottom of the e-mail.
For some comic relief on how not to e-mail your professor (watch and learn!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSNc8F9tqzY
Responsibility
I expect all of you to act as responsible adults and communicate with me if something
is going on in your life that affects your school performance. If you have trouble
comprehending the course materials, contact me. If you are struggling with personal
issues that affect your school work, let me know. If I send you an e-mail about the fact
that you are not participating in the Discussion Forum, do not ignore my e-mail. I
have many students and it can be difficult for me to identify those students who might
need a little extra help or accommodation. You can help by letting me know what is
going on.
Academic integrity
Plagiarism and cheating—such as copying work (including published materials) in
your writing assignments without proper citation, having your work done by
someone else, copying answers from someone else during exams—will absolutely
NOT be tolerated. My policy is to give a failing grade for the entire course if you
plagiarize any assignment or cheat on any exam. In addition, I am required by Baruch
College to submit a report of suspected academic dishonesty to the Dean of Students
Office. This report becomes part of your permanent file, and you may be expelled
from Baruch. For details on what constitutes academic dishonesty—including
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cheating
and
plagiarism—please
see
the
school
website:
www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html. If questions remain, ask
me. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse.
Disability-related accommodations
It is the policy of Baruch College to provide reasonable accommodations to students
with disabilities. Students, however, are responsible for registering with the
Disability Services Office, in addition to making requests for accommodations known
to me in a timely manner. If you require accommodations in this course, please email me as soon as possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. For
more information, contact the Disability Services Office at (646) 312-4590; VC 2-271.
Writing support and tutoring services
Students who want or need to improve their writing skills should take advantage of
the free services that the Baruch College Writing Center offers. For more information
about how to make an appointment and how to prepare for a session with one of the
Center’s writing consultants, see http://writingcenter.baruch.cuny.edu.
Students will also benefit from the free one-to-one and group tutoring services
provided by both peers and professionals through the Student Academic Consulting
Center (SACC). SACC also provides instructional support materials such as videos,
software, reference books, and handouts that will help you with course content, study
skills, and learning strategies. For more information, see www.baruch.cuny.edu/sacc.
Find the course schedule on the next page.
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 Course Schedule
PART 1  Foundations and Constitutional Government
Week
1
(1/282/1)
2
(2/22/8)
3
Topic
(2/162/22)
5
(2/233/1)
Listen
•
Course introduction
•
Course syllabus, front
to back
•
PP1: Introduction
•
What is politics? Why
government?
•
WTP: chapter 1
•
PP2: Why
government?
•
America’s founding
and the US
Constitution
•
WTP: chapter 2
• WTP: Federalist No. 51
(in back of book)
• BB: Federalist No. 15
•
•
Federalism and the
devolution revolution
•
WTP: chapter 3
• BB: Federalist No. 46
•
PP5: Federalism #1
BB: “How States
Should Approach
Immigration”
• WTP: chapter 4 (pp.
93-117)
•
PP6: Federalism #2
PP7: Civil liberties
(2/92/15)
4
Read
Case study: federalism
and immigration
• Civil liberties:
protecting individual
rights from
government power
•
•
PP3: America’s
founding #1
• PP4: America’s
founding #2
•
9
Watch
Assignments
Familiarize yourself
with Blackboard
• Upload your “avatar
image” by SUN 2/1
•
•
V1: The purpose of
government?
•
V2: Declaration of
Independence
• V3: American
Revolution
• V4: America gets a
Constitution
•
V5: Federalism and
same-sex marriage
•
V6: 2nd Amendment &
gun control
• V7: Death penalty &
8th Amendment
•
•
•
•
Discussion Forum W2:
Post by TH 2/5
Reply by SAT 2/7
Discussion Forum W3:
Post by TH 2/12
Reply by SAT 2/14
Writing assignment
#1:
Due by SAT 2/21
Discussion Forum W5:
Post by TH 2/26
Reply by SAT 2/28
Week
6
Topic
•
(3/23/8)
7
(3/93/15)
8
(3/163/22)
9
(3/233/29)
10
(3/304/5)
11
Equal rights:
struggling toward
fairness for
disadvantaged groups
Read
•
WTP: chapter 4 (pp.
118-139)
Listen
•
PP8: Equal rights
Watch
•
V8: Ferguson & race
relations
Assignments
•
Discussion Forum W6:
Post by TH 3/5
Reply by SAT 3/7
Writing assignment
#2:
Due by SAT 3/14
PART 2  Vox Populi: Input and Popular Sovereignty
•
Public opinion: a
blooming, buzzing
confusion
•
WTP: chapter 5
•
PP9: Public opinion
•
•
•
The mass media: the
fourth branch of
government?
•
WTP: chapter 6
•
PP10: Mass media
•
•
•
PP11: Midterm review
V11: Social media &
politics
• V12: Social media –
Obama v. Romney
MIDTERM REVIEW
• Midterm exam
•
Voice and choice:
political participation
and voting behavior
• Channeling the
public’s interest:
political parties
•
WTP: chapter 7 (pp.
199-224)
• BB: Ranney
• BB: Lijphart
•
PP12: Political
participation
• PP13: Political parties
•
Spring recess
(4/64/12)
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V9: How do polls
work?
• V10: Pros and cons of
polls
•
V13: History of voting
•
•
Discussion Forum W8:
Post by TH 3/19
Reply by SAT 3/21
Take the 60-minute
midterm exam
between TH 3/26 and
SAT 3/28
Discussion Forum
W10:
Post by W 4/1 (!!)
Reply by TH 4/2 (!!)
Week
Topic
Elections and
campaigns
• Interest groups and
the mobilization of
bias
•
12
(4/134/19)
Read
WTP: chapter 7 (pp.
224-241)
• WTP: chapter 8
• BB: Federalist No. 10
•
Listen
PP14: Elections and
campaigns
• PP15: Interest groups
•
Watch
•
Discussion Forum
W12:
Post by TH 4/16
Reply by SAT 4/18
•
V19: Drawing
congressional district
lines
• V20: House v. Senate
#1
• V21: House v. Senate
#2
•
Writing assignment
#3:
Due by SAT 4/25
•
V22: Presidential
powers
• V23: Obama & DACA
•
V24: Veterans Affairs
V25: FEMA
• V26: Food safety
•
Discussion Forum
W14:
Post by TH 4/30
Reply by SAT 5/2
•
•
•
•
•
V14: Primaries &
caucuses
V15: How the Electoral
College works
V16: Winner take all
voting
V17: Money &
elections
V18: Lobbying for
legal weed
Assignments
PART 3  The Three Branches of Government
•
The legislative branch:
congressional
elections, organization,
and policymaking
•
WTP: chapter 9
• BB: Mayhew
• BB: Fenno
•
•
The executive branch:
presidential elections,
presidential powers,
and presidential
policymaking
•
WTP: chapter 10
BB: Neustadt
• BB: Kernell
•
•
•
WTP: chapter 11
•
13
(4/204/26)
14
(4/275/3)
15
(5/45/10)
•
The federal
bureaucracy:
administering and
implementing law
•
PP16: Congress #1
• PP17: Congress #2
PP18: Presidency #1
PP19: Presidency #2
PP20: Federal
bureaucracy
11
•
•
Discussion Forum
W15:
Post by TH 5/7
Reply by SAT 5/9
Week
16
(5/115/17)
17
(5/185/24)
Topic
•
The judicial branch
and the nine wise
Supremes
FINAL EXAM REVIEW
• Final exam
•
Read
•
WTP: chapter 12
Listen
•
PP21: Courts
•
PP22: Final exam
review
Enjoy the summer!
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Watch
•
V27: Marbury v.
Madison
Assignments
•
•
Discussion Forum
W16:
Post by TH 5/14
Reply by SAT 5/16
Take the 60-minute
final exam between W
5/20 and F 5/22