Georgia Regents University
POLS 1101 WE3 Summer 2015
INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
Dr. Paolo Spadoni
Office room: Allgood Hall N307
Phone: (706)- 667-4423
Email: pspadoni@gru.edu
INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURSE
The course has three major objectives
 To provide students with general knowledge about the political system of the United
States of America
 To examine the various institutions of the United States government and analyze their
functions
 To examine the effectiveness of the political system as a whole. In this regard, we will
study how effective is the American government in delivering the goods and services to
the people and compare major governments around the world to the government of the
United States.
Other objectives of the course:


To emphasize the international aspects of the American politics.
To give the students an approach to the Constitution of the State of Georgia.
COURSE SETUP AND REQUIREMENTS
 This course will be conducted online.
 Students are required to read the assigned readings and follow major political events that
concern the U.S. government, nationally and internationally.
 This online course setup also comes with responsibility. You must regularly check your
emails and D2L page, closely adhere to the course outline, actively and thoroughly read
the material, and you must complete assignments on-time. We will be using the
Desire2Learn tools.

GRADING: The course grade will be based on four main components:
1. Class Exam I: 25%
2. Class Exam II: 25%
3. Class Exam III: 30%
4. Quizzes and participation: 20%
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
Please note that MAKE-UP EXAMS ARE NOT ALLOWED, unless you have made a
request for an alternate testing date in advance of the scheduled exam (only extended to
students with a legitimate and documented need).
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Karen O’Connor, Larry J. Sabato, and Alixandra B. Yanus, Essentials of American Government:
Roots and Reforms, 2012 Election Edition, Pearson.
The Georgia Constitution (provided by the instructor).
OPTIONAL MATERIAL:
“The New York Times” and “The Economist”
STUDENT NEEDS
Students with disabilities who may need disability-related accommodations are encouraged to
contact me before the beginning of the course. All discussions will remain confidential although
the Student Accessibility Services office may be consulted to discuss appropriate implementation
of any accommodation requested.
COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
June 25, 2015
Overview of American Government, O’Connor et al., Chapter 1
June 26, 2015
Constitutional Foundations, O’Connor et al., Chapter 2
June 29, 2015
QUIZ 1
June 30, 2015
The Federal System, O’Connor et al., Chapter 3
July 1, 2015
Civil Liberties, O’Connor et al., Chapter 4
July 2, 2015
EXAM I
July 3, 2015: HOLIDAY
July 6-7, 2015
Congress, O’Connor et al., Chapter 6
July 8, 2015
The Presidency, O’Connor et al., Chapter 7
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July 9, 2015
QUIZ 2
July 10, 2015
The Judiciary, O’Connor et al., Chapter 9
July 13, 2015
Public Opinion and the News Media, O’Connor et al., Chapter 10
July 14, 2015
QUIZ 3
July 16, 2015
EXAM II
July 17, 2015
Political Parties and Interest Groups, O’Connor et al., Chapter 11
July 20, 2015
Campaigns, Elections, and Voting, O’Connor et al., Chapter 12
July 21, 2015
QUIZ 4
July 22, 2015
Social and Economic Policy, O’Connor et al., Chapter 13
July 23, 2015
Foreign and Defense Policy, O’Connor et al., Chapter 14
July 24, 2015
QUIZ 5
July 27-28, 2015
The Georgia Constitution and Review
EXAM III TBA
PLAESE READ CAREFULLY YOUR SYLLABUS; RULES THAT ARE STATED IN
THE SYLLABUS WILL BE STRICTLY APPLIED.
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