General Education Submission Form
Electronic submissions are preferred.
A.
GE component for which course is being proposed: Serving Society; Enacting
Justice
B.
Submitted by
C.
Ideally, submissions should be discussed by the entire department prior to submittal.
Tom Knecht
x Chair has reviewed and approved the course.
D.
Course being proposed (please attach syllabus): POL 110: American Public
Opinion
E.
This course
x Has not been modified, but is being submitted to check its suitability
Has had its syllabus rewritten to communicate the course’s contribution to GE
Has had its contents modified to address the relevant GE issues
Is a new course designed to fulfill the GE requirement
F.
This course is being submitted as
A Template. Applicable to courses with multiple sections which require only general
training in the discipline. The submission should come from the department chair and
should clearly identify what course content and what elements of the syllabus the
department has agreed will common to all sections. Upon approval by the GE
Committee, any course whose syllabus is determined by the department to meet the
specifications of the template is approved to satisfy this area requirement. A copy of
each syllabus should be forwarded to the G.E. committee for record keeping purposes.
x An Individual Course. Applicable to courses requiring specialized training in the
discipline or are typically offered by a particular instructor. The course should be
resubmitted and reassessed in the event of a change in staffing or syllabus.
G.
Statement of rationale:
(Include a list of the area objectives. After each objective, list several course activities (lectures,
readings, assignments, etc.) that address it. If it is not completely obvious, explain how the
activities relate to the objective. Please attach a copy of the syllabus which has been annotated to
identify the corresponding activities. Electronic annotations are preferred. Please use the
comment feature in Word to annotate electronic copies. )

Identify theological motivations for service; the needs of the population being
served; the effects and affects resulting from those needs; and the causes of those
needs, such as involuntary circumstances, individual choices and structural
injustices.
The American Public Opinion course is built around a semester-long
service learning assignment where students design, conduct, and interpret
a survey for a community partner. The service learning assignment serves
two purposes. First, it helps to ground abstract theories in concrete
application. Second, service learning allows Westmont students to apply
their learning in the service of others. In the past, my students have
conducted opinion polls for groups that advocate for the homeless, provide
meals for the indigent, and work with HIV/AIDS patients.
In addition to the service learning assignment, the course broadly focuses
on participation and service in both lecture and discussion. For instance,
we will consider why some people are civically engaged while others are
not. Moreover, we consider a biblical call for community and what that
community looks like.

Articulate how they have been affected by their experience (for example, changes
in beliefs, attitudes or values) and how their experiences might inform their
calling to discipleship, citizenship and future service.
A significant portion of each class period will be devoted to the service
learning assignment, including a discussion of how students are affected
by their experience.

Review and analyze the literature on American public opinion.
The students will read a textbook on American public opinion as well as
some of the seminal works in the subject. I will evaluate students’
comprehension of the readings and lectures in three ways. First, there will
be quizzes each class period. Students are allowed to use any notes they
have taken on the readings, but cannot use the books, articles, or
photocopies of the readings. The structure of the quizzes encourages
copious note-taking as opposed to the faster, but less useful, “highlighter”
method. Second, there are three exams in the course. The exams are
closed-book, closed notes exams featuring identification, short answer,
and essay questions. Finally, students are graded on their participation in
class discussions. Students must be prepared and contribute to class
discussion in order to receive full credit for the participation grade.

Learn about the various dimensions of public opinion
See answer to “Review and analyze the literature on American public
opinion.”

Understand and apply survey research methodology
See service learning assignment discussed above.
POL 110: American Public Opinion
Professor Tom Knecht
Office: Deane Hall 210
Phone: 565-6227
Email: tknecht@westmont.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Introduction: This course examines the beliefs, opinions, and ideology of the
American public. Students explore such issues as the measurement of public opinion, the
process by which individuals acquire their beliefs and identity, the influence of mass
opinion on public policy, and the question of whether there is a unique American
character. Although most of the course will focus on the United States, we will also
adopt look at public opinion in a comparative perspective. This service learning course
also offers students designing, implementing, and analyzing their own public opinion
survey.
Required Texts:
Erikson, Robert S. and Kent L. Tedin (2004), American Public Opinion: Its
Origin, Contents, and Impact, 7th Edition. New York: Longman.
Reader to be purchased at the Bookstore
Clickers to be purchased at the Bookstore.
Course Requirements: Grades will be based on the following.
1. Quizzes. Pop quizzes will test your comprehension of the readings and lectures.
Most quizzes will be taken with your clicker. You are allowed to use any notes
that you have taken on the readings, but cannot use the books, articles, or
photocopies of the readings. The structure of the quizzes encourages copious
note-taking as opposed to the faster, but less useful, “highlighter” method.
Students can skip two quizzes; if no quizzes are skipped then the lowest two quiz
scores are dropped.
2. Service Learning Project. This is a service learning course. Working with your
peers, you will conduct a public opinion survey for a community organization or
church. More information on the project will be handed out the first week of
class, but briefly, students will (a) select an organization from a pre-approved list,
(b) design and administer a public opinion survey to suit the needs of the
organization, (c) provide a final written and oral report to the community partner.
The project allows you to apply your knowledge of survey methodology in the
service of a community partner. There are a couple things to note about the
project. First, it requires a significant time commitment, including, but not
limited to, making a number of survey calls. Second, you may have to travel
around Santa Barbara. Finally, you are expected to conduct yourself in a
respectful and professional manner at all times. Your grade for the project will be
based on three evaluations. First, your fellow students will evaluate how much
effort you put into the group work (33.3%). Second, your group will be assigned
a grade based on a comparison of other groups (33.3%). Finally, I will evaluate
your individual performance within the group (33.3%).
3. Exams. There will be three exams in the course: Exam I is held [ ]; Exam II is
held on [ ]; and the Final Exam is held [ ]. The exams will feature
identification, short answer, and essay questions. No make-up exams will be
given without documentation for an emergency or illness.
4. Participation. This class will rely heavily on student participation. There are
two components to the participation grade. First, you are expected to attend all
lectures and show up to class on time. Second, you are expected to actively
participate in class discussions. This means that you must complete all the
readings before class and be prepared to discuss the course material.
Course Grades:
Quizzes
Participation
Service Learning Project
Midterm
Final
15%
10%
40%
15%
20%
Course Objectives: In this course, you should be able to:




Review and analyze the literature on American public opinion.
Demonstrate a commitment to service
Understand the various dimensions of public opinion
Learn and apply survey research methodology
General Education: This course fulfills the general education requirement under
Competent and Compassionate Action called Serving Society; Enacting Justice. The
Westmont College catalog offers this definition of Serving Society; Enacting Justice:
Students will participate in a course-related service project or an internship that is
explicitly integrated into the academic content of the course and which includes
significant involvement in responding to social issues. Through this experience,
students will raise their awareness of issues of justice such as those grounded in
social class, gender, ethnicity, human disability, the environment or the impact of
technology. In completing this option, students will examine their own
presuppositions and develop their skills in their exercise of charity and
compassion. (Source:
http://www.westmont.edu/_offices/registrar/documents/Catalog.pdf).
Learning Outcomes: American Public Opinion gives students the opportunity to:





Identify theological motivations for service; the needs of the population being
served; the effects and affects resulting from those needs; and the causes of those
needs, such as involuntary circumstances, individual choices and structural
injustices.
Articulate how they have been affected by their experience (for example, changes
in beliefs, attitudes or values) and how their experiences might inform their
calling to discipleship, citizenship and future service.
Review and analyze the literature on American public opinion.
Learn about the various dimensions of public opinion
Understand and apply survey research methodology
Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. It should be noted that
I am vigilant about checking the authenticity of students’ work and have no qualms about
prosecuting violators.
Eureka: A number of resources will be posted on the Eureka website at If you are
having difficulty accessing Eureka, let me know immediately.
Course Schedule: [Note: This schedule is subject to change with prior notification].
I.
DEFINING AND MEASURING PUBLIC OPINION
Week 1. Survey Research Methodology
Nardi, Peter M. 2003. Doing Survey Research: A Guide to Quantitative Methods, Boston:
Peterson Educational, Inc., selections
Asher, Herbert. 2004. Polling and the Public: What Every Citizen Should Know, 6th ed.
Washington DC: CQ Press, selections
American Public Opinion, ch. 1
Week 2. Survey Research Methodology II
Best, Joel. 2001. Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media,
Politicians, and Activists. Berkeley: University of California Press, selections
American Public Opinion, ch. 2
Week 3. Focus Group Research
Kitzinger, Jenny and Rosaline S. Barbour. 1999. Developing Focus Group Research.
London: Sage Publications. selections
II. SOURCES AND EXPRESSIONS OF OPINION
Week 4. Belief Systems, Values, and Ideology
American Public Opinion, ch 3.
Zaller, John. 1992. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
Week 5. Socialization
American Public Opinion, ch 5.
Jennings, M. Kent, and Laura Stoker. 2004. "Social Trust and Civic Engagement across
Time and Generations." Acta Politica 39 (4):342-79.
Week 6. Socialization II
Greenstein, Fred. I. 1965. Children and Politics. New Haven: Yale University Press.
selections.
Niemi, Richard G., and Jane Junn. 1998. Civic Education: What Makes Students Learn.
New Heaven: Yale University Press. selections
Week 7, Media
American Public Opinion, ch 8.
Iyengar, Shanto. 1991. Is Anyone Responsible? How Television Frames Political Issues.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press. selections
IV.
THE PUBLIC AND POLITICS
Week 8. Public Opinion and Democratic Responsiveness
American Public Opinion, chs. 9
Page, Benjamin I., and Robert Y. Shapiro. 1992. The Rational Public: Fifty Years of
Trends in Americans' Policy Preferences. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Selections.
Week 9. Public Opinion and Democratic Responsiveness
American Public Opinion, chs. 10.
Erikson, Robert S., Michael MacKuen, and James A. Stimson. 2002. The Macro Polity.
New York: Cambridge University Press. selections
Jacobs, Lawrence R., and Robert Y. Shapiro. 2000. Politicians Don't Pander: Political
Manipulation and the Loss of Democratic Responsiveness. Chicago: University
Of Chicago Press. selections
Week 10. Comparative Public Opinion
American Public Opinion, ch 7.
Dalton, Russell J. 2002. Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties in
Advanced Industrial Democracies: Chatham House Publishers. selections
Week 11. Red States vs. Blue States?
Fiorina, Morris P. (2006), Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America. New
York: Longman. Selections
Week 12. Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy
Holsti, Ole R. (1992) “Public Opinion and Foreign Policy: Challenges to the
Almond-Lippmann Consensus. Mershon Series: Research Programs and
Debates.” International Studies Quarterly 36:439-466.
Kull, Steven and Clay Ramsay (2002), “How Policymakers Misperceive U.S.
Public Opinion on Foreign Policy,” in Jeff Manza, Fay Lomax Cook and
Benjamin I. Page (eds.), Navigating Public Opinion. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Page, Benjamin I., and Marshall M. Bouton. 2006. The Foreign Policy Disconnect: What
Americans Want from Our Leaders But Don't Get. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press. selections
Week 13. Political Psychology
Sniderman, Paul M., Richard A. Brody, and Phillip E. Tetlock. 1991. Reasoning and
Choice. New York: Cambridge University Press. selections
Delli Carpini, Michael X., and Scott Keeter. 1996. What Americans Know About Politics
and Why It Matters. New Haven: Yale University Press. selections
Week 14. Tolerance
Chong, Dennis. 2000. Rational Lives: Norms and Values in Politics and Society.
Chicago: University Of Chicago Press. selections
Sullivan, John L., George E. Marcus, Stanley Feldman, and James E. Piereson. 1981.
"The Sources of Political Tolerance: A Multivariate Analysis." The American
Political Science Review 75 (1):92-106.
Week 15. Crime
Radelet, Michael L. and Marian J. Borg (2000), “The Changing Nature of Death Penalty
Debates,” Annual Review of Sociology 26: 43-61.
Gilliam, Franklin D. Jr., and Shanto Iyengar (2000), “Prime Suspects: The Influence of
Local Television News on the Viewing Public,” American Journal of Political
Science 44: 560-573.
Week 16. Student Presentations.
Service Learning Research Project Guidelines
Prof. Knecht
American Public Opinion
Overview. For the research project, you and a team of students will conduct a public
opinion survey for a community organization. This project allows you to apply your
theoretical knowledge of survey methodology to real-life problems. There are a couple
things to note about the project. First, it requires a significant time commitment, including,
but not limited to, making a number of survey calls. Second, you will (may) have to travel
around Santa Barbara. Finally, you are expected to conduct yourself in a respectful and
professional manner at all times. Your grade for the project will be based on three
evaluations. First, your teammates will evaluate how much effort you put into the group
work (33%). Second, your group will be assigned a grade based on project requirements
(33%). Finally, I will assess the team’s performance with input from the community partner
(33%).
Project Requirements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Set up appointment with community partner
Interview with community partner.
Research design
Administration
Presentation
1) Set up appointment with community partner (Due ?, 10 pts)
Overview. You should schedule an appointment with your community partner by
?, preferably earlier. Although the meeting should be scheduled at your
community partner’s convenience, try to meet early the following week and at a
time that most of your team can make. This means the team should coordinate on
availability before you make the call.
Tasks:
1) Research organization
 You are expected to research the community partner that
you will be working with.
 Organization websites are available via Eureka.
2) Initial phone call
 Call the community partner to set up an appointment.
 You should try to meet with the community partner inperson. However, don’t insist on an in-person meeting if
your partner prefers to conduct the meeting over the phone.
Professionalism:
 Always be polite and professional!
 Introduce yourself as a member of my class at the Westmont
College.
 Ask the community partner if there is a good time to meet early the
following week.
 Express your interest in working with the community group and
thank them for this opportunity.
What to turn in:
1)
Turn in a brief written summary of your conversation and when
the meeting is to take place.
2)
Include all the team members names.
3)
Turn in your report via digital dropbox on Eureka on 1/5 by
noon.
2) Interview with community partner. (1/12, 10 pts)
Overview. This is an important meeting between you and the community partner. You
need to assess what information the partner wants you to obtain and the population they
want to survey. It is also important for you to make a good impression! Be professional,
show up early to the appointment, dress nice, be engaged and take notes.
Tasks:
1) Population
a. A population is the unit about which the partner wants information. For
example, a population might be a) all residents of Santa Barbara, b) donors
to the organization, or c) people the organization serves.
b. Ask for a contact list [IMPORTANT]
i. Unless the partner wants the population to include all Santa
Barbara residents, you need to get a contact list.
2) Questions
a. Get a general idea of subjects and questions the partner wants to ask.
b. Be sure to ask probing and thoughtful questions during your meeting.
What to turn in:
1)
Turn in a brief written summary of your conversation, the population
the community partner wants to survey, and the types of questions they
want responses to.
2)
Include a contact list [if appropriate].
3)
Include all the team members names.
4)
Turn in your report via digital dropbox on Eureka on 1/12 by noon.
3) Research design [Due 1/19, 30pts]
Overview. You should have your survey instrument completed by January 19. You
should complete the following tasks:
Tasks:
1. Mode of administration
a. Determine what type of survey you will conduct. Most of you should
decide between face-to-face or telephone surveys. You should check with
Prof. Knecht before opting for other types of surveys (i.e., mail, web,
focus groups).
2. Determine Sample Size
a. Go to http://www.surveysystem.com/sscalc.htm to determine your sample
size. Be sure to use a 95% confidence level and at least a 5% sampling
error (called confidence interval in the website).
b. Most of you will use a simple random sample. However, if you opt for a
some other type of sampling method, check with Prof. Knecht.
3. Contact List
a. You need to prepare your contact list in Excel. Before you do anything,
prepare a backup copy of the original file [IMPORTANT].
i. Delete names and include three digit CASEID
1. If phone interview, include only phone numbers.
2. If face-to-face interview, include only address.
3. Delete all other information from original contact list.
ii. If you are using a simple random sample and have a list, you need
to use a random number generator to determine sample.
iii. Rename columns to correspond with questions on questionnaire.
iv. Sort by random number generator
v. Sample individuals in sequential order via the number generator.
4. Questions
a. Introduction
i. You should have a standard script that all interviewers follow.
b. Question wording
i. Questions should be easy to understand and unambiguous
c. Response categories
i. Response categories should be easy to understand and
unambiguous
d. Length
i. Survey should be able to be completed in under 15 minutes
5. Pretest your survey
a. It is better to identify problems with your questionnaire before you
administer it. Provide your survey to a group of friends or other members
of this class and ask if they understand questions. Also, you can test
different versions of questions to see if there are question wording effects.
b. Write a brief summary of your pretest and turn it in with your survey
instrument.
6. Review
a. Before you administer your survey, it must be reviewed by Prof. Knecht
and your community partner.
What to turn in?
Prof. Knecht will provide you with a sample on Eureka.
4) Administration [until 8th week, 25 pts]
Overview. Much of your time will be spent administering the survey. This task should
be shared equally among the team members. You will turn in a weekly progress report
on the number of calls made and the response rate. I will periodically check on your
progress and professionalism by calling respondents.
Tasks:
1. Division of responsibility and game plan.
a. You need to figure out how many surveys to complete per week in order
to meet the sample size requirement.
b. The team should decide how to schedule the calls and what calls to make.
i. DO NOT DUPLICATE THE CALLS!
2. Recoding responses.
a. You will need to devise a system to record responses to the questionnaires
as well as call time and refusals.
i. Recording calls
1. On one form, you need to record:
a. Calls made
b. Responses
c. Non-responses
i. Reasons
1. refusal
2. bad number
3. answering machine (follow-up)
ii. Recording answers
1. You should record answers in a manner that allows you to
move quickly through the questionnaire.
2. If your responses are made on paper, you need to then
transfer them to Excel.
3. Interviewer biases
a. You need to be aware of interviewer biases as you conduct the survey.
Here are a few deadly sins of survey research:
i. Don’t patronize the respondent
ii. Don’t lead the respondent
iii. Don’t react to respondent’s answers
4. Confidentiality
a. You must respect the confidentiality of your respondents. This means that
you should provide your respondents with a code, instead of their name,
when recording data. Also, all data must be presented in the aggregate.
5. Professionalism
a. I cannot stress enough how important it is that you remain professional at
all times. This includes:
i. Dressing appropriately
ii. Treating respondents with respect, courtesy, and dignity.
iii. Calling at appropriate hours.
6. Oversight
a. You are to provide Prof. Knecht with weekly updates on your progress. I
will randomly survey respondents that you have talked to in order to make
sure that you followed all protocol and actually conducted the survey.
What to Turn In?
1) Turn in number of calls made per team member, number of responses, number
of non-responses.
2) Turn in total response rate for team.
3) Turn in list of all respondents and phone numbers.
4) Turn in your report via digital dropbox on Eureka each Friday by noon.
5) Presentation of Results [March 5-7, 25 pts]
Overview. The culmination of your work will be a written and oral report to both the
class and the community partner. Be sure to present to the class before you present to the
community partner. Your report should summarize the main findings in a clear and
coherent manner.
Tasks:
1. Aggregate responses
a. Always make sure that your responses are in the aggregate (e.g., 64
percent of the sample felt that taxes were too high). NEVER report
individual responses (e.g., “Jane Smith felt like the services she was
provided with were poor”). Reporting individual responses violates
respondent confidentiality and may result in disciplinary action.
2. Presentation of Results
a. Include sample size
b. Include sampling error and confidence level
c. Present results graphically in an easy to read format
i. Your graphs should be in color
d. Discuss results in writing.
3. Oral Presentation
a. Use color overheads.
b. Discuss your results.
c. Discuss limitations of the data.