INTRODUCTION TO U.S. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS POLS 140-01 MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS ~ 9:30 A.M. TO 10:45 ~ ROOM 3137 Fall 2015 Instructor: Tiffany Bohm, PhD Office Hours: 10:45 to 11:30 in the classroom and by appointment Telephone: (708) 709-7755, ext. 5081 Email: tbohm@prairiestate.edu *This is the best way to reach me* Course Description: This course provides an introduction to the core concepts of political science that allow for a better understanding of the principles and organization of government and politics in the United States. Required Text and Readings: American Government: Brief Version, 11th edition, James Q. Wilson, Houghton Mifflin Co., 2009, 2008. *All students are expected to have full access to a copy of the text. It is available in the bookstore on campus.* Occasionally, students may be asked to do additional readings that may be found on Desire 2 Learn (D2L) or provided by the instructor. The instructor is working under the assumption that everyone has access to the internet and Desire 2 Learn from some source. If this is a false assumption, it is the student's responsibility to let her know. It is also the student's responsibility to familiarize himself or herself with Prairie State College's Desire 2 Learn online education system. The use of this system supplements the classroom discussions and lectures as well as supports the "Green" initiative by providing students with electronic access to materials versus hardcopy that require using large amounts of paper. Course Objectives: • Describe the constitutional framework of American government • Explain the functions of various levels of American government: national, state and local. • Be able to describe the key ideas found in the basic documents of American government: the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights • Define key ideas involved in polling, measuring public opinion, and running elections • Explain the key differences between conservative, liberal and radical approaches to social reform • Explain the rights and obligations of American citizens “Political authority cannot rest on tradition, but only on consent.” – John Adams p. 1 Written Assignments: For this course, you will be required to write four (4) 2-3 page critical analysis papers for topics I have assigned. These topics are listed in the syllabus (Assignment 1) and in the course outline. To write these papers, you will need to draw upon what you have learned from our course readings, class discussions as well as outside investigation as necessary. Each paper is worth 50 points for a total of 200 points. The papers should be 2 to 3 pages in length, double spaced, 12-point font, with 1 inch margins. The pages should be numbered and stapled in the MLA format. Prairie State College uses the MLA or APA format for all research papers and the writing center will be happy to help you with any questions on the MLA format. I strongly encourage you to have the PSC Student Success Center review your paper prior to turning it in. The SSC may not be able to proofread, but they will review for content, organization and coherency. It would be wise to have a peer review for proofreading mistakes. I deduct points for grammar, format, punctuation, spelling and citation errors. Papers are due by 11:59pm on the date listed. These will be submitted using Turn It In on Desire 2 Learn. Late papers are not accepted – DO NOT ASK. Handing in Written Work: All written work will be submitted using Turn It In on the Desire 2 Learn classroom. There are no exceptions to this rule. You must use Microsoft Word 2007 or newer – “Works” doesn’t work. If you are unsure, please check the ending of the file to be sure it is a .doc or .docx. Students will retain a copy of their work on paper and computer (jump drive) in the event the instructor requests an additional copy. All work must be typed, be original (unless cited) and meet assignment instructions for full credit. I will explain Turn It In further in class. You must have access to Desire 2 Learn so be sure to log in at the beginning of the semester. If you need technical assistance, the Help Desk phone number is: (708) 709-7999. I cannot help with password or login information. Reasonable Accommodations: Your success in this class is important to me. If you have a disability (learning, physical, psychological, or other) that may require some accommodations or modifications in procedures, class activities, instructions, or requirements, please contact me early in the semester, so I can refer you to the Disability Services Office (Room 1200) to register and arrange reasonable accommodations. All discussions are confidential. p. 2 ACADEMIC HONESTY: STATEMENT FOR STUDENTS Prairie State College Faculty Senate I. Why is academic honesty important? A. Academic honesty is vital to the whole Prairie State College community. Our reputation and our selfrespect as a College depends on our commitment to academic honesty. All students, faculty and staff participate in this commitment. Academic dishonesty undermines both our reputation and our shared goals as a college community. B. Academic honesty is vital to your work as a student. The credit, certificate, and/or degree that you earn must reflect the work that you do. If you commit an act of academic dishonesty, you will always know that your grade, certificate and/or degree wasn’t honestly earned. In addition, academic dishonesty is a very serious offense that could have damaging consequences for you as a student and later in life, ranging from a lowered grade on one assignment to suspension from the College. For this reason, professors will report cases of academic dishonesty to the Dean of Academic Services & Counseling. II. What do I have to do to be academically honest? A. Academic honesty means that: 1. any work you hand in with your name on it is your own work. 2. if you have used any outside sources, whether written sources or help from another person in writing your assignment, you must cite them. Your professor may or may not require specific forms for citation of sources, but it is never honest to omit this step. B. In order to practice academic honesty, it is important to: 1. make sure you understand what is expected for each assignment. 2. ask your professor when you don’t understand. III. How can I avoid academic dishonesty? A. The number one way to avoid academic dishonesty is by understanding what it is. All students are expected to have read and understood the PSC Academic and Student Codes of Conduct (printed in the Prairie Planner, the PSC Catalog, and online at www.prairiestate.edu under Board Policies). You are responsible for understanding what is and is not honest college work. B. The two main kinds of academic dishonesty are the following: 1. Plagiarism means handing in any work as your own which contains any part that is not your own and not properly cited. It includes any copying or paraphrasing of others’ words or ideas, whether another student’s, or printed or internet sources, without clearly and accurately identifying it and its source. p. 3 2. Cheating means using any source not permitted on a particular assignment or test. Sources might include someone else’s test or help, or printed, photographed, or written material when not permitted. Cheating also includes knowingly furnishing any false information (such as data or sources) to fulfill an assignment or helping someone else to cheat. C. Too much help can lead to academic dishonesty. It is okay, and sometimes very useful, to study and discuss assignments with your classmates, and to help each other edit and improve your work. It is also useful to work with a tutor to improve your work. However, you have received too much help on an assignment when another person has: • • • written or revised your homework for you rather than with you, or rather than helping you to do it yourself corrected your mistakes for you, rather than discussing them with you lent you their homework for you to copy p. 4 Assessment Criteria and Method of Evaluating Students: Your success will be determined by your effort and work. Student work will be evaluated using the following criteria: Quizzes (5) 100 points Essays (4) 200 Exams (4) 200 Total 500 A D 90% - 100% 60% - 70% B F 80% - 90% C Anything below 60% 70% - 80% I may add additional quizzes which will increase the total points possible in the class. Course Policies: All student regulations and policies as described in the student handbook apply to the learning environments (classroom, computer labs & library). Of particular note, please refer to the handbook concerning Academic Code of Conduct specifically instances on Academic Dishonesty. If you plagiarize or cheat on any quiz, paper or other form of written work, you will fail the course. NO VIDEO RECORDING, CELL PHONES, PAGERS OR TEXT MESSENGERS WILL BE USED DURING CLASS - NO EXCEPTIONS! You will receive one warning and then you will be asked to leave the class, receiving a zero for any quizzes or assignments that day. Professor's caveat: Discussing political issues may be uncomfortable for some individuals. From time to time, we will have discussions on current events. I ask that you respect each other during these discussions and avoid any remarks that may be derogatory and avoid statements that may be viewed as aggressive or attacking in nature. If a discussion appears to be bordering on offensive, it will be ended immediately and any retribution against fellow classmates will be prohibited. In order to have an open discussion, the environment must be protected to foster willing debate. Attendance: Attendance is tracked throughout the semester and will be recorded at every class session. Every effort should be made to contact the instructor and/or team members with as much prior notice to an absence as possible. THE STUDENT'S FINAL GRADE WILL BE REDUCED 25 POINTS FOR EACH ABSENCE OVER 4. If you have extenuating circumstances for multiple absences, please see me immediately to discuss. You will need a doctor’s note for long term illnesses and I will generally send you to the Academic Advising office in the event that a medical withdrawal seems necessary. After you have missed a class, please be sure to get a copy of the lecture notes from a classmate. Furthermore, if you do not take the final exam, you will fail the course. You must show up to sit for the exam. Communication: p. 5 The best way to reach me is via email. I will respond to your email within 24 hours of receipt during weekdays. I will not check or respond to emails that are received after 5 p.m. on Friday and before 8 a.m. on Monday. I do not usually check my email after 9 p.m. during the week. If you do not receive a response within 24 hours during weekdays, please resend your email in a professional and courteous format. Acceptable formats will include a greeting (Dear Prof Bohm), clearly express ideas or present a request, no grammatical errors or slang and include a closing (Sincerely). Please remember that your communication with me is a reflection of you and your work in my course - be mindful of your presentation. Reference letters: From time to time, professors receive requests from students to write letters of reference o their behalf. I am more than willing to write a reference letter on your behalf as long as you provide the following information: - Your current grade in my course (add the points/divide by points possible) - Your reason for requesting a leter (e.g. scholarship, fellowship, program admit, etc) - Address and name of the person or organization to where the letter will be mailed - Deadline for mailing letter - Any pertinent details that will help me tailor the letter toward your final goal I will not write letters until the course has been completed - see me if you have extenuating circumstances. p. 6 Assignment 1: This assignment must be typed and presented in a neat, professional manner. (This also refers to every other assignment in the class.) Assignment 1: Your first assignment is to think about one issue or problem in the United States today. I would like you to select something that you feel strongly about; perhaps this is the #1 problem in your opinion. Be careful in your selection as this topic will be used for this assignment as well as the final written assignment in the course. This must be a current topic and not something that something that has already been resolved. If you think the problem was addressed, but not resolved, then you may certainly discuss it in the paper. Once you have selected a problem or issue, consider the following: - Who is responsible for causing this problem? Is it one person or many? - Who does this problem or issue affect? - Who can solve this problem? - In your opinion, what is the solution to the problem? Do you see the problem being resolved in the future? Why or why not? - What is needed to solve this problem? Once you have considered the answers to the questions above, please write and discuss the problem. Your assignment is to write a 2-3 page paper, double-spaced with 1 inch margins, describing the problem. Then, provide the answers to each of the questions above in the paper. Be sure to review your papers before turning them in to make sure you answer all of the questions above as clearly as possible. You will not be graded on your opinion, but you will be graded on how well you explain and understand the problem. You will lose points for spelling, grammar and proofreading errors. You will lose points if you do not provide a works cited/reference page for all outside sources used in writing the paper. You will also lose points if you do not fully answer the questions above or it appears you do not fully understand the problem that you are writing about. *Please see me if you have questions.* This assignment is worth 50 points. Late papers will not be accepted. Due via D2L at 11:59 pm on Wednesday, September 2, 2015. p. 7 Course Outline (Please note, I may need to adjust as I see necessary) Aug 17 Course introduction/Syllabus review What is required of a citizen in democracy? Declaration of Independence Wilson, Chapters 1 & 2 Aug 19 Civil Liberties and Civil Rights: Bill of Rights Wilson, Chapter 3 & 4 Aug 24 Civil Liberties and Civil Rights: Bill of Rights Wilson, Chapter 3 & 4 *Paper #1 Topic Due - Email to Professor* Civil Liberties and Civil Rights: Bill of Rights Wilson, Chapter 3 & 4 Review for First Exam Aug 26 Aug 31 Sep 7 First Exam The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, Federalist Papers 10 & 51, Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Wilson, Chapters 1, 2, 3 & 4 No Class - Labor Day Holiday Sep 9 The U.S. Constitution: Divisions of Power, Federalism Sep 2 *first paper due* Wilson, Chapter 5 Separation of Power Article I, Section 7 Sep 14 The U.S. Congress: Organization - House of Representatives and Senate Wilson, Chapter 9 The U.S. Congress: Congressional Leaders, Parties and Committees Wilson, Chapter 9, focus: p. 219 & 221 Sep 16 The U.S. Congress: Organization - House of Representatives and Senate Wilson, Chapter 9 The U.S. Congress: Congressional Leaders, Parties and Committees Wilson, Chapter 9 p. 8 Sep 21 The U.S. Congress: How a Bill Becomes Law Wilson, Chapter 9, focus: p. 223-224 Wrap-up and Review for Exam #2 Sep 23 Second Exam Federalism and The U.S. Congress Wilson, Chapters 5 & 9, U.S. Constitution, Article I Sep 28 The Presidency: Structure, Power & Limits *second Wilson, Chapter 10 Article II of the United States Constitution paper Article I, Section 7 due* Sep 30 The Presidency: Public Policy & Program Wilson, Chapter 10, Oct 5 The Judiciary: Article III of the U.S. Constitution Wilson, Chapter 12 Oct 7 The Judiciary: Article III of the U.S. Constitution, Marbury v. Madison Wilson, Chapter 12 Oct 12 The Judiciary: Structure of the Federal Court System, Other noteworthy cases Wilson, Chapter 12 Oct 14 Third Exam The Presidency and the Judiciary Wilson, Chapters 10 & 12 Oct 19 Political Parties and Interest Groups: National, State and Local Party Structure Wilson, Chapter 7 *third paper due* Oct 21 Political Parties and Interest Groups: National, State and Local Party Structure Wilson, Chapter 7 Oct 26 Political Parties and Interest Groups: Interest Groups and Lobbyists Wilson, Chapter 7 Oct 28 Campaigns and Elections Wilson, Chapter 8 and “How Florida Won the Election” (handout) Nov 2 Elections and the Media Wilson, Chapter 8 & Chapter 10 Make-up Day p. 9 Nov 9 Make-up Day Nov 11 The Electoral College Wilson, Chapter 10, only pgs. 247-248 Nov 16 The Electoral College & Course Review Handouts Nov 18, Special section: #thefergusonsyllabus 23 & 25 https://college.georgetown.edu/collegenews/the-ferguson-syllabus.html Introduction to topic and assigned readings: *4th - Martin Luther King, Jr. 1967. “Where Do We Go From Here?” Annual Report paper Delivered at the 11th Convention of the Southern Christian Leadership due Conference, http://www. Nov stanford.edu/group/King/publications/speeches/Where_do_we_go_from_here. 18* html - Seymour Martin Lipset. 1992. “Affirmative Action and the American Creed.” Wilson Quarterly 16 (1):52-60 - Abraham H. Miller. 2001. “The Los Angeles Riots: A Study in Crisis Paralysis.” Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 9(4):189-199 - Anthony Daniel Perez, Kimberly M. Berg and Daniel J. Myers. 2003. “Police and Riots, 1967-1969.” Journal Of Black Studies 34(2):153-182 - Gregg Lee Carter. 1987. “Local Police Force Size and the Severity of the 1960’s Black Rioting.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 31(4):601614 - Edward G. Carmines and James A. Stimson. 1989. Issue Evolution. Chapters 2 &3 - Lawrence D. Bobo and Victor Thompson. 2010. “Racialized Mass Incarceration: Poverty, Prejudice, and Punishment.” Doing Race: 21 Essays for the 21st Century. (Hazel R. Markus, Paula Moya, Ed.). - Richard H. Sander. 2004. “A Systemic Analysis of Affirmative Action in American Law Schools” Stanford Law Review 57(367). • Richard H. Sander. 2004. “A Reply to Critics” Stanford Law Review 57(1963) - Thurgood Marshall. 1978. from “Opinion on Regents of the University of California v. Bakke” in Call and Response: Key Debates in African American Studies, Edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Jennifer Burton Review for final exam Dec 2 &4 Dec 510 Finals Week! Your final exam is Wednesday, December 9, 2015 10:00 - 11:50 a.m., Room 3137 p. 10