AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
PSC 111, SPRING 2016
Dr. Jeneen Hobby
MC 329 TTH 6-7:15 pm
Office: Rhodes Tower 1742
Office phone: phone 875-9917
Office Hours: TTH 3:30-4:25 pm and by appointment
Email: j.hobby@csuohio.edu
Statement of Goals and Purpose
This course seeks to introduce students to the ideas, practices, and institutions that
constitute politics in the United States. We will study the historical and theoretical
foundations of American government, the Constitution, the federal system we have, and
examine such democratic ideas as justice, equality, and liberty, and see how they form
actual practices of civil liberties and civil rights. We will study how power is distributed
in the American political system, and examine the institutions of Congress, the
presidency, the bureaucracy, and the judicial system. Students will also examine other
components of the U.S. political system: political parties, voting behavior, campaigns and
elections, and discover how foreign and defense policy is made.
We are fortunate to be studying American Government during a presidential
election year. While this is not a course on current events, we will be able to use concrete
examples from the current political landscape to make our study of government poignant
and meaningful. Students should follow current political developments by reading a daily
national newspaper or online news source, listening to a national news program on
television or radio, and/or reading a national news magazine. One of the best sources of
national news is the New York Times, at www.nytimes.com. Other reliable news sources
are the newspapers the Wall Street Journal, www.wsj.com, The Washington Post,
www.washingtonpost.com, the Economist weekly magazine, www.economist.com, the
British Broadcasting Corporation, or BBC, at www.bbc.co.uk, Al Jazeera America at
www.america.aljazeera.com, and Vice News at https://news.vice.com/. National Public
Radio is found at 90.3 FM in Cleveland, and the Public Broadcasting Service’s PBS
television Newshour is from 6-7 pm M-F on WVIZ channel 25.
The course will not only explore substantive matters but also promote the
development of critical thinking. It is a fundamental goal and purpose of this course to
utilize, expand, test, and question our ideas and experiences in class discussions.
Required text: For this course, we will be using a digital product which contains
important assignments and resources used throughout the semester. It is called REVEL,
by the publisher Pearson. The REVEL book we will be using is called American
Government: Roots and Reform, by Karen O'Connor, Larry Sabato, and Alixandra
Yanus. REVEL is your complete text, along with an audio eText, study tools, and
interactives that will help you succeed in our classroom. You can purchase REVEL
access in the bookstore (make sure you purchase the printed access code card) or instant
access from Pearson using the Course URL below. REVEL is accessible via computer,
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laptop, tablet or phone. This online platform includes quizzes that you will take for a
grade in this course. Primary sources, videos, interactive simulations and more are
available. We recommend that the bookstore be your first choice when purchasing
REVEL. Second is directly from Pearson which you can do through your course
invitation link. Third party providers or used book websites are not trusted because
REVEL codes may have already been redeemed. Use Firefox or Chrome when accessing
REVEL. You have two options as to what form of product you wish to purchase. The
first option is to purchase the digital product only, which you can access on your
computers, tablets, or smartphones. The second option is the digital product plus a hard
copy of the text in looseleaf form (you will have to purchase your own binder for the
looseleaf). The CSU Viking Outfitters bookstore is offering both options to you.
Here is the link you will need to join the course. The required link below is unique to this
course. Here is how to register:
1. Visit this link: Course Invitation
link https://console.pearson.com/enrollment/tfgnxm
Student registration video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMOz6vvKL3c
Once you have registered, you can log into our REVEL course here:
http://www.pearsonhighered.com/revel/
If you encounter any issues, support materials are available at
www.pearsonhighered.com/revel/students/support/index.html, including a call in
number:855-875-1801
2. Sign in with your Pearson Account. You can either: sign in with an existing Pearson
username and password OR create a new Pearson account if this is your first Pearson
digital product.
3. Choose your course under 'My Courses' and choose an access option: redeem an access
code that you got from your school's bookstore or purchase access online. There is a free
trial if you are waiting for financial aid.
What you should know:
- Bookmark https://console.pearson.com to easily access your materials.
- Pearson recommends using the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, or Safari with this
digital product.
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Course requirements: With REVEL, you must be reading the text and completing the
assignments on the dates they are due. Each of these assignments accrues points, and you
will see when each assignment is due on REVEL. There are mini-quizzes to be taken
after different sections of the chapter, and a quiz at the end of the chapter. Each question
on the quizzes is worth 2 points, and you have 2 chances to answer the question. If you
miss on the first try, one point gets subtracted, and you get zero points if you miss on
both tries. The total number of REVEL points possible is 940. For four of the chapters—
chapters 3, 5, 13, and 18—there will be essay writing assignments, each worth 20 points.
They must be written in a Word document, 12-point font, one-inch margins, and emailed
to me at j.hobby@csuohio.edu on the date that they are due (chapter 3 on February 16th,
chapter 5 on March 1st, chapter 13 on May 3rd, and chapter 18 on May 10th). There will
also be three exams during the course of the semester. They will be multiple choice and
short answer/essay, and they will each be worth 100 points. Those dates are FEBRUARY
25TH, APRIL 5TH, AND MAY 12TH. Students are required to be in class and take the
examinations on the scheduled day.
Class participation presupposes that one is present, has read assignments on time and is
capable of contributing to class discussions. Students displaying strong class participation
are prepared when called on and volunteer during class discussions. Since applying
course material to what is going on the American scene is an important part of the course,
students are required to follow current events. Regular CLASS ATTENDANCE is
expected and counts toward the class participation grade. Students with more than two
unexcused absences will receive a lower class participation grade. We will also have
occasional in-class writing assignments which count towards the class participation
grade. These are not graded, but they cannot be made up. Also, although we are using a
digital product for this course, I expect students to pay attention during lectures and
discussions, and not be accessing their cell phones, tablets, or computers. There are a
total of 180 points for class participation and attendance.
Grades: There will be a total of 1500 points possible in the course based on the following:
REVEL points—mini-quizzes and end-of-chapter quizzes: 940 points
ESSAY points—four essays, each worth 20 points: 80 points
EXAM points—three exams, each worth 100 points: 300 points
CLASS PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE points: 180 points
Thus the final grades will be calculated according to the following point breakdown:
A
1425-1500 points
A1350-1424 points
B+
1290-1349 points
B
1245-1289 points
B1200-1244 points
C+
1125-1199 points
C
1050-1124 points
D
900-1049 points
F
below 900 points
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Timeliness: Class will begin promptly, and students are expected to arrive on time and to
stay for the duration of the class. Persistent tardiness will result in a reduced participation
grade and confrontation by the instructor.
University policies on attendance, honesty, physical abuse, appropriate conduct, sexual
harassment, and irresponsible student behavior will be followed. You should be familiar
with these policies. None of these inappropriate behaviors or infringements will be
tolerated. Any student with a documented disability who needs to arrange
accommodations must contact both the instructor and the office of disability services at
the beginning of the term.
Teaching methods: This course combines lectures with class discussion, along with other
interactive learning methods. Learning is understood to require a collaborative effort
among students and the instructor involving a sharing of responsibility and
accountability. Students, who will produce knowledge as well as consume it, will be
expected to participate in the identification of issues, in the posing of questions, in the
exploration of potential answers, and in the sharing of individual and group knowledge
with others in the classroom.
COURSE SCHEDULE—this is the schedule we will follow for the course. We may have
to be flexible with a day here or there however, as the course progresses.
WEEK ONE—January 18
T
Introduction
TH
Chapter 1—American Government: Roots, Context, and Culture
WEEK TWO—January 25
T
Chapter 1
TH
Chapter 2—The Constitution
WEEK THREE—February 1
T
Chapter 2
TH
Chapter 3—The Federal System
WEEK FOUR—February 8
T
Chapter 3
TH
Chapter 4—Civil Liberties
WEEK FIVE—February 15
T
Chapter 4
TH
Chapter 5—Civil Rights
4
WEEK SIX—February 22
T
Chapter 5
TH
FIRST EXAM
WEEK SEVEN—February 29
T
Chapter 6—The Congress
TH
Chapter 6
WEEK EIGHT—March 7
T
Chapter 7—The Presidency
TH
Chapter 7
WEEK NINE—March 14
SPRING BREAK—NO CLASSES
WEEK TEN—March 21
T
Chapter 8—The Executive Branch and the Federal Bureaucracy
TH
Chapter 8
WEEK ELEVEN—March 28
T
Chapter 9—The Judiciary
TH
Chapter 9
WEEK TWELVE—April 4
T
SECOND EXAM
TH
Chapter 11—Political Parties
WEEK THIRTEEN—April 11
T
Chapter 11
TH
Chapter 12—Elections and Voting
WEEK FOURTEEN—April 18
T
Chapters 12
TH
Chapter 13—The Campaign Process
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WEEK FIFTEEN—April 25
T
Chapter 13
TH
Chapter 18—Foreign and Defense Policy
WEEK SIXTEEN—May 2
T
Chapter 18
TH
Conclusion
THURSDAY MAY 12TH 6-8 p.m., FINAL EXAM
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