Introduction to American and California
Government and Politics
POL S 102 – Section 24
Lecture TTH 12:30—1:45 p.m., SSW-1500
Professor Carole Kennedy
Spring, 2014—San Diego State University
Office Hours: M 1-2 P.M., T 2-3 p.m.
W 12-1 p.m. and by appt.
Office Location: Nasatir Hall, Room 104
e-mail: ckennedy@mail.sdsu.edu (please put 102-24 in subject line of your e-mail)
Course Web Page: Blackboard
Official Course Description: "Political processes and institutions in the United States and
California. Considers a variety of public policy issues such as environmental quality, health,
education, relation between government and business, taxation, and foreign affairs as reflected in
the dynamics of national and state politics. When taken with Political Science 101 will satisfy
graduation requirement in American Institutions. Credit will not be allowed for both Political
Science 102 and 320."
This course is intended to acquaint you with the foundations, processes and institutions of
American and California government. If you intend to pursue studies in the political science
major/minor field, it will provide the necessary background for more advanced courses in
political science. If you are not pursuing studies in political science, the course will inform you
about how the federal and state governments work, both in theory and in practice. The
overriding goal of this course is to provide you with tools that will help you to be a more
intelligent consumer of political news and information and to better understand the civic
responsibilities that attend to American citizenship.
One particular goal of this course is to help you to understand how politics and
government affect you personally, and what means you have to influence your government.
Thus, we will do a great deal more than recite facts, figures, names, dates and places. We will
also investigate many of the major controversies surrounding the Constitution, our electoral
system, and our political institutions. This course will not be taught with a single point of view.
It will, however, if successful, help you to explore and understand your own political attitudes
and beliefs and how those beliefs are expressed and represented in the political process. Finally,
this course is designed to help you learn how to communicate your understanding of American
politics to others.
You will be required to utilize the SDSU E-services Web Portal
(https://sunspot.sdsu.edu/pls/webapp/web_menu.login) so that you can utilize Blackboard for
important assignment and deadline information and to complete required course readings.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Wednesday, January 22 - First day of classes.
Tuesday, February 4th, 11:59 p.m. Last day to add/drop classes or change grading basis.
First Examination—Thursday, February 27th in class
Spring Break – March 31-April 4th
Second Examination—Thursday, April 10th in class
Thursday, May 8th – Last Day of classes
Thursday, May 15th, 10:30-12:30 p.m.—Final Examination
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Learning Objectives:
Students successfully completing this course will:
1. Develop critical thinking skills that are applied to written assignments.
2. Demonstrate the ability to take appropriate notes during lecture and utilize those notes to
prepare for examinations.
STUDENT DISABILITY INFORMATION:
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it
is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any
delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as
soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot
provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter
from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Policy on Electronic Devices in the classroom:
No laptops, smartphones, headphones or any other electronic devices are permitted in the
classroom during lecture. You may wish to download the PPT lecture slides that the professor
maintains on Blackboard and add lecture notes or you may wish to take handwritten notes in
lecture. In any event, it is a distraction to your fellow classmates when you utilize electronic
devices during lecture. Repeat offenders will be asked to leave.
REQUIRED TEXT: (available at campus bookstores)
Harrison, Brigid, Jean Harris and Michelle Deardorff. 2013. American Democracy Now,
3rd edition. McGraw-Hill: Boston. Packaged with:
Giventer, Lawrence. 2008. Governing California. 2nd McGraw-Hill: Boston.
Please be sure to purchase the textbook from a campus bookstore because it is a
specially ordered package that has been designed specifically for this course. PLEASE do
not use previous versions of the text. This is a customized textbook for the course and it
includes access to on-line materials (CONNECT assignments) that will be required in the
course. You may purchase a used copy of the same text if it is available but then you will
have to pay a separate fee to access CONNECT.
You may wish to purchase access to CONNECT separately. Details about how to do
this will be provided in class on Thursday, January 23rd. On-line access to CONNECT
also allows on-line access to the Harrison text (but NOT the Giventer text).
If you don’t purchase the text and the access code you will be unable to complete
course assignments and you may not be able to pass the course.
Other reading material will be required as well, and will be available in the Assignments
section on Blackboard. All assigned readings are required and will be covered on course exams.
Finally, all students need to pay attention to current American political events, as these will be
discussed in lecture as appropriate. You can subscribe to the Wall Street Journal for $1.00/wk at
http://WSJ.com/studentoffer . If you have Twitter, you should plan to follow @102kennedy for
national news and information related to the course.
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GRADING:
Your course grade will be determined as follows:
Lecture Assignments – (Two Minute Papers)
20%
CONNECT on-line homework assignments
20%
First Exam
20%
Second Exam
20%
Final Exam (non-cumulative)
20%
Lecture assignments will be two-minute essay papers which will be based on all course
materials covered through that point. It is essential that you keep up with assigned readings and
lecture notes and regularly attend lecture in order to write these two-minute essays. They will be
assigned at random without notice throughout the course of the semester (approximately 7-8
total). If you are not in class to complete the assignment there is no makeup opportunity.
No exceptions are made for student-athletes, ROTC or for any other excused absence. I
will drop your lowest grade on these assignments before final grades are calculated. Please be
sure to always bring a pen and ruled paper so that you are prepared to complete the assignment.
These essays will be graded for accuracy and clarity.
CONNECT ASSIGNMENTS are on-line homework assignments that need to be completed by
their due dates. These assignments are accessible through the Assignments section on
Blackboard with the access code that comes with your purchased textbook. Due dates for each
assignment are clearly indicated on each assignment. No late assignments are accepted and you
may not ask for an extension. It is highly recommended that you complete assignments in
advance of the due date, as technical problems are not an excuse for not completing the
assignment on time.
Procedure for disputing a CONNECT grade:
1. It takes several hours for a grade to migrate from CONNECT to Blackboard Gradebook.
Please do not report missing or incorrect grades for at least 24 hours. After that period of time,
be sure to refresh both your CONNECT web page and your Blackboard gradebook web page
before making a report (this very often will solve the problem and you will not need to report).
2. Print out a copy of your student report from Connect that shows the completed assignment
and grade. If the report contains more than one assignment you MUST HIGHLIGHT the
disputed assignment so that I can easily see it on your report.
3. Write your name, e-mail address and section number on the report and put it in the
CONNECT Problems folder which the professor will bring to each class session.
4. If a correction is necessary, the professor will make it within one week. If the problem is not
resolved in one week, then, and only then, you may send the professor an e-mail inquiry.
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All exams will be Multiple Choice.
Exams are composed of 50 multiple choice questions which must be completed in 50 minutes.
Please bring a number two pencil, AND an 882 scantron. Please be sure to purchase the correct
scantron for this class. If you come to an exam with the wrong scantron I will send you to the
bookstore or campus store to purchase the correct one.
COURSE OUTLINE:
All lecture reading assignments and due dates will be made in lecture and subsequently posted
on Blackboard in the Assignments section. Please be sure to note what readings are assigned and
when those readings are to be completed.
I.
People, Politics, and Participation
Required Reading:
H,H&D, Chapter 1
II.
The Constitution
Required Reading:
H, H&D, Chapter 2, and Federalist 10 in Appendix B-1 and Federalist 51 in
Appendix C-1
III.
Federalism
Required Reading:
H, H&D, chapter 3
IV.
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Required Reading:
H, H&D, chapters 4 and 5
V.
Political Socialization and Public Opinion
Required Reading:
H, H&D, chapter 6
VI.
Interest Groups and Political Parties
Required Reading:
H, H&D, chapters 7 and 8
VII.
Elections, Campaigns and Voting
Required Reading:
H, H&D, chapter 9
VIII.
The Media
Required Reading:
H, H&D, chapter 10
IX.
Congress
Required Reading:
H, H&D, chapter 12
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X.
The Presidency
Required Reading:
H, H&D, chapter 13
XI.
The Judiciary
H, H&D, chapter 15
XII.
Economic Policy
HH&D, chapter 16
XIII.
California Government
Required reading:
Giventer, pgs. 1-9, Chapter 2 and Chapter 3
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Please note the following rules, which will be fairly but firmly enforced:
The professor reserves the right to alter the course outline as necessary, with advance
notice being given to all students through class announcement and announcement on
Blackboard.
Make-up examinations will be given only in cases of illness, family emergency and
religious holiday and will only be given when students contact the professor in advance of
missing an exam. The professor reserves the right to request documentation of any excuse
submitted. There are no makeup two-minute paper assignments, even if you have an excused
absence (illness, family emergency). If a two-minute paper is assigned on a designated religious
holiday, please contact the professor.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. All written work must be your original work (i.e., not
previously submitted for credit in any other course, either at SDSU or at any other academic
institution). Please familiarize yourself with the University Policy regarding Academic
dishonesty and Plagiarism at:
http://csrr.sdsu.edu/cheating-plagiarism.html
AND
http://csrr.sdsu.edu/conduct1.html
And also be aware of the Student Grievances procedure, available on-line at:
http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/ombuds/process.html
Finally, please note that I am required by law to report all instances of academic dishonesty,
pursuant to Executive Order 969:
http://csrr.sdsu.edu/academics2.html
If you need any help as a student, check out this website for recommendations and resources:
http://go.sdsu.edu/home/currentstudents.aspx
Helpful Hints:
1.
Bring your syllabus to each course meeting.
2.
Check Blackboard on a regular basis for updated information.
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3.
4.
Do all assigned readings, keep up with current political events, and come to lecture
prepared to discuss course materials and to complete two minute essays when
assigned.
Keep track of your course grade. It is your responsibility to understand how course
grades are weighted. DO NOT rely on Blackboard Gradebook as it does not properly
weight grades.
TO: All SDSU Faculty, Staff and Students
FROM: Student Health Services
SUBJECT: Flu Update
Public Health authorities are reporting significantly elevated levels of influenza in San Diego
County. The predominant strain is influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, essentially the same virus that
caused the pandemic in 2009. This year, adults ages 20 to 64 have been at greater risk of
becoming ill, sometimes seriously, with influenza.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends influenza (“flu”) immunization for all
individuals 6 months of age or older rather than focusing on individuals at highest risk for
complications from the virus. Vaccinating those who care for infants younger than 6 months
protects not only those individuals, but also these young children. Flu vaccine has a good safety
record and has been shown to prevent illness in about 70-90% of healthy persons under age 65!
Seasonal flu vaccine injections are available to currently enrolled SDSU students, faculty and
staff for $15 at Student Health Services at Calpulli Center, Monday, Wednesday and Friday,
8:45-11:45 a.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Please call 619-594-4736 for a same-day appointment.
If you become ill with flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, body aches, runny nose),
• Stay home and contact your professor and employer that you are ill, making arrangements to
make up assignments as necessary. Student Health Services does not issue medical excuses for
short term illnesses. Do not return until you have no fever for 24 hours without the use of feverlowering medications.
• Cover your cough and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand
sanitizer to prevent transmitting your infection to others.
• For more severe illness, see your private healthcare provider (students may call SDSU
Student Health Services for an appointment), particularly if you have an underlying chronic
health problem. Antiviral medication may slightly shorten the length of your illness if given in
48 hours of the onset of symptoms, but is expensive.
For further information about the flu, please visit Student Health Services website at shs.sdsu.edu
or call 619-594-HEALTH (4325).
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