J. INGRAM
SPRING 2014
Political Science 338, section 1 (22489)
Class Hours: TR 9:30-10:45 AM, WC-230
Office Hours: W 2-3:45, NH-112
Instructor: Dr. James Ingram
Telephone: 619-594-3776
E-mail: jwingram3@aol.com
THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS--Draft
COURSE OUTLINE
The point of this course is to provide the student with a “[d]etailed analysis of legislatures.
Special attention devoted to impact of dynamic factors on formal procedures. May include a
substantial amount of material about foreign political systems.” The class counts as “Field II:
American Politics” in terms of your graduation and major requirements (SDSU Catalog, 20132014).
There is a significant amount of reading to be done for this course (over 100 pages per week).
Success in this course will require you to be an active learner, reading assigned materials on time
so that you can integrate the information given in both course texts and lectures. Active learning
means that rather than looking at each separate piece of information as a CNN-style factoid, you
will use both analysis and synthesis to find the interconnections binding this course and the larger
world together. Those who derive the most benefit from this course will notice that the many
bytes of information gathered from daily life will start to fit in with this course rather than
seeming like random bits of landscape passing them by on the freeway.
COURSE THEMES
The focus of this class is on the legislative process, rather than on the U.S. Congress.
Consequently, although the main emphasis may be on the making of American national
legislation, state and local politics will also be discussed. Also, please note that the course
description indicates that foreign political systems may be covered. Of course, a comparison of
parliamentary, presidential and semi-presidential systems will certainly be in order, since their
different ways of dicing up legislative authority between cabinets and legislators are an essential
divergence between various forms of democracy.
The Founders of the United States saw fit to establish a bicameral legislature, but the Congress
created by the Articles of Confederation had been a unicameral institution. The U.S. state of
Nebraska, as well as most local legislatures, not to mention the legislative councils of China and
Iran, are unicameral. In this class, we will explore the consequences of the separation of
legislative power between multiple legislatures, as well as their converse.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
“By taking this course, students will learn:
To understand the impact of Congress in the American policy-making process.
To assess the impact of external and internal factors on the American legislative process.
To understand how Congress interacts with the other branches of government.
To understand the basic legislative structures and processes.”
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
“At the end of the course, students should be able to:
Explain the historical development of Congressional power and responsibilities.
J. INGRAM
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SPRING 2014
Explain the system of elections for members of Congress.
Describe the essential Congressional structures-Committees and subcommittees:
- Leadership;
- Norms of behavior;
Explain the basic legislative process (how a bill becomes a law);
- Budgetary process.
Explain outside influences on Congress:
-Interest groups;
-Parties;
- Other branches of government (executive, judiciary, bureaucracy).
Describe why Congress is often reactive rather than proactive.”
[The above section is quoted from the below URL, accessed on May 23, 2012:
http://www.ccis.edu/syllabi/syllabus_master.asp?PREFIX=POSC&COURSENUM=350.]
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Your course grade will be based on 3 examinations and a term paper. Each examination will
consist of at least 50 multiple-choice questions and a written exam. I will post study guides for
both components prior to these exams.
Your term paper will be on a topic related to the course, and should be approved by the instructor
via an email, which you will attach as an appendix to your paper. I will post instructions on the
term paper weeks before it is due. The term paper essay must be submitted through Turnitin to
ensure that students avoid academic dishonesty. “Students agree that by taking this course all
required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin for the
detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the
Turnitin reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. You
may submit your papers in such a way that no identifying information about you is included.
Another option is that you may request, in writing, that your papers not be submitted to Turnitin.
However, if you choose this option you will be required to provide documentation to substantiate
that the papers are your original work and do not include any plagiarized material.”
There is no extra credit or participation credit for this class. I do require that you observe proper
classroom etiquette. If you are going to surf the net on your computer, please sit in the back row
of class so as not to disturb others. There are to be no private conversations during class time. I
only ask that if you must leave a class before a lecture is over, you do it quietly and unobtrusively
so that you do not disturb the learning of your fellow students. There will be no extra credit
assignments to substitute for poorly done or missed coursework, so don’t ask.
You are permitted to study with others to prepare for exams, and you may talk with other
students about your essay assignment, but your exams and essay are not a collective performance.
Group work during the exams and submission of substantially identical essays may serve as
evidence of academic dishonesty and will be grounds for immediate failure, and appropriate
disciplinary action by SDSU administrators. As per university policy, I do want to make it clear
that it is NOT acceptable to turn in work that you have drafted in a previous or concurrent class
to satisfy your essay requirements for this class. For the purpose of this course, that is academic
dishonesty.
J. INGRAM
PAGE 3
SPRING 2014
COURSE DEADLINES AND GRADE CALCULATION
COMPONENT
DATE
PORTION OF COURSE
First Midterm
TBA
25%
Second Midterm
TBA
25%
Term Paper
TBA
25%
Final Exam
May 15
25%
Course Grade
N/A
100%
REQUIRED READINGS
1. Jacobson, Gary C., The Politics of Congressional Elections, 8th Ed.
2. Black, Amy, From Inspiration to Legislation: How an Idea Becomes a Bill.
3. Additional materials I will place on Blackboard and MyPoliSciLab for the class.
SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
January 23
Introduction to the Course and Instructor.
January 28
The Constitutional Context. Please read U.S. Constitution pre-class.
January 30
Parliamentary vs. Presidential Systems. Begin Jacobson.
February 4
Bicameralism and Federal systems compared. Continue Jacobson.
February 6
The Electoral Imperative. Continue Jacobson.
February 11
Congress and Home Style. Continue Jacobson; read Fenno online.
February 13
Campaigning and Elections. Continue Jacobson.
February 18
The Case of the Vanishing Marginals. Continue Jacobson.
February 20
Structure and Process; Finish Jacobson.
February 25
TBA
February 27
TBA
March 4
FIRST MIDTERM EXAMINATION
March 6
How Congress Works, or Doesn’t. Begin Black.
March 11
Legislative Leviathan. Continue Black.
March 13
Unorthodox Lawmaking. Continue Black.
March 18
Committees versus the Parties. Continue Black.
March 20
Fire Alarms and Police Patrols. Continue Black.
March 25
Stacking the Deck. Finish Black; Read Blackboard articles.
March 27
Legislative Professionalization. Read Blackboard articles.
April 8
TBA
April 10
TBA
April 15
SECOND MIDTERM EXAMINATION
April 17
Congress and Other Players. Read Blackboard articles.
April 22
Judicial Enforcement of Laws. Read Blackboard articles.
April 24
The President vs. Congress: Budgetary Power. Blackboard articles.
April 29
President v. Congress: War Powers. Read Blackboard articles.
May 1
POTUS v. Congress; Veto & Signing Statements. .
May 6
Can Congress be Fixed?
May 8
TBA; TERM PAPERS DUE!
May 15
FINAL EXAMINATION Thursday at 8-10 AM.