Introduction to American and California
Government and Politics
Professor Carole Kennedy
Summer I, 2014
San Diego State University
POL S 102
Lecture M,T,W,TH 10:00—11:40 a.m., NE-60 Office Hours: T, W, Noon-1 p.m. and by appt., starting May 27th
Office Location: Nasatir Hall, Room 104 e-mail: ckennedy@mail.sdsu.edu (please put 102 and your section number 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.
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.
1

IMPORTANT DATES:
May 27 th
and May 28 th
- ATTN: All first time freshmen, first time transfer students to
SDSU and all students who are retaking this course after having failed once. I need to see each of you in my office hours on May 27 th or May 28 th . If you do not come to my office hours or contact me by e-mail you may be dropped from the course.
May 30 S1 schedule adjustment deadline. Last day to add/drop.
First Examination – Thursday, June 5th 10:00—11:00 a.m.
Second Examination – Thursday, June 19th 10:00—11:00 a.m.
Third Examination – Wednesday, July 2nd in class 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Learning Objectives:
Students successfully completing this course will:
1.
Develop critical thinking skills that are applied to objective exams.
2.
Demonstrate the ability to take appropriate notes during lecture and utilize those notes to prepare for examinations.
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. 2 nd 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 Wednesday, May 21 st . 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 MAY be required as well, and will posted as needed to
Blackboard Course Documents. Please make sure to do ALL assigned readings for each unit as it is all covered on course exams. All Reading Assignments are posted on Blackboard course documents along with due dates. Be sure to do the reading BEFORE CLASS on the day it is due. Finally, all students need to pay attention to current American political events, as these will be discussed in lecture as appropriate. There is a news feed on CONNECT that you can review to see what’s happening. You can subscribe to the Wall Street Journal for $1.00/wk at http://WSJ.com/studentoffer . Finally, if you have Twitter, you should plan to follow
@102kennedy for national news and information related to the course.
2

GRADING:
Your final course grade will be determined as follows:
Connect Learnsmart assignments and quizzes
First Exam
Second Exam
25%
25%
25%
Third Exam 25%
All exams will be 50 Multiple Choice questions and you will have one hour to complete. Please bring a number two pencil and an 882 scantron to all exams.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There is no extra credit available during the summer. That means that you must pass all exams and complete all the Learnsmart assignments and quizzes in order to pass the class.
If you do not complete Learnsmart assignments in a timely manner, then you will receive 0.
There are no do-overs, so please be sure to keep up with the assignments and be in class regularly if you wish to earn a passing grade. It is your responsibility to stay abreast of the multiple due dates involved. I have created a very helpful Calendar on Blackboard which may be of use in making sure that all assignments are completed by the due date. Each exam covers a discreet portion of the course. Exam One will cover all materials in the first three chapters of the text. Exam Two will cover all materials in chapters 4, 5, 6, and 9. Exam Three will cover all materials in chapters 12, 13, 15, and California state government.
Your final course letter grade will be entered as follows:
93-100 A
90-92 A-
88-89 B+
83-87 B
80-82 B-
78-79 C+
73-77 C
70-72 C-
68-69 D+
63-67 D
60-62 D-
59-0 F
If you are taking the course CR/NC, you must earn at least a 73 to receive credit. Yes, I will round up to the nearest number.
3

COURSE OUTLINE:
I.
Course Introduction
CONNECT Orientation
II. People, Politics, and Participation
Reading Assignment Due: CONNECT due:
May 22nd May 27th
III. The Constitution May 28 th
May 29th
May 29 th
and 6/3 June 2nd IV. Federalism
June 4 th
– In class assignment
V. Civil Liberties June 6 th
and 9th June 9th
VI. Civil Rights June 11 th
VII. Political Socialization and Public Opinion June 12 th
VIII. Interest Groups June 16 th
June 16 th
and June 17 th
– In class assignments
IX. Elections, Campaigns and Voting June 18 th
June 11th
June 13th
June 16th
June 18th
X. Congress
XI. The Presidency
XII. The Judiciary
XIII. California Government
June 23
June 25
June 30
June 30 rd th th th
June 23rd
June 25th
June 30th
N/A
All required course readings (along with due dates) are posted in Course Documents on the class
Blackboard web page. Make sure that you do ALL assigned reading in a timely manner. In addition to doing the required reading in advance of the course meeting, it is expected that you will review the PPT lecture outlines after you’ve done the assigned reading and before lecture. I do not read the PPT slides in lecture. Instead I focus upon the most difficult concepts and ideas.
That means that if you have questions after reading the assigned reading and after reviewing the
PPT slides, those questions should be asked in lecture or during my office hours. In addition, I have posted a list of questions on the material in each section of the course. After we complete that section of the course, you should review these questions and make sure that you can answer them. They will also serve as your study guide in preparation for the three exams.
4

*********************************************************************
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 the class web site 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 ABSOLUTELY NO EXTENSIONS ON CONNECT ASSIGNMENTS. If you fail to complete LS Modules on time, you will receive a 0. If you complete the quiz late, there is a 20% daily penalty. If you don’t complete the quiz within five days, you will receive a
0. Please do not ask me to reopen missed assignments.
There is no extra credit in this course, so you must pass exams in order to pass the class.
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). Additionally, the provision to others of any course materials, including CONNECT assignments, quizzes, Study Guides is prohibited. If you post a Google Doc that purports to provide answers to the Study Guides, you have committed academic dishonesty. If you rely on someone else’s posting of a Google Doc that purports to provide answers to course materials, you are committing academic dishonesty. Please familiarize yourself with the University Policy regarding Academic dishonesty and Plagiarism at: http://coursecat.sdsu.edu/0809/webfolder/440-454_U_Policies.pdf#page=14
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/complaint3.html
If you need any help as a student, check out this website for recommendations and resources: http://dus.sdsu.edu/helpforstudents/
Helpful Hints:
1.
Bring your syllabus to each course meeting.
2.
Check Blackboard on a daily basis for updated information.
3. Do all assigned readings and come to lecture prepared to discuss course materials.
5