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POL S 101-22746 Introduction to American Politics from a Global Perspective
San Diego State University
Fall 2015
Mondays 7:00-9:40 p.m.
John Mercurio, Instructor
Office: NH-116
Office Hours: TTH 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Email: jemercurio@hotmail.com If you email me, please put SDSU Monday in the subject line (and
somewhere in the email, your name) so I know who you are and what class you attend. Thanks.
Student Learning Objectives:
1) To encourage students to think critically about concepts such as democracy, politics, freedom,
and ideology;
2) To enable students to see the strengths and weaknesses of the American political system, and
to understand that there are alternatives;
3) To educate students about different political perspectives, so students may then better
understand their own perspectives.
Course Required Readings:
1) Van Belle, Douglas A. A Novel Approach to Politics, 4th Edition. Los Angeles: CQ Press, 2016.
ISBN: 978-1-4833-6849-8. This book is required in order to successfully complete the course.
2) Deng, Deng and Ajak. They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky. New York: Public Affairs, 2006.
ISBN 978-1-5864-8388-3. This book is required for the completion of the term paper.
3) Any additional readings will be available online or through Blackboard.
Graded Course Work:
 Two midterm exams worth 100 points each
 Term Paper worth 100 points
 One final exam worth 200 points
 There are a total of 500 points available in the course.
Extra credit will not be offered in this class. Instead, do well on the coursework assigned and you will
earn the good grade you desire. There will be NO exceptions to this policy.
Your course grade is based TOTALLY on points. There is no curve or other alteration of the point
system. Your grade will be based on points as applied to the scale below:
A = 500-463
A- = 462-449
B+ = 448-438
B = 437-413
B- = 412-399
C+ = 398-388
C = 387-363
C- = 362-349
D+ = 348-338
D = 337-313
D- = 312-299
F = 298 or less
This grade scale is a “hard-point” scale, meaning that I do not change people’s grades because you
came close to the next higher grade. If you “missed it by one,” then you missed it by one, and will not
get the higher grade. No exceptions. Just as I don’t knock people down a grade because they “just
got it by one,” I will not raise anyone’s grades, either. You earn what you earn, for better or worse.
That’s life.
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Classroom Requirements:
This class will utilize Blackboard as a course management tool. The syllabus will be available, grades
will be posted and announcements made using the Blackboard interface. Make it a habit of checking
the website regularly for updates (preferably before each class but at least more than once per week).
Attendance is important, required and expected. If you are not in class, odds are high that your grade
will suffer. However, I will not be factoring attendance into account as part of your grade. I simply
expect that you will be in class. If you are not, it is your loss.
Punctuality is important to me. I expect to be on time, and I expect to use the whole class period. I
expect you to do the same. If, for some reason, I am late in arriving, please stay in class unless an
official from the department tells you I will not be there. Otherwise, I will show up eventually and I
expect you to be there. If you arrive late, please enter the classroom quietly and sit as fast as
possible. If you have to leave early, please let me know in advance, and again try to avoid causing a
disruption.
You may wish to consider obtaining the contact information of two or three members of this class, in
the event that you are unable to make it to class. These should be people you can contact to get
copies of notes or other class information. Do not ask me for copies of the notes. I will not give them
to you. Getting the notes is your responsibility.
If you decide to drop the class, you must take the necessary steps yourself, including filing any
required documents with the school. Do NOT rely upon me to drop you, because I might not, and you
do not want to get stuck with an "F". Finally, you must attend the first class session of the
semester. If you do not, I MAY drop you from the class.
Class format will rely upon lecture, discussion and participation by the class. It is vital that you keep
up with the course readings, since we may or may not cover everything in the book during the class
sessions. You are responsible for all materials in the textbooks, for the chapters listed in the reading
schedule below, as well as any material we cover in class. There may be, on occasion, additional
readings in the form of handouts or on the web, for which you are also responsible.
The midterm exams will be 50-question multiple choice exams with each question worth two
points. The exams will each cover a third of the class. The first midterm will cover all of the material
from the start of the semester until the first exam. The second midterm will cover everything we do
from the first exam until the second exam. These are not cumulative exams. The final exam will be
of similar format as the midterms and cover everything since the second exam, but it will also
contain a comprehensive element.
The comprehensive part of the final exam will be based on the key terms at the end of each chapter in
the textbook and will be part of a matching section of the final exam, composed of 20 matching
questions. Questions in the comprehensive matching section are worth five points each and are the
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only cumulative element on any exam.
For each of the three examinations, you may bring in one (1) 8.5" x 11" page of notes (front and
back). The "cheat sheet" must be handwritten, and you may not photocopy or otherwise duplicate
your sheet and give it to another student to use. You may not photocopy any portion of your
textbook as part of your cheat sheet. You may not use any other notes, books, or aids during the
exams. Violation of any of these policies regarding the “cheat sheets” will be considered to be a form
of cheating, with associated penalties (described below). You will need one (1) Scantron Form #882
for each exam. I suggest taking good notes throughout the course, which requires being in class on a
regular basis. You are responsible for knowing ALL of the material covered in the course.
I do not give study guides for the tests. There is a study guide for the textbook produced by the
publisher and available on BlackBoard. These can be accessed through the Web Links page of our
BlackBoard course website.
For the midterm exams, make-ups will be allowed in certain situations, at the discretion of the
instructor. For the midterm examinations, exception may be made for pre-arranged travel (travel
must have been arranged before the semester began) or unplanned hospitalization. However, I must
approve the request prior to the exam. Otherwise, no exception will be made, so do not
ask. Requests must be made in writing and must be accompanied with appropriate documentation to
verify the absence. For the final exam, no exceptions will be made. You must take the final exam on
the date and time scheduled for this section. If you cannot take the final exam at that time, do not
take this course with me at this time.
Term Paper:
For the term paper, we will lean heavily on the book by the Lost Boys of Sudan, "They Poured Fire on
Us from the Sky." I strongly suggest reading the book. First, it is an amazing story that will draw you
in whether you want it to or not. Second, it will be very helpful in completing the term paper.
Your assignment is to compare the "typical American" (this does not mean YOU; it means your
understanding of how the stereotypical American thinks) understanding of certain political concepts
with how you believe the Lost Boys understand those same concepts, and support your arguments
with outside research. Those concepts include:
1) the purpose of government
2) human nature (are people good or evil by nature?)
3) group identity
4) freedom
5) America
6) role of women
7) education
8) war
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9) religion
You should select five (5) of the above-listed concepts to discuss. If you wish to discuss another
concept not on the list, get permission from me first or you will not receive credit for that concept.
Use examples from the book to clarify/defend your points about the Sudanese perspectives, and
evidence from other researched sources to defend your arguments about the "typical American"
perspectives. You are essentially writing a persuasive paper, trying to convince me that you are
successfully identifying and explaining each side's perspectives. A basic thesis statement for a
paragraph would look something like: “I believe the Lost Boys see the purpose of government as ….”
You would then make your argument and try to back it up with evidence. The next paragraph would
then start with something like “The ‘typical’ American perspective of the purpose of government is …”
although feel free to be much more brilliant in your writing style.
When using references, either direct quotes or paraphrased material, a full citation of the source is
required. You MUST provide supporting evidence for EACH AND EVERY concept and perspective in
the paper. Also, be sure to list all of the sources you used in your paper in a works cited page at the
end of your paper. You must cite your sources using Turabian, APA or MLA formats. I highly
recommend using the Citation Machine website or Easy Cite's website that are on the Web Links page
to help with this.
Your paper should be 5-7 pages (plus your Works Cited Page) in length, typed and double-spaced.
Use normal fonts (10-12) and margins, and number your pages. I am not a fan of title pages or report
covers. Keep your heading simple and single-spaced (your name is all that is required, really). I grade
both content and style, so be sure that both are quality work. Sixty percent of your grade will be on
content, and forty percent will be based on style (spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization,
proper essay structure, professional academic language, good essay flow, avoiding contractions and
abbreviations, etc.).
If you do not use Microsoft Word, please be sure to save your file as an .rtf file, or I will not be able to
open it. To submit the assignment, go to the Assignments page in Blackboard and select Term Paper,
and follow the instructions. DO NOT CUT-AND-PASTE YOUR ASSIGNMENT AND DO NOT EMAIL YOUR
PAPER TO ME. Let me know if you have questions. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Your assignment will be submitted to Turnitin.com as part of this submission process, to be verified
for potential plagiarism. Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject
to submission for textual similarity review by Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All
submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com 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 before the due date of the assignment, that your paper not be submitted to Turnitin.com.
However, if you choose this option, you will be required to provide documentation to substantiate
that the paper is your original work and do not include any plagiarized material. Please let me know if
you have any questions in this regard. Otherwise, I will assume you understand the proper citation of
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sources and the avoidance of plagiarism.
The paper is due by 11:59 p.m. on October 23, 2015. No late papers will be accepted. Make sure you
submit your paper early enough before the deadline so that you have time to react to technical
glitches. If you try to submit your paper one minute before the deadline, and the system has crashed,
it is your problem. It is your job to get your paper submitted on time, no exceptions. Email me if you
have questions regarding the assignment. Good luck.
An important note: Please put your name on everything you turn in. If you do not put your name on
something that is to be graded, you will receive no score for that grade. No exceptions. Part of doing
the class work is attention to detail. Therefore, make sure your name is on your exams and paper. If
it is not, you get a zero and I will NOT change the grade when you come crying to me. FYI. I will not
return exams (but they can be reviewed in my office during office hours or by appointment), but you
will be able to view your graded term paper on BlackBoard. If there has been a grading error, you
must show me the error in order for me to fix it. I have to be able to see the mistake in order to fix it.
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. The University adheres to a strict policy regarding
cheating and plagiarism. Become familiar with the policy (http://sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html) Any
cheating or plagiarism will result in failing this class and a disciplinary review by Student Affairs.
Examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to:
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Using sources verbatim or paraphrasing without giving proper attribution (this can include
phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and/or pages of work)
Copying and pasting work from an online or offline source directly and calling it your own
Using information you find from an online or offline source without giving the author credit
Replacing words or phrases from another source and inserting your own words or phrases
Submitting a piece of work you did for one class to another class
In addition:
1) For disruptive behavior, such as outbursts, name-calling, obscenity, cell phone ringing,
sleeping or snoring, or talking to other students during class, I will issue a verbal
warning. Subsequent offenses will result in your being suspended/ejected for the rest of the
class period, and possibly longer at my discretion.
2) If another student is disrupting your learning environment, please let me know. To avoid
"guilt by association," distance yourself from chronic talkers. Otherwise, you may receive
consequences for their behavior.
3) I will do my best to show respect for you at all times. I expect the same in return. I consider
disrespectful behavior to include late arrivals, repeatedly coming and going from the
classroom, early unexcused departures, and "early packing." This is subject to the same
consequences as behavior in #1 above.
4) Students may bring laptops to class, so long as they are used for class work. Distracting
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behaviors involving computers will result in laptops being banned from the class. Texting
which results in students becoming distracted will also not be tolerated.
If you have comments or concerns about the course, first address them to me so that we may work
out a mutually acceptable solution. This option is risk free (and likely to bring results) since I do not
hold anyone in disregard that has a complaint. If that fails, please address your complaint to Dr.
Ronnee Schreiber (594-5208), the department chairwoman. She will give your complaint a full and
fair hearing.
Students with disabilities who may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to notify the
instructor early in the semester so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as
possible.
Course Reading Schedule:
Date
Chapter to Read in Van Belle
8/24
8/31
1
9/7
Holiday
9/14
2
9/21
3
9/28
4
10/5
Exam #1
5
10/12
6
10/19
7
10/26
8
11/2
9
11/9
Exam #2
10
11/16
11
11/23
12
11/30
13, 14
12/7
15
12/14
Final Exam
Topic
Introduction to the Course
The Ideal vs. the Real
No Class Meeting
Why Government?
Governing Society
Government’s Role in the Economy
Covering VB 1-4
Structures and Institutions
Executives
Legislatures
Bureaucracy
Judiciaries
Covering VB 5-9
The Democratic Ideal
Media
International Politics
Political Culture
Conclusions
7:00-9:00pm
I consider this syllabus to be a contract between myself and each of you. Your continued attendance in this
class shall signify your acceptance of the terms listed in this syllabus.