American Institutions 125: American Institutions
Professor Andrew J. Westall
Pasadena City College, Room C325, Winter 2009
MTW 6-9pm
Required Texts
Bardes, Shelley, and Schmidt. American Government and Politics Today: THE
ESSENTIALS: 2008-2009. Wadsworth/Thomas Learning, Belmont, CA: 2008.
Garrow, David. Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., And the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference. William Morrow, New York, NY: 1987.
Constitution of the United States of America and the State of California.
In-Class Handouts
Optional Text
Field, Mona and Sohner, Charles P. California Government and Politics Today. Ninth
Edition, Longman, New York, NY: 2002.
Class Schedule
Week One- Monday January 12th
Intro to Class
Tuesday January 13th
American Political Thought
Handouts
VIDEO: “Founding Fathers: the men who shaped our nation and changed the world”
Wednesday January 14th
---NO CLASS--Week Two-
Monday January 19th
---NO CLASS--Tuesday January 20th
Colonial History
Handouts
VIDEO: “Founding Fathers: the men who shaped our nation and changed the world”
1
Wednesday January 21st
Declaration of Independence/Constitutional History
Chapter Two, Appendixes A and D: American Govt. and Politics Today
VIDEO: “Founding Fathers: the men who shaped our nation and changed the world”
Week Three- Monday January 26th
Constitutional History/Constitution of the United States of America
VIDEO: “Founding Fathers: the men who shaped our nation and changed the world”
Tuesday January 27th
VIDEO: “The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworker’s Struggle”
Wednesday January 28th
---MIDTERM--Week Four- Monday February 2nd
Civil Liberties
Chapter Four: American Govt. and Politics Today
Handouts
Tuesday February 3rd
Civil Liberties
Chapter Four: American Govt. and Politics Today
Handouts
Wednesday February 4th
Federal Government
Chapters Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, and Fifteen: American Govt.
and Politics Today
Week Five-
Monday February 9th
---ORAL EXERCISE--Tuesday February 10th
Federal Government
Continued
State of California History and State Government
Field and Sohner, Chapters 1,2,3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, and 15 (Optional)
Handouts
Wednesday February 11th
State of California History and State Government
Continued
---TERM PAPER DUE---
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Week SixMonday February 16th
Local Government
Field and Sohner, Chapters 12 and 13 (Optional)
Handouts
Tuesday February 17th
Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Public Opinion
Campaigns, Elections, and the Media
Chapters Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine: American Govt. and Politics Today
Handouts
Wednesday February 18th
---FINAL---
Oral Exercise
Guiding A Bill Through Congress
A More Detailed Handout Will Be Available on February 2nd.
Term Paper (6-10 pages)
A More Detailed Handout Will Be Available on January 20th.
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Grades
Midterm
Oral Exercise
Final Exam
Term Paper
Total
100
100
100
100
----400 points
A
B
C
D
F
358+
318+
278+
238+
237 or below
Extra Credit
Pop Quiz (2)
10 points each
20 points for one of the following options:
20 hours working on Political Campaign
Must provide written documentation from campaign
Must write 2 pages on experience
Attend 5 Government meetings (at least two different types)
Must provide agendas for all 5 meetings
Must write two pages on experience
Office Hours and Contact Information
Office Hours: by request
Contact Info: Work Number: 213-473-7010
Home Number: 323-708-2478
Email: andrew.westall@lacity.org
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