American Government
POLITICAL SCIENCE 1101 (section-5884)
Fall Semester 2013
Tuesday and Thursday 11:00 a.m. -12:15 pm
Gainesville Campus – Strickland 112
Instructor:
Raluca Viman-Miller
Department of Political Science
Office hours: Cumming Campus – Office 272 10 am – 11 am MWF
Gainesville Campus – Strickland Building Office 120 1 pm – 2 pm TU and
1 pm – 3 pm TH
Contact info: e-mail: Raluca.Viman-Miller@ung.edu I will answer all e-mails received to
confirm the communication. If I did not answer that means I did not receive your
e-mail. You must e-mail me from your UNG student account to confirm you are
the one attempting to communicate. You must include your name and which
class you are attending in the subject line.
Course Description: This course is designed to give you an overview of American government,
its institutions and the processes of American political life. During the semester, we will look at
our political system and how it operates. We will look at the intentions of the framers and how
these differ from the processes of today. As a class, we will evaluate popular
conceptions/misconceptions about the government and focus on basics that are not well known
or understood. We will also look at the future of the American government and the challenges
and issues it will face as we move forward into the new millennium. I welcome comments,
criticisms and support for many of the institutions that contributes to the American system. You
will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the political framework of the United States.
You will have a clear understanding of the processes of American government. You will be able
to describe the factors affecting your participation – for example: the media, lobbying groups
and what your rights and freedoms are and how they are protected. You will also understand
your role in American government and how your participation is important to the American
system as a whole. This class will also allow and encourage you to develop opinions about the
institutions you live in and the influences (such as media, political parties and interest groups)
that affect your participation.
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Texts and Readings: Cavalli, Carl D (ed). The Basics of American Government. University
Press of North Georgia. 2nded. 2013
A large circulation newspaper to be read daily (paper based or on line). You can subscribe online free of charge. Our meetings will address contemporary issues. Failure to comply with your
daily readings from the news paper will result in a poor participation grade.
Hand-outs are part of the reading assignments. Please compile these in a binder and make sure
you consult them for examinations.
Requirements: You are expected to actively participate in class discussions, have appropriate
classroom conduct and respect the academic environment. As well, you are to show respect to
your classmates by turning off your cell phones, pagers and any other communication devices
you may have that could potentially disrupt the class.
Class begins at precisely 8:00 a.m. and ends no later than 9:15 a.m. Do not disturb the
class and potentially miss assignments by entering late or leaving early. Do not start packing to
leave prior to 9:15a.m.
Attendance will be called each class meeting. Your presence in class will give you a
great advantage during examinations due to the fact that certain material will only be available
during class lectures. Also, questions from our free debates might be included in the
examinations. Poor attendance will result in deletion from the class. If you miss more than 20%
of the total class meetings you will be dropped from the class during university’s roll
verification.
For security reasons, I will not distribute grades via email. I will not discuss anybody
else’s grade or any other results on any assignments.
This syllabus is a proposed plan for the course. Deviations may be necessary;
students will be notified in advance. Additional mandatory material will be posted on line.
Students are responsible for the information contained in the University’s Academic
Honesty Policy. It can be found in your Student Handbook under Academic Misconduct
Policy.
There is absolutely no tolerance for cheaters. No excuses are good enough,
familiarize yourself with what plagiarism means, and if you are not sure ask me for
clarifications.
Disability: http://ung.edu/academic-affairs/policies-andguidelines/supplemental-syllabus.php
We will go over the policies in detail during first class!
Honor Code: “On my honor, I will not lie, cheat, steal, plagiarize, evade the truth or tolerate
those who do”
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Grading system: The grades will be based on the following scale. You can achieve a total of
1000 points during this class this semester.
1. exam one
2. exam two
3. exam three
4. 3 pop quizzes
5. participation
1050-900
899-800
799-700
699-600
less than 600
250 points
250 points
250 points
3 X 50 = 150 points (unannounced)
100 points (50 points extra credit for exceptional
participation)
A
B
C
D
F
Participation: Your class is very important. They will count for 10% of your grade but as you
can see, you can obtain extra credit by being active in class. I expect active debates over the
issues discussed in class – your physical presence alone does not count towards the full 100
points out of your final grade. I will communicate with you via Desire2Learn. You must check
D2L often in order to keep informed. I will post your grades on D2L.
Quizzes: There are going to be three unannounced quizzes during this course based on the
assigned reading for the day. Your graded quizzes will be handed back to you. If you missed a
question it is your responsibility to seek the right answer. You must look over your quizzes and
understand the correct answers to your missed questions.
Exams: You exams are worth 250 points each. They are going to consist of a mix of multiple
choice questions and short answers. They are not comprehensive. The chapters included in the
examination will be the ones taught before that exam and after the last examination. Be assured
that if you have done your readings and participated actively in class you can score the maximum
number of points. There is no study guide but during class time you will hear all potential exam
questions. Bring scantrons for your exams and B2 pencils. I will provide paper for the
short answers. You must use a pen for the short answers.
The last day to withdraw without penalty is October 14th 2013.
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Course Topics and Outline:
August 20
Introduction
August 22
Theories of Democracy & Types of Government
Read: Ch. 1. Theories of Democracy & Types of Government
Ross C. Alexander
August 27
Theories of Democracy & Types of Government
August 29
The U.S. Constitution
Read: Ch. 2. The U.S. Constitution
Ross C. Alexander
September 3
The U.S. Constitution
September 5
Federalism
Read: Ch. 3. Federalism
Charles H. “Trey” Wilson III
September 10
Federalism
September 12
Political Socialization and Media
Read: Ch.4. Political Socialization and the Media
Maria J. Albo and Barry D. Friedman
September 17
Political Socialization and Media
September 19
Interest Groups
Read: Ch 5. Interest Groups
Carl D. Cavalli and Barry D. Friedman
September 24
Interest groups
September 26
Exam 1
October 1
Political Parties, Voting, and Elections
Read: Ch 6. Political Parties, Voting, and Elections
Carl D. Cavalli
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October 3
Political Parties, Voting, and Elections
October 8
Congress
Read: Ch. 7. Congress
Carl D. Cavalli
October 10
Congress
October 14th, last day to withdraw and possibly receive a "W". Ultimately it is your
responsibility to withdraw from the class without academic penalty. Do not assume I will
automatically drop you if you stop attending class.
October 15
The Presidency
Read: Ch. 8. The Presidency
Carl D. Cavalli
October 17
The Presidency
October 22
Executive Agencies
Read: Ch. 9. Executive Agencies
Barry D. Friedman
October 24
The Federal Judiciary
Read: Ch. 10. The Federal Judiciary
Brian M. Murphy
October 29
The Federal Judiciary
October 31
Exam 2
November 5
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Read: Ch. 11. Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
K. Michael Reese
November 7
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
November 12 Public Policy
Read: Ch 12. Public Policy
Barry D. Friedman
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November 14
Public Policy
November 19
U.S. Foreign Policy
Read: Ch 14. U.S. Foreign Policy
Jonathan S. Miner and Craig B. Greathouse
November 21
U.S. Foreign Policy
November 25-30
Thanksgiving Holiday (college closed)
December 3
Civic Engagement
Read: Ch 15. Civic Engagement
Maria J. Albo
December 5
Civic Engagement
December 9
Exam #3 (final exam) 10:20 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.
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