AMERICAN GOVERNMENT POLS 1101 Fall 2012 Instructor: Professor Hood Office: Baldwin Hall 103 D Phone: 583-0554 E-Mail: th@uga.edu Course Website: www.polls.uga.edu/pols1101 Office Hours: Monday—Friday by appointment Required Texts: (Available at Off-Campus Bookstore, Baxter Street Books, or the UGA Bookstore): • The Logic of American Politics, 5th ed. [978-1-60871-275-5] Kernell, Jacobson, and Kousser [KJK] (E-Book Version available at: http://college.cqpress.com/sites/logic/Home.aspx) • Georgia Politics in a State of Change, 4th Custom Edition for use in Discussion Sections [ISBN: 978-1-256-81336-1] • U.S. Constitution [C] (Appendix 1 in KJK) Course Overview: Students will gain a more complete understanding of the basic organization and functions of the United States and Georgia governments through a series of assigned readings and lectures. Emphasis will be placed on learning basic concepts and ideas concerning how our government actually works (or fails to work). After successfully completing this course you will hopefully be able to comprehend, and meaningfully participate in, the American political process. Course Requirements: You are expected to take all three of the regularly scheduled exams as well as the final. The grade earned on the final exam, in addition to counting for the assigned 22.5% of a student’s grade, may also be substituted for the lowest grade earned from Exams 1-3. In the event that a student misses one of the exams scheduled during the semester (Exams 1-3), the normal procedure will be to substitute the final exam grade (Exam 4) for the missed exam. While attendance to the main lecture is not required, it should be noted that regular attendance is crucial for success in this class. Attendance to your discussion section is, however, mandatory. Students should also make note of the fact that a sizeable proportion, 10%, of their grade will be determined by performance in their discussion section. Details concerning grading requirements for discussion sections are available in a separate syllabus located on the course website. Grading Procedure: Your course grade will be based on the following distribution: Exam 1 22.5% Exam 2 22.5% Exam 3 22.5% Exam 4 22.5% Discussion Section 10% i Grading Scale: <60: F; 60-69: D; 70-72: C-; 73-76: C; 77-79: C+; 80-82: B-; 83-86: B; 87-89: B+; 9092: A-; 93-100: A Other Notes: Students who are tardy on examination days will not be given a test once the first examination is turned in at the front of the room. Course Outline: Date Topic 8/13 Why do we need government? Required Readings KJK, Ch. 1 8/15 Making Collective Decisions KJK, Ch. 1 8/20 The U.S. and Georgia Constitutions 8/22 The U.S. and Georgia Constitutions Cont. KJK, Ch. 2 C, Articles V & 7 KJK, Ch. 2 8/27 DVD Presentation: Journeys with George 8/29 DVD Presentation: Journeys with George 9/3 Labor Day Holiday 9/5 Federalism 9/10 Federalism Cont. 9/12 Exam 1 9/17 Public Opinion KJK, Ch. 10 9/19 Public Opinion Cont. KJK, Ch. 10 9/24 The Role of the Media KJK, Ch. 14 9/26 The Role of the Media Cont. KJK, Ch. 14 10/1 Political Parties KJK, Ch. 12 10/3 Political Parties Cont. KJK, Ch. 12 10/8 Exam 2 10/10 Elections and Political Participation 10/15 Elections and Political Participation Cont. 10/17 Interest Groups Withdrawal Deadline (10/18) Discussion to Follow KJK, Ch. 3 C, Articles VI; Article I, Sec. 8; 10th and 14th Amend. KJK, Ch. 3 KJK, Ch. 11 C, 19th, 24th, & 26th Amends. KJK, Ch. 11 KJK, Ch. 13 ii Course Outline: Date Topic 10/22 Interest Groups Cont. Required Readings KJK, Ch. 13 10/24 Legislatures—U.S./Georgia KJK, Ch. 6 C, Article I 10/29 Legislatures—U.S./Georgia Cont. KJK, Ch. 6 10/31 Exam 3 11/5 Presidential Elections Lecture 11/7 The Executive—The President/The Georgia Governor KJK, Ch. 7 C, Article II; 22nd & 25th Amends. 11/12 The Executive—The President/The Georgia Governor Cont. KJK, Ch. 7 11/14 The Bureaucracy KJK, Ch. 8 11/19 Thanksgiving Holiday 11/21 Thanksgiving Holiday 11/26 The Bureaucracy Cont. KJK, Ch. 8 11/28 The Judicial Branch—U.S./Georgia KJK, Ch. 9 C, Article III 12/3 Last Class; The Judicial Branch—U.S./Georgia KJK, Ch. 9 12/7 FINAL EXAM (Exam 4); 9:00-10:30 a.m. iii