Syllabus: Introduction to Government in the United States
Political Science 100 Section 6 - Fall 2010
Instructor: George Rabinowitz
Office: 258 Hamilton Hall
Telephone: 962-0407; email: rabinowitz@unc.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 1:00-4:00
General Comments: This course is designed to teach you the basics of American government and to encourage you
to think systematically about the role of government in complex industrial societies. I believe this should be a course
you enjoy -- even those of you who are here because it is required or is an accident of scheduling. Politics is all
around us and is more critical to our lives than people commonly appreciate.
Learning requires your active involvement. There will be some discussion even in the large lecture. The
small section meetings will be predominantly discussion. Keep the course alive by actively participating!
W eek
Beginning
Assignment for W eek*
August 23
Start up [No discussion section meetings this week] Begin reading 1984
August 30
1984 due by the time your section meets – no newspaper articles this week
September 6
Patterson Chapter 1&2, U. S. Constitution
September 13
Patterson Chapter 3 (1st response essay due in lecture on W ednesday September 15)
September 20
Patterson Chapter 4 & 5, Gucci-Gulch Into+Chapters 1&2
September 27
M idterm Exam 1 (on W ednesday, September 29)
October 4
Patterson Chapters 6 & 7, Gucci-Gulch Chapters 3 & 4
October 11
Patterson Chapters 8 & 9, Gucci-Gulch 5, 6 & 7
October 18
Patterson Chapter 10, Gucci-Gulch 8 & 9
October 25
M idterm Exam 2 (on W ednesday, October 27)
November 1
Patterson Chapter 11, Gucci-Gulch 10, 11 & epilogue
November 8
Patterson Chapter 12
November 15
Patterson Chapters 13 & 14 (2nd response essay due in lecture on Monday November 15)
November 22
M idterm Exam 3 (on M onday November 22)
November 29
Patterson Chapter 15 & 16
December 6
Patterson Chapter 17
Final Exam (on Friday, Dec 10 at 8:00)
*Newspaper Articles: In addition to the weekly assignment every student is expected to read the set of newspaper
articles (normally 2 or 3 a week) to which links will exist via the course web site. The assignment for the week will
be posted by 6:00 pm on Sunday, unless you are notified otherwise. You will be held responsible for having read
these articles on exams and quizzes, and they will be incorporated in discussions. There might be one or more
"surprise" quizzes on the newspaper articles and/or the week's reading assignment. The web site address is
http://blackboard.unc.edu from which you will navigate to this course.
Political Science 100-6, Syllabus: page 2
Books: There are three required books for this course:
Patterson, We the People: A Concise Introduction to American Politics, 8 th edition
Orwell, 1984
Birnbaum and Murray, Showdown at Gucci Gulch
Response Essays: The two response essays are due on W ednesday September 15 and Monday November 15, and
they should be turned in at the beginning of class. The response essays are designed to give you something to think
about AFTER you have read each of the books. The idea of the response essay is for you to reflect on the question
and then convey your answer clearly and in a well organized fashion. The penalty for late essays will be decided by
the teaching assistants in consultation with Professor Rabinowitz. You should anticipate a drop of a letter grade if
you turn in your paper late, but that would vary depending on how late the essay was turned in and the circumstances
associated with the delay.
Grading: There are 2 essays, an unknown number of quizzes, 3 midterms and a final. The essays as a whole and each
of the four exams will each count 20% of your numerical grade. The course grade will be adjusted based on
performance in section and performance on the quizzes. Adjustments will generally be one-third of a letter grade
(e.g., from a B to a B+). The goal is to reward good performance.
Attendance: All students are required to attend both lecture and discussion sections. Attendance will be taken several
times during the year in lecture and in every section meeting. More than 4 unexcused absences will lead to an
automatic reduction of one whole letter grade.
Research Participation: All students who are enrolled in POLI 100 are required to participate in research studies
conducted in the Political Science Department. These will usually be research experiments. The total tim e
comm itment should not exceed 3 hours. Students who object to participating in these studies will have the
opportunity to satisfy the research participation requirement in another way. Failure to complete the requirement will
result in a grade of I (Incomplete). More information will be provided about this requirement as the semester
proceeds.