The American Political System (POLS21) Professor Gierzynski Fall 2012

Syllabus (Something you really ought to read!)
The American Political System (POLS21)
Fall 2012
T and Th 2:30-3:45
Laf108
Professor Gierzynski
513 Old Mill
Phone: 656-7973
e-mail: [email protected]
Office Hours: T 10-11, 4-5;
Th 10-11, 1:30-2; or, by appt.
Course Topic and Format
Do you know how the political parties select their nominees for president and what “front-loading”
is? Do you know what an executive order is? What a conference committee does? How the Electoral
College operates? How the Supreme Court decides to review a case? That only a little about 60
percent of the eligible voting age population voted in the 2008 presidential election? And why only 6
out of 10 of those eligible to vote voted? Do you know what a liberal stands for? How about a
conservative? A libertarian? Do you know who Nancy Pelosi is? Harry Reid? Do you know that the
US has public funding for presidential candidates’ campaigns? Do you know why the media does
such a lousy job covering politics? Do you know how the nation’s welfare programs operate? What
the CHIP program is? What was is in The Affordable Care Act of 2010? Do you know the difference
between the deficit and national debt? Do you know how to assess the accuracy of a public opinion
poll? How to amend the US Constitution? What federalism is?
If you don't know the answers to most of these questions, don't feel bad, most of the American
public doesn't have a clue as to how their government works (for example, just thirty five percent of
respondents could identify one of the 1st Amendment rights and only 9 percent could identify
3…there are 4). But, if you don't know the answers to most of these questions at the end of this
semester, then you will feel bad as you stare at the 'F' on your grade report. This is, after all, a
course in the American political system. The purpose of this course is to provide you with an
opportunity to develop an understanding of the operation of the institutions, the politics, and the
policies of the American political system while at the same time developing critical thinking and
communication skills.
Required Texts:
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Janda, Berry, and Goldman, The Challenge of Democracy (Brief, 8th edition)
Aplia (an electronic work-book to go along w/ The Challenge of Democracy)
Jackson and Jamieson, unSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation
Miscellaneous other readings to be determined
Work:
The work in this class is designed to provide you with opportunities for you to show me that you
have completed the assigned readings, understood the readings and in-class material, and that you
can communicate that understanding through your work. Instead of midterm examinations I give a
series of quizzes/exercises/papers during the semester. Most of the quizzes will be announced one
class period prior to taking the quiz, but there will be a possibility pop quizzes that will be given
without any warning. You will also be required to take a series of quizzes on Aplia that will count
toward your overall quiz grade average. Exercises and/or papers are assigned during the semester.
There will be no make-up quizzes. These quizzes represent a significant portion of your grade so
take them seriously. Quizzes and the final exam will be multiple-choice, short answer, or some
combination. Five percent will be based on participation (those who participate meaningfully in class
discussions will benefit). Five percent will be given away for mere attendance—all you have to do to
earn the points is to show up for class every day (for each day you miss after missing your first class,
you will lose one point).
The breakdown of the grading will be as follows:
Quizzes and exercises
Participation
Attendance
Final exam
60%
5%
5%
30%
Classroom Protocol
1.
2.
3.
4.
Students are expected to attend and be prepared for ALL regularly scheduled classes.
Students are expected to arrive on time and stay in class until the class period ends. If a
student knows in advance that s/he will need to leave early, s/he should notify the instructor
before the class period begins.
Students are expected to treat faculty and fellow students with respect. For example,
students must not disrupt class by leaving and reentering during class, must not distract class
by making noise, and must be attentive to comments being made by the instructor and peers.
Instructors will inform students of any special additions.
Failure to follow this protocol will lead to whatever grade penalty I deem appropriate.
Religious Holidays: Students have the right to practice the religion of their choice. Each semester
students should submit in writing to their instructors by the end of the second full week of classes
their documented religious holiday schedule for the semester.
Schedule of Topics:
The schedule of topics in this course is going to be determined largely by you and current events in
US politics. With the exception of the first 3-4 weeks (during which we will cover Unspun and the
foundations of studying the American Political System), the course will proceed as follows. We will
select a set of articles one class period. The next class we will discuss the issues/events surrounding
those articles. We will then pick chapters in The Challenge of Democracy relevant to those articles
for you to read for the next class period. Then we will continue the discussion of the issues/events
started the previous class but in light of the material you read in your text. We will the select more
news articles to repeat the process.