POLS 021D: The American Political System

POLS 021D: The American Political System
Fall 2013, MWF 9:40-10:30, Lafayette L207
Professor Andersen, Old Mill 522
E-mail: [email protected] (note the spelling!)
Office Hours: M 1-2pm; WF 10:45-11:45am
Course Description
This course will provide you with a basic, working knowledge of American government. We will
examine a range of subjects falling under four major headings: the nature of (American) democracy, the
constitutional foundations of our national government, the mechanisms that connect citizens to the
government, and the specific functions of legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Throughout the
semester we will focus on two related questions: (1) how does our political system work? (2) how
should our political system work? In other words, we will explore both the empirical and normative
aspects of American politics.
Required Items:

The textbook we will be using in this class is The Logic of American Politics, Seventh Edition, by
Kernell, Jacobson, Kousser, and Vavreck. The bookstore has copies of it. Amazon and other
booksellers also sell it and you may find it makes more sense for you to buy or rent from an online
vender.

We will be using iClickers in this class. Note that you can share an iClicker with someone else so
long as they’re not taking this class and you can be certain that you’ll have access to the iClicker for
every class.
Course Requirements
Your grade will be based on the following:
1. Exams. There will be three exams covering materials from the readings and classes as well as your
knowledge of major current political events (exam dates are listed in the daily schedule.) The first two
exams are each worth 20% of your course grade. The final exam is worth 25%.
2. Conceptual Understanding Assignments. You will complete Blackboard-based assignments
probing your understanding of core course concepts at several points during the semester. These
assignments may take several forms, including quizzes and short reflection papers. You should
expect to complete somewhere between five and ten assignments. All assignments will be posted on
Blackboard and will be available at least 48 hours before they are due. Notifications will be sent to
your uvm email address so be sure to check your email! These assignments are worth 15% of your
course grade.
3. Participation. We will be using iClickers to facilitate communication and learning in the classroom.
You will use your iClicker in ways ranging from voicing your opinions to answering knowledgebased questions. Your grade will be based on the quantity and quality of your participation. Said
differently, I will be monitoring how often you click in and, for questions with right and wrong
answers, how often you respond correctly. Participation is worth 20% of your course grade.
American Political System Syllabus, p. 2
Important note: This class does not require attendance, but, obviously, you will not be able to do
well on the participation component of your grade without both consistent attendance and careful
preparation. If you anticipate missing several classes, see my policy on absences (below).
General Policies and Guidelines
Academic integrity: You are responsible for adhering to the university's guidelines on academic
misconduct. You can access the official university policy at:
http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmppg/ppg/student/acadintegrity.pdf. The policy that applies most directly to our
course may be summarized as don't cheat. You all know that copying another student’s answer on an
exam is cheating, but using some else’s clicker for them is also cheating. So please don’t bring your
roommates’ clickers with you to class so that they can pretend to be there.
Penalties for academic dishonesty will almost certainly include failing a particular exam or a receiving a
severely reduced participation grade. They may well include failing the entire class.
Absences: If you have to miss a class or two because you are observing a religious holiday or you’re sick
or you are traveling out of town as a member of a UVM sports team or club, it will not damage your
participation grade so long as you consistently attend classes otherwise. If you anticipate missing more
than a week’s worth of classes—because you find yourself battling a long-term illness (like mono) or
you’re on the soccer team and have a heavy travel schedule or some such—come speak with me. At my
sole discretion, I may decide to make an arrangement with you that will allow you to demonstrate
participation in an alternate fashion.
Make-up exams: Students with an unforeseeable emergency that prevents them from taking an exam
will be permitted, at my discretion, to take a make-up at a later date, as will students whose UVM sports
team or club schedules require them to be out of town during a regularly scheduled exam. Note that in a
large class such as this, I cannot and will not schedule multiple make-up times. Instead, I will schedule
one make-up exam date at the end of the semester, during the final exam period. That means if you miss
the first or second exam, you will not be allowed to make it up until the end of the semester.
Students needing accommodations: I will make every attempt to work with students who require
additional accommodations to be successful in the classroom. Please see the official university policy in
the Cat’s Tale Student Handbook, http://www.uvm.edu/~dosa/handbook/?Page=Disability.html. Please
give me the relevant paperwork from the ACCESS office as soon as possible, and no later than the end of
the third full week of classes so that we can make any logistical arrangements needed. If your
accommodation needs change during the semester, please notify me as soon as possible.
Email Communications: I will be communicating with you via email over the course of the semester.
I will use the university’s email list to send out this information. It is your responsibility to monitor your
university e-mail account regularly to obtain these materials. If you wish to use a different e-mail
address, it is your responsibility to forward the material from your university account to that other e-mail
address. It is all but impossible for me to keep track of the various e-mail addresses for all classes.
Moreover, the university expects to be able to communicate important information to you via the
university account. So please take care of managing that account in whatever manner ensures that you get
all of the e-mail that needs to find its way to you for this course and for university purposes generally.
American Political System Syllabus, p. 3
Computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. You MAY NOT use computers, cell
phones, or other electronic devices in this class without my express permission. Period. I know you don’t
like this policy. Here are my reasons for imposing it:

There’s a growing mountain of evidence that taking notes by hand produces more thoughtful notes,
deeper learning, and better recall than taking notes electronically. Talk with me if you don’t believe
it.

If you’re going to spend class time texting your friends or checking your facebook page, why the
heck are you in class? You may think you multitask brilliantly; I’ve got a bunch of statistical evidence
to the contrary.

Texting and web surfing are unbelievably distracting to your fellow students, especially when you’re
doing so on a laptop. They’re unbelievably distracting to me when, from my perspective at the front
of the class, all I see is you staring down at your crotch.
Students who are unable to observe this requirement may be asked to leave class for the day; continuous
failure to observe this policy will result in a significantly lowered participation grade, up to an including a
failing grade for participation.
Note: If you have circumstances that require you to take a phone call or text (i.e., you are awaiting
news of your father’s open heart surgery, you have child care responsibilities etc.), please inform me
at the start of class and sit near the doorway, so that you can step out into the hallway with a
minimum of disruption. Note: I will terminate this policy if I feel it is being abused.
Classroom protocol: The Department of Political Science requires that this classroom protocol,
defining minimum standards of conduct, be included in all syllabi of political science classes.
1. Students are expected to attend and be prepared for ALL regularly scheduled classes.
2. 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.
3. 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 instructors and by peers.
Penalties for failing to observe this classroom protocol may range from being asked to leave class to
having their semester attendance and participation grade significantly lowered.
A final note: My dog is sometimes in my office. If you have allergies—or if, for any other reason you
are uncomfortable around a dog—please, please let me know. I will be happy to arrange to meet with you
in a dog-free location.
American Political System Syllabus, p. 4
TENTATIVE DAILY SCHEDULE *
PART I: THE NATURE AND FOUNDATIONS OF
(AMERICAN) DEMOCRACY
Date
Topic and Assignments
Aug. 31
First Day
Sept. 2
The Logic of American Politics
 Read Logic ch. 1 through p. 23
Sept. 4
No Class—I am away at the American Political Science Association meeting
Sept. 7
No Class—Labor Day
Sept. 9-11
The Logic of American Politics, cont’d
 Finish Logic ch. 1, reviewing earlier pages as necessary
Sept. 14-18
The Constitution
 Read Logic, ch. 2 (due by 9/14)
Sept. 21
Federalism
 Read Logic, ch. 3 (due by 9/21)
Sept. 23
No Class—Yom Kippur
Sept. 25
Federalism, cont’d
 Review Logic, ch. 3 as necessary
Sept. 28-30
Civil Rights
 Read Logic, ch. 4 (due by 9/25)
Oct. 2-5
Civil Liberties
 Read Logic, ch. 5 (due by 9/30)
Oct. 7
First Exam
PART II: AMERICAN POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
Date
Topic and Assignments
Oct. 9-14
Congress (n.b.: this is a heavy reading week)
 Read Logic, ch. 6 though p. 237 by 10/9
 Finish Logic, ch. 6 by 10/12
Oct. 16-19
The Presidency
 Read Logic, ch. 7 (due by 10/14)
American Political System Syllabus, p. 5
Oct. 21-23
The Bureaucracy
 Read Logic, ch. 8 (due by 10/19)
Oct. 26-28
The Judiciary
 Read Logic, ch. 9 (due by 10/23)
PART III: LINKING CITIZENS TO GOVERNMENT
Date
Topic and Assignments
Oct. 30
Public Opinion and Political Socialization
 Read Logic, ch. 10 to p. 434 by 10/30
Nov. 2
Second Exam
Nov. 4
Public Opinion and Political Socialization
 Finish Logic, ch. 10 by 11/4
Nov. 6-11
Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
 Read Logic, ch. 11 to p. 458 by 11/6
 Finish Logic, ch. 11 by 11/11
Nov. 13-16
Political Parties

Nov. 18-20
Read Logic, ch. 12 (due by 11/11)
Interest Groups and Social Movements

Read Logic, ch. 13 (due by 11/16)
Nov. 23-27
Thanksgiving Break
Nov. 30–
Dec. 2
Media
Dec. 4-7
The Logic of American Politics?


Read Logic, ch. 14 (due by 11/30)
Read Logic, ch. 15 (due by 12/4)
Dec. 9
Last Day of Class
Dec. 11
Final Exam, 1:30-4:15pm
* I reserve the right to change assigned readings and due dates whenever I feel such changes will be useful to the
class.