POLITICAL SCIENCE 100 and 100Y
POLI 100 Section 1 MWF 10:00-10:50 PUP 206
Fall 2010 POLI 100 Section 2 MWF 11:00-11:50 PUP 206 N. R. MILLER
POLI 100Y MWF
11:00-11:50 PUP 206 and F 1:00-2:15 PUP 208
http://userpages.umbc.edu/~nmiller/POLI100/index.htm
INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Readings Available in Book Center:
Samuel Kernell and Gary C. Jacobson, THE LOGIC OF AMERICAN POLITICS, 3rd ed. (CQ Press, 2006)
Course Pack for POLI 100 (Public Domain Documents on American Government)
The UMBC Book Center is selling used copies of the third edition of the textbook, as shown above. However, other editions may be used, as there is very little difference among the editions. It is not necessary to purchase the Course Pack, as all the readings are available at the course website. Using any (UMBC or non-UMBC) computer, you can read the items on the screen, download them, print them in their entirety, or copy and paste selections. However, the Course Pack is convenient and cheap. Students are urged to follow national political and governmental affairs during the semester (and thereafter) by regularly reading a good daily newspaper. The Washington Post and New York Times are especially recommended. These and other news sources may also be accessed through the course website.
Course Objectives:
This is an introductory course, intended primarily for students who have no prior background in political science. It is designed to serve both as a first political science course for prospective majors and as a survey and general education course for non-majors. Accordingly, the course has three principal objectives:
(1) For all students, to add to your stock of general knowledge concerning American national government and politics and thereby to help prepare you for attentive and active citizenship.
(2) For all prospective majors, to introduce you to the discipline of Political Science and to prepare you to take more advanced political science courses.
(3) For all beginning students, to help you develop reading, writing, and thinking skills necessary for success in more advanced course work in any area.
The course requirements and grading system have been designed to measure your accomplishment of these objectives. Grades will reflect level of individual achievement; there is no preset quota of A's, F's, or any other grades. Grades should be interpreted as follows:
A — essentially complete mastery of course materials, full accomplishment of course objectives;
B — very solid mastery and accomplishment, well prepared to take more advanced political science courses;
C — incomplete mastery and accomplishment, likely to have some difficulty in more advanced courses;
D — only most minimal command of course material and accomplishment of objectives, should retake course before attempting more advanced courses (prospective majors must retake the course); and
F — failure to accomplish objectives, no evident command of materials (must retake course in order to receive credit).
Course Requirements:
(1) Beginning with class #5, there may be a very brief unannounced quiz at the beginning any class. Each quiz will cover course material (class lectures/discussions and readings) since the last quiz.
(2) At the end of each third of the course, there will be a full-period in-class multiple-choice test, covering both readings and class lectures/discussion for that section of the course.
(3) There will be two take-home writing assignments. These brief (about 500 words) assignments will focus on specific Course Pack readings. They will test and enhance your ability to (a) read carefully and demonstrate that you understand what you have read and (b) write lucidly and concisely. Grading of these assignments will take account of English composition (spelling, grammar, organization, etc.), as well as content.
(4) There will be a two-hour written final exam, covering both readings and class lectures/discussion for the entire course.
Recommended Study Procedure:
The material of this course is divided into 37 substantive topics or “units”; one day of class is devoted to each unit. I recommend the following study procedure, in order to learn the material most effectively.
(1) At the beginning of each class, a one-page study guide will be distributed in class (and posted on the course website) that identifies major questions and topics that will be addressed in the next class unit.
(2) After reading the study guide and prior each to each class, do the reading assigned for that unit. Read the items in the order they are listed on the course outline. Read carefully. Consider how the reading may address the questions and topics in the study guide. Mark up your readings to indicate what seems most important, what questions you have, etc.
(3) In class, take notes, concentrating on what seem to be the most important points as indicated the questions and topics in the study guides. It may be helpful to put some notes on the study guide itself. PowerPoint slides will be used in most classes. They will be posted on the course website (see below) and will remain there for later review. You can also print out the slides in advance and then add notes in class. Feel free to ask questions before, during, or after class and try to participate in class discussions.
(4) As soon as possible after class, review the study guide, your notes, and the readings. Try to put everything together, by identifying the few basic concepts and ideas that tie the topic together. Write these basic ideas down in your own words (perhaps on the back of the study guide for that topic). Keep your written summaries on file, modify them as seems necessary (especially after you get a quiz back), and use them as a basis for review for the tests and final exam.
Outside Tutoring:
Outside tutoring for POLI 100 may be available through the Learning Resources Center or, for students with special needs, Student Support Services. However, neither the course instructor nor the Political Science Department in any way controls the availability or quality of such outside tutoring. Students are also invited to seek help from the LRC Writing Center (in the Library, near the main entrance) in completing the writing assignments.
Dates and Makeups:
Dates for tests, writing assignments, and the final are shown in the course outline; changes in these dates are unlikely and will be announced well in advance if they do occur. No makeup quizzes will be given. Makeup tests will be given only if you present a reasonable and timely excuse for not taking the test at the regular time. Ordinarily, a “timely” excuse is one that reaches me, my voice mail or e-mail box, or the Political Science Department secretary prior to the regular test time, and the makeup normally should be arranged and, if possible, completed prior to the next class meeting.
Course Grade:
Each quiz, test, writing assignment, and the final exam will receive a (letter and/or GPA-style) grade. Your grade for the course will be an average of these grades, with the writing assignments counting 25% and the quizzes, tests, and final together counting 75%. However, regardless of your other grades, (1) you will get an F in the course if you fail to (i) complete either writing assignment, (ii) fail to take at least two of the three multiple-choice tests, or (iii) fail to take the final exam, and (2) you will get no higher than a D in the course if you fail the final exam. A small bonus may be awarded for good class participation — this requires faithful class attendance and exceptional contributions to class discussions. No “extra credit” work will be accepted.
(1) Writing assignment grades. If your grade on the second assignment is higher than your grade on the first, the first will not count. Otherwise, the two assignments count equally.
(2) Quiz/test/final grades. A missed quiz counts as an F. A quiz grade will count in your grade for each section of the course only if it helps you (that is, only if it is higher than your test grade), in which case each quiz counts as 1/10 of the test. In like manner, if your final exam grade is higher than your test average (the three sections of the course counting equally), the tests will not count; otherwise the two will be equally weighted and averaged together.
POLI 100Y Course Grade:
POLI 100Y students will get an additional syllabus covering activities and assignments in the Introduction to an Honors University (IHU) weekly seminar, many of which will be graded. Your overall grade in POLI 100Y (4 credits) will be based on both your regular POLI 100 grade as determined above (counting 75%) and your IHU seminar grade (counting 25%).
Academic Integrity:
By enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities of an active participant in UMBC’s scholarly community in which everyone’s academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty. Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and helping others to commit these acts are all forms of academic dishonesty, and they are wrong. Academic misconduct could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is not limited to, suspension or dismissal. To read the full Student Academic Conduct Policy, consult the UMBC Student Handbook, the UMBC Policies section of the UMBC Directory, or go to
http://www.umbc.edu/integrity .
Office Hours and Messages:
Most questions and problems can be handled in the classroom immediately before or after class. If you need to talk with me at more length or in private, my office is room 321 in the Public Policy Building, and my official office hours for the Fall 2010 semester will be MW 4:00-5:00 with other times readily available by arrangement. Since I will not always be able to keep my office hours, I recommend that you make a specific appointment, which can usually be arranged before or after class. I can also be reached in any way listed below; communication by email is encouraged for all purposes.
E-mail: nmiller@umbc.edu
Office phone (with 24-hour "voice mail") (410) 455-2187
Political Science Department (to leave message) (410) 455-2568
Home (if need be, but not after 9:30 PM) (410) 381-3605
If you contact me by email, I will reply (usually very promptly) to whatever email address you used. However, if you ask about grades or other private information, you must use your UMBC email address. If I initiate email contact with you, I will use your UMBC email address. For this reason and, more importantly, because all official UMBC communications (from the Registrar’s Office, Bursar’s Office, Financial Aid, etc.) go to your UMBC email address, you should check your UMBC email on a regular basis.
Course Web Page:
There is a course web page at http://userpages.umbc.edu/~nmiller/POLI100/index.htm (or follow the links UMBC => Academics => Degrees and Programs => Political Science => Faculty => Nicholas R. Miller => POLI 100) which can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection. (Note: this is an ordinary web page, not a Blackboard site; however, the IHU component of POLI 100Y will have its own Blackboard site.) Announcements, the non-textbook readings (also available as a Course Pack from the Book Center), the PowerPoint slides, and backup copies of study guides and other course material distributed in class will be posted here. There is also a link to the Kernell and Jacobson textbook web site (http://logic.cqpress.com). In addition, this page contains links to additional documents that may be discussed during the semester and to a variety of other resources for political information and research. Over past semesters, students have asked questions by email, which I have tried to answer individually by email. I continue to answer individually but also, when the question is of general interest, I post the question and my response on a “Bulletin Board” section of the web page, so that other students can also have ready access to it. The Bulletin Board includes relevant items from prior semesters and more may be added during the semester; all items are listed in the order they relate to topics on Course Outline on the following pages.
COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
Readings should be completed on schedule prior to class on the dates indicated. Where several items are assigned for a single topic, you should read them in the order listed. You should take care to read all Boxes, Figures, and Tables in the Kernell and Jacobson textbook. The pages numbers shown are for the third edition of the textbook. If you have a different edition, page numbers will differ, though chapters are numbered the same way in all editions. [#X] refers to a reading in the Course Pack or on the Course Web Page. (Go to the web page, click on Course Syllabus (with links to Course Pack Readings) [not on Supplementary Documents] and then on the specific reading.)
1. (September 1) Introduction and Overview
Kernell and Jacobson, Preface, Note to Students, and Chapter 1
2. (September 3) NO CLASS (Instructor attending conference)
3. (September 8) The Philosophical Origins of American Government
Thomas Hobbes, LEVIATHAN, Chapters 13 and 17 [#1]
John Locke, excerpts from THE SECOND TREATISE OF GOVERNMENT [#2]
4. (September 10) The Declaration of Independence
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 37-44
The Declaration of Independence (Kernell and Jacobson, Appendix 2, pp. 591-593)
5. (September 13) The Articles of Confederation
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 44-50
The Articles of Confederation [#3] (or Kernell and Jacobson, Appendix 1, pp. 587-590)
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 16 [#4]
6. (September 15) Framing the Constitution
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 50-64
The U.S. Constitution (Kernell and Jacobson, Appendix 3, pp. 594-599)
7. (September 17) Ratifying the Constitution
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 64-67
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 84 [#7]
The Bill of Rights [Constitutional Amendments 1-10] (Kernell and Jacobson, Appendix 3, pp. 599-600])
8. (September 20) Democracy and the Constitution
The U.S. Constitution (review carefully)
9. (September 22) The Political Theory of the Constitution
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 67-73
James Madison, Federalist 10 (Kernell and Jacobson, Appendix 4, pp. 604- 607)
James Madison, Federalist 39 [#8]
James Madison, Federalist 51 (Kernell and Jacobson, Appendix 5, pp. 608-610)
10. (September 24) Amending the Constitution
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 54 (review)
Constitutional Amendments 11-27 (Kernell and Jacobson, Appendix 2, pp. 600-603)
11. (September 27) The Origins of Judicial Review
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 345-354
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 78 [#9]
12. (September 29) The Judicial Branch: Structure and Procedure
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 354-366
13. (October 1) The Judicial Branch: Appointment, Tenure, and Philosophies
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 366-377
14. (October 4) American Federalism
Kernell and Jacobson, Chapter 3
15. (October 6) FIRST MULTIPLE-CHOICE MIDTERM TEST
16. (October 8) Exercise of Judicial Review: Federalism and Economic Regulation
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 349-354 (review)
FIRST WRITING ASSIGNMENT DISTRIBUTED
17. (October 11) Exercise of Judicial Review: Civil Liberties
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 155-160 and 165-182
John Stuart Mill, excerpt from ON LIBERTY, Chapter 2 [#14]
Dennis v. U.S. [#16], skim only
18. (October 13) Exercise of Judicial Review: Nationalization of the Bill of Rights
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 160-165 and 182-200
19. (October 15) Exercise of Judicial Review: Civil Rights
Kernell and Jacobson, Chapter 4
Brown v. Board of Education [#21]
20. (October 18) Congress as a Representative Assembly
Kernell and Jacobson, Table and Charts on pp. 220-224
Edmund Burke, “Speech to the Electors of Bristol” [#22]
21. (October 20) Congress as a Representative Assembly: Apportionment and Districting
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 205-224 and Map of Congressional Districts (Appendix 7, pp. 614-617)
Kernell and Jacobson, Figures and Box on pp. 210-213
22. (October 22) Congress as a Legislative Assembly: Organization and Procedures
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 224-256
23. (October 25) Congress as a Legislative Assembly: Organization and Procedures (cont.)
FIRST WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE
24. (October 27) Congress as a Legislative and Representative Assembly
25. (October 29) The Executive Branch: The Office of the President
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 70 [#25]
26. (November 1) The Executive Branch: Presidential Leadership
Kernell and Jacobson, Chapter 7
27. (November 3) The Executive Branch: The Bureaucracy
Kernell and Jacobson, Chapter 8
28. (November 5) SECOND MULTIPLE-CHOICE MIDTERM TEST
29. (November 8) American Political Culture
Alexis de Toqueville, excerpt from DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA [#26]
30. (November 10) Survey Research, Public Opinion, and the Media
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 381-402 and Chapter 14
31. (November 12) Public Opinion: Consensus and Conflict
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 402-416
SECOND WRITING ASSIGNMENT DISTRIBUTED
32. (November 15) Public Opinion: Partisanship and Ideology
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 388-390 (review), pp. 433-436, and Chart on p. 493
33. (November 17) Opinions, Participation, and Democracy
Kernell and Jacobson, Box p. 489 (Opinions of Party Activists and Voters)
34. (November 19) Interest Groups
Kernell and Jacobson, Chapter 13
35. (November 22) The Electoral College
Constitution, Article II, Section 1 (Kernell and Jacobson, Appendix 3, pp. 597)
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 68 [#27]
36. (November 24) The Origins of Political Parties and the Transformation of the Electoral College
Constitution, Amendment XII (Kernell and Jacobson, Appendix 3, pp. 600)
37. (November 29) Presidential Nominations
SECOND WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE
38. (December 1) Suffrage and Voting Turnout
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 421-433
39. (December 3) Presidential Campaigns and Elections
Kernell and Jacobson, pp. 433-455
Kernell and Jacobson, Box on p. 453 (The Electoral College)
Kernell and Jacobson, Appendix 9 (Summary of Presidential Elections), pp. 619-622
40. (December 6) The American Party Systems
Kernell and Jacobson, Chapter 12, begin
41. (December 8) Contemporary Party Politics
Kernell and Jacobson, Chapter 12, complete
42. (December 10) Catch Up and/or Review
Kernell and Jacobson, Chapter 15
43. (December 13) THIRD MULTIPLE-CHOICE MIDTERM TEST
COMBINED FINAL EXAM (for both sections): Time and Room To Be Arranged