Marymount University

  2807 North Glebe Road  Arlington, Virginia  22207-4299      (703) 284-1560        FAX (703) 284-3859

 


                School  of Arts and Sciences

                                                                               

COURSE SYLLABUS

 

 

 Course Number

POL 104 Reston

Course Title

Introduction to American Government

 Fall Semester

         X

 Spring Semester

 

Summer Semester

                       

Year

2015

Name of Instructor

William Miller

 

Meeting Day, Time, and Room Number

Thursday, 3:30-6:15pm,  Reston Room 7

 

Final Exam Day, Time, and Room Number

ONLY: Thursday December 17, 3:30pm, Reston Room 7

 

Office Hours, Location, Phone

One half hour before and after each class in classroom, 284-1687

 E-mail & Webpage (email is a better way to reach me than by telephone!)

 E-mail:  wmiller@marymount.edu; Website:  millerpolitics.com

 I do not use Blackboard!

 

UNIVERSITY STATEMENTS

 

Academic Integrity

By accepting this syllabus, you pledge to uphold the principles of Academic Integrity expressed by the Marymount University Community. You agree to observe these principles yourself and to defend them against abuse by others.

Special Needs and Accommodations

Please address any special challenges or needs with the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Those seeking accommodations based on disabilities should obtain a Faculty Contact Sheet (FCS) from Student Access Services. Student Access Services is located in Rowley Hall, Suite G105. Please email access@marymount.edu or call 703-526-6925 to schedule an appointment or speak with the director.

Access to Student Work

Copies of your work in this course including copies of any submitted papers and your portfolios may be kept on file for institutional research, assessment and accreditation purposes. All work used for these purposes will be submitted anonymously.

Student Copyright Authorization

For the benefit of current and future students, work in this course may be used for educational critique, demonstrations, samples, presentations, and verification.  Outside of these uses, work shall not be sold, copied, broadcast, or distributed for profit without student consent. Items submitted for this course also may be submitted to TurnItIn.com for analysis.

University Policy on Weather and Emergency Closings

Weather and Emergency closings are announced on Marymount’s web site, through MUAlerts, area radio stations, and TV stations. You may also call the Weather and Emergency Hotline at (703) 526-6888 for current status. Unless otherwise advised by local media or by official bulletins listed above, students are expected to report for class as near normal time as possible on days when weather conditions are adverse. Decisions as to inclement closing or delayed opening are not generally made before 6:00 AM and by 3:00 PM for evening classes of the working day. Emergency closing could occur at any time making MUAlerts the most timely announcement mechanism. Students are expected to attend class if the University is not officially closed. If the University is closed, course content and assignments will still be covered as directed by the course instructor. Please look for communication from course instructor (e.g., Blackboard) for information on course work during periods in which the University is closed.

Emergency Notification Policy

When students are absent due to a crisis situation or unexpected, serious illness and unable to contact their individual instructors directly, the Office of Student Development can send out an Emergency Notification. To initiate an Emergency Notification, students should contact the Office of Student Development at 703-284-1615 or studentdevelopment@marymount.edu.

Emergency Notifications are NOT appropriate for non-emergency situations (e.g. car problems, planned absences, minor illnesses, or a past absence); are NOT a request or mandate to excuse an absence, which is at the sole discretion of the instructor; and are NOT a requirement for student absences. If a student contacts instructors about an emergency situation directly, it is not necessary to involve the Office of Student Development as arrangements are made to resolve the absence.

For non-emergency absences, students should inform their instructors directly.

 

1.       BROAD PURPOSE OF COURSE

 

An introductory survey and analysis of the political processes that describe the operations of the federal, state, and local branches of government. Intergovernmental relations are examined.

 

The general purposes of the course are: (1) to introduce the students to the structures and functions of the major institutions of the American scheme of government--Congress, the Presidency, the federal courts, the bureaucracy, interest groups, and political parties and campaigns--and (2) to inquire into the origins, purposes, and historical development of these institutions. We will also discuss current political events: read a newspaper daily.

 

 

2.       COURSE OBJECTIVES/Learning Outcomes

 

·       University Requirements:

 

·       Ethics Across the Curriculum

         1. Students will read and understand texts about applied problems of justice as they pertain to government.

         2. Students will demonstrate an increased understanding of foundational questions about justice rooted in the principles of American government.

         (Outcomes will be measured by essay and/or short answer exam questions on the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and/or the Federalist Papers)

 

·       General Learning Outcomes:

 

·       Skills - Critical Reason and Problem Solving

         1. Students will practice critical reasoning and problem solving through study of the structure and principles of American Government.

         2. Students will apply knowledge of political analysis of the American system of government.

         (Outcome will be measured by performance on short essay exam questions on topics such as presidential-congressional relations, the role of public opinion in governance, and/or the budget process.)

 

·       Attitudes – Civic Responsibility

1.     Students will understand that a system of self-government requires the exercise of civic responsibility to survive and succeed.

2.     2. Students will learn that civic responsibility is exercised by acting according to informed and principled choices.

(Outcome will be measured by demonstrating an understanding of these principles through in-class discussions)

 

·       Discipline-Specific Outcomes:

1.     Students will have an understanding of principles of American government; i.e. natural rights theory, guarantee of civil rights as contained in founding documents; i.e. Declaration of Independence and Constitution. 

2.     .Students will know the structure and functions of American institutions of government.

3.     Students will understand citizen responsibility as it exists and is exercised in a system of self government.

(Outcome will be measured by identification, short answer, and objective questions on exams.)

 

·       Course Specific Outcomes: The design of this class is based on four parts: foundations, institutions, politics, and governance.    The course will begin by examining the rules, values, and principles behind our system of government.  The “politics” component of the course encompasses the entities outside of the formal government, including media, political parties, and interest groups. We will then turn our focus to government institutions: the Presidency, Congress, the Courts, and the bureaucracy.  We also examine the structure and function of state and local governments.  We will conclude the course by concentrating on public policy as a vehicle for governance.

 

3.    TEACHING METHOD   (lecture, laboratory, audio-visual, clinical experience, discussion, seminar, tutorial)

 

Class lectures and extensive discussion.

 

4.    GRADING POLICY 

 

The final grade will consist of three components—your two best exam grades and the quiz-paper grade.

There will be two seventy-five minute mid-term examinations and one similar final examination. Each exam will be given only on the scheduled day during the semester. If you cannot take the mid-term at the scheduled time for reasons of sickness, legal, or job responsibilities, and if you provide me with satisfactory written documentation, you may take the exam immediately after the final exam on December 17th. Note: December 17th is not merely an alternate day for a mid-term. You must present me with documentation of a legitimate excuse—an official note from a medical professional, from a court or government officer, from a job supervisor. Otherwise, missing the mid-term results in a zero for the exam. If you cannot take the final on December 17th, talk to me now, on the first day of class!

There will also be a quiz at the beginning of each class. The quizzes will only be offered at the beginning of class; there will be no make-ups, so if your schedule does not permit you to get to class right at 6:30pm on Wednesday, we must talk now. If you take the quiz and then leave class early without permission, or if you did not bring your textbook or other assigned reading to class with you, I will not grade the quiz or consider that you took it. The quizzes will focus on the assigned readings and are aimed primarily at determining whether you have read the material. You must keep up with the weekly reading assignments if you want to pass the course!!  Your total quiz grade, consisting of the top nine quiz grades, will equal one exam grade in determining your final grade. If you do not understand something in the readings or lectures, ask questions.

Each of the exam grades and the quiz grade amount to a possible 100 points. Your final grade is based on the percentage of total points that you earn out of a total of 300 possible points: 90 to 100% = A-/A, 80 to 89%=B-/B/B+, 70 to 79%=C-/C/C+, 60 to 69%=D-/D/D+, below 60%=F.

 

Attendance: Beginning with the second week of classes, students are allowed a total of five absences, excused and/or unexcused. Students who miss six or more classes for any reason whatever will receive an “F” in the course.

 

5.    CLASS SCHEDULE   (This schedule is approximate and may be adjusted throughout the session. The dates for the mid-terms and the final will not be changed, however, unless absolutely necessary.)

 

CLASS ONE (September 3) Introduction to the course; basic political concepts, the United States Constitution, Federalism. (Turner text, Intro and ch. 1)

CLASS TWO (September 10) United States Constitution, cont., and introduction to Congress (Turner text, Intro, ch. 1, pp. 13-35, and ch. 2, pp. 43-57)

CLASS THREE (September 17) Congress (ch. 9 and Federalist #39)

CLASS FOUR (September 24) Presidency (ch. 10 and readings)

CLASS FIVE (October 1) Bureaucracy, Policy, and Separation of Powers (ch. 11; ch. 2, pp. 58-67; and Federalist #51)

 

Friday, October 2, 2015, is the last day to withdraw from a class without academic record.

 

CLASS SIX (October 8) MID-TERM

CLASS SEVEN (October 15) Supreme Court and the Federal Judiciary (ch. 12; ch. 1, pp. 35-38; and readings)

CLASS EIGHT (October 22) Supreme Court and Civil Rights and Liberties (ch. 3 and readings)

CLASS NINE (October 29) Supreme Court Opinion (reading)

CLASS TEN (November 5) MID-TERM EXAM

 

Friday, November 6, 2015, is the last day to withdraw from a class with a grade of W.

 

CLASS ELEVEN (November 12) Public opinion and Political Participation (ch. 4, 5 and readings)

CLASS TWELVE (November 19) Politics and the Media (ch. 6 and readings)

CLASS THIRTEEN (December 3) Political Parties and Interest Groups (ch. 7 and Federalist #10)

CLASS FOURTEEN (December 10) Campaigns and Elections (ch. 8 and readings)

 

FINAL EXAM The final will be given only on Wednesday, December 17th at 3:30 in Room 7 of Reston. Make your travel plans accordingly!

 

6.    REQUIRED TEXTS

 

Charles Turner, D. Grier Stephenson, et al. Introduction to American Government. 8th ed. Redding, CA: BVT Publishing, 2013. ISBN 978-1-62751-627-3

 

Daily Newspaper: online or paper version. I will also assign handouts and online articles for most classes.

 

Suggested Websites: (More will be given during the semester but this will get you started. Please let me know about additional sites that you find or know.)

 

The Founders' Constitution

"Thomas"—The Library of Congress Legislative Research Service

Official Documents of the Executive Branch via GPO

Recent Supreme Court Opinions

United States Supreme Court Website

Congressional Elections, 1900-2012.

Presidential Primary Candidates, 1952-2004.

 

See also the subject “United States presidential election 1964” (and so on) on Wikipedia for more information. The Wikipedia site looks pretty good for the 1952 to 1976 elections. The Theodore White series, "Making of the President," with bestsellers covering the 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972 presidential campaigns, are excellent books for these four elections; they are well-known classics. I am not familiar with comparable books on the recent elections.

 

Presidential Elections, 1892-2012.

Presidential Succession, 1900-2008.

 

For material on the congressional incumbency advantage, see Incumbency Re-election Rates (Thirty-Thousand Org.), Incumbency Re-election Rates (Center for Responsive Politics)

 

Also Recommended:

James Madison, Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787, Reported by James Madison. New York: Norton, 1987. This is also on the “Thomas” website.

Michael Kammen, ed. The Origins of the American Constitution: A Documentary History. New York: Viking Penguin, 1986.

Stanley, Harold W., and Niemi, Richard G. Vital Statistics on American Politics. Latest edition. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, ----.

 

A few additional rules for the class:

For the benefit of the class and your classmates, the following rules regarding electronic devices also apply to this course:

1. At the beginning of class, turn your cell phones off and put them away.  If you are expecting an important call, inform me about it, put your phone on “Vibrate,” sit near the door, and, when the call comes, answer it outside the classroom.

2. It follows from the foregoing rule, but it must be separately stated: no talking and no texting on cell phones during class. If you do not follow this rule, I will publicly ask you to leave the room for the remainder of the class and will do my best to have you removed from the course for the rest of the semester.

3. No lap tops will be permitted in class without my prior permission. There have simply been too many problems associated with allowing access to the Internet during class time. You may use iPads, Nooks, Kindles, or other e-readers—any device on which the screen lies flat on the desktop—if you use the electronic version of the textbook.

4. Be sure to check your Marymount email address regularly! This is Marymount’s and my principal way of contacting you with important information. Perhaps you rely mostly on Yahoo, gmail, or some other provider, but check your @marymount.edu mail daily to make sure you do not miss school information.

 

These rules are necessary to foster a suitable learning environment in the classroom during class. There are enough distractions with lawnmowers, air conditioners, and other outside forces to combat during lectures and discussions without these controllable distractions within the room.