School of Arts and Sciences 2016-17
COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Number POL 104-A |
Course Title American Government |
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Fall Semester |
Spring
Semester XX |
Summer Semester |
Credit Hours
3 |
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Name of Instructor William
Miller |
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Meeting Day, Time, and Room Number |
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Final Exam Day, Time, and Room Number Tuesday,
May 9, 2017, 6:30-9:30pm, Gailhac 2011
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Office Hours, Location, Phone Tuesdays
and Fridays, 12:00 to 2:00pm Ireton G107,
(703) 284-1687. Always email ahead of time! |
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E-mail and Web Site wmiller@marymount.edu
Email is always the best way to reach me! www.millerpolitics.com All
announcements and assignments are posted on this web site, not on Canvas. |
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Course Description 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. Liberal Arts Core/University Requirements Designation: SS-1.
(3) |
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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. Items
submitted for this course may be submitted to TurnItIn.com for analysis.
STUDENT COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
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.
ACCOMMODATIONS
AND ACCESSIBILITY CONCERNS
Please address any special challenges or needs with the instructor at
the beginning of the semester. Students seeking accommodations for a disability
must complete the required steps for obtaining a Faculty Contact Sheet from the
Office of Student Access Services (SAS). Students are then responsible for
meeting with their instructors at the beginning of the semester to review and
sign the Faculty Contact Sheet and develop a specific plan for providing the
accommodations listed. Accommodations cannot be granted to students who fail
to follow this process. Appointments with the SAS director can be scheduled
through the Starfish "Success Network" tab in Canvas. For more
information, check the SAS website, e-mail access@marymount.edu,
or call 703-284-1538
to reach the SAS director or an academic support coordinator.
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 Division of Student Affairs can send out
an Emergency Notification. To initiate an Emergency Notification, students
should contact the Division of Student
Affairs 703-284-1615 or studentaffairs@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 Division of Student Affairs as
arrangements are made to resolve the absence.
For non-emergency absences, students
should inform their instructors
directly.
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.
UNIVERSITY POLICY ON WEATHER AND
EMERGENCY CLOSINGS
Weather and Emergency closings are
announced on Marymount’s web site: www.marymount.edu,
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 the course instructor (e.g., Canvas) for
information on course work during periods in which the University is closed.
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.
2.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon successful completion of this course students will be expected to:
·
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 papers 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. 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
presentations and 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.)
Introductory social science (SS1) objectives. After completing this course, students will be able to:
1. Critically engage competing explanations for change in the political systems in preparation for upper-division coursework.
·
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
Class
lectures and extensive discussion.
4. GRADING POLICY
Friday,
February 17, is the last day to drop a class without academic record
Friday, March 24, is the last day to
withdraw from a class with a grade of a "W"
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 May 9th. Note: May 9th 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 May 9th, 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 AND MAKE-UP EXAM POLICY
Attendance: Beginning with the second
week of classes, students are allowed a total of five absences, excused and/or
unexcused. Students who miss six classes or more will receive an “F” in the
course.
Each unexcused absence beyond three—up
to the absolute limit of five total absences—will result in a lowering of the
final grade by three percentage points. To be excused, an absence must be
explained to and approved by me, preferably before it occurs. Excused absences
are typically those that are documented, such as medical-, legal-, or
job-related excuses. Note: Occasionally
coming to class late—even real late once or twice—is not considered an absence.
Coming to class without hard copies of the text for the day, or leaving class
after taking an announced quiz without my prior permission, or spending time in
class on internet sources unrelated to class, however, is considered an
unexcused absence.
Merely informing me ahead of time that
you will be absent from class does not mean I excuse the absence, though I
appreciate your courtesy. I will not excuse your absence because you are simply
not feeling well or because you choose to do something worthwhile other than
come to class even if you inform me ahead of time. If you are coughing and
sneezing and coming down with a cold or the flu, and you don't want to spread
your virus to your classmates, your fellow students and I salute you! Staying
home may be the right thing to do, but it is not an excused absence. You all
get three unexcused absences to use as you see fit, and it is your decision to
use them to stay home when you don't feel well or want to attend some other
event or need to prepare for another class instead of going to my class. Use
them for good reasons: that's what they are for.
The limit of nine total absences
recognizes that excessive excused absences may also be a problem. You should
discuss such situations with me well before the last month of the semester.
This is not a distance learning class. Any absence prevents you from
participating in the class, but if your job or an illness keeps you away from
class, it will significantly affect the class participation component of your
grade and may be a good reason to drop the course and take it another time. All
of us find ourselves in these situations from time to time and have to deal
with them appropriately. You also have an obligation to report this to a
University office (see the section on “Absenteeism in the 2016-2017 University
Catalogue).
When in doubt about any of these
policies, please come and talk to me. They have been formulated with our
substantial commuter and working student population in mind and are intended to
be fair to everyone. You should also review the University's policies on
“Absenteeism” in the 2016-2017 University Catalogue.
Make-up Exams: The same basic
rules about excused absences apply to taking mid-terms. My policy of giving
makeup exams on the same day as the final does NOT mean that you may choose to
take the mid-term exam on that day rather than on the regularly scheduled day:
it is not an alternative test date. To be eligible for a makeup, you must
qualify for an excused absence, and this you should do a reasonable time before
the day of the mid-term, if that is at all possible. You may be excused from
taking a mid-term if you are certifiably sick or your job prevents you from
attending class or you have a serious family or personal or employment
emergency on the day of the test. If one of these applies and I am informed in
a reasonable time before the exam and you have written documentation to support
your request, you may take the exam on the same day as the final exam. If none
of these reasons apply, you may not take the exam at another time, and you will
get a zero for the exam. If you are late for the exam because of events outside
of your control, let me know immediately or as soon as possible that day, and I
will let you take the exam later that same day if possible.
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 (January
17) Introduction to the course; basic political concepts,
the United States Constitution, Federalism. (Turner text, Intro and ch. 1)
CLASS TWO (January
24) United States Constitution, cont., (Turner text, Intro, ch.
1, pp. 13-35, and ch. 2, pp. 43-57)
CLASS THREE (January
31) Public opinion and
Political Participation (ch. 4 & 5)
CLASS FOUR (February
7) Political Parties and Interest Groups (ch. 7 and Federalist #10)
CLASS FIVE (February
14) Campaigns and Elections (ch. 8 and readings)
CLASS SIX (February
21) MID-TERM EXAM Introduction
to Congress and to the Doctrine of Separation of Powers
CLASS SEVEN (February
28) Congress (ch. 9 and Federalist #39)
CLASS EIGHT (March
14) Presidency (ch. 10 and readings)
CLASS NINE (March
21) Bureaucracy (ch. 11, ch. 2, pp.
58-67; and readings)
CLASS TEN (March
28) Policy, and Separation of Powers (ch.
14 and Federalist #51)
CLASS ELEVEN (April
4) MID-TERM EXAM Introduction to
the Federal Judiciary
CLASS TWELVE (April
11) Supreme Court and the Federal Judiciary (ch.
12; ch. 1, pp. 35-38)
CLASS
THIRTEEN
(April 25) Supreme Court and Civil Rights and
Liberties (ch. 3 and readings)
CLASS FOURTEEN (May
2) Supreme Court Opinion; Politics and Media (ch.6 and
readings)
FINAL EXAM The final will be given only
on Tuesday, May 9th at 6:30 in Room 2011 of Gailhac, our usual
classroom. Make your travel plans accordingly!
6.
REQUIRED TEXT
Charles
Turner, D. Grier Stephenson, et al. Introduction to American Government.
8th ed. Redding, CA: BVT Publishing, 2016. ISBN 978-1627516242
Daily
Newspaper: online or paper version. I will also assign handouts and online
articles for most classes.
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.
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.