Instructor: Cindy Cates
Office: Linthicum Hall 118D
Phone: (410) 704-3586
E-Mail: ccates@towson.edu
Home Page: (with on line syllabus): http://pages.towson.edu/cates/
Hours: TU/TH:
POSC 103
Fall 2004
AMERICAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
This course is designed to familiarize students with the
basic ideas, structures, processes, and actors that shape and define American
government and politics. In addition, it
is structured to help students begin thinking about some of the major
controversies and disagreements that suffuse the political landscape. Toward those ends, the course will employ a
variety of media including lectures, small and large group discussions, a
general text, a reader, and three novels.
Requirements follow:
FIRST REQUIREMENT:
Read
the remaining requirements thoroughly
REMAINING REQUIREMENTS:
Required Texts
Available at bookstore:
1) Ginsburg, Lowi,
Weir, We the People
2) Wright,
Native Son
3)
Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
4) Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
5)
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/fedpapers/fedpapers.html
http://www.law.emory.edu/erd/docs/federalist/intro.html
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed.htm
Course
Requirements
Attendance: Your regular attendance in class is essential. You will be tested not only on the required readings, but on the lectures and discussions as well, some of which will include material not contained in the regular readings. Bottom line: over the years I have noticed that students who do not attend class regularly almost never receive As or Bs! Thus, you miss class at your own peril! As an added incentive, points can be earned for attendance. For this class, there will be 20 lecture/discussion meetings. For each class attended, students can earn 1/4 of a point toward their final grades (to earn this attendance point, you may arrive no more than 10 minutes late). Thus, a student who attends all possible classes can earn 5 extra points added to the final grade.
Casual late comings and goings can be very disruptive, so,
as a matter of common courtesy, I ask that you refrain from such "partial
attendance." Please get to campus
early enough to find a parking place before
class and once class has begun, I would ask you to stay seated. So, please get drinks and take care of personal
business before the class session
begins. However, there may be those rare
instances when tardiness or early departure is unavoidable. In such cases, I ask the individuals
concerned to come and go as quietly and unobtrusively as possible. Leaving class in order to get drinks or
“stretch legs” is not OK. Please be certain that all electronic
devices, such as cell phones and beepers, are either turned off or in some
silent mode.
If at any
time during the semester you would like to talk over the readings or other
course-related issues with me, my door is open to you (preferably during office
hours or by appointment). I also strongly encourage e-mail
correspondence as a means of communication since it can allow us to “talk” at
practically anytime and from anyplace.
A Note on Reading the Novels: It is my belief that we often learn more
about ourselves -- our society, its virtues and vices -- through the eyes of
the novelist than we do through the prosaic pen of the academic text
writer. Thus, three times during the
course of this semester you will be asked to read and report on novels. (More on the mechanics of this in a while.) Hopefully, you will find reading these novels
to be a welcome break from the routine and an uplifting experience to
boot. In any event, they are to be taken
quite seriously, as both papers and test questions will result from them.
A Note on Reading the Federalist Papers:
Throughout the course of the semester, you will be asked to read a number of
selections from The Federalist Papers, a series of articles written by
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. Although short, and often beautifully
written, you probably will find these 200-plus year old documents difficult to
read. The fact that they are demanding,
however, does not excuse you from reading and (really) trying to understand
them (you may have to read each one more than once). I feel that no serious student of American
government can truly grasp our constitutional framework and governing
principles without familiarizing her- or himself with these papers. Therefore, if you don't intend to give the
assigned Federalist Papers serious consideration because "they're
too hard," this course isn't for you.
(By the way, you will be tested on them.) FOR A SUMMARY
AND EXPLANATION OF RELEVANT FEDERALIST PAPERS SEE APPENDIX 1 TO THIS
SYLLABUS!!!!!
General Participation: If at any time during regular class lectures
you have questions or relevant comments, please do not hesitate to raise your
hands and voice your questions/comments.
Moreover, I will try to devote ample class time to general
discussion. Such discussions will be
vital to our understanding and learning, so please come prepared. Please
note, also, that in cases of borderline or "close call" grades,
intelligent class participation will be taken into consideration. (i.e.,
Jane Doe has been a consistent and thoughtful contributor to class discussions
but has tested at the 78%, C+ level.
She'll probably get her B.)
Evaluation: Your grade will be
determined primarily on the basis of two
in-class examinations,
three book analyses,
and a research paper. I will grade on a
+/- scale, such that: 93-100 A, 90-92.99 A-, 87-89.99 B+, 83-86.99 B, 80-82.99
B-, 77-79.99 C+, 73-76.99 C, 70-72.99 C-, 67-69.99 D+, 63-66.99 D, 60-62.99 D-,
0-59.99 F. Specifics follow:
EXAMS
You will
be taking one midterm and one final exam.
The midterm will be valued at 23% of your final grade, as will the
final, for a total exam value of 46%.
Both exams will be essay style and the
final will be cumulative.
One week
before the exams, you will be given a study guide containing 6 or 7 possible
essay questions. Two of those questions
will appear on your EXAMS. Because there
will be no surprises (except which questions I ultimately pick), your answers
are to be especially thorough (incorporating all relevant readings,
discussions, and lectures through specific examples), well thought out, and
well written. You will need to purchase
exam booklets from the bookstore. Failure to take either of the two
required exams will result in a grade of F for the entire course.
SHORT NOVEL ASSIGNMENTS
In
conjunction with your reading of each of the novels, I will be asking you to
submit a brief writing assignment. The
assignments are listed below along with due dates. They should be between 3 FULL and 5 pages in length (not counting cover page), typed,
double-spaced, with one inch margins, and in Times New Roman 12-point
font. The work should be free of typos
and grammatical errors. And each paper
should use specific examples from the relevant book to illustrate your points. Each short assignment will be worth 8% of
your final grade.
NATIVE
SON. Please address the following: CLASSICAL LIBERALISM, the ideology
behind our entire constitutional/governing framework, purports to be all about
INDIVIDUAL empowerment. In turn,
individuals are supposedly empowered through a system which fosters personal
FAHRENHEIT 451. In reading and
writing on FAHRENHEIT 451 you should focus on the IMPACT OF GROUPS OR FACTIONS ON LIBERTY. Specifically, you will want to compare and
contrast this work to FEDERALIST #10. To
that end, think and write about the following: 1) In Federalist #10, Madison argues that while
factions are inevitable, they might have interests adverse to the rights of
other citizens.
THE
HANDMAID’S TALE. In considering this
subject, we will be coming full circle back to a theme we began this course
with: the need to balance individual liberty against social order. (
Plagiarism. Please
note also (although I know this is an unnecessary warning for the great bulk of
you) that these works are to be original. I take plagiarism very seriously. Copying from previously done papers (most of
which I have copied and on file) or from portions of book reviews or from Spark
or Cliff Notes (by the way, Spark or Cliff Notes are very unhelpful in dealing
with these novels in the context of this course) or from one of the many Web
term paper and plot summary sites (yes, I’ve got ‘em
all bookmarked) or from other on line or hardcopy sources will result in an
automatic F in the course and, quite possibly, University judicial proceedings,
which, in turn, could result in expulsion.
For explanations of plagiarism and how to avoid it, see: Appendix 3 of
this syllabus and
http://www.towson.edu/~sara/plagiarism.htm
http://www.towson.edu/~jpomy/plagiarism.html
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html
RESEARCH PAPER
By
the end of the semester, each of you will have produced a well researched,
written, and documented paper of between 8 and 10 pages. Your paper will explore one of the following
questions.
IDEOLOGY
1. VALUES &
POLICY. Ideologically, Americans are
loosely bound together by their belief in certain core values. But different Americans emphasize the values
differently. And, indeed, sometimes those
values come into conflict with one another, with implications for the exercise
of power. Choose one of the following
well known “political fault lines:” abortion, same sex marriage, gun control,
capital punishment, separation of church and state, or homeland security. Your paper will research current policy and
current policy debates concerning your topic choice. Upon thoroughly examining your policy, assess
the conflict in core values.
CONSTITUTION
2. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Choose an Article of
the Constitution (Your choice may be from among Articles I through VI of the
Constitution proper or from among any of the 27 Amendments). Research the meaning of this Article,
including key Court interpretations.
DEMOCRACY
3. POLICY VOTING. The
POLITICAL POLLS
4. HOW DO THEY
WORK? Choose one of the major political
polling organizations (Your choice may be from among the following:
ELECTIONS
5. THE CANDIDATES:
Major Party. Choose either President
Bush or Senator Kerry. Thoroughly
explore your candidate’s background and stand on the issues. In addition to the candidate’s own glowing
self assessment, your paper will include legitimate criticism of him.
6. THE CANDIDATES: Independent and Minor
Party. Choose one of the independent
or minor party candidates for president.
You may choose Ralph Nader (Independent with
Reform Party backing), David Cobb (Green Party), Michael Badnarik
(Libertarian Party), or any other third party running a presidential campaign
(for a complete list see http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm) Your paper should
explore the candidate’s positions.
7.
8. THE NOMINATION PROCESS. Choose either the Democrats or the
Republicans. Thoroughly explain and
evaluate the process the Party uses to nominate a presidential candidate.
9. BUSH v.
GORE. To this day, many Americans
believe that Al Gore, and not George Bush, should have been elected
President. After all, Gore received more
popular votes than Bush. How did Bush end
up becoming President? Should this
system be changed?
10. MONEY &
POLITICS. How much money is being
spent on the 2004 elections? Where does
this money come from? Is the system of
campaign finance in need of further reform?
11. THE SHRINKING
AMERICAN VOTER. Voter turnout in the
POLITICAL PARTIES
12. THIRD PARTIES. Although third parties have had electoral
difficulties, a few have recently attracted some popular attention, with
limited success at the state and local level.
Choose one of the following third parties. Thoroughly explore the party’s philosophy and
electoral strategies. You may choose
from among the following: The Constitution Party, the Green Party, the
Independence Party, the Libertarian Party, the Natural Law Party, or the Reform
Party.
13. DEMOCRATS &
REPUBLICANS. Compare the two major
political parties. After exploring their
platforms and investigating the positions of their leadership, explain the key
differences between the Democrats and Republicans.
INTEREST GROUPS
14. GROUP AIMS & INFLUENCE. Choose a modern interest group. Your choice may include anything from the
ACLU to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, from the NRA to People for the
MEDIA
15. THE PROBLEM OF OWNERSHIP. American media is becoming increasingly
dominated by fewer and fewer large corporations. What effect does this have on American
politics?
16. IS THERE A MEDIA BIAS? Republicans are forever complaining about
a “liberal bias” among major media. For
their part, Democrats grumble about the conservative lock on AM radio and such
networks as Fox..
Overall, is there a media bias?
Does it favor a particular Party?
A particular political agenda?
CONGRESS
17. YOUR REP. Identify your House representative. What party does he or she belong to? What is his or her background. Where does he or she stand on key
issues? In other words, thoroughly get
to know your rep.
18. THE LEADERSHIP. Explore the leadership – House and Senate –
of one of the two major parties. What
are the leadership offices? What
functions do the offices perform? Who
are the current inhabitants of the offices?
19. THE STANDING
COMMITTEES. Choose one of the
standing committees in either the House or the Senate. What kinds of issues does this committee deal
with? Who are the members of the
committee, including the chair and ranking member? Currently, what is the most important piece
of business before this committee?
THE EXECUTIVE
20. COMMUNICATIONS. Veteran journalist and political analyst
David Broder has said: “The White House propaganda
machine has become an increasingly effective instrument. For . . . years the
president and his agents have clearly been winning the battle. . . . The White
House has . . . enhanced the power of the communicator-in-chief. And it has
raised to even greater importance the unmet challenge to provide an
alternative, non-propagandistic view of the presidency.”
(http://ap.beta.polardesign.com/action/orgchart/administration_units/officeofcommunications/officeofcommunications.article.shtml)
Explore the White House Office of Communications and other
presidential information venues. Does
the presidency have too much control over vital information?
21. THE CABINET. There are currently 21 cabinet-ranked offices
in the Executive. They are: The
Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Justice Department, the
Department of Homeland Security, the Commerce Department, the Department of
Health and Human Services, Department of the Interior, Department of Education,
Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor, Treasury Department, Department
of Energy, Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs,
Department of Housing and Urban Environment, the Vice President, the Chief of
Staff, the Environmental Protection Agency, the US Trade Representative, the Office
of Management and Budget, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy
(whew!). Choose one of these departments/agencies to
explore in depth. You should investigate
the leadership of the department, its major functions, and major policy
initiatives undertaken recently by it.
22. PRESIDENTIAL
EFFECTIVENESS. A President’s effectiveness can be measured in a number of
ways: e.g., by his standing in public opinion polls, by his success in getting
legislation passed through Congress, by his relationships with foreign
governments. Using these measures and
any other benchmarks you consider appropriate (but not you personal
opinion), assess the overall effectiveness of the Bush Presidency.
23. VICE PRESIDENTS. James Nance Garner, who served for two terms
as FDR’s Vice President, once described the number two position as not worth “a
warm bucket of spit.” And frequently, in
the past, VPs were consigned to insignificant ceremonial duties. The modern vice presidency, however, has
evolved into a much more powerful position.
Al Gore, for example, was treated by President Clinton as a
partner. And, our current VEEP, Dick
Cheney, is frequently described as having power equal to, if not exceeding,
that of President Bush. Explore the job
of Vice President. What do they do? How has the job changed over the years?
24. FIRST LADIES. The position of First Lady has been called
the most important unpaid job in the country.
What do First Ladies do? Have
some been more influential than others?
If so, which ones and why?
THE JUDICIARY
25. ADVICE & CONSENT. According to Article II, §2 of the
Constitution, the President “by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, shall appoint . . . judges of the Supreme Court. . . .” Your paper will assess the meaning of this
phrase. Does it give the President or
the Senate more power? In exploring your
topic, you will focus in on the actual nomination of someone named to the
Supreme Court over the past 25 years.
26. THE JUDGES. Choose one of the current members of the
Supreme Court. Thoroughly explore your
Justice’s background, politics, and rulings.
Your paper will include legitimate criticism of the judge.
27. THE POWER OF JUDICIAL REVIEW. How often has the Supreme Court employed
judicial review to overturn acts of Congress?
How about those of state authorities?
Do you see any patterns over time?
INDIVIDUAL
LIBERTIES V. SOCIAL ORDER
The liberal model stresses individual autonomy. Yet, when
we enter into civil society we necessarily relinquish some of that freedom to
provide for collective safety and security. In other words, we ask for
individual liberty within an ordered society. The problem is that individual
liberty tends to pull in one direction, while social order tends to pull in the
other. This pull-and-tug is evident in a number of current public policy
debates. Your paper may explore the problem by focusing on one of the
following:
28. THE PATRIOT ACT. Explore the problem with reference to the USA
Patriot Act and other post-9/11 security measures.
29. MUSIC PIRACY. Explore the problem with reference to the
debate over downloading of music and videos.
30. CRIMINAL SENTENCING. Explore the problem with reference to the
death penalty or other harsh criminal sentencing.
31. GUN REGULATION. Explore the problem with reference to efforts
to control gun use and ownership.
PAPER
PROCESS. In order to make
these papers the first-rate pieces that I know each of you can achieve, every
student must follow the steps below.
Please note that failure to follow any of the steps, including the ungraded ones, will result in a total paper grade of F.
1. Choose and submit your first, second, and third
preference paper topics by Tuesday, September 14. Note: While I want you to think carefully
about your choice(s), it will be to your advantage to choose and submit sooner
rather than later since no more than two students may research the same
topic. So, first come, first served.
2. Meet individually with me to discuss topics on Tuesday,
September 21, Thursday, Sept. 23, or Tuesday, Sept. 28.
3. Submit a paper
outline and bibliography by Thursday, October 14.
4. Meet individually with me to discuss paper progress on
Thursday, November 4, Tues., Nov. 9, or Thurs., Nov. 11. Your
day and time will be assigned.
5. Submit first draft by Tuesday, November 16. A
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT FIRST DRAFTS!!!!
To begin with, a first draft IS NOT a rough draft. Rather, a first draft is a well researched
and well written version of the paper, ready for editorial comment. The idea behind first draft submissions is to
make good work even better. Thus, your
first draft should be between 8 and 10 pages in length (not counting cover page
or bibliography). It should be typed,
double-spaced, with one inch margins, and in Times New Roman 12-point
font. The work should be free of typos
and grammatical errors. Finally, first
drafts are to be well-documented. First
drafts are worth 20% of your total course grade.
6. Submit your final
paper by Thursday, December 2
10% of final course grade.
Plagiarism. As with your short paper assignments,
plagiarizing works for your major research paper will result in an F for the
course and possible judicial proceedings.
For specific help in avoiding plagiarism, please refer to Appendix 3 of
this syllabus and to:
http://www.towson.edu/~sara/plagiarism.htm
http://www.towson.edu/~jpomy/plagiarism.html
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html
Submission of
Written Assignments and Papers: All
written work should be submitted as word processed documents attached to emails
and sent to my address: ccates@towson.edu This
includes the three short novel assignments and all components of your research
paper (topic, outline & bibliography, first draft, and final paper). Emails should be sent by the due date and
before the start of the day’s class.
GRADE RECAP
Midterm Exam 23%
Final Exam 23%
Native Son Assignment 8%
Fahrenheit Assignment 8%
Handmaid Assignment 8%
Research Paper 30%
first draft 20
final 10
EXTRA CREDIT:
NONE!!!!!
COURSE OUTLINE
The course outline, along with reading,
meeting, exam, and paper due dates follows. Although it may not
always be possible, we will try to keep to this schedule.
August 31
TOPIC: Syllabus Handout
I believe very strongly that students should know precisely
what they are getting into before
they fully commit to a course.
Today’s very brief class, then, will consist solely of my giving you
your syllabi and pointing out a few especially important provisions. Please take your syllabus with you and read
it very thoroughly before class on Tuesday, September 2. On Tuesday, I will go over the syllabus
completely in class, answering any and every question you might have about
course structure, process, substance, and grading.
ASSIGNMENT: Send me an email using your preferred email account (no
message necessary). ccates@towson.edu *Each person who
submits an email by Wednesday, September 1 will receive a bonus ½ point toward
her/his final grade.
September 2
TOPIC: Class Organization and Introduction
1)Begin reading Wright, Native
Son!!!
We will discuss course structure, process, substance, and
grading.
PART I:
FOUNDATIONS
September 7
TOPIC: IDEOLOGY IN THE AMERICAN
TRADITION: CLASSICAL LIBERALISM
1) Declaration of
2) Federalist #1 http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed01.htm
3) Ginsburg, Chapter 1
4) Read Wright, Native Son!!!
PART II: CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES
September 9
TOPIC: THE “AUXILIARY
PRECAUTIONS”
1) The Constitution (Ginsburg appendix)
2) Ginsburg, Chapter 2 and 3
3) Federalist #51 http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed51.htm
4) Federalist #47 http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed47.htm
5) Federalist #48 http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed48.htm
6) Continue
reading Wright !!!
September 14
TOPIC: same as September 9 (Auxiliary Precautions)
DUE: Last day to
submit preferred paper topics
September 16
TOPIC: “DEPENDENCE ON THE
PEOPLE:” REPUBLICAN DEMOCRACY
1) Federalist 10 http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed10.htm
2) Review Ginsburg, Chapter 2
September 21
TOPIC: Individual meetings to discuss papers. Refer to appointment time.
September 23
TOPIC: Individual meetings to discuss papers. Refer to appointment time.
September 28
TOPIC: Individual meetings to discuss papers. Refer to appointment time.
September 30
TOPIC: Native Son. Class discussion of Native
Son.
DUE: Native Son assignments.
PART III: ACTING
IN POLITICS
October 5
TOPIC: Public Opinion
1) Ginsburg, Chapter 6
2) You should begin reading Fahrenheit 451.
October 7
TOPIC: Campaigns and Elections
1) Ginsburg, Chapter 10
2) Federalist #52 (on House elections) http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed52.htm
3) Federalist #68 (on the Electoral College) http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed68.htm
4) Keep reading FAHRENHEIT 451
October 12
TOPIC: Same as October 7 (Campaigns and Elections)
October 14
TOPIC: Voting Behavior
DUE: Your Outline & Bibliography
October 19
TOPIC: INTEREST
GROUPS
1) Ginsburg, Chapter 11
2) Federalist #10 (again) http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed10.htm
October 21
MIDTERM
EXAM
October 26
TOPIC: Political Parties
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