Class Information:

Political Science 1, Sections 2638, 2654, 2646

Section 2638 MBBM 130 MW 11:15-12:40

Section 2654 MBBM 106 MW 1:00-2:25

Section 2646 MBBM 134 TTH 11:15-12:40   

Course Policies:

COURSE OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES

One of the greatest attributes of our democracy is our ability to hold different views and opinions about our political system, in particular our government. In many ways we can see conflicts (conflict being a symbol of freedom) in our political system stemming from our different visions of important societal values, such as equality, freedom, liberty, and societal order. As students of politics, we must make an effort to understand and analyze the conflict about such values that continually test American Democracy. How we use our political system to define and apply these values will be part of our focus for this course. Helping us enhance our level of citizenship and gaining a more thorough understanding of our nation’s political process will be a goal as well. While this is an introductory survey course, nonetheless we will cover a large amount of information including; the development of American political institutions, the constitutional foundations and bedrock principles that continue to govern us today, American political traditions, and the functioning of contemporary political processes. Be ready to discuss, think, critically analyze, and write on these topics.

            You will be expected to attend and participate in our class sessions. I will try to vary the format of our meetings with a combination of lecture, discussion, debate, etc. In order to make the most of our class sessions please come to class prepared, that is by doing the required readings. I also encourage you to keep up with current events, since we will start each class meeting discussing such. This is of utmost importance since we are in the first year of a new administration and we have seen it try to manage among other things a major financial crisis not only at home but also abroad, a challenging global economy, high unemployment rates, the healthcare debate, etc. We also have a newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice, and we’ll have to wait and see how she continues to vote on important cases in the current term. You can easily prepare for this by reading the major newspapers, i.e., New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, or by watching the major news channels, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, Fox Network, etc.

            After completing this course you will be able to decribe the concepts, theories, and functions of the American political system, and have a deeper understanding of the political processes and instutions within our government. You will have gained knowledge about our constitution, our three branches of government and how they interact with one another, operating under a system of checks and balances. You will also have gained knowledge about political campaigns and elections, especially those in the last few decades of the 20^th century and the beginning of the 21st. Finally, you will have hopefully become more aware of one’s civic duties and rights as citizens living in this society. More specifically students should meet the following objectives:

1.      Analyze both the theoretical and practical workings of the American political system.

2.      Examine and analyze the major American political institutions including: the Presidency, Congress, The Bureaucracy, Judiciary, Political Parties and Interest Groups.

3.      Distinguish between Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the role government plays protecting and implementing them within our political system.

4.      Examine and assess the concepts of political culture and socialization.

5.      Compare and contrast the various normative and empirical alternatives as to the distribution of political power: Democracy, power elite and pluralism.

6.      Examine the shared power relationship among national, state and local governments (federalism), and how it has changed over the years.

7.      Analyze the organization and functions of local and state government in California.

8.      Evaluate political participation as a channel of communication, with an emphasis on elections, the factors influencing voting behavior, and the consequences for political power and policy making.

9.      Examine the nature of public opinion, how it is measured, and its impact on policy makers and policy making (“agenda setting”).

10.  Assess the roles and functions of the media as sources of information and persuasion.

11.  Compare and contrast the two major political parties, as well as the historic roles played by minor parties.

12.  Analyze the various strategies and techniques used by interest groups to gain access and influence policy makers.

13.  Examine the role of the courts as political institutions, and the environmental pressures that impact their decisions as policy makers.

14.  Analyze the role of citizenship in our society.

Syllabus:

I.  Introduction

    Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Chapter 1: The Democratic Republic

    Miroff, et al., Chapter 4 (5^th edition) Civil Society: Does America Face a Crisis

   Undervalued?

II. The Constitutional Framework

     Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Chapter 2: The Constitution

     Appendices A (The Declaration of Independence)

     Appendix C, (Federalist Paper #51)

     Pages 62-77 (The Constitution)

III.  Federalism

       Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Chapter 3: Federalism

IV. Civil Liberties

      Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Chapter 4: Civil Liberties

      Miroff, et al., Chapter 6: Civil Liberties and War: Debating the USA Patriot

      Act

V. Civil Rights

VI.  Public Opinion and Political Socialization

       Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Socialization

VII. Political Parties

       Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Chapter 8: Political Parties

VIII. Campaigns, Elections and The Media

       Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Chapter 9: Campaigns, Elections, and the Media

       Miroff, et al., Chapter 11: Campaigns and Elections: Professionals Versus

      Activists

IX. Interest Groups

     Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Chapter 7: Interest Groups

     Appendix C  (Federalist #10)

X. Congress

      Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Chapter 10: The Congress

     Appendix E (Party Control of Congress Since 1900)

     Miroff, et al., Chapter 13: Congress: Can Our Representative Serve the Public

     Good?

XI. The Presidency and Executive Branch Bureaucracy

        Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Chapters 11: The Presidency and

        Chapter 12: The Bureaucracy

        (Presidents of the United States-Back page and Back cover)

XII. The Judiciary

         Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Chapter 13: The Courts

         Appendices B (How to Read Case Citations and Find Court Decisions)

         Appendix C (Federalist #78)

         Appendix D (Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court since 1900)

        Constitution?

XIII. Contemporary Policy Issues

          Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Chapter 14: Domestic and Economic Policy

Depending on how far we get on our weekly sessions, the above outline will be subject to modification at the instructor’s discretion. Students will be notified of such changes in advance during our class meetings.

Assignments:

-Class participation and attendance                                (10%)

-Quizzes 2 of 3 (lowest score will be dropped)                  (10%)

-Midterm Examination                                                   (30%)

-Term Paper                                                                 (20%)

-Final Examination                                                         (30%)

Quizzes 

There will be 3 short quizzes given throughout the term. You will have advanced notification of at least 1 week prior to the quiz. Each quiz will consist of 25-30 questions which may include; multiple choice, definitions, true-false, etc., type of questions. Throughout the semester, I will try to give you hints and examples of possible questions. The quiz with the lowest score will be dropped. There will be NO MAKE-UP for the quizzes. If you happen to miss class on the day that a quiz is given, that quiz will be the one dropped from your grade. You will need a scantron for each of the quizzes.

Midterm Exam 

The midterm will consist of two parts; a multiple choice, true-false, matchinng section which might comprise anywhere from 60-75 questions based on both the readings and lectures. And a second part which will be asking you to either write a couple of short essays, or one longer essay, here again, incorporating material from both the readings and lectures. You will need to bring both a scantron and a blue book for the midterm and the final. Note here that only under extreme circumstances and having them discussed with the instructor prior to the midterm will you be given the opportunity to have a make-up exam.

 Term Paper

The term paper, more like a critical writing exercise will be on an assigned topic given in the first couple of weeks of the semester. It must be typed, double-spaced, spell-checked, typical font (Times or Times New Roman), size 12, and with all the normal headings, margins, etc. You are probably familiar with the style from your English writing courses. If you need help with this please don’t hesitate to let me know, I will be happy to help. Note that late papers will automatically be lowered by 1 letter grade.    

Final Exam

The final is not cumulative, although on the multiple choice section, there might be some questions drawn from the first part of the course. It will have the same format as the midterm examination. For both, the midterm and the final, I will give you a study-guide to help you prepare. Here again, remember to bring a scantron and a blue book.

 Extra Credit 

YES! There will be opportunities, we will discuss them throughout the course. 

 NOTE- Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the Special Resource Center on campus as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Please contact me privately as well to discuss your specific needs.

NOTE- It is your responsibility to drop yourself from this course if you need to, you should become aware of the deadline to drop with a "W". DO NOT assume the instructor will drop you if you stop attending class.

Course Material:

The following custom made textbook is required for the course:

-Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt, Miroff, Seidelman, Swanstrom, “POLI 1: El Camino College Edition” Cengage Learning, 2009

ISBN-13:  978-1-4240-7910-0

Online Resources: (useful websites)

Senate

House of Representatives

Executive Branch

The Judiciary