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Department of Political Science and Public Administration
POS 101: Introduction to American Politics
Fall 2016
MW 12:30-1:45., WB 609
Instructor: Dr. David Faris
Office: AUD 860
Email:
Office Phone: 312-322-7152
Cell Phone: 215-908-5221 (urgent matters only)
Office Hours: Wednesdays 2-4 p.m. and by appointment
Course Outline
Let’s be honest: Politics in this country has kind of a bad rap, right? More Americans express approval of historical villains like Josef Stalin than say they approve of the job the United States Congress is doing. The mere threat of political discussion is enough to bring down an iron curtain in the middle of any Thanksgiving dinner. This course asks you to reconsider the proper role of government and politics in our lives. Far from a distasteful vocation best left to sociopaths and narcissists, politics is one of the essential human endeavors, and democratic government is the only way that human beings can peacefully resolve their disagreements without resorting to violence. An understanding of how American politics and political institutions works is essential to your role as an informed citizen, engaged civic participant and socially conscious leader. To that end, this course will focus on the formal institutions of U.S. democracy – Congress, the presidency, the courts, the political parties and U.S. campaigns and elections. We will look at how these institutions developed over time, how they work today, and how they can be improved. This class is also taking place during one of our quadrennial presidential elections, and we will spend a significant amount of time on it. This course also serves as an introduction to the academic field of political science, and students will encounter and grapple with the kinds of questions about U.S. politics which scholars in the field debate.
Goals and Philosophy:
The course is designed to help you become conversant in the major political questions and themes that characterize public debate in the United States. By the end of the course you will be fluent in the kinds of questions policymakers, scholars, and opinion-leaders tackle on a daily basis, by becoming immersed in the discipline-specificcontent of the field. To that end, we will be working toward your ability to effectively communicate ideas and concepts in the field of American politics. Finally, American politics will be read through the framework of social justice, including imagining what kinds of policies, relationships and ideas would be most beneficial to the citizens of the United States.
Required Texts:
The following texts are available for purchase in the university bookstore.
- Christine Barbour and Gerald C. Wright, Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics. 6thBrief Edition
- Norm Ornstein and Thomas Mann, It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism. 2nd Edition.
All other readings will be posted well in advance on Blackboard. Such readings are denoted by a {BB} in the syllabus.
Prerequisites: None
Attendance and Punctuality:
Attendance for this course is mandatory. Each student is allowed to miss three classes without penalty. Each additional absence will deduct 3 points from your final grade.
Grade Components
Exams: There will be three exams, as outlined in the syllabus. Exams will be mixture of essays, multiple choice questions and other components at the discretion of the instructor.
Presentations: Each student will be part of two different presentations on controversial issues in American politics. Details will be distributed on the 2nd day of class.
Participation: Students will also receive a grade based on their contributions to class. The rubric is below:
A: Student rarely misses class, contributes frequently with thoughtful comments clearly drawn from a careful consideration of class materials.
B: Student rarely misses class, contributes occasionally with comments and questions that are clearly drawn from a consideration of class materials.
C: Student misses class frequently, and participates with comments that betray a lack of engagement with class materials. A C will also be assigned to students who attend class diligently but never contribute to class discussions.
D: Student misses class very often and makes contributions to the class environment that are an obvious distraction from the materials, ideas and issues under consideration.
F: Student rarely if ever shows up for class.
Grading
Exam #1: 15%
Exam #2: 30%
Exam #3: 35%
Presentations: 15%
Participation: 5%
The grading scale is as follows. Grades will be rounded down below .5, and rounded up for .5-.9 – i.e. an 89.4 is an 89, but an 89.5 is a 90.
92.5 – 100% : A86.5 – 89.4%: B+76.5 – 79.4%: C+66.5 – 69.4%: D+
89.5 – 92.4%: A-82.5 – 86.4%: B72.5 – 76.4%: C59.5 – 66.4%: D
79.5 – 82.4%: B-69.5 – 72.4%: C-0 – 59.4%: F
Academicdishonesty: The university’s policies on issues such as plagiarism, recycling, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty can be found in the student handbook, which is available as a link here: . Additional guidelines for avoiding plagiarism are available here:
Disability: Roosevelt University complies fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Details about ADA and Roosevelt’s policies and practices are found here: If you have a condition or disability that requires special arrangements, please alert your instructor or the Academic Success Center as soon as possible, certainly before any assignment or classroom activity that requires accommodation. The Academic Success Center is located in AUD 128 in Chicago, and the phone number is 312-341-3818. In Schaumburg, the office is in room 125, and the phone number is 847-619-7978.
Withdrawaldate: The final date for an official withdrawal from this class (meaning a “W” would appear on your transcript) is Tuesday, Oct. 27. After that, if you want to withdraw, you’ll need to petition the registrar. Petitions are granted only for non-academic reasons after the deadline. If you receive financial aid, it’s best to check with your counselor to assure that aid isn’t affected by withdrawing from a class. The complete withdrawal policy is here:
Religious holidays: Please let your instructor know as soon as possible if you will miss class because you are observing a religious holiday. Roosevelt University policy requires written notification to to the instructor within the first two weeks of the term. Any work you miss because of a religious holiday can be made up. You can see the full policy here:
Student Code of Conduct: Students enrolled in the university are expected to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with the university’s function as an educational institution.
Title IX
Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based and sex and gender are Civil Rights offenses subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, etc. If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you should contact our office of Title IX compliance or visit the office in WB 1312. For more information about Title IX please visit
Writing Center
Students who need additional assistance in writing should visit the Writing Center. Information about the center can be found at its website:
University Policy on Absence to Observe Religious Holidays
Roosevelt University respects the rights of students to observe major religious holidays and will make accommodations, upon request, for such observances. Students who wish to observe religious holidays must inform their instructors in writing within the first two weeks of the semester of their intent to observe the holiday so that alternative arrangements convenient to both students and faculty can be made at the earliest opportunity. See the student handbook for further details.
Course Schedule
Week 1: Hello!
Monday, August 29th
Introductions and course outline
Wednesday, August 31st
Read: Barbour and Wright Chapter1 (pp. 2-37)
In class: Discussion, Political Compass
Week 2: What is Politics?
Monday, September 5th
Labor Day: Go barbeque some dead flesh
Wednesday, September 7th
Read: Excerpts from Matthew Flinders, Defending Politics {BB}
In class: Discussion
Week 3: History’s Most Glorified Tax Revolt
Monday, September 12th
Read: Barbour and Wright Chapter 2 (pp. 39-68)
In class lecture: The American founding
Wednesday, September 14th
In class: Discussion
Read: Excerpts from Dahl’s “How Democratic is the US Constitution?” {BB}
Week 4: There Have Been 114 of These (What is Congress?)
Monday, September 19th
Read: Barbour and Wright Chapter 6 (pp. 183-218)
In class: Lecture: Congress
Wednesday, September 21st
In class: Collaborative Presentation: Why Are So Few House Races Competitive?
Read: “It’s Not Just Gerrymandering.” Fair Vote, 2012. {BB}
Week 5: Exam Time
Monday, September 26th
In class: Exam #1
Wednesday, September 28th
In class: Guest speaker David Carpman, staff for Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Read: Nicholas O. Howard and Jason Roberts, “The Politics of Obstruction: Republican Holds in the U.S. Senate.” Legislative Studies Quarterly, 2015. {BB}
Week 6: The Leader of the Free World
Monday, October 3rd
Read: Barbour and Wright, Chapter 7 (pp. 223-255)
In class: Lecture: Presidents and presidential systems
Wednesday, October 5th
In class: Collaborative Presentation: Is the Executive Branch too powerful?
Read: Christopher Kelley, “Rhetoric and Reality: Unilateralism and the Obama Administration.” Social Science Quarterly (2012). {BB}. Binyamin Applebaum and Michael D. Shear, “Once Skeptical of Executive Power, Obama Has Come to Embrace It.” New York Times, August 13th, 2016. {BB}
Week 7: Whose powers are you calling separated? Federalism and the courts
Monday, October 10th
Read: Barbour and Wright, Chapters 9 (291-318) and Chapter 3 (pp. 73-94)
In class: Lecture: The Courts and Federalism
Wednesday, October 12th
Read: Russell L. Weaver, “Advice and Consent in Historical Perspective.” Duke Law Journal, May 1st, 2015. {BB}
In class: Collaborative presentation: The Merrick Garland Crisis
Week 8: What happens when you get past the post? Elections and Electoral Systems
Monday, October 17th
Read: Barbour and Wright Chapter 12 (pp. 395-430)
Lecture: Elections and Electoral Systems
Wednesday, October 19th
In class: Collaborative Presentation: Why Can’t Third Parties Get Any Love?
Read: Shigeo Hirano and James M. Snyder, “The Decline of Third Party Voting in the United States.” Journal of Politics (2007). {BB}
Week 9: (Political) Party Like It’s 1999
Monday, October 24th
Read: Barbour and Wright, Chapter 11 (pp. 355-388)
In class: Lecture: Parties and party systems
Wednesday, October 26th
In class: Collaborative Presentation: The Decline of Political Party Affiliation in the United States
Read: Winneg, Jamieson and Hardy, “Party Identification in the 2012 Election.” Presidential Studies Quarterly (2014). {BB}
Week 10: Exam Time Redux
Monday, October 31st
In class: Exam #2
Wednesday, November 2nd
In class: Lecture: American exceptionalism in constitutional design
Read: Alex Seitz-Wald. “The U.S. Needs a New Constitution: Here’s How to Write It.” The Atlantic, November 2nd, 2013 {BB}.
Week 11: ELECTION WEEK EXTRAVAGANZA
Monday, November 7th
In class: Polls and Public Opinion
Read: Barbour and Wright chapter 10 (pp. 325-350). Michael Butterworth, “Nate Silver and Campaign 2012.” {BB}
Wednesday, November 9th
In class: Election debrief
Week 12: Political Dysfunction in America
Monday, November 14th
Read: Mann and Ornstein chapter 1 “The New Politics of Hostage Taking” and chapter 2 “The seeds of dysfunction”
In class: Lecture: The breakdown of American constitutional democracy
Wednesday, November 16th
In class: Discussion
Read: David Faris, “American Democracy is hurtling toward an apocalyptic showdown about legitimacy.” The Week, June 14th, 2016. {BB}Matthew Yglesias, “American Democracy is Doomed” Vox, October 8th, 2015 {BB}
Week 13: Turkey Apocalypse!
Monday, November 21st
In class: Lecture: The role of the media
Read: Barbour and Wright chapter 13: pp. 435-462. John Herrman, “Inside Facebook’s (Insane, Unintentionally Gigantic, Hyper-Partisan) Political-Media Machine.” New York Times Magazine, August 24th, 2016.
Thanksgiving Holiday: No classWednesday, November 23rd
Week 14: Political Dysfunction in America (Continued)
Monday, November 28
In class: Lecture: Campaign Finance
Read: Mann and Ornstein, Chapter 3 “Beyond the Debt Ceiling Fiasco” and chapter 4 “Bromides to Avoid”
Wednesday, November 30th
Read: Yasmin Dawood, “Campaign Finance and American Democracy.” Annual Review of Political Science (2015). {BB}
In class: Collaborative presentation:Should Elections Be Publicly Financed
Week 15: Fixing American Politics
Monday, December 5th
Read: Mann and Ornstein chapters 5 and 6 (finish)
Lecture: Institutional Design and Reinvigorating American Politics
Wednesday, December 7th
In class: Discussion, exam review
Final Exam: Wednesday, December 14th and 12:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. in our regular classroom
Important University Resources
Academic Success Center: Disability Services, Peer Mentor Program, Tutoring
Chicago campus: room 128 of the Auditorium Building, (312) 341-3818.
Schaumburg campus: room 125, 847-619-7978. Email Nancy Litke at or Danielle Smith at .
Advising: Most undergrads; CCPA, Education, Honors and Hospitality Management students are advised in their programs.
Chicago campus: room 1M10 Wabash Building, (312) 341-4340.
Schaumburg campus: SCH 125; (847) 619-7930
Blackboard Support, Training and Quick Guides: The Blackboard course management system is supported by the RUOnline staff and by the Roosevelt University Help Desk.
Quick guides:
Training:
Help desk:
RUOnline:
Campus Safety:
Auditorium Building: (312) 341-2020
Gage Building: (312) 341-3111
Schaumburg campus: (847) 619-8989
Computer labs: A list of open labs is located here:
Counseling Center: Individual counseling, as well as group and couples counseling.
Chicago campus: room 470 Auditorium Building, (312) 341-3548
Schaumburg campus: room 114, (312) 341-3548
Financial Aid: Chicago campus:Mezzanine, Wabash Building, (866) 421-0935; Schaumburg campus: room 125, (866) 421-0935;
Library: Find everything you need to know at about the Auditorium Building library, the Schaumburg library and the Performing Arts library.
Registrar: Registration, drop/add, withdrawal, transcripts, credit evaluation, graduation.
Chicago campus: Mezzanine floor, Wabash Building, (312) 341-3535;
Schaumburg campus: room 125, (847) 619-7950;
RUWiFi: To access the university’s wireless network, either email or call (312) 341-4357 for the connection key.
Writing Center: Tutors work with students on their writing, in person and online.
Chicago campus: room 442 Auditorium Building; (312) 341-2206;