POLS 100:
American Government and Politics Ms. Kim
Dubose
Section 5 Office
location: DuSable 461
Fall 2004 Office
hours: W
Class meetings: MW
Class location:
DuSable 422 E-mail: kdubose@niu.edu
Required Texts: The required text for
this course is Government By the People: National Version (the
twentieth edition) by Burns, Peltason, Cronin, Magleby, O’Brien and Light. This book can be found at either of the
college bookstores:
Grade Distribution
8 journal
entries x 10 = 80 pts
2 mini papers x 60
= 120 pts
4 exams x 100 = 400 pts
600 total pts
A = 540-600 points
B = 480-539 points
C = 420-479 points
D
= 360-419 points
F = Below 360 points
Attendance Policy: When necessary, I will supplement and/or highlight certain
information in the textbook. Therefore,
it is important that you attend class since the materials you will be tested on
in the exams will not only come from the textbook, but from the lectures, as
well. Although attendance will not be
counted as part of your grade, I will still take attendance. If students are routinely tardy, there will
be deductions from their grades.
Class Format: Most of the class period will be devoted to
the lecture component. But I will
reserve a section of each class period (hopefully) to discussion. Sometimes, this will take place at the end of
the lecture. At other times, I will ask
questions of you throughout the lecture.
While I want to encourage class participation, we have much material to
cover and a limited amount of time to cover it in. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you
reserved questions and comments for those moments when I prompt you.
Class Participation: Participation is very
important. Students’ grades will be affected
favorably by participation.
Although, I recognize that some people are more comfortable speaking in
public than others, I would like to encourage everyone to feel free to offer
his or her opinion. Each of us has a
unique perspective or insight—one that may be valuable and that may not be
considered unless you have the courage to voice it. There are certain ground rules for
discussion. Some of the topics that we
will be discussing may be taboo or controversial. Often when discussing such issues or topics,
debate becomes heated. It is important
to remember that democracy depends upon people being able to express their
opinions without fear of reprisal. It is
also important to note that civility should always attend controversy. In fact, it renders controversy productive. While we should all feel free to voice our
opinions, I will brook no verbal (or physical) bullying or insensitive comments
that do not promote the learning process.
Journal Assignments: Since it is the case
that not everyone feels comfortable expressing their opinions or speaking in
front of groups of individuals, I have decided to add the journal entry
component. Throughout the semester you
will be given a writing assignment/journal entry. The journal entries are to be
typed, a font of 12, double-spaced, and a minimum of two pages. I will give suggestions for questions you may
want to address in the journal entries, which will be a response to newspaper
articles or radio interviews. If you
feel that you want to address other issues in the news, topics or comments
expressed by your fellow classmates or by myself regarding the specific issue
you are to address, please feel free to do so. I will e-mail the reading
assignments for your journal writings so it is extremely important that you get
an e-mail account if you don’t already have one. I should have all e-mail addresses by January
14.
Finally, although the journal entries are less formal than
papers, I still expect that they be carefully thought out. In other words, I want to see or read that
you are grappling with the issues assigned for you to review. The purpose of the journal entries is to have
you examine any underlying assumptions of your arguments and to play devil’s
advocate. That is, whatever your
opinions are, attempt to look at a situation or issue from a different vantage
point, from the vantage point of those who disagree with you.
Paper Assignments: You will be assigned two small essays (approximately 2
pages). Unlike the journal entries,
spelling and grammar will be taken into account when grading. This is not to say that grammar and spelling
will not be taken into account with regard to the journal entries, since bad
grammar and spelling will make it more difficult for me to read and grade any
of the written assignments. If you are
concerned that your writing skills may not be up to par or you simply want to
get the best grade possible, then I advise you to contact the Writing Center in
Reavis Hall 306A. They also maintain a
web site: http://www.engl.niu.edu/writing_center.
Late Assignments: The journal entries will be due at the beginning of each class
period. For each day that the paper
assignments are late, a letter grade penalty will be assessed. If you cannot give an assignment to me
personally, then you should deliver it to one of the secretaries in the
Political Science department on the third floor of Zulauf. You should make sure
the secretary time-stamps it. If
you turn in the assignment on the day it is due, but it is not time-stamped,
then I have no way of knowing this and I will be forced to take off a letter
grade or more. I will not accept
assignments by e-mail. You must either
give them to me personally or hand them in at the political science department
office. Do not leave them in my office when
I am not there.
Make-Up Exams:
There will be no make-up exams without a very good excuse, meaning a documented
medical one. If you foresee that you
will not be able to take an exam at the scheduled time, then you should contact
me as soon as possible, preferably before the exam is given. Without prior notification or a documented
medical excuse, you will receive a zero and a grade of F.
Academic Integrity: NIU’s policy on academic
integrity can be found under general regulations in the undergraduate
catalogue. It states that “students are
guilty of plagiarism, intentional or not, if they copy material from books,
magazines, or other sources without identifying and acknowledging them.
Students guilty of, or assisting others in, either cheating or plagiarism on an
assignment, quiz, or examination may receive a grade of F for the course
involved and may be suspended or dismissed from the university.” If you are uncertain as to how to use proper
quoting, paraphrasing or footnoting, you may want to visit the Writing Center
in Reavis hall 306A. Academic misconduct
also covers receipt or transmission of unauthorized aid on exams and
assignments. The same penalties
apply.
Extra Credit: There will probably be no opportunities for
extra credit. Since this is the case, it
is imperative that you contact me as soon as you realize that you are not
grasping certain concepts or when you feel that you are not living up to your
expectations. I encourage you to see me
during office hours. I am also available
by appointment.
The Department
of Political Science will recognize, on an annual basis, outstanding
undergraduate papers written in conjunction with 300-400 level political
science courses or directed studies. Authors do not have to be political
science majors or have a particular class standing. Winners are expected to attend
the Department’s spring graduation ceremony where they will receive a
certificate and $50.00. Papers, which can be submitted by students or faculty,
must be supplied in triplicate to a department secretary by February 28. All
copies should have two cover pages – one with the student’s name and one
without the student’s name. Only papers written in the previous calendar year can be considered for the
award. However, papers completed in the current spring semester are eligible
for the following year’s competition even if the student has graduated.
Exam I on February 16
Theme: The Foundation and the Three Branches
Chapters 1-4, 11, 12, 15
The Declaration of Independence (p. A-1)
Federalist Paper No. 10 (A-2)
Federalist Paper No. 51 (A-4)
Article I, II, and III of the U.S. Constitution, p. 47-53
Exam II on March 3
Theme: The Politics of Influence and the Influence of Groups on
Campaigns and Elections
Chapters 6, 7, 9
Exam III on April 7
Theme: The Constitution: Give Me Liberty or Give Me…………Security?
Chapters 16-18
The U.S. Constitution
Exam IV on May 3 (The final will be held from 4-5:50)
Theme: Public Policy: The Nuts and Bolts of Liberty, Equality
and Security
Chapters 19-21
Due Dates for Written
Assignments
Written
Assignments Due Dates
Essay #1 January 21
Journal
entry 1 January 26
Essay #2 February 2
Journal entry 2 February 4
Journal entry 3 February 18
Journal entry 4 February 25
Journal entry 5 March 17
Journal entry 6 March 24
Journal entry 7 April 19
Journal entry 8 April 26
The
Semester in Detail
Collect e-mail addresses
Reading assignment: Chapter 1. Constitutional Democracy
Chapter 2. The Living Constitution
Federalist Paper No. 10
Written assignment: Essay Assignment #1: Write a paper on
Federalist Paper No. 10. James Madison,
the author of Federalist Paper No. 10 is concerned with factions and ways of
devising a democratic system to safeguard against divisive factions. You should address these issues in your
essay. According to Madison: where do
factions come from, can they be done away with?
Does Madison favor direct or indirect democracy, majority or pluralistic
democracy a large or small nation? And
why? The due date is January 21. THIS IS NOT A JOURNAL ENTRY, therefore,
you should make sure this paper grammatically correct. Chapter 5. The American Political Landscape
and Chapter 6. Interest Groups: The Politics of Influence illustrate Madison’s
point about factions very well. You may want to skim these.
Reading assignment: Chapter
4. Political Culture and Ideology
Chapter 3. Federalism
Review Federalist Paper No. 10.
Written assignment: Essay
on Federalist Paper No. 10 due.
January 26
Reading
assignment: Chapter 3. Federalism
Written assignment: Journal
Entry #1 due
January 28
Reading
assignment: Article I—The
Legislative Article, p. 47-51
Chapter 11. Congress: The People’s Branch
Federalist Paper No. 51
Written assignment: Essay assignment #2: Federalist
Paper No. 51. In this paper, Madison addresses factions again, but he devises a
system of checks and balances to deal with their potential divisiveness. What does he mean that every branch should
have a will of its own? Which branches
deserve special attention? Which is the
most powerful branch and how does he recommend curbing its authority? This assignment is due on February 2.
February 2
Reading
assignment: Article I—The
Legislative Article, p. 47-51
Chapter 11. Congress: The People’s Branch
February 4
Reading assignment: Article II—The Executive Article, p. 51-52
Chapter 12. The Presidency Branch
Review Federalist Paper No. 51
Written assignment: Journal
Entry #2 Due
Chapter 3. American Federalism, p. 72-77
February 11
Reading assignment: Article
III—The Judicial Article, p. 52-53
Chapter 15. The
Judiciary: The Balancing Branch Chapter
3. American Federalism, p. 72-77
February 16 Exam I
Reading assignment: Chapter 6. Interest Groups: The Politics of Influence
Written assignment: Journal
Entry #3 due
Reading assignment: Chapter 6. Interest Groups: The Politics
of
Influence
February 25
Reading assignment: Chapter 7. Political Parties
Chapter 9. Campaigns and Elections
Written assignment: Journal
Entry #4 due
Reading assignment: Chapter 16. First Amendment Freedoms
Reading assignment: Chapter 16. First Amendment Freedoms
Written assignment: Journal Entry #5 due
March 22
Reading assignment: Chapter 16. First Amendment Freedoms
March 24
Reading assignment: Chapter 17. Rights to Life, Liberty and
Property
Written assignment: Journal Entry #6 due
March 29
Reading assignment: Chapter 17. Rights to Life, Liberty and
Property
March 31
Reading assignment: Chapter 18. Equal Rights Under the Law
April 5
Reading assignment: Chapter 18. Equal Rights Under the Law
April 7 Exam III
April 12
Reading assignment: Chapter 19. Economic and Regulatory Policy
Reading assignment: Chapter 19. Economic and Regulatory Policy
Reading assignment: Chapter 20. Social Policy
Written assignment: Journal Entry #7 due
Reading assignment: Chapter 20. Social Policy
Reading assignment: Chapter 21. Making Foreign and Defense Policy
Written assignment: Journal Entry #8 due