NORTHERN
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
POLS 150 Section
3
Spring 2008
Instructor: Megan
Kerr Course Title: Democracy in
Office: DU 476 Course Meeting Place: DU 461
Office hours: MWF
and by appointment
Phone: (815)
753-1818 (office)
E-mail:
kerr.megan1@gmail.com
What This Course Is.
POLS 150, Democracy in America,
studies American political and social institutions primarily through the
political thought, writings, and speeches of three categories of people: 1.)
the nation’s founders and the framers of the Declaration of Independence
and the US Constitution whose work structures the political
controversies reappearing through subsequent generations; 2.) office holders
who bore responsibility for dealing with these controversies and who both changed
and preserved constitutional institutions and democratic thought and practice;
and 3.) the influential non-office holders whose thought helped shape public
opinion, social change, and law, and whose thought provided insight into both
the goodness and badness of American democracy. Among the latter, Tocqueville’s commentary, is still (160 years after its
publication) commonly regarded as the best ever written in this regard and is
also what gives this course its name and its spirit.
Why a Constitutional and
Democratic Focus?
Emphasis is placed on the US Constitution because, as the central
legitimating symbol of American political life, citizens need to understand how
it frames political controversy and how it influences political and social
change. To that end, we will study important debates concerning both democratic
institutions and the meaning of liberty and equality from the
Founding until now. Such debates include whether we needed a national
government and how the framers thought it could be kept from being oppressive;
disputes about what political/economic conditions make American democracy
possible; successive waves of controversies about whether the suffrage
(voting rights) should be expanded; whether the Founders’ Constitution was
democratic; whether it was a slave or a free Constitution; whether it
recognized the humanity of the Negro, as African-Americans were then called;
whether the national government should regulate the economy and provide
welfare; disputes about what democratic representation is; whether separation
of powers prevents democracy or makes it possible; whether religion is an
indispensable political institution or a persistent political problem; what
makes one a citizen; what law-abidingness means and whether it is or is not a
duty; and the relation of women to democratic government and society.
The persistent and over-arching theme of this class will be the disputed
question “What is democracy?” In keeping with its disputed nature, we will
study a range of opposing answers. Considerable attention will be given to the perennial
dispute on whether democracy, in the most humanly and ennobling sense, is
possible primarily through local institutions (as maintained in the American
political tradition by the anti-Federalists and Tocqueville); or whether it is
possible primarily through national institutions (as maintained by the
Progressives, the New Deal, and the Great Society). This dispute turns on
whether democracy is understood to involve (or be) primarily “self-government”
in that oneself and one’s neighbors are primarily responsible for solving the
day-to-day problems of living together (as the Jeffersonian tradition down to
the Republican contract with America maintains); or whether democracy is understood
to involve (or be) a greater degree of national-level government to regulate
the nation’s economy in order to promote “economic democracy” and secure rights
(as the Hamiltonian tradition down to modern “civil liberties” and “civil
rights” maintains).
Both this over-arching theme and the
nature of the readings present a distinctive approach to American democracy and
government. The approach is historical, cultural, and philosophic, particularly
emphasizing the mutual interdependence of governmental and social institutions.
It is further distinguished by its purpose that (unlike POLS 100) is not
necessarily to introduce students to the sub-field of American politics, or even to the political science major/minor
(although it does that). It is aimed at all students whether or not they enter
the course intending further study of political science. Its aim is deepening citizen’s
understanding and awareness of persistent issues, arguments, and themes
of American democracy’s development.
Required Texts and
1.
A POLS
150
Commons Bookstores usually has more of
them).
2.
Alexis
de Tocqueville. Democracy in
2000
(originally published in 1833). Translated, Edited, and with an Introduction by
Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop.
3.
Peter Lawler and Robert Schaefer
ed. American Political Rhetoric. Fifth Edition.
Rowman &Littlefield, 2005.
*As we will be
reading and referring to particular passages in these texts, it is essential
that each student brings a copy of these editions to class.
ATTENDANCE
Attendance at
each class meeting is both expected and required. Attendance is defined as “being present when attendance is taken at
the beginning of each class and remaining until class is dismissed.” Please
do not come late to class, as this is both discourteous and disruptive.
Students who come to class after attendance has been taken will be considered absent.
If there are special circumstances regarding this matter, please discuss them
with the instructor as soon as possible. Students with extended absences due to
illness should notify the instructor as promptly as possible during the absence
and produce appropriate documentation indicating the nature and duration of the
illness. This note should be provided to the instructor at the first class upon
returning. The student’s final grade
will be reduced half a letter grade for each absence over 5.
CLASS PARTICIPATION
Proper
participation in class is both required and rewarded. As this is a course
concerning the discussion of ideas, simple attendance without participating in
discussion is insufficient. The good student will be present and attentive in
class as well as actively participating in class discussion by answering
questions about the assigned readings, raising their own questions, and
volunteering thoughtful observations about the material. Proper class
participation also requires that the student behave with proper courtesy and
regard for others’ comments. Because most of our classes will involve reading
and discussing passages from the assigned texts, students should bring the
appropriate readings to each class. Frequent class discussion will foster a
classroom environment that will be far more interesting and rewarding than a
classroom environment in which the instructor simply lectures every day.
QUIZZES
There will be
6 quizzes given throughout the semester. Only 5 of these quizzes will count
toward the final grade-the lowest quiz grade will be dropped. However, the
remaining ten quizzes comprise 20% of the final grade in the course. The
quizzes will consist of 3 or 4 short answer questions to be completed at the
beginning of class on the dates specified in this syllabus. Each quiz will
cover the class lectures and assigned readings from the preceding week as well
as readings assigned for the day of the quiz. Make-up quizzes will be given
only with adequate documentation that the absence was unavoidable. The make-up
quizzes will be significantly more difficult than the original. It is in the
student’s best interest to avoid make-up quizzes if at all possible.
PAPERS
There will be
1 short essay (900-1000 words) assigned on the date specified in below in the
syllabus (Monday, March 3rd).
Essays are to be handed in at the beginning of class on the due date given in
the syllabus below (Friday, March 28th).
Late papers will be accepted up to three days after the due date; however,
these papers will be docked one letter grade for each day they are late. The
1000-word limit will be taken seriously. Please provide a word count on the first page of your essay. Any paper exceeding the
1000-word limit will be docked one letter grade. Any evidence of plagiarism
will be treated in accordance with university and department policies and
procedures.
EXAMS
There will be
2 examinations in this course-a midterm examination to be taken in class
(Friday, February 29th) and a comprehensive final examination to be
given on the date assigned by the university (Monday, Mayth from
GRADING
Final course
grades are based upon the required written assignments, quizzes, and exams, as
well as the regularity and quality of class participation, less any penalties
due to extended unexcused absences and other non-completed course requirements.
The instructor will not give a formal grade for class participation, although
she reserves the right to raise a student’s grade if she judges that student’s
participation to have been exceptionally good. Grades will not be lowered
merely for lack of active class participation.
APPOINTMENTS
The instructor
will make every reasonable effort to be available to you. If you cannot come
during her scheduled office hours, please e-mail her to schedule a mutually
convenient appointment. Her office number, phone number, and e-mail address are
at the beginning of this syllabus. If you call during her office hours and are
unable to reach her, first try to call again in a few minutes. If she is still
unavailable, please e-mail her and she will get back to you promptly.
STATEMENT CONCERNING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Under section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, NIU is committed to making reasonable
accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Those students with
disabilities that may have some impact on their coursework and for which they
may require accommodations should notify the Center for Access-Ability
Resources (CAAR) on the fourth floor of the
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE WEBSITE
Undergraduates
are strongly encouraged to consult the Department of Political Science web site
on a regular basis. This up-to-date, central source of information will assist
students in contacting faculty and staff, reviewing course requirements and
syllabi, exploring graduate study, researching career options, tracking
department events, and accessing important details related to undergraduate
programs and activities. To reach this site, go to http://polisci.niu.edu/
SOME SUGGESTIONS:
1. Class Participation--The best
way to prepare for each class is to do the readings at least once
(some require more
than one reading) prior to the first day we begin each unit. You will be
much better able
to participate in discussion and to grasp the class discussions if you have
done so.
2. Good Note Taking—Good note
taking is important to your success in this class. Learn to
listen carefully
to the arguments made and write them down as best as you can. Review your
notes after class
to see if they make sense. By reviewing them soon after they are taken,
sometimes you can remember
things that will make sense out of what is confusing. Be sure to
write down the
questions asked by the instructor and those asked by other students. If you
write down their
questions, as well as their answers, you will benefit.
3. Establish Study Groups—Get
together with other students periodically to go over one
another’s notes.
If you got 50% of the lecture and your study partners got 50%, perhaps among
you all, you will
have 75%. What remains unclear can be discussed with the instructor.
Course Schedule:
* The following schedule is meant to serve as a broad outline of the
course. The instructor reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments
to the schedule if necessary.
MONDAY 01/14
Overview of the course syllabus
Introduction: What is liberal education and how does the
study of democracy in
Horace Mann, “Go
Martin Luther King, Jr., “The Purpose of Education,” 1948, RP pp.175-176
I. What is American democracy? How American ideas of democracy have both
changed
and stayed
the same.
WEDNESDAY 01/16
A.
Democracy in
(1833), pp.27-45.
FRIDAY 01/18
B.
The Declaration of Independence, in Lawler, pp.1-4.
MONDAY 01/21 NO CLASS-DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
WEDNESDAY 01/23
C.
At the Founding: Two kinds
of “popular government” and the problem of “faction.”
1. How the Founders distinguished
between two kinds of popular governments:
“democracy"
and “republic.” Federalist Papers #14 in RP, p.161; Federalist
Papers #63
in RP,
pp.60-61; and Federalist Papers #39 in Lawler, pp.45-49.
FRIDAY 01/25 QUIZ #1
2. The problem of “faction” in “popular
governments” and the Founders’ solution.
Federalist Papers
#10 in Lawler, pp.15-21.
MONDAY 01/28
D. Jeffersonian Democracy: Thomas Jefferson, Agriculture vs. Manufacturing as ways of
social life
(1782), RP, pp.161-162. First and Second Inaugural Addresses
(1801, 1805) in
RP,
pp.3-11. “On Citizenship,” RP, pp.33-35.
WEDNESDAY 01/30
E.
Tocquevillian Democracy:
1. Equality of Conditions. DA “Author’s
Introduction,” pp.3-7; pp.45-53; pp.479-482.
FRIDAY 02/01 QUIZ #2
2. Majority Rule. DA “The
Principle of the Sovereignty of the People of
pp.53-55.
“The Omnipotence of the Majority in the
Effects,”
p.165; pp.235-245; pp.250-251.
3.
4. Rights. DA
“The Idea of Rights in the
MONDAY 02/04
F. Slavery and Democracy:
1. Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia (1784), Lawler, pp.247-248.
2. Abraham Lincoln, “Address Delivered at the Dedication of the Cemetery
at
WEDNESDAY
02/06
3. William Lloyd
Garrison, (1843) in RP, pp.11.
4. Frederick Douglass, speech at
Fourth
for the Negro” in RP, pp.12-24.
5. Abraham Lincoln, “Reply to
pp.111-113.
FRIDAY 02/08
G. Economic Democracy:
The Progressives, the New Deal, and the Great Society.
1. Theodore Roosevelt, “Two Noteworthy
Books on Democracy,” in RP, pp.25-27.
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Commonwealth Club Campaign Speech,” (1932) in
Lawler,
pp.188-196.
MONDAY 02/11
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Message on
the State of the
Rights”)
(1944) in RP, pp.28-29.
4. Lyndon
B. Johnson, “Commencement Address at the
in
Lawler, pp.208-210.
WEDNESDAY 02/13
H. Civil Liberties Democracy
I. Civil Rights Democracy
Martin Luther King,
Jr., “I Have a Dream” speech (1963) in RP, pp.30-33.
II. What political institutions enable
American democracy to exist?
FRIDAY 02/15 QUIZ #3
1. Who did the original Constitution provide who could vote? For what offices? For Congress: US Constitution
Article I, Section 2, Clause 1 and Article I, Section 3, Clause 1 in Lawler,
pp.405-406. For President:
2. What are voting and elections for? How important did the Founders think
that the
right
to vote is? Federalist Papers #52 in RP,
pp.38-39.
MONDAY 02/18
3. Who should have a right to
vote? Federalist Papers #39 in Lawler, pp.45-46.
4. What is “universal suffrage”?
a.)
“Chancellor
Convention of 1821, in
RP, pp.39-43.
b.) DA,
“Universal Suffrage,” pp.53-55, p.187, p.230.
WEDNESDAY 02/20 HAND OUT THE MIDTERM EXAM REVIEW GUIDE
5. Voting and Equality (of social
conditions) and voting. Review Tocqueville, DA,
pp.45-53;
pp.479-482.
a.) Extending the right to vote to women
1.) The argument from rights. “The
Resolutions,”
2.) The argument from practical
considerations. Jane Addams, “Why Women
Should Vote,” (1910) in RP,
pp.47-49.
WEDNESDAY 02/20
CONTINUED:
3.) Is voting a right of democratic
citizenship? Minor v. Happersett (1875) in RP,
pp.49-52.
4.)
(1920) in Lawler,
pp.419, 421.
FRIDAY 02/22
b.) Extending the right to vote to
blacks
1.) US Constitution, 15th Amendment (1870) in Lawler, p.420.
2.) Lyndon B. Johnson, “Address on Voting
Rights,” (1965) in RP, pp.52-58.
c.) Extending the right to vote to 18
year olds.
1.) US Constitution, 26th Amendment (1971) in Lawler, p.425.
6. Are there any principled limits
on the right to vote consistent with democracy, in
terms
of either rights or practice?
a.) DA , pp.187-193.
b.) “The
Motor-voter Act,” (1994) Carol Moseley-Braun in RP, pp.59-60.
MONDAY 02/25
7. Who/what should voters have a
right to vote for (directly)?
a.) The
Constitution’s answer: They should be able to vote for their representatives,
but not directly for laws, in RP, pp.60-61.
1.) Why was the Senate originally selected by state legislatures and why was that
changed by the
17th Amendment? Federalist
Papers #63, Lawler, pp.84-86.
2.) Why is the President elected
through the “Electoral College” rather than
through
“direct popular election”? US Constitution, Article II, Section 1,
Clauses
2-4, and 12th Amendment in Lawler, pp.411-412; 418-419.
3.) Why is the Supreme Court appointed
rather than elected? Federalist Papers
#78,
in Lawler, pp.120-126.
WEDNESDAY 02/27
b.) The Progressives’ answer: Voters should
be able to legislate directly (initiative
and referendum)
because representation has failed.
1.) Theodore Roosevelt, “The Heirs of Abraham
Lincoln,” (1913) in RP,
pp.154-160.
2.) Theodore Roosevelt, “The Recall
of Judicial Decisions,” (1912) in RP, pp.61-68.
c.) Constitutional limits on citizen’
right to vote for representatives
1.) Fixed terms of office/progressive arguments for recall/”term limits”
2.) Constitutional requirements to hold office: age, residency, and
citizenship. US Constitution Article I, Section 2, Clause 2, and Article
I, Section 3, Clause 3. Article II, Section 1, Clauses 3 and 5. In Lawler, pp.405, 406; 411-412.
FRIDAY 02/29 MIDTERM EXAM (In class, short answer,
fill in the blank, definitions of
key vocabulary
terms, and who said what). Be sure to bring BLUEBOOKS!
MONDAY 03/03 PAPER TOPIC ASSIGNED
B.
Representation, Political Parties, and Interest Groups
1. The Founders’ Concern: What should
democratic representation do?
a.)
Alexander
Hamilton, Publius Letter, III (1778), “On the
Character of the Legislator,”
in RP,
pp.59-60.
b.)
Federalist
Papers #10 in Lawler,
pp.15-21; #57 in Lawler, pp.79-81; #71 in Lawler,
pp.87-88; #52 in
RP pp.38-39.
c.) DA, p.165, pp.166-172.
WEDNESDAY 03/05
C.
Separation of Powers
1. What is separation of powers and why is
it necessary? Federalist Papers #47 in Lawler,
pp.21-27.
2. What is separation of powers for?
a.) To secure liberty and protect us from
tyranny
1.) Federalist Papers
#48, #51, and #71 in Lawler, pp.27-31, 34-38, and 87-88.
2.) Justice Brandeis in Myers v. US (1926) in RP,
pp.89-90.
FRIDAY 03/07
b.) To make possible an energetic
executive “independent” of the legislature
1.) Federalist Papers
#37 in RP, pp.90-92 (combining stability and energy)
2.) Federalist
Papers #70 in Lawler, pp.86-87.
3.) DA , “Foreign Affairs” pp.217-220.
c.) To make possible an independent judiciary to
enforce the Constitution and laws
1.) Federalist Papers
#78 in Lawler, pp.120-121.
2.) Thomas Jefferson, “Against
Judicial Review,” (1815) in RP, pp.92-93.
MONDAY
03/10-FRIDAY 03/14 NO CLASS-SPRING BREAK
MONDAY 03/17 HAND BACK AND DISCUSS MIDTERM EXAMS
WEDNESDAY 03/19
D.
Federalism: What is it and
why do we have it?
1. US Constitution, Article I,
Sections 8 and 9, in Lawler, pp.408-409. 10th Amendment, in
Lawler, p.418.
2. Distinction between “federal” and
“national.” Federalist Papers #39 in Lawler, pp.45-49.
a.) Important terms: “the federal
government,” “the national government,” “the general
government,”
“sovereignty,” and “division of sovereignty.”
FRIDAY 03/21
QUIZ #4
3. DA,
pp.62-63; pp.57-58; pp.149-154; and p.245, note 1.
4. Ronald Reagan, “The
State of the Union Address,” (1982) in Lawler, pp.60-62.
5. Garcia v. San Antonio
(1985) in Lawler, pp.62-66.
MONDAY 03/24
E.
Religion as a political institution
1. DA , pp.42-44; pp.275-277; pp.278-282; pp.282-288; pp.417-419.
2. US
Constitution, 1st Amendment (1791) in Lawler, p.416.
WEDNESDAY 03/26
3. George Washington,
“Farewell Address,” (1796) in Lawler, pp.43-44.
4. George Washington, “Thanksgiving
Proclamation,” (1789) in RP, pp.93-94; James
Abraham Lincoln,
“Proclamation of Thanksgiving” (1863) in RP, pp.95-96.
FRIDAY 03/28 PAPER DUE
III. Persistent questions about the meaning
of liberty and equality in American democracy
MONDAY 03/31
A.
Religion as a political problem:
1. Thomas Jefferson, “A Bill for
Establishing Religious Freedom,” (1786), in RP,
pp.96-97.
2. Thomas Jefferson, Letter to “Nehemiah
Dodge and Others, A Committee of the
Danbury
Baptist Association, in the state of
3. Thomas Jefferson First Inaugural
Address (1801) and Second Inaugural Address (1805)
in RP,
pp.3-11.
WEDNESDAY 04/02
4. Justice Hugo Black, Everson
v. Board of Education (1947) in RP, pp.99-104.
5. Ronald Reagan, “Remarks at an
Ecumenical Breakfast,”
pp.105-108.
FRIDAY 04/04 QUIZ #5
B. Women and democracy in
1. Tocqueville’s
view of women’s equality and its consequences for democracy. DA,
p.274, pp.278-279,
and pp.563-576.
MONDAY 04/07
2. A
contemporary view of women’s equality and its relation to democracy.
a.) “Change: From What to What,” Keynote speech by Barbara Jordan to the
Democratic National
Convention, July 1992, in RP, pp.108-110.
b.) Jeanne
Kirkpatrick, “Address to the Women’s Forum” (1984), in Lawler, pp.328-330.
WEDNESDAY 04/09
C. Citizenship: What makes one an American? Proposition 187 and the
recent
immigration debate.
1. Being born here or being
naturalized? US Constitution 14th Amendment, in
Lawler,
pp.419-420.
2. Dedication to the proposition that
all men are created equal.
a.) The Declaration of Independence,
Lawler, pp.1-4
b.) Abraham Lincoln, Reply to
pp.111-113
c.) Dred
Scott v.
Taney,
in RP, pp.121-128.
FRIDAY 04/11
d.) Abraham Lincoln, “Speech on
the Dred Scott Decision,”
pp.128-130;
e.) Frederick Douglass, “Speech on the Dred Scott Decision, “
pp.131-136.
f.) Frederick Douglass, “The Meaning of July
Fourth for the Negro,”