Syllabus American Government & Politics
POLS 100 CRN # 5900
Spring 2010
Class Time 12:00 12:50p: Monday and Wednesday
Office Hours MWF 11:00 to 11:50 & 1:10 to 3:00; also by appointment and I will be available immediately before and after class.
Class Location Montgomery Auditorium
Office Phone Number (815) 753-7054
Office Location 410 Zulauf Hall
E-mail sschrauf@niu.edu
Note: E-mail should NOT be used as a way to communicate any important information. There is no guarantee that I will receive the correspondence in a timely fashion. You should plan to talk to me in person, before and after class regarding planned absences and other important matters. You may also choose to use your teaching assistants office hours to discuss matters of importance. Grades will NOT be given out, by me or by any of the teaching assistants, over the telephone or by e-mail.
Required Text Barbour, Christine et al. 2009. Keeping the Republic, 4th Edition +
Clued
in to Politics, 3rd Edition + The First Year: Obama in the Oval Office
Package. Washington D.C.: CQ Press.
ISBN: 978-1-60426-976-5
Course Objectives This course
is intended to familiarize students with the basic institutional structures of
American Government. To this end, there
will be discussion of the Constitution, federalism, and each of the three
branches of government. We will also
discuss the role played by non-governmental institutions such as political
parties, the media, and interest groups.
A primary focus will be placed on learning the jargon or language of
politics in this country. Students
successfully completing the course will have gained considerable knowledge of
the basic institutional framework of the national government and will become
more astute in understanding media coverage of politics in this country.
Withdrawal Policy It is your responsibility to keep track of the withdrawal deadline.
Evaluation Process The course will be graded on a total points system and there will be a possible 300 points for the course. There will be five section exams, each worth 50 points, held on Fridays in your Discussion Sections and a comprehensive final exam worth 100 points. You must drop the lowest section exam score. Hence, there will only be 200 points attributed to the section exams and 100 points for the final exam for a total of 300 points.
280-300 Points A 250-279 Points B 200-249 Points C
180-199 D < 180 F
Attendance Policy: Attendance is not required in lecture. However, attendance in the Discussion Sections is required. See the Discussion Section specific addendum to this syllabus for details.
Extra Credit Homework Assignments: See the Discussion Section specific addendum to this syllabus for details.
Section Quizzes The section exams and the final exam will have a combination of short answer, true/false, multiple choice, and matching exercises. Approximately 50 percent of the exam questions will come from the reading and 50 percent from lecture.
There will be no make-up exams. If you know you are going to miss an exam you can arrange to take it early. If you miss a section exam because of illness or emergency that exam will be the one that is dropped. All section exams will last a maximum of fifty minutes. If you arrive late on the day of an exam that will reduce the amount of time you have available to take the exam.
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01/11/10 |
Course - Introduction |
Keeping the Republic Chapters 1, 2, & 3 Clued into Politics Chapters 1 & 2 |
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01/13/10 |
Political Ideology
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01/18/10 |
No Class
MLK Holiday
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01/20/10 |
Historical Timeline |
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01/25/10 |
Parts of the
Constitution
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01/27/10 |
Democracy Am. Style
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02/01/10 |
Federalism
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Keeping the Republic Chapters 4, 5, & 6 Clued into Politics Chapters 3, 4, & 5 |
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02/03/10 |
Federalism (cont.)
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02/08/10 |
Civil Liberties |
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02/10/10 |
Civil Rights |
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02/15/10 |
Congress |
Keeping the Republic Chapters 7, 8, & 9 Clued into Politics Chapters 6, 7, & 8 |
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02/17/10 |
Congress (cont.) |
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02/22/10 |
Congress (cont.) |
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02/24/10 |
The Presidency |
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03/01/10 |
The Bureaucracy |
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03/03/10 |
The Bureaucracy (cont.) |
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03/08/10 |
No Class Spring Recess |
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03/10/10 |
No Class Spring Recess |
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03/15/10 |
The Courts |
Keeping the Republic Chapters 10, 11, & 12 Clued into Politics Chapters 9, 10, & 11 |
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03/17/10 |
The Courts (cont.) |
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03/22/10 |
Public Opinion |
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03/24/10 |
Political Parties |
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03/29/10 |
Political Parties (cont.) |
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03/31/10 |
Political Parties (cont.) |
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04/05/10 |
Interest Groups |
Keeping the Republic Chapters 13, 14, & 15 Clued into Politics Chapters 12, 13, & 14 |
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04/07/10 |
Interest Groups (cont.) |
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04/12/10 |
Elections |
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04/14/10 |
Elections (cont.) |
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04/19/10 |
Elections (cont.) |
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04/21/10 |
The Media |
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04/26/10 |
Class Review |
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04/28/10 |
Class Review |
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05/03/10 |
FINAL EXAM Noon in Montgomery Auditorium |
Review |
Disclaimer Test times, class schedules and reading assignments are all subject to change. Regular attendance in class will assure that students will have all the needed information to successfully complete the course.
Academic Honor Code: Academic dishonesty: In preparing for your work and meeting
the requirements of this course, you are expected to adhere to all the rules, regulations,
and standards set forth by the Department of Political Science,
Good academic
work must be based on honesty. The attempt of any student to present as his or
her own work that which he or she has not produced is regarded by the faculty
and administration as a serious offense. Students are considered to have
cheated if they copy the work of another during an examination or turn in a
paper or an assignment written, in whole or in part, by someone else. Students
are guilty of plagiarism, intentional or not, if they copy material from books,
magazines, or other sources without identifying and acknowledging those sources
or if they paraphrase ideas from such sources without 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. (Undergraduate
Catalog)
If you are not sure what constitutes plagiarism, ask. Ignorance will not be tolerated as an excuse. If you are unaware of how to cite properly, visit http://polisci.niu.edu/polisci/audience/plagiarism.shtml.
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 (CARR) on
the fourth floor of the
Undergraduate
Writing Awards: 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 Departments 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 students name and one
without the students 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 years competition even if the
student has graduated.
Department of Political Science Web Site: Undergraduates are 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 the site, go to http://polisci.niu.edu. Also, if you would like to receive the departments e-announcements that feature information on internships, scholarships, lectures, POLS club activities, and other important information via email, please let me know and I will make sure you are added to the list.