This course is a study of the origins, development, structure, and functions of American national government. Topics include the constitutional framework, federalism, the three branches of government including the bureaucracy, civil rights and liberties, political participation and behavior, and policy formation. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the basic concepts and participatory processes of the American political system.
 

Purpose of Course

While students are exposed to basic issues of the American political system, the course emphasizes analysis of current political developments and issues. A critical component to both individual success and the success of this course is active student participation. Therefore, each student is expected to contribute meaningfully to class discussions.  
 

Materials Required

Jillson, Cal American Government: Political Change and Institutional Development, (2nd edition) Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 0-155-05938-6.  

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Methods concentrate almost exclusively on electronic communications resources, namely email, instant messenger service, and the Internet. Students have direct access to the instructor via email or an instant messenger service, and may access course information (syllabus, assignment, announcements, the discussion forum, student email addresses, instructor information, and Internet research links) via the course homepage. 
 

Attendance Requirements

Students are expected to participate in at least ninety percent of the weekly discussions (14 of 15 class discussions). If a student withdraws on or before the Withdrawal Date, she will receive a WP; after this date a student will receive a WP only if he is passing at the time of withdrawal. 
 

Evaluation and Grading Techniques

Assignments for the course include four essays and class participation. There is an eight-hour grace period (ending at 8am, the day after the due date) concerning the due dates for the essays; after the grace period, no assignment will be accepted. 

Academic dishonesty of any kind, including plagiarism and collaboration, will result in an automatic zero for the assignment in question. Successful essays will be based on a critical analysis of the questions, not a simple regurgitation of the facts presented in the text and lecture.
 

Essays

Each essay consists of one, multipart essay question (answers should be approximately two to three single-spaced pages in length -- around a 1000 to 1500 words). The specific question for each essay will be posted two weeks in advance of the due date. The chapters covered by each essay and the corresponding deadlines are listed below:
 

Class Participation

On Fridays, the instructor will post several topic questions to begin each weekly discussion. Students should respond to both the instructor’s questions and the responses of other students. The amount and quality of a student’s postings will provide the basis for the student’s participation grade. To receive full participation credit, students should plan on responding to at least two questions posted by the instructor and three responses posted by other students -- the idea is to get a real on-line discussion going. A student who does not submit a response will be counted absent for that week’s discussion. Please do not wait till the last Friday of our discussion to make your initial response. Students waiting till the last Friday of the discussion to make their initial response will be counted as present for participation grade purposes, but will receive no additional participation credit. Students who achieve at least an A- (9 points or higher) for their overall participation grade will receive 2.5 extra credit points towards their final grade. If you anticipate a problem with participation, you should discuss the matter with the instructor as soon as possible. Please note, a student whose attendance meets expectations (no more than 1 absence or last day initial submission), will receive no lower than a B- (8 points) for his participation grade.
 

Grading

Below is the grade scale for the course. The numbers indicate the minimum point total needed to achieve the listed grade. 
 

**Please note the Point Totals are calculated based on the following percentages: 89.5 - A, 79.5 - B, 69.5 - C, and 59.5 - D. In the calculation of a student's course grade (A, B, C, D, or F) fractions at or above 0.5 are rounded up to the next whole number. 
 

Unit Outline and Schedule of Assignments

The unit outline provides a guideline of the major objectives for each unit. It also provides a schedule of reading assignments. Alterations in the schedule will be posted at least one week in advance. 
 

Unit I: The American System (Weeks 1-5)

The Origins of American Political Principles (Chapter 1)

• What are the broad purposes of government? How should government be designed to achieve its purposes? What lessons relevant to their own thinking about government did colonial Americans draw from the history of ancient Greece and Rome? What circumstances led Europeans to leave their homelands to settle in America? What did democracy mean to our colonial ancestors, and did they approve it?

• What are the decisive events and arguments that produced the American Revolution? What changes in institutional design and allocation of powers were reflected in the post-independence state constitutions? How did the Articles of Confederation and the US Constitution differ from each other? How did the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan differ in regard to the kind of national government that each envisioned? What role did the debate over a bill of rights play in the adoption of the US Constitution?

• How did the meaning of the terms federal and federalism change over the course of the founding and early national periods? What powers and responsibilities did the US Constitution give the national government in relation to the national government? How did the expansion and integration of the American economy over the past two centuries shape the balance of governmental power and authority within the federal system? How was federalism affected by the large federal budget deficits that occurred from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s? Have the complexities and dangers of the late twentieth century rendered our government essentially national, or do state and local governments still have important roles to play?

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Unit II: Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, and Political Movements (Weeks 6-7)

Interest Groups and Social Movements(Chapter 6)

• Have the concerns of the Founders about the problems that factions might pose for our national politics been borne out? How do interest groups go about trying to influence public policy? What role do lobbyists play in the in the political process? Where does the energy that drives social movements come from? What common theme or "frame" did the social movements of the 1960s and '70s use to press their demands upon American society?

• How compatible are the ideas of freedom and equality? Do our commitments to free speech and a free press conflict with our sense that flag burning should be prohibited or that pornography should be regulated? Does our commitment to separation of church and state mean that no trace of religious sentiment or symbolism should emanate from government? Should a killer go free if police commit a procedural error during the arrest and questioning? Does affirmative action to assist minorities or women automatically and inevitably mean reverse discrimination against white men?

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Unit III: Links Between People and Government (Weeks 8-12)

Political Socialization and Public Opinion (Chapter 4)

• Does democracy require that public policy be a direct reflection of public opinion? Where do people get their opinions about politics, and what are the forces that shape those opinions? How well informed is public opinion, and how quickly and frequently does it change? Do the opinions that most Americans hold form coherent packages that we could sensibly call "liberal" and "conservative"? What are the fundamental ways in which liberals differ from conservatives in America today?

• How has the role of the media changed over the course of American history? Does the increasing concentration of media control in the hands of a few private corporations threaten the accuracy and diversity of information available to citizens? How do the media shape the ideas and information that citizens have about their world? How do the media affect how elections are conducted and how government works in the United States? What role should the media play in a democratic society, and what can we do to get our media to play this role?

• How have the role and place of political parties in American politics changed during the past two centuries? How did the progressive reforms of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries affect political parties in the United States? Are American political parties in decline, and, if so, should we be worried about it? How do today's Democrats and Republicans differ by race, income, ideology, and similar characteristics? What role have minor parties, often called third parties, played in American history?

• Why do so many Americans fail to vote even in important elections like those for Congress, governor, or president? How do those who do vote decide which of the parties and candidates to vote for? Who chooses to run for political office, and how do they organize and structure their campaigns? How does the campaign for the presidency differ from campaigns for other offices that are less visible, powerful, and prestigious? Does money dominate presidential elections?

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Unit IV: Institutions (Weeks 13-16)

Congress: Law Making and Domestic Representation (Chapter 9)

• What purposes were the Founders trying to serve by constructing and empowering the Congress as they did? How does the committee system in Congress work to promote specialized knowledge and expertise among members? What are the stages of consideration through which a legislative proposal must pass before it becomes a law? What influences operate on a member of Congress as he or she prepares to make an important legislative decision? How successful has Congress been in its recent reform efforts?

• Did the Founders reject all previous thinking about executive power when they created the American presidency? How did the Founders limit the powers that they placed with the president? What forces account for the growth of executive power over the course of American political history? Does the president have an easier time in shaping and implementing foreign policy than he does domestic policy? Should we be concerned that White House staff member have displaced members of the cabinet as the president's closest advisers?

• What is bureaucracy, and what role does it play in government? How have the size and role of the federal bureaucracy changed over the course of American political history? Is the federal bureaucracy more constrained, that is, less flexible, dynamic, and innovative, than most large corporate bureaucracies? How do the president, Congress, and courts exercise control over the bureaucracy? What were the principal goals of the Clinton-Gore "reinventing government" initiative, and how well were these goals accomplished?

• What are the main differences between the legal traditions that we call the common law tradition and the civil law tradition? How did the idea and practice of judicial review arise in the United States? Has the idea of individual rights replaced the idea of property rights at the heart of American judicial practice? What is the place of the Supreme Court in the judicial system of the United States? How have the climate and tone surrounding the process of nomination and confirmation to judicial posts changed since the mid-1950s? Is judicial activism necessary because some issues are just too difficult for the political branches of the government to confront?