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pspa 1010: Introduction to American national government

Spring, 2009
Prof. Michael Hawthorne
Department of Public Administration
217 BA Building
Voice: 910.521.6660
E-mail:michael.hawthorne@uncp.edu 
Office Hours: 1:00-2:00 T, 3:15-4:15 Th and by appointment

This course will introduce you to the American political system, with special emphasis on national politics and institutions. During the semester we will examine a variety of topics, including the formal structure of the government and political system, ideology, political behavior and participation, parties and interest groups, the media, Congress, the Presidency, the bureaucracy, courts, and the policy process. As a survey course, less attention is given to any particular topic in depth in favor of an overview of the political process.

The principal objective of the course is to make you an intelligent observer of American government and politics. Other objectives include reinforcing critical analysis skills, learning how to apply theory to practice, and improving your ability to view events from multiple perspectives. Successfully completing this course will enable you to make sense (at least some of the time) of American politics, enable you to read and understand quality analyses of politics and issues, and learn how the political process will influence your future.

To reach these objectives, you must understand the basic workings of the political system, then be able to examine particular situations and apply that general understanding to these situations. As a result, part of class time will be spent learning the "nuts and bolts" of the political process. Unfortunately, you will have to work your way through this "stuff" to get to the "good" stuff, discussions of particular policies. You can minimize the amount of class time spent on "nuts and bolts" by coming to class prepared. If you do the readings when indicated, we can spend less class time going over the basics and much more time discussing how particular policies come about. We will spend a significant portion of the course discussing political "substance" and related materials, meaning the actual policy decisions produced by our political system. For most students, this is the interesting material in the course, and by combining the "nuts and bolts" along with some good information about many different policies, you should find lots of opportunities to pursue interests and broader your knowledge and thinking.

Much of the "nuts and bolts" will be found in the class readings. These readings should not cause great difficulty, even if they are sometimes a bit dry. To help reduce the dryness of these readings, I have selected a text with strong Web-based features, encouraging active learning. The Web material will help you only if you spend time on line, taking advantage of the many interesting features offered by the text. The reading load is not excessive, considering that the only other class assignments are exams and two very brief papers. Failing to do the readings in a timely fashion will catch up with you at exam time. You are responsible for all material in the readings, even if the material is not discussed in class. The text plays an integral role in the course, so be sure to budget time throughout the semester to do the readings. If you find the readings difficult, or that you are unable to complete them on time, please see me immediately.

What is the secret to getting a good grade? First, keep current with the reading assignments, and think about what you are reading while you read it! Second, attend class regularly; not just when convenient. Third, participate in class and think about what you are hearing, asking questions when necessary. Individuals who follow these guidelines will do well on exams, live happier lives, and will become filthy rich. (Well, two out of three...)

Grades

Grades will be assigned based upon the following weights:

Exam 1 -- 20%
Exam 2 -- 30%
Final -- 35%
Participation -- 15%

Students must write two papers during the semester. The average grade for these two papers can replace the lowest grade from the first two class exams. If the paper grade average is above a B, and you have no exam grades below a B, the paper grades will serve as bonus points for the final exam. Any student failing to submit two papers will receive a ten point reduction in the final course grade calculation. These papers cannot be used to substitute for missing an exam. One paper must be completed and submitted by Feb. 26, 2008.

Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak directly to Disability Support Services and the instructor, as early in the semester (preferably within the first week) as possible. All discussions will remain confidential. Please contact Disability Support Services, DF Lowry Building, 910-521-6695.

Learning is a challenging, serious, and fun process.  To facilitate this process and help you learn, I need you in class.  You should be attending ALL of your college classes on a regular basis.  As this class builds directly on material learned earlier in the class, attendance is crucial.  I will maintain attendance records for use in evaluating class participation, and in case questions arise about possible causes for poor performances.  Treat your class attendance as you would showing up for a serious job you wish to retain and you will not likely have any problems.  This means we would expect an attendance rate of 90% or higher, as would any real employer.  You are strongly advised to use your absences wisely; as with employers, you will not be given "extra" absences when you have a "real problem" after having used up your "free" absences for other reasons. Major health and family issues necessitating absences longer than this time period will be considered only with documentation, and should include consideration of dropping the course due to the absences.

Responsibilities

As a faculty member, I am responsible for creating the best possible class to teach you about American government and politics. As a student, you have responsibilities; these appear below.

• You are expected to arrive on time, and if you are not present when attendance is taken, your subsequent arrival will NOT change your status as absent.  Attendance records will be maintained for mutual benefit in analyzing class performance, and will serve as a significant component of the participation grade.  Students with more than four absences in a class with only approximately 30 meeting days (13% or worse absence rate) will not likely be evaluated as making a reward-worthy contribution to class.
• When you attend class, you remain for the entire class.  Students will not be given permission to leave early except in the most unusual circumstances.
• Do not leave class during the class period unless you are experiencing a significant medical problem.  Feeling you just need to get up and move around and take a quick trip to the bathroom does NOT constitute a significant medical problem.  Students will NOT be allowed to leave class during an exam.
• You need to complete class readings on time if you are to understand and contribute to class discussions.  Sometimes you must read something more than once for full benefit.
• The classroom is a place for learning and discussing. Students engaging in rude, inconsiderate, and unnecessary behavior disrupt these activities. Eating, passing notebooks and notes, private conversations, reading non-class materials, leaving during class, arriving after class has started, etc. are disruptive behaviors. Therefore, I will penalize students engaging in disruptive behavior after an initial warning. 
• No cell phones,music replay, or non-note taking electronic devices should be operating or visible during class. Recorders and computers are allowed  with my permission. Students displaying any part of these devices during class without the instructor's permission will be asked to leave class and counted as absent.
• As you read and prepare for class, think about what you are reading, and what you already know; be prepared to bring questions, comments, reactions to class, rather than sitting passively waiting to be told what you should know.
• Take advantage of office hours to have questions answered, learn how to explore topics in greater depth, and to clarify assignments and requirements. The purpose of office hours is to eliminate the "didn't understand something" or “I don't know how to do this” problem that can occur in class, but that will require you to take the initiative and stop in during office hours or arrange an appointment. I will do all I can to help, but you must let me know when you need help. However, remember that office hours are not intended to allow you to skip class, and then stop in to find out what we discussed while you were "busy" with other matters.
• Electronic mail and forums are great ways to ask questions as they occur to you. I will try to check my e-mail frequently, and you should feel free to use e-mail to ask questions, pursue additional information on topics, or even to request that we spend some additional time in class on some topic. I will also maintain forums on Blackboard for the class to share questions during the semester, and will encourage their use for substantive questions about the class material, assignments, etc..
• All assignments should be completed on time and submitted no later than the due dates; late assignments are penalized. You should turn in all writing assignments electronically through the Drop Box in Blackboard. No assignments are to be submitted without explicit permission by leaving them in my departmental mailbox!  If you do not know how to submit papers through the Drop Box, it is YOUR responsibility to learn!   Assignments submitted more than three days past the due date will NOT be graded.
• Exam/quiz dates are not "suggested" -- those are the days exams will be given. NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES/EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN! You must notify me before the exam and provide me with written documentation explaining the extraordinary circumstances (such as hospitalization or death in family) that justifies your absence from the exam. This does not mean a note you or your friend wrote restating your absence, or you wanted to get an early start on your vacation! All documents must be provided within one week of the scheduled exam date. Students making such a claim for a second time during a semester will be denied. 
• In the event of a missed quiz/exam, if you properly notified me about the absence, you will be required to complete a research paper. I will determine the  paper's topic, length, format, and due date. Failure to meet all specifications will result in a zero for the missed exam grade. If you complete the paper by the due date, I will entertain shifting some of the final grade weight assigned to the missed exam onto the other exams. The paper may serve as the grade for some of the remaining weight assigned to the missed exam. In no case will the reassigned weight equal the missed exam weight (a penalty for missing!). I will solely determine the specifics of all paper-related matters, re-weighting and assignment of grades, etc. Failure to meet any deadlines for notification or completing tasks related to these assignments will result in a grade of zero.
• Pay attention to the Academic Honesty statement following this section. ANY violation of the code, including plagiarism in a paper, will be punished by assigning a zero for the assignment containing the plagiarism; all remaining assignments in the course will be given an automatic zero. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY CITE MATERIAL IN PAPERS, seek help on campus or consult one of the many sources available on citing material for papers. You are a college student, and have been (or should have been) taught how to write papers properly, so a plea of ignorance regarding citation rules will not allow you to escape punishment.
• View the class as an opportunity to learn, engage in stimulating analysis, and exchange ideas with other thoughtful individuals. Treating class as a chore, and treating learning as a burden, isn't nearly as cool as friends make it out to be.

Class participation (and attendance) is crucial to learning. These will play a key role in grades for those on borderlines. Improvement during the semester is always given special consideration.

Academic Honesty

Student Academic Honor Code: Students have the responsibility to know and observe the UNCP Academic Honor Code.  All students should review the Academic Honor Code carefully.

• View Academic Policies (html | PDF - requires Adobe Reader)

with particular attention to pages 52-56.  Violations of the Code will be reported and pursued with extreme vigor.  If you do not understand any part of the Code, it is your responsibility to seek answers to your questions and concerns.   

Reading Assignments

The assigned text is:

O'Connor, Karen and Sabato, Larry. 2008. American Government: Continuity and Change. 8th ed, alternate edition. Longman.

As a student of American politics, and as an intelligent person, you also should read a quality newspaper and other sources of news on a regular basis. (And not just the sports and cartoons, either!) Suggestions and available "deals" will be offered during the first days of class.

Please note: Dates without assignments will continue with previous readings. Assignments should be completed before date listed here! Read any introductory sections, dialogues, etc. Be sure to use the accompanying Web-based learning materials linked to this text.  I reserve the right to move ahead with the next topic if we finish a topic early -- you will, naturally, be notified of this possibility as it arises.

SCHEDULE

Week beginning..	Reading
Jan. 5	Political environment – O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 1
	Constitutional Structure of the Political System
Jan. 12	Constitution – O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 2 Read the Constitution and Federalist #10! (Found in text Appendices)
Jan. 19	Federalism – O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 3, skim Ch. 4 Civil Liberties and Equalities - O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 5, 6
	Individual and Collective Political Behavior
Jan. 26 Feb. 2	Public Attitudes, Political Participation -O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 11, review pp. 138-139, 148-149 EXAM 1 -  TH Jan. 29
Feb. 9	Mass Media O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 15
Feb. 16 Feb. 23	Parties – O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 12 First paper due no later than  Feb. 26!
Mar. 2	Spring Break
Mar. 9	Interest Groups - O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 16
Mar. 16 Mar. 23	Voting and Campaigns - O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 13, 14  EXAM 2  - TH Mar 19
	National Institutions
Mar. 30	Congressional Structure and Behavior - - O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 7, review pp. 131-134
Apr. 6	Presidential Policy Making – O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 8, review pp. 129 - 131
Apr. 13	Bureaucracy - O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 9
Apr. 20	Judicial Behavior and Courts - - O'Connor and Sabato, Ch. 10, review pp. 134-138 Second paper due no later than Apr. 23!
Exam Week	Final Exam -- April 30 -- 10:45 am -- 1:15 pm

 

Updated: Monday, October 18, 2010

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