United
States Government
”If
men were angels, government would not be necessary.”
-James Madison
Fall 2009
American Government
Modified Course Outline
Instructor: Amanda Bigelow
Office: D307
Office Phone: 815-224-0203
Email: amanda_bigelow@ivcc.edu
Web Page: http://www.ivcc.edu/bigelow
Office Hours: M & W: 1-3, T: 8:45-9:30 and 10:45-11, Th:
8:45-9:30, 10:45-11 and 12:15-1:45, or by appointment
Health Update: I reserve the right to ask students to leave class if I believe they have an active illness that may threaten the health or safety of other students in the class or if the illness is a distraction to the class environment.
Text: Ginsberg, Lowi, and Weir. We The People: An Introduction to American Politics, 7th Edition, Norton (can be purchased in the IVCC bookstore in person or online at http://www.ivccbookstore.com).
Information on the textbook rental program can be found at http://www.ivccbookstore.com/site_rental.asp?mscssid=124FC272454240A0A567CFE005F2DE5B
BLACKBOARD ACCESS
I will be
using Blackboard for the purposes of group email and for grading. You will
be enrolled as a Blackboard user by me.
To access Blackboard go to the Blackboard webpage (ivcc.blackboard.com) and
click the login button. You will then be able to login by providing your
username and password. Your username consists of the first 3 letters of your
last name and last 4 digits of your Social Security Number (see the example
below). Your password is the first three digits of your SSN. Once you have
successfully logged in to the system for the first time, you should use the
Change Password option in the Personal Information section of the Tool box
(located on the left-hand side of the Blackboard welcome screen. If you have
difficulty accessing the system, you should email me for assistance.
Example: Jane Doeber (Social
Security Number 123-00-4567)
Her username for Blackboard would be: doe4567
Her password for Blackboard would be: 123
However, if you registered as a new student on/after August
10th, then you password will be your student i.d., which is the 7 digits to the
left of the last two digits on the right of your Student i.d. card.
Course Objectives:
*To prepare the student to
become a member of the global community by becoming more aware of the
international system of governments, global interdependency and the strengths
and limitations of current international organizations and state governments.
*To illustrate the inequalities that exist in the world today, analyze how the
American system of government and the international community may perpetuate
these inequalities, and look for solutions to the problems of inequalities in
the world community.
*To give the student an understanding of the nature and scope of political
science both theoretically and historically.
*To make the student aware of her/his social and cultural biases in order to
learn critical analysis skills
*To assist students in demonstrating a competent understanding of International
Relations in the following ways:
*Ability to compare and contrast the traditional and modern approaches to the
study of International Political institutions.
*Ability to describe and compare the philosophies underlying various
intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations
*Ability to describe and analyze the social and political issues besetting the
global environment in the 21st Century.
*Ability to understand the role that each of has to play in the world and
how we as individuals can make a difference. Grading:
Grading:
Class Participation – 30%
Class
attendance is required and students should come to class prepared to discuss the
materials assigned for that week and to discuss any news items on the United
States government they come across that should be raised for discussion. I hope
that students will come to class with insightful questions and/or comments about
the assigned readings and news stories, and I will also be calling on students
at random to answer some questions of my own. Answers to my questions should
show that the student has read and understands the class materials and that they
have the ability to apply critical thinking skills to those materials. The
quality of your contributions is more important than the quantity, but both are
expected.
Below are some guidelines that may help you to understand my expectations and how you will be graded on this portion of your grade.
Excellent contributor (A): The student attends class on a regular basis and comes prepared with insightful comments and questions about the course materials. The student also shows a high level of critical thinking in evaluating course materials. The class as a whole benefits highly from this student’s contributions.
Good contributor (B): The student attends class on a regular basis and often comes prepared with insightful comments and questions about the course material. The student also shows some critical thinking in evaluating course materials. The class as a whole generally benefits from this student’s contributions.
Fair contributor (C): The student attends class more often than not and sometimes comes to class with questions or comments that reflect some insight into the course materials. The student shows some critical thinking in evaluating course materials but often struggles to see beyond personal biases. The class sometimes benefits from this student’s contributions.
Unsatisfactory contributor (D): The student comes to class but is unprepared. Comments are not insightful, are extremely bias or do not benefit the class.
Non-contributor (F): The student either does not maintain regular attendance or attends but does not contribute to class discussions.
Study questions –
20%
Under the links for this course are several
study questions for each reading assignment; due dates for the questions can be
found in the course outline. Keep the answers legible, short and to the point.
These questions, along with class notes will be the basis for exams. You will
be notified in class of any additional assignments.
My notes for this class are available online and some answers may be found in there. Otherwise, you should look to the text or online for the answers. If you are unable to find the answer to a question, email me. These questions, along with class notes, blackboard discussions and reading assignments, will be the basis for exams.
Exams - 50%
There will be three exams throughout the semester. The dates and topic
materials are listed in the syllabus. You must bring a blue book with you to
class on exam day. Blue books can be purchased in the bookstore for a nominal
fee. Exams will consist of short answer questions. Exams will be open
note (not open book). Please come prepared on exam day meaning that you
have a thorough understanding of the materials presented in the notes, readings,
class discussions and study questions. Make-up exams will only be granted to
students who have a valid excuse that can be documented in writing and when I
have approved the absence ahead of time.
Academic dishonesty:
Plagiarism or cheating in any form will not be tolerated. All words or ideas
that are not your own must be cited in all of the work that is submitted for
this course. Anyone caught cheating or plagiarizing may receive a failing
grade for the entire course. Additionally, a report of the transgression
will be filed with the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Academic
dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following examples: 1) Answering
questions in your homework based on materials you obtained from another source
without giving credit to that source. Even if you paraphrase from another
source, you must give credit. When using the exact words of someone else, you
must use quotations and cite. However, you should very rarely do this since you
will not learn as well if you don't put things in your own words. 2) Putting any
material on an exam that is not in your own words. Even if you put something in
your homework that is not in your own words, on an exam it MUST BE IN YOUR OWN
WORDS. 3) Using websites or other sources other than your notes or the text to
take your exam. 4) Turning in any work that is not your own or having someone
else do the work for you.
Final grades:
The grading scale for this course will be as follows:
90-100%=4.0
80-89%=3.0
70-79%=2.0
60-69%=1.0
I round grades up at .5 and down at .4 so every point counts in this class. Also, please be aware that the final grade is not based on total points, rather on weighted grades. The weighting is as follows: 30% for Class Attendance, 50% for exams, 20% for study questions. The final weighted grade in Blackboard is the correct grade.
SPECIAL NEEDS
If you are a student with a cognitive, physical or psychiatric disability you
may be eligible for academic support services such as extended test time, texts
on tape, note-taking services, etc. If you are interested in receiving academic
support services, please contact the Special Populations Office at 224-0284 or
stop by office B204. You can also visit their website at
www.ivcc.edu/disability. You are
also encouraged to discuss your individual needs with the instructor so that
your educational experience is a productive one.
COURSE WITHDRAWAL
In the event that you must withdraw
from this course, you are expected to follow established college procedures
outlined in the college catalog. The final date to withdraw from this course
is Friday November 6th, however, I must receive your request by Thursday
November 5th at 11:59 p.m. in order to process the request on time.
A Few Rules:
1. Please turn off all cell phones and pagers before coming to class.
2. Please leave all electronic devices at home or turned off in your
backpacks.
3. Do not sleep in the classroom.
4. Do not talk while I or others in the class are talking.
5. Do not pack up your things or rustle papers until I have dismissed you
from class.
6. Failure to obey these rules will result in a student being asked to
leave the class. Habitual offenders will be asked to leave the class for the
entire semester and will receive a failing grade at the discretion of the
instructor.
A Note About Respect:
IVCC is an academic
institution where all sincere viewpoints are welcomed, however, this does not
give you license to verbally attack or intentionally offend your fellow
classmates or professor. If you disagree with a person’s point of view, please
do so respectfully and by using critical thinking, not by issuing personal
attacks, sarcasm, or insults. Any student who violates these class policies
will be removed from class at the discretion of the
instructor and will receive a failing grade for the semester.
Class Assignment
Schedule
August 18th
Class procedures and policies. Reading Assignment –
Critical
Thinking and
Cognitive Dissonance
August 20th
Lecture: Critical Thinking and Cognitive Dissonance
Reading Assignment: Read
Ginsberg, Chapter 1. Read the article on the history of social contract found
at
http://www.iep.utm.edu/s/soc-cont.htm
Read chapter 2 from John Locke’s “The Second Treatise of Civil Government” found
at
http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtr02.txt
Read lecture notes on American Democracy online
Chapter 1 study questions
August 25th
New Student Convocation - All Students Must Come to Class
August 27th
Lecture: The
Origins of Democracy
September 1st
Lecture: Political Ideologies
September 3rd
Reading Assignment:
Ginsberg, Chapter 2,
the United States Constitution and the Amendments, Ginsberg, et al A10 – A19
(back of your text), Federalist 10 and 51 from the Federalist Papers (A21-A24)
and The
Constitution lecture notes online.
Chapter 2 Study Questions
September 8th
Lecture:
Constitutional History and the Federalist Papers
Study Questions for Chapter 1 due in class.
September 10th
Lecture: The U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights
Reading Assignment: Ginsberg, Chapter 3 and Federalism lecture notes
online. Also, read
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States,
Katzenbach v. McClung and
Dred Scott v. Sanford
online. Chapter 3 Study Questions.
September 15th
Lecture: Federalism
Reading
Assignment:
Ginsberg, Chapter 4 and Civil Liberties lecture notes online. Also read
Roe v. Wade,
Bowers v. Hardwick,
Lawrence v. Texas
and
Texas v. Johnson online. Chapter 4 Study Questions
Study Questions for Chapter 2 due in class.
September 17th
Lecture: Civil
Liberties
Study Questions for Chapter #3 due in class.
September 22nd
Lecture: Civil Liberties Continued
Ginsberg, Chapter 5 and Civil Rights
lecture notes online.
Also read Plessey v. Ferguson,
Brown v. Board of Education
and “I
Have A Dream” online.
Chapter 5 Study Questions
September 24th
Guest Lecture
September 29th
Guest Lecture
October 1st
Guest Lecture
October 6th
Lecture: Civil Rights
Study Questions for Chapter 4 due in class.
October 8th
Lecture: Civil Rights continued
New Schedule Begins Here
October 27th
Exam I - All materials to date.
Study Questions for Chapter 5 due in class.
Reading Assignment:
Ginsberg, et al, Chapters 12 and Congress lecture notes online.
Chapter 12 Study Questions
October 29th
Lecture: Congress
November 3rd
Lecture: Congress Continued
Reading
Assignment:
Ginsberg, Chapter 13 and The Presidency lecture notes online.
Chapter 13 Study Questions
November
5th
Lecture: The Presidency
Study Questions for Chapter 12 due in class.
November 10th
Lecture: The Presidency Continued
Reading Assignment:
Ginsberg, Chapter 15 and The Judiciary lecture notes online.
Chapter 15 Study Questions
November 12th
Lecture: The Federal
Courts
Study Questions for Chapter #13 due in class.
November 17th
Exam II – Materials
covered in readings and class to date post Exam I.
Study Questions for Chapter 15 due in class.
Reading
Assignment:
Ginsberg, Chapter 6 and Public Opinion lecture notes online.
Chapter 6 Study Questions
November
19th
Lecture: Public Opinion
Reading Assignment: Ginsberg, Chapters 8 and 10 and Elections and Voting
lecture notes online.
Chapters 8 and 10 Study Questions
November 24th
Lecture: Elections and Voting
Study Questions for Chapter 6 due in class
November 26th
NO CLASS - Thanksgiving Break
December 1st
Lecture: Elections and Voting continued
Reading
Assignment:
Ginsberg, Chapter 9 and Political Party lecture notes online.
Chapter 9 Study Questions
December 3rd
Lecture: Political
Parties
Study Questions for Chapters 8 and 10 due in class.
Reading
Assignment: Ginsberg, Chapter 11
and Chapter 7 and Media lecture notes
and Interest Group
lecture notes online.
Chapters 11 and 7 Study Questions
December 8th
"Free Speech for Sale"
Study Questions for Chapter 9 due in class.
December 10th
Exam III - Materials Covered in readings
and class to date post Exam II.
Study
Questions for Chapters 7 and 11 due in class.