Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PL 201-1"
COURSE NAME: "American Government"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall Semester 2012

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Gray Lawrence
HOURS: MW 15:00-16:15
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will examine the origins of American democracy and how from fragile beginnings American republican government has survived. The development of majority rule and how federalism shapes the political landscape as a vibrant dimension of American political culture will be closely examined. Civil rights, the media, and campaign finance will receive attention. Finally, the role of the United States in the global community will be examined.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
Course Requirements:
1. Mid-Term Examination
2. A term paper of 10 pages in length due on the last day of class before Final Exam week begins. The subject of the paper will be the following: “Is There Such A Thing As “American Exceptionalism”? Sources for the paper will be the readings available in the library.
3. A film review essay of 3 pages covering a film from the attached list that is due on the last day of class before Final Exam week begins.
4. A book review essay of 3 pages due on the last day of class before Final Exam week begins. Students must select a book from those included on the Book Review list.
5. Oral Report. Each student will participate in a two-member team presentation of a fifteen minute oral report. The topic selection will be made during the third week of class and will come from the attached Oral Report subject list.
6. At least one tutorial will be held with each student during the term to discuss progress in reading and writing assignments.
7. Final Exam.

Reserve Readings:

Texts used for the lectures and available on reserve in the library are Richard Pells, Modernist America: Art, Music, Movies and Globalization of American Culture; Nolan McCarty, et. al., Polarized America: The Dance of Ideology and Unequal Politics; Ron Suskind, Confidence Men; Michael Lewis, Boomerang; Jim Lehrer, Tension City; Joe Bageant, Deer Hunting with Jesus; Stephen Wayne, The Road to the White House 2012; Lewis Gould, The Modern American Presidency; Paul Pierson and Jacob Hacker, Winner-Take-All Politics; Mark Smith, The Right Talk; Benjamin Page and Lawrence Jacobs, Class War? What Americans Really Think About Economic Inequality; Jonas Pontusson, Inequality and Prosperity: Social Europe vs. Liberal America; David Farber, The Age of Great Dreams;
Kate Kenski, et.al., The Obama Victory; David Plouffe, Audacity to Win; E. J. Dionne, They Only Look Dead; Alexander Bloom, Long Time Gone; and Norman Thomas, The Politics of the Presidency.

Additional Readings:

Dick Morris, Power Plays; John Danford, Roots of Freedom; Paul Levine and Harry Papasotiriou, America Since 1945; Susan Jacoby, The Age of American Unreason; W.J. Rorabaugh, Kennedy and the Promise of the Sixties; Dominick Cavallo, A Fiction of the Past; John Diggins, The American Left in the Twentieth Century; Bruce Miroff et. al., Debating Democracy; Greg Palast, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy; Michael Nelson, The Presidency and the Political System; Benjamin Ginsberg, et. al., We The People; Frank Smallwood, The Other Candidates; and Deborah Reed Danahay, Citizenship, Political Engagement, and Belonging.

Book Review List:

Susan Jacoby, The Age of American Unreason; Lewis Gould, The Modern American Presidency; Ron Suskind, Confidence Men; Richard Pells, Modernist America; Bruce Ackerman, The Decline and Fall of the Ameican Republic; Paul Allen Beck and Frank J. Sorauf, Party Politics in America.

Films:
“The Last Hurrah”, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, “Nixon”, “One, Two, Three”, “American Experience: LBJ”, “In the Year of the Pig”, “American Experience: Two Days in October”, “American Experience: My Lai”, “The Most Dangerous Man in America”.

Topics for Oral Reports:

1. “Campaign finance laws regarding presidential elections do not work. Candidates should be allowed to receive unlimited funding from private sources.”

2. “The role of the federal government should be limited to protecting the liberty of American citizens.”

3. “The federal government should not concern
itself with civil issues like gay marriage and abortion.”

4. “The federal government has exclusive authority regarding border issues with a foreign country.”

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The methodology is to isolate the prominent themes and issues regarding the American system of government. With class lectures, class discussions, student directed team reports, and readings the following themes will be covered in class: the origins of the American system of government, the separation of powers, executive and legislative branches of government, the courts, civil rights, the major and minor political parties, presidential elections, campaign finance, and foreign policy.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
The Road to the White House, 9th edition	Stephen J. Wayne		00000

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Mid-Term		15
Term paper		20
Film Review essay		15
Book Review essay		15
Class discussion and participation		15
Final Exam		20

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
Assessment Guidelines for assigning main letter grades: A, B, C,D, and F.

A: Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensiveknowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.

B: This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.

There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.

C: This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.

D: This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.

Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.

F: This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
na

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Lesson 1: Course Introduction.

Lessons 2 and 3: Those Founding Fathers: American Identity and the Foundations of American Politics. (REQUIRED READING: Part 2: “The Founding and the Constitution” pp. 36 – 74 in Benjamin Ginsberg et.al., We The People; Chapter 2: “The Cultural Legacy of World War II” pp. 30 – 53 in Paul Levine and Harry Papasotiriou, America Since 1945; Part 2: “The American Kaleidoscope, Then and Now” pp. 33 – 47 in Tamar Jacoby, ed. Reinventing the Melting Pot.)

Lesson 4: Federalism at National and State Levels. The Courts. (REQUIRED READING: Part 3: “Federalism” pp. 74 – 110 in Ginsberg, We The People)

Lessons 5 and 6: The Presidency. The World as Seen by the White House. (REQUIRED READING: Part 1: “The Electoral Arena” pp. 2 – 108 in Stephen J. Wayne, The Road to the White House; Chapter 1: “Kennedy” pp. 1 – 23 in W.J. Rorabaugh, Kennedy and the Promise of the Sixties; Chapter 2: “Uprooting the Presidential Branch? The Lessons of FDR” pp. 13 – 37 and Chapter 7: “FDR’s Party Leadership: Origins and Legacy” pp. 119 – 133 in Mark J. Rozell and William D. Pederson, FDR and the Modern Presidency; Chapter 8: “The Presidency” pp. 297 – 343 in Christine Barbourd and Gerald Wright, Keeping the Republic; Chapter 1: “The Changing Presidency” pp. 3 – 43 and Chapter 4: “Presidential Character and Performance” pp. 147 – 199 in Norman Thomas, The Politics of the Presidency; “Introduction” pp. 1 – 13 and “The Effect of Messages” pp. 287 – 307 in Kate Kenski, et. al., The Obama Victory.)

Lessons 7 and 8: Congress. (REQUIRED READING: Part VI: “ Congress and Political Change” pp. 371 – 415 in Lawrence Dodd and Bruce Oppenheimer, Congress Reconsidered; Part 12: “Congress” pp. 434 – 480 in Ginsberg, We The People.)

Lessons 9 and 10: Political Parties: Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and the Others. (REQUIRED READING: Chapter 12: “Political Parties” pp. 457 – 499 ini Barbourd and Wright, Keeping the Republic; Part 9: “Political Parties” pp. 306 – 346 in Ginsberg, We The People; Part 1: “Political Parties and Democracy” in John Aldrich, Why Parties? The Origin and Transformation of Political Parties in America; Chapter 5: “Lyndon Johnson and the Roots of Contemporary Conservatism” in Bloom, Long Time Gone; Chapter 14: “Free Societies and the Future” pp. 173 – 195 in John W. Danford, Roots of Freedom; Frank Smallwood, The Other Candidates.)

Lesson 11: Mid Term Exam

Lessons 12 and 13: Elections: Votes, Money, Opinions and the Media. (REQUIRED READING: Part 3: “The Presidential Campaign” pp. 207 – 290 and Part 4 “The Election” pp. 291 – 369 in Wayne, The Road to the White House; Chapter 2: “The Press and the Permanent Campaign” pp. 38 – 54 in Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann, ed. The Permanent Campaign and Its Future; Chapter 5: “The Consequences of Election Web Sites” pp. 125 – 143 in Bruce Bimber and Richard Davis, Campaigning Online; Chapter 11: “Public Opinion” pp. 421 – 457 and Chapter 14: “Voting, Campaigns and Elections” pp. 537 - 581 in Barbourd and Wright, Keeping the Republic; Part 6: “Public Opinion” pp. 196 – 236, Part 10: “Campaigns and Elections” pp. 346 – 200, and Part 11: “Groups and Interests” pp. 400 – 434 in Ginsberg, We The People; Chapter 7: “Super Tuesday” pp. 164 – 176 in David Plouffe, The Audacity to Win; Chapter 13: “Media Culture and the Future of Democracy” pp. 309 – 331 in Edward Morgan, What Really Happened to the 1960s; Michael O’Shaughnessy and Jane Stadler, Media and Society; and Ed Keller and Jon Berry, The Influentials.)

Lesson 14: Faith Based Politics: Puritans, Evangelicals, and Born Again Voters.

Lessons 15 and 16: Civil Rights, Protest, and the Culture of Dissent. (REQUIRED READING: Chapter 6: “ The Second Civil War” pp. 116 – 143 in Lytle, America’s Uncivil Wars; Part 1: “Taking Off” pp. 1 – 99 in Carl Oglesby, Ravens in the Storm; Chapter 12: “from Black Consciousness to Black Power” pp. 155 – 170 in Sellers, The River of No Return; Chapter 2: “The New Left and the American Empire” in Barber, A Hard Rain Fell.)

Lessons 17 and 18: Isolationism and Internationalism: The American Idea Abroad. (REQUIRED READING: Chapter 4: “Vietnam War Mythology and the Rise of Public Cynicisms” in Bloom, Long Time Gone.)

Lessons 19 and 20: Student Oral Reports