Political Science 110-1 and 110-2 Neil H. Cogan
Spring 2019 Office: Platner Hall 107
Office Hours: M Tu W Th 10-10:30 (or by appt.) E-mail: ncogan@whittier.edu
American Government and Politics, Syllabus
Course Description
This course surveys the institutions and principles of American government, the branches of the national and state governments, and legal/political principles such as federalism, separation and balance of powers, and supremacy of the United States Constitution. It surveys the public’s influence upon governmental policy through voting, political parties, political action, interest groups, and the media/Net. We read a wide range of texts, including history, law, political theory, and statistics, in order to give a theoretical and practical foundation to American politics and prepare for advanced courses in political science.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
1. Distinguish the institutions of the national and state governments and their powers and roles;
2. Understand and discuss American political culture, including issues relating to party identification, electoral politics, and civic and religious traditions;
3. Understand and discuss the role of public opinion, media and interest groups, and business organizations in shaping expectations of and actions by government institutions; and
4. Discuss political policy decisions and conflicts using a variety of lenses, including class, culture, education, gender, labor, psychology, race, and religion.
Departmental Goals
In addition to the specific goals of this course, the Political Science Department has various learning goals and objectives for our major. This course seeks to contribute to the following goals and/or objective(s):
Goal 1: Learning about political science: Students should develop a better understanding of and the ability to analyze, synthesize or evaluate, as appropriate, the nature of politics, political behavior, and the political world, including the fundamental issues in the discipline and its sub-fields. As part of this, students should understand the methodologies of the discipline, particularly key issues such as how we know what we know, and what paradigms and/or alternative approaches exist in different subfields.
Objective 2: Students should be able to analyze and evaluate the role of civil society and the private sector (political parties, interest groups, non-governmental organizations, the media, corporations) in the political process.
Objective 3: Students should be able to discuss the nature of the Constitution, and the impact of judges or public administrators on the development of public policy.
Goal 2: Skill Development: Students should develop fundamental skills in written and oral communication, group collaboration, evaluating information, and discerning cause-effect relationships.
Goal 3: Career preparation. Students should gain sufficient background in the field to pursue graduate work in political science, the law, or other disciplines and/or careers in or related to political science.
Objective 1: Students will develop the capability to conduct independent research projects.
Objective 3: Students will have the opportunity to learn about different areas of “practical politics,” including state and local politics, public administration and foreign policy.
Required Texts
The Logic of American Politics, Samuel Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser, and Lynn Vavreck, eds. Sage, 8th ed., 2018
Additional readings may be posted on Moodle along with some reference materials for particular weeks.
Assignments and Grading:
Your grade for the course will be based on the following components:
1. Attendance and participation - 10%
Your attendance and participation in class and any events are essential. Participation can include individual contributions to discussion, small group discussions, and in-class writing assignments as well as being attentive and respectful to fellow participants and me. You are expected to not only attend, but to have completed the reading ahead of time so that your contributions are informed. I generally allow three unexcused absences without penalty, but after that your grade will suffer.
2. Simulation Prep and Participation – 10% (5% each)
We will be doing 2 large in class simulations. The first will be to try and write an updated Constitution employing both the Founders and representatives of current interests. The second will be a simulation of the legislative process including inter-branch relations, interest groups and media impacts. In each you will be assigned a role of either a historic person or a group to represent. Your job will be to prepare and then engage in an attempt to ensure your views are reflected in a 2 to 3 page summary of the steps you took to prepare your positions and how you expect the simulation to proceed.
2. Quizzes – 15 % (1.25% per chapter)
There are quizzes, open-book/open-note, about reading assignments.
3. Midterm – 20% percent
The midterm will be an in-class, open/note essay examination covering material from the first half of the course.
4. Final - 25%
The final will be an in-class, open/note essay examination covering material after the midterm.
5. Paper – 20%
The paper will be a 7 to 9 page (12 point font, double spaced, 1 inch margin) essay that will afford you the opportunity to identify a potential problem in the American political system and explore a proposed solution, including potential political and institutional barriers to reform. This is not an outside research assignment, although outside sources are permitted. The key expectation is that the paper will reflect a comprehensive understanding of the course material as it relates to the issue selected. The nature of proposed solution is less important than problem identification as well as demonstrating an understanding of the process and difficulties of substantial change.
Grade Scale:
100-93.4 A
93.3 – 90 A-
89.9 – 86.7 B+
86.6 – 83.4 B
83.3 – 80 B-
79.9 – 76.7 C+
76.6 – 73.4 C
73.3 – 70 C-
69.9 – 66.7 D+
66.6 – 63.4 D
63.3 – 60 D-
59.9 – 0 F
Spring 2019 Office: Platner Hall 107
Office Hours: M Tu W Th 10-10:30 (or by appt.) E-mail: ncogan@whittier.edu
American Government and Politics, Syllabus
Course Description
This course surveys the institutions and principles of American government, the branches of the national and state governments, and legal/political principles such as federalism, separation and balance of powers, and supremacy of the United States Constitution. It surveys the public’s influence upon governmental policy through voting, political parties, political action, interest groups, and the media/Net. We read a wide range of texts, including history, law, political theory, and statistics, in order to give a theoretical and practical foundation to American politics and prepare for advanced courses in political science.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
1. Distinguish the institutions of the national and state governments and their powers and roles;
2. Understand and discuss American political culture, including issues relating to party identification, electoral politics, and civic and religious traditions;
3. Understand and discuss the role of public opinion, media and interest groups, and business organizations in shaping expectations of and actions by government institutions; and
4. Discuss political policy decisions and conflicts using a variety of lenses, including class, culture, education, gender, labor, psychology, race, and religion.
Departmental Goals
In addition to the specific goals of this course, the Political Science Department has various learning goals and objectives for our major. This course seeks to contribute to the following goals and/or objective(s):
Goal 1: Learning about political science: Students should develop a better understanding of and the ability to analyze, synthesize or evaluate, as appropriate, the nature of politics, political behavior, and the political world, including the fundamental issues in the discipline and its sub-fields. As part of this, students should understand the methodologies of the discipline, particularly key issues such as how we know what we know, and what paradigms and/or alternative approaches exist in different subfields.
Objective 2: Students should be able to analyze and evaluate the role of civil society and the private sector (political parties, interest groups, non-governmental organizations, the media, corporations) in the political process.
Objective 3: Students should be able to discuss the nature of the Constitution, and the impact of judges or public administrators on the development of public policy.
Goal 2: Skill Development: Students should develop fundamental skills in written and oral communication, group collaboration, evaluating information, and discerning cause-effect relationships.
Goal 3: Career preparation. Students should gain sufficient background in the field to pursue graduate work in political science, the law, or other disciplines and/or careers in or related to political science.
Objective 1: Students will develop the capability to conduct independent research projects.
Objective 3: Students will have the opportunity to learn about different areas of “practical politics,” including state and local politics, public administration and foreign policy.
Required Texts
The Logic of American Politics, Samuel Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser, and Lynn Vavreck, eds. Sage, 8th ed., 2018
Additional readings may be posted on Moodle along with some reference materials for particular weeks.
Assignments and Grading:
Your grade for the course will be based on the following components:
1. Attendance and participation - 10%
Your attendance and participation in class and any events are essential. Participation can include individual contributions to discussion, small group discussions, and in-class writing assignments as well as being attentive and respectful to fellow participants and me. You are expected to not only attend, but to have completed the reading ahead of time so that your contributions are informed. I generally allow three unexcused absences without penalty, but after that your grade will suffer.
2. Simulation Prep and Participation – 10% (5% each)
We will be doing 2 large in class simulations. The first will be to try and write an updated Constitution employing both the Founders and representatives of current interests. The second will be a simulation of the legislative process including inter-branch relations, interest groups and media impacts. In each you will be assigned a role of either a historic person or a group to represent. Your job will be to prepare and then engage in an attempt to ensure your views are reflected in a 2 to 3 page summary of the steps you took to prepare your positions and how you expect the simulation to proceed.
2. Quizzes – 15 % (1.25% per chapter)
There are quizzes, open-book/open-note, about reading assignments.
3. Midterm – 20% percent
The midterm will be an in-class, open/note essay examination covering material from the first half of the course.
4. Final - 25%
The final will be an in-class, open/note essay examination covering material after the midterm.
5. Paper – 20%
The paper will be a 7 to 9 page (12 point font, double spaced, 1 inch margin) essay that will afford you the opportunity to identify a potential problem in the American political system and explore a proposed solution, including potential political and institutional barriers to reform. This is not an outside research assignment, although outside sources are permitted. The key expectation is that the paper will reflect a comprehensive understanding of the course material as it relates to the issue selected. The nature of proposed solution is less important than problem identification as well as demonstrating an understanding of the process and difficulties of substantial change.
Grade Scale:
100-93.4 A
93.3 – 90 A-
89.9 – 86.7 B+
86.6 – 83.4 B
83.3 – 80 B-
79.9 – 76.7 C+
76.6 – 73.4 C
73.3 – 70 C-
69.9 – 66.7 D+
66.6 – 63.4 D
63.3 – 60 D-
59.9 – 0 F
- Teacher: Neil Cogan