Course: Tuesday and Thursday, 9:40-10:55 in AMB 210. and Discussion Section

Political Science 101 United States Government and Politics (001) UTK, Fall 2008 Information

Course: Tuesday and Thursday, 9:40- ([email protected]), and Mikel Norris 10:55 in AMB 210. and discussion ([email protected]) section Office: 811 McClung Tower Instructor: Anthony Nownes Telephone: 974-7052 Teaching Assistants: Colin Glennon Email: [email protected] ([email protected]), Rebecca Falls Web Page: http://web.utk.edu/~anownes ([email protected]), Matt Gross Office Hours: 10-11 MWF

Introduction

This course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of American national government and politics. It is also a prerequisite to the Political Science major. The course is divided into three basic parts: 1). The Rules; 2). The Players I: Government; and 3). The Players II: Nongovernmental actors. In Section I we examine the rules of American politics. The basic rules are found in the Constitution. This is where we start. These rules, however, have changed over time. We will examine how the rules change, and how they have changed since the Constitution was ratified. In Section II we begin our coverage of the players. The most prominent players in our system of government are the institutions of government—Congress, the president, the judiciary, and the executive bureaucracy. We will examine all of them. In Section III we examine the other players in American politics—nongovernmental actors including ordinary citizens, interest groups, political parties, and the media.

This course consists of two lecture sessions and one discussion session per week. The discussion sections are small, and they will allow you further to explore issues and ideas raised in lectures. If you have any questions about the course, you should direct them first to your teaching assistant (that is, the person who leads your discussion section). This said, you are always free to come see me during my office hours.

The following items are available for purchase at the University Bookstore:  Edward Sidlow, and Beth Henschen. America at Odds, 6th edition (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage, 2009). Code = SH  Bruce Stinebrickner, ed. Annual Editions, American Government 08/09 (Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education). Code = S

I may provide supplemental readings as well.

1 Grading

I will calculate your grade as follows: D = 630-669 points A = 930-1000 points D- = 600-629 points A- = 900-929 points F = 599 points or less B+ = 870-899 points B = 830-869 points You will earn points as follows: B- = 800-829 points 400 points for two midterm exams C+ = 770-799 points 150 points for three quizzes C = 730-769 points 300 points for a final exam C- = 700-729 points 150 points for a short paper assignment D+ = 670-699 points

Policies

Accommodations for students with disabilities: I am committed to making all necessary accommodations for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities are urged to contact the Office of Disability Services (2227 Dunford Hall, Phone: (865) 974-6087, Fax: (865) 974-9552, Email: [email protected]) to learn more about their rights and responsibilities. Here is an excerpt from Hilltopics about the Office: “The Office of Disability Services (ODS) is the designated office on campus that obtains and files disability-related documents, certifies eligibility for services, determines reasonable accommodations, and develops plans for the provision of such accommodations” (Hilltopics, p. 48).

Attendance: I strongly encourage you to attend class (both the lecture and your discussion section). Neither I nor your TA, however, will take attendance. If you want to do well in this class, I suggest you attend and participate.

Cheating and Plagiarism: Cheating is wrong, and I do not like it. If I catch you cheating (e.g., looking at someone else’s paper during a test or quiz, consulting notes during a test or quiz), I will punish you. Cheating carries with it a severe penalty, and may even lead to expulsion from the university. So do not cheat.

I will not tolerate plagiarism. The following is an excerpt from the University of Tennessee’s Honor Statement, which can be found in Hilltopics, which is the official student handbook of the University of Tennessee: “Students are also responsible for any act of plagiarism. Plagiarism is using the intellectual property or product of someone else without giving proper credit. The undocumented use of someone else’s words or ideas in any medium of communication (unless such information is recognized as common knowledge) is a serious offense, subject to disciplinary action that may include failure in a course and/or dismissal from the University. Specific examples of plagiarism are:

2 1. Copying without proper documentation (quotation marks and a citation) written or spoken words, phrases, or sentences from any source; 2. Summarizing without proper documentation (usually a citation) ideas from another source (unless such information is recognized as common knowledge); 3. Borrowing facts, statistics, graphs, pictorial representations, or phrases without acknowledging the source (unless such information is recognized as common knowledge); 4. Collaborating on a graded assignment without the instructor’s approval; 5. Submitting work, either in whole or in part, created by a professional service and used without attribution (e.g., paper, speech, bibliography, or photograph)” (Hilltopics, p. 11).

For more on cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic misconduct, consult Hilltopics, pp. 11-24.

Reading: I do not require an inordinate amount of reading in this course. As such, it is important for you to know that you are responsible for everything you read. In other words, if it is in one of your books, you may be tested or quizzed on it.

Talking in class: This class will involve a great deal of discussion. However, you are to speak only when recognized by me. Furthermore, you may NOT talk when someone else (including me) is speaking.

Your research paper: Here is your paper assignment: Write a letter to either your House member or one of your U.S. Senators. In the letter, express your view(s) on some public policy issue. Make sure to: (1) state your position; (2) explain why you feel the way you do about the issue at hand; and (3) state what it is you want your MC to do (e.g., “vote for the proposed bill to ______,” or “vote against the proposed bill to ______”). You can write about any policy issue you choose, but you MUST get clearance for your issue from your TA BEFORE you begin writing. Your letter should be between 3-5 pages long. Your letter should show command of the policy issue in question, as well as familiarity with the views/positions of the MC you choose to write. This means that you may have to do some research. You should make a good, strong argument in favor of your position (whatever that position is). An effective letter will also deal with counter-arguments. You are required to turn in a list of at least five (5) references along with your paper. You should present your finished letter along with a mailing envelope (complete with the correct address) to your TA on Tuesday, 11/25. Your paper will be graded on style, grammar, and content. To earn the maximum number of points, you should: (1) make a convincing argument (i.e., take a position and support that position with good evidence); (2) avoid mistakes (i.e., turn in a paper that is NOT full of grammar, syntax, punctuation, or spelling errors); (3) write enough pages (i.e., write a 3-5 paper, not a two- or 2.5-page paper); (4) use reputable sources (i.e. not Wikipedia).

3 Calendar

Week/Section Topic Reading Comments Week 1: 8/21 (I) Welcome to class SH 1, Week 2: 8/26-28 (I) The Constitution SH 2, S 1, 4 Week 3: 9/2-4 (I) Federalism SH 3, S 2 Week 4: 9/9-11 (I) Civil Liberties SH 4 Quiz 1, Tuesday 9/9 Week 5: 9/16-18 (I) Civil Rights SH 5 Week 6: 9/23-25 Test 1, Tuesday 9/23 Week 7: 9/30-10/2 (II) Congress SH 11, S 19, 22 Week 8: 10/7-9 (II) The Presidency SH 12, S 15, 16 Fall Break, Thursday 10/9 Week 9: 10/14-16 (II) The Presidency/The SH 14, S 25 Quiz 2, Thursday Judiciary 10/16 Week 10: 10/21-23 (II) The Judiciary Week 11: 10/28-30 (II) The Bureaucracy SH 13, S 29 Test 2, Tuesday 10/28 Week 12: 11/4-6 (III) Public Opinion SH 8 Week 13: 11/11-13 (III) Voting/Campaigns SH 9, S 37, 38 and Elections Week 14: 11/18-20 (III) Campaigns and SH 6, S 42 Quiz 3, Tuesday Elections/Interest 11/18 Groups Week 15: 11/25-27 (III) Political Parties SH 7, S 33 Paper due, Tuesday 11/25; Day Off, Thursday 11/27 Week 16: 12/2 (III) Last Day, 12/2

Final Exam: 10:15-12:15, Thursday, December 4 th in this room