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Intro to American Government Associate Professor Bob Turner, PhD [email protected] Office Ladd 316 https://academics.skidmore.edu/blogs/bobturner Office Hours MWF, 11:10-1pm, 4-5 or whenever my door is open or by appointment Introduction to American Politics PL 101, MWF 10:10-11:05am Fall 2019 This course is an introduction to the foundations and workings of the American political system. The main focus of the course is on the institutions and activities of the national government. The assignments and lectures are designed to enhance your ability to think critically about politics, political choices, political institutions, and public policies. The course covers four main topics: the foundation of American politics, citizen participation in the political process, political institutions, and public policy. Learning Objectives Upon completing this class, students should understand: 1. the theoretical and practical considerations that inspired the founding of the American political system and how they help and hinder democratic government today; 2. the causes and consequences of different forms of political participation; 3. the structures and activities of Congress, the Presidency, and the Judiciary; 4. the extent and causes of economic inequality in the United States; 5. how individuals and groups can influence American politics; 6. how political scientists make empirical and normative arguments. Requirements The grades for the course will be based on first midterm (15%), second midterm (25%), a short research paper (30%), and a final exam (30%). Class participation will be taken into account for borderline grades. As befitting your status at one of the “New Ivies”, I have high expectations of student performance. Course Absences A well functioning class that promotes learning requires good attendance. Students should inform me prior to class if they must miss class on a specific day. You are allowed two personal days (absences), after that I will deduct 2.5% from your final grade. For example, you receive a 90% as your final grade, but have missed four classes; your final grade is an 85%. Books and Readings 1. William Bianco and David Canon, American Politics Today, Sixth Essentials Edition 2. Alan Abramowitz, The Great Alignment: Race, Party Transformation, and the Rise of Donald Trump; Yale University Press, 2018. 3. PL 101 Class Reader indicates readings are in class reader 4. Stay current with American politics 1 I plan on three hours of reading for every one hour of class time. You should complete the assigned readings before the topic is discussed in lecture. Class discussions will use the readings and current events as a point of departure. The time to begin caring about your grade is at the beginning of the semester, not the night before an exam or, even worse, the last week of the semester. Please be tolerant of other in the class (including me) who may say things that are upsetting or offensive to you. These moments will occur for each and every one of us. In these moments, you have an opportunity to educate others, to learn about yourself, agree to disagree, or all of the above. Laptop Policy A wide range of research has found that use of a laptop (or similar device) in lecture courses will, on average, reduce understanding of the course material and result in lower grades for you and your classmates. The negative impact on learning and grades affects those who sit around someone using a laptop, as well as the user. Therefore, you may not use your laptop for note taking. See: Sana, F., Weston, T., & Cepeda, N. J. (2013). Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers. Computers & Education, 62, 24-31. Rosen, L. D., Mark Carrier, L., & Cheever, N. A. (2013). Facebook and texting made me do it: Media-induced task-switching while studying. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 948- 958. Fried, C. B. (2008). In-class laptop use and its effects on student learning. Computers & Education, 50(3), 906- 914. Disability If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need academic accommodation, you must formally request accommodation from Meg Hegener, Coordinator of Student Access Services. You will also need to provide documentation which verifies the existence of a disability and supports your request. For further information, please call 580-8150 or stop by the office of Student Academic Services in Starbuck Center. Academic Integrity Students are responsible for reading, understanding, and upholding Skidmore’s Honor Code and provisions of Skidmore’s Academic Integrity Handbook and Student Handbook. Academic dishonesty in any form is not tolerated. By submitting materials to meet course requirements you assert that the work is your own original work and cannot be submitted to more than one class. The penalty for violations of academic integrity are automatic failure of the class and referral to a judicial board and Skidmore administrators for further action. Title IX Statement Skidmore College considers sexual and gender-based misconduct to be one of the most serious violations of the values and standards of the College. Unwelcome sexual contact of any form is a violation of students’ personal integrity and their right to a safe environment and therefore violates Skidmore’s values. Sexual and gender-based misconduct is also prohibited by federal regulations. Skidmore College faculty are committed to supporting our students and upholding gender equity laws as outlined by Title IX. If a student chooses to confide in a member of Skidmore’s faculty or staff regarding an issue of sexual or gender-based misconduct, that faculty or staff member is obligated to tell Skidmore’s Title IX Coordinator or Title IX Deputy Coordinator. The Title IX Coordinator or Deputy Coordinator will assist the student in connecting with all possible resources for support and reporting both on and off campus. Identities and details will be shared only with those who need to know to support the student and to address the situation through the college’s processes. If the student wishes to confide in a confidential resource, The Counseling Center Staff, Health Services, and Victim Advocates are all options available. More information can be found at https://www.skidmore.edu/sgbm or by contacting the Title IX Coordinator or Deputy Coordinator. 2 Sep 4 Introduction—Is American Democracy at Risk? Bianco and Canon Chapter 1, Understanding American Politics Recommended Podcast, Ezra Klein, How Democracies Die, discussion with Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt Jacob Hacker & Paul Pierson on Winner Take All Politics with Bill Moyers, SECTION I. THE FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY Sep 6 Creating the Constitution Bianco and Canon Chapter 2 The Constitution and the Founding, US Constitution Web Assignment #1, Constitutional Scavenger Hunt, Optional: Akhil Reed Amar, America's Constitution: A Biography, CSPAN, Oct 30, 2005 Sep 9 Federalists vs. the Anti-Federalists: Debating the Constitution Mock Constitutional Debate: Federalists vs. the Anti-federalists Bianco and Canon -Appendix A, James Madison, The Federalist, Nos. 10 and 51. Brutus, Anti-Federalist Papers, 18 October 1787 Trevor Burrus, The Anti-Federalists Predicted Today’s Political Morass, and Can Help Us Get Out, The Federalist on November 7, 2016. Sep 11 Interpreting the Constitution Charles Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution, p. 68-70 John Roche, A Reform Caucus in Action, p. 70-74 Martin Diamond, A Reconsideration of the Framers Intent, p 74-78 William Riker, Trading Votes at the Constitutional Convention, p. 72-83 Gordon S. Wood, How Democratic Is the Constitution, New York Review of Books, Feb 23, 2006 Sep 13 and 16 Interpreting the Constitution Jeffrey Toobin, Our Broken Constitution: Everyone agrees that government isn’t working. Are the founders to blame? The New Yorker, Dec 9, 2013 Eric Lane and Michael Oreskes, The Genius of America: How the Constitution Saved our Country and Why It Can Again The Yoni Appelbaum, America’s Fragile Constitution; Founders misread history and established a dysfunctional system of government. A case for a little less reverence.The Atlantic, Oct 2015 September 17 Constitution Day Sep 18 Federalism in Theory; Bianco and Canon Chapter 3, Federalism Sep 20 Federalism in Practice: Laboratories of Democracy or a Race to the Bottom? Eggers and O’Leary, Beyond the Beltway Donahue, The Devil in Devolution Josh Keller and Adam Pearce, NYT, This small Indiana county sends more people to prison than San Francisco and Durham, N.C., combined. Why? Sep 23 What is the role of the market in a democracy? Friedman, Capitalism and Friedman Bowles and Edwards, The Market Erodes Democratic Government Jane Mayer, Covert Operations, The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama, The New Yorker, Aug 30, 2010 Sep 25 What is the role of a citizen in a democracy? 3 Mueller, Democracy’s Romantic Myths Loeb, The Active Citizen John M. Carey, Gretchen Helmke, Brendan Nyhan, Mitchell Sanders, Searching for Bright Lines in the Trump Presidency, Perspectives on Politics March 2019 Sep 27 American Political Culture, Is America an Illiberal Democracy Rogers M. Smith, “Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal, and Hartz: The Multiple Traditions in America” Ezra Klein podcast, Carol Anderson on White Rage and Donald Trump, or https://overcast.fm/+F_9GQGcxE Carol Anderson, One Person, No Vote, Trevor Noah, The Daily Show, 10/1/2018 Section II. POLITICAL PARTICIPATION Sep 30, Public Opinion Bianco and Canon Chapter 6, Public Opinion Oct 2, Wednesday, FIRST MIDTERM Oct 4 Does the Public Have Opinions Worth Listening To? Amy Gershkoff and Shana Kushner, Shaping Public Opinion: The 9/11-Iraq Connection in the Bush Administration’s Rhetoric, Perspectives on Political Science Sept 2005 Vol. 3/No. 3, p. 525-537 Oct 7 Media and Politics Bianco and Canon Chapter 7, The Media Oct 9 Wednesday Yom Kippur NO CLASS October 11 Media Bias Peter Dreier and Christopher R.
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