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 COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to introduce students
to the American Political System. It begins with the assumption that politics is a struggle between competing interest
over society's scarce societal resources. The first sessions of the course are designed to provide students with
basic data on the distribution of income, and other key societal resources that are the object of contention in
American politics.
The second segment of the class provides material on the operation of the political system that contributes to
an understanding of the distribution of key societal values analyzed earlier. This part of the class focuses on
both the immediate policy making institutions of American government (congress, the presidency, the courts, and
the bureaucracy) and the broader political forces that shape these institutions.
The course will be taught primarily in lecture format. A half dozen documentaries on such subjects as health care,
poverty, crime, etc. will also be shown in class. Students are, of course, strongly encouraged to participate in
any discussions that these lectures or films may generate.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
A student's course grade will be based on his or her performance on two midterms
and a final exam, as well as an out of class newspaper reading assignment. These components of a student's grade
will be weighted as follows:
- First Mid-term exam 30%
- Second Mid-term 30%
- Final exam 40%
Extra Credit opportunities: during the semester the professor may offer one or more extra
credit opportunities as the situation arises.
While class attendance is not factored directly into the course grade, it is strongly encouraged. As roughly 50%
of exam questions come from class lecture, students with regular attendance in class normally do much better on
required exams than those with poor or irregular attendance.
REQUIRED READINGS:
The readings for the course are drawn from
Empty Dreams, Empty Pockets by John Harrigan. Some limited supplementary readings (mainly newspaper articles relevant
to class material) may also be placed at a local copy shop for reprinting at student expense if the professor deems
it appropriate.
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Lecture Topics and Assigned Readings
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| The Nature of Politics |
Empty Dreams chapter 1 |
| The Constitution |
Empty Dreams chapter 2 |
| Political Culture and Socialization |
Empty Dreams chapter 4 |
| Political Participation |
Empty Dreams chapters 5, 6 |
| Congress |
Empty Dreams chapter 7 |
| The Presidency |
Empty Dreams chapter 8 |
| The Bureaucracy |
Empty Dreams chapter 9 |
| The Courts |
Empty Dreams chapter 10 |
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