American National Government and Politics

American National Government and Politics

PSC 121.200 (Fall 2007)

Note: This syllabus is under construction and subject to change.

Class instructors	Class times and locations

Tom Keck (EGG 510)	Lecture session
Phone: 315-443-5862 (ofc)	T, Th 2:00-2:55, Max Aud
Email: tmkeck@maxwell.syr.edu
Ofc hrs: M, W 1:30-3:00, EGG 510

Teaching Assistants	Discussion sections
Ms. Pincock (EGG 024)
Email: hpincock@maxwell.syr.edu	121.201: Th 3:30-4:25, Sims 331
Ofc hrs: M, W 9:30-10:30	121.202: Th 5:00-5:55, EGG 113

Mr. Guardino (EGG 306F)
Email: mpguardi@maxwell.syr.edu	121.203: F 9:30-10:25, EGG 070
Ofc hrs: M 1:30-2:30; T 3:30-4:30; F 12:30-1:30	121.204: F 10:35-11:30, Max 111

Ms. Swedlund (EGG 027)
Email: hjswedlu@maxwell.syr.edu
Ofc hrs: Th 1:30-3:00

Course content and objectives

This course is designed to introduce you to the political system of the United States. We cannot cover everything, of course, but if all goes well, you should learn some things you didn't already know about the ideas, interests, and institutions that have shaped American politics from the founding to today. We'll be focusing on two questions in particular: (1) How divided are the American people? And (2) How democratic are our political institutions? We'll learn a lot about the answers that some political scientists have given to these questions, but more importantly, you'll be "encouraged" (i.e., required) to articulate your own answers, to defend those answers with logical reasons and empirical evidence, and to critically evaluate alternative perspectives.

Course readings

Three required books are available at the SU Bookstore in the Schine Student Center:

Morris Fiorina, Culture Wars?
Sanford Levinson, Our Undemocratic Constitution
Mann and Ornstein, The Broken Branch

I encourage you to purchase all three books if you can, but they will also be available on reserve at Bird Library. If purchasing the books presents a financial hardship for you, please let me know as soon as possible, and I'll see what I can do to help.

Most of our readings will be from the three required books, but we will have some occasional handouts and on-line readings as well.

Course requirements

Grades will be based on two in-class exams (20% each), a four-page paper (20%), a five-page paper (25%), and class participation (15%).

Midterm and final exams

On Wednesday, March 8 (during our regular class time) and Tuesday, May 9 (from 7:15 to 9:15 p.m.), we will have in-class, closed-book exams. Further details will be provided as the times approach.

Paper assignments

All students must complete paper assignments #1 and 2. These assignments each call for you to advance a clear argument of your own, and to support that argument with a close analysis and assessment of our required readings. They do not call for any additional sources, and I discourage you from using any. The papers are due in discussion sections on the dates listed below. Late papers will be accepted only in unusual circumstances, and only with Professor Keck's explicit permission. This policy is described more fully below. All written work should be typed and double-spaced, with reasonable font sizes and margins. For further details about my paper expectations, click here.

1. In a well-crafted essay of approximately four pages, due in sections on February 2/3, answer the following question: Media pundits often describe the American public as politically "polarized." What does this description mean? Is it accurate? If so, how did we get so divided? If not, how did this misconception take hold? In support of your argument, consider one policy dispute (e.g., same-sex marriage or the war in Iraq) in some detail. Be sure to carefully examine Morris Fiorina's account, and for extra credit, examine Thomas Frank's argument in What's the Matter With Kansas? as well.

2. In a well-crafted essay of approximately five pages, due in sections on April 6/7, answer the following question: The framers of the U.S. Constitution sought to design a government that would be responsive to the popular will without itself becoming a threat to liberty. To do so, they divided the government's power among several institutions, hoping in this way to prevent any one "faction" from becoming too powerful. Is this system broken? If so, what does this tell us about the success of the framers' design? Have our political institutions become unresponsive? Or have they become a threat to liberty? Or both? What does Robert Dahl think? How about Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson? Whatever your argument, be sure to support it with specific references to these books and, where relevant, Fiorina's book as well. For extra credit, consider Sherrod Brown's account of Congress from the Inside too.

Extra credit assignment

If you were dissatisfied with your grade on the midterm or paper assignment #1, you may replace that grade by completing the following assignment. You cannot, however, replace a grade of zero. I.e., everyone has to complete each of the earlier assignments. In a well-crafted essay of approximately four pages, due in sections on April 20/21, answer the following question: On balance, throughout its history, has the Supreme Court helped or hindered American democracy? How so? Support your argument with specific examples, and be sure to make clear whether your claims are consistent or inconsistent with Jeffrey Rosen's account. For extra-extra credit, consider Justice Breyer's argument in Active Liberty as well.

Class participation

This portion of your grade will be based on your in-class contributions, primarily in the discussion sections. All students are expected to participate in class discussion. This does not mean that you have to come to class with a fully developed point of view about every issue addressed in the reading. It does mean that you need to complete the readings prior to class, and come to class with some thoughts or questions in response to those readings. No one will be penalized for being wrong or imprecise, for expressing uncertainty or frustration, or for changing their minds. But it should be clear that you are trying, that you have done the readings and are working toward a mastery of the material. In particular, you should come to section every week with a clear answer in your head (or better yet, on paper) to the question listed for that week in the schedule below. Your TA may sometimes begin the section by asking for your answer, so don't be unprepared.

Your participation grade will be assigned as follows: In the final discussion section of the semester, you should submit a one-page self-assessment of your class participation. In this self-assessment, you should assign yourself a letter grade (A, B+, etc.) for participation, and then write a paragraph or two explaining and justifying that grade. For example, you might address the following sort of questions: How many times were you absent from class? How often did you participate in class discussions? When you didn't participate, were you nonetheless alert and prepared for class? If so, then why didn't you speak up on those occasions? How often did you do anything that disrupted class discussions or distracted your fellow students (e.g., chatting, sleeping, cell phone ringing, leaving the room during class, etc.)? Your TA will read your self-assessment, compare it with her own perceptions, and then assign you a participation grade. If necessary, I may then adjust this grade slightly for any students who made particularly notable contributions in lecture or on the class listserv.

Course policies, procedures, and resources

Grading policy: Most of the written assignments for this course will be graded by a teaching assistant. If you have any questions about these written assignments, either before or after they are due, you are welcome to speak with either me or the TA. If you are dissatisfied with your grade on any assignment graded by the TA, you may appeal that grade to me. To do so, you should submit a clean copy of the paper to me, which I will re-grade from scratch. This means that you could receive a grade that is lower, higher, or the same as the grade originally assigned.

Late paper policy: Late papers will be accepted only under unusual circumstances, and only with my explicit permission (so don't bother pleading with your TA). If and when I agree to offer an extension, I will grade the late-arriving paper myself.

Academic support services: SU provides a variety of tutoring and academic support services, and I encourage you to avail yourself of these resources. Doing so may help you learn the course material better, determine the best strategies for studying that material, improve your writing skills, and have less stress about your success in the course. Tutoring centers include the Tutoring & Study Center (TSC), the Writing Center, the Math and Calculus Clinics, the Physics Clinic, the Chemistry Clinic, and the Athletics Academic Services Center. All schedules and locations are posted on the TSC website.

Academic misconduct: SU's Academic Rules and Regulations require students to "exhibit honesty in all academic endeavors. Cheating in any form is not tolerated, nor is assisting another person to cheat. The submission of any work by a student is taken as a guarantee that the thoughts and expressions in it are the student's own except when properly credited to another. Violations of this principle include giving or receiving aid in an exam or where otherwise prohibited, fraud, plagiarism, . . . or any other deceptive act in connection with academic work. Plagiarism is the representation of another's words, ideas, programs, formulae, opinions, or other products of work as one's own, either overtly or by failing to attribute them to their true source" (Syracuse University Bulletin 2003-2004: p. 2). (For further details, see the College of Arts and Sciences Resource Guide for Promoting Academic Honesty.) In addition to these rules, you may not submit written work in this class that has also been submitted in another class, unless you have received express permission to do so from the instructors of both classes. If you are caught violating any of these rules, my policy is to assign an F for the course and then to refer the matter to the Student Standards Committee for additional action.

Student academic work: Any work that you produce as part of your participation in this course may be used for educational purposes in future courses. For example, if you write a very good paper, I may distribute it in future classes as a model. If and when I do so, I will always remove your name so that the work is rendered anonymous.

Reasonable accommodation: If you have any disability that may prevent you from fully demonstrating your abilities in this course, you should contact me as soon as possible to discuss accommodations necessary to ensure your full participation and to facilitate your educational opportunities.

Religious holidays: In accordance with SU policy, I will excuse any absences that result from religious observances, provided that you notify me in advance of the planned absence.

Office hours and email communication: My regular office hours are listed above, but you are welcome to make an appointment for some other time, or simply to drop by. The teaching assistants' office hours are also listed above. If you just have a quick question, I encourage you to reach us by email. I have also set up a listserv for the course, to which all students will be subscribed during the first week. (Make sure to give your email address to your TA.) To post a message to the listserv, send it to psc121@listserv.syr.edu. Contributions to the listserv will be counted toward the class participation portion of your grade.

Course schedule

August 28: Course introduction.

I. How Divided Are We?

a bit of text on red state/blue state divide.

Readings

Fiorina, Culture Wars?, all of it
sections from Hacker and Pierson?

Films

August 30: film?

Lectures

September 4: Is the American public polarized?

September 6: Public opinion polls and American democracy

September 11: Public opinion and elections

September 13: Masses and elites

Inequality? and participation?

Unequal polarization?

Discussion sections

August 30/31: Further introduction to the course. No required reading yet, but get started on Fiorina if you can.

September 6/7: Media pundits often describe the American public as politically "polarized." Is this description accurate? If so, how did we get so divided? If not, how did this misconception take hold? Be sure to read Fiorina through p. 78.

September 13/14: What do the American people think about abortion and gay rights? Be sure to read Fiorina through p. 126.

Fiorina, 127-164

Fiorina, 165-207

If voters aren't polarized, then why are the politicians?

Reminder: Paper assignment #1 due in sections this week.

Hacker and Pierson, 1-21

II. How Democratic is the American Constitution?

Over the next few weeks, we'll examine the original design and subsequent development of the American electoral system.

Readings

Levinson

Lectures

The Madisonian Constitution

The Bill of Rights

The rise of political parties

A short history of American elections

Elections today (both electoral college and congressional elections?)

Discussion sections

September 18

September 20

Discussion sections, September 20/21: What was the worst provision of the original Constitution?

If you think Americans are polarized today, you should have seen the election of 1800, in which one party tried to throw the other's leading supporters in jail.

September 25

September 27

Discussion sections, September 27/28: Have our political parties helped or hindered democratic governance?

III. The Institutions of American Government

text

Readings

various handouts here?
The Federalist #78
and 81?
Noah Feldman, "Our Presidential Era: Who Can Check the President" (2006)

Lectures

A. Judges, Presidents, and Democracy

1. What are the second and third branches for?

2. Judicial activism and democracy

3. The imperial presidency and democracy

1. Executive power and the Constitution

October 2

2. A short history of executive power

Alan Brinkley, "The Changing Role of the American Presidency"

October 4

Discussion sections, October 4/5: Is executive power consistent with democratic governance?

B. Legislators and Democracy

1. The people's branch (Which one is that?)

1. Legislative power and the Constitution

"The Legislative Process in Brief" (handout)
Sherrod Brown, excerpt from Congress from the Inside:
- ch. 3, "In Committee" (handout)
- ch. 4, "In the Chamber" (handout)

October 9

October 11

Discussion sections

October 11/12: No sections this week.

Exam review

2. Representation

3. Deliberation

4. Oversight

2. The modern Congress

Dahl, 140-157

October 16

Midterm exam

October 18

Discussion sections, October 18/19

III. How Well is Our Government Working?

To what extent are the institutions of American government working effectively to address the concerns of the American people? Are they responsive or unresponsive? Deliberative or rash? Energetic or gridlocked? We'll focus in particular on Congress -- Is it really "the broken branch"?

October 23

A. America's right turn?