PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS SYLLABUS

This is America. It is not necessary to press 1 to proceed in English.

Department of Government, Law, and International Affairs

Murray State University

I. Title: POL 140, American National Government, Sections 2 & 3, Spring 2012

II. Instructor's name: Dr. Winfield H. Rose

      Office location:  5A-10 Faculty Hall
      Phone numbers:  (270) 762-2662 (office); 753-0126 (home)
      FAX number:  (270) 762-2688
      E-Mail:  winfield.rose@murraystate.edu
      Homepage:  http://campus.murraystate.edu/academic/faculty/winfield.rose/main.htm
       (Be sure to check this out; it contains this course syllabus and other useful information.)
     Office hours:   9:30 - 10:30 a.m. MWF; 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. TTh; 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. MW.

 III.  Class location,  meeting time & language of instruction: 10:30 - 11:20 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. MWF, January 18 - May 4,  2012;  FH 509; English.

 IV.  Content outline:  see pages 2, 3, and 4 of this syllabus.

   V. Required texts:  (1) Cal Jillson, American Government: Political Change and Institutional Development, any edition.   It is essential that each student purchase this book and read it carefully and regularly.   A study guide to the text should be available in the bookstore for optional purchase; it also is available on reserve at the Waterfield Library.  This study guide contains useful information, including practice tests, that would be very helpful and its utilization is strongly recommended.  (2)  Winfield H. Rose, "The Theological, Philosophical, and Historical Foundations of the American Polity."  This paper gives greater depth to topics covered in chapters 1 and 2 of the Jillson text and may be purchased at Copy Express (in the Waterfield Library) for about $2.50.

 VI. Instructional activities:

Classes will be a combination of lecture and discussion.  Good note taking is absolutely essential.  Class attendance is important and roll will be taken every day.  Students should come to class with their assignment read and they should be prepared to ask as well as answer questions; class attendance and participation will comprise 15% of the course grade. There will be four major tests and a comprehensive final exam at the officially designated time.  There will be no exemptions from this exam.  Absences from tests will not be well received.  "I just haven't had time to get ready" is not acceptable and neither is having a doctor's appointment (schedule it for some other time).  If it is absolutely necessary to miss a scheduled exam, all make-up's will be given Friday afternoon May 4 at two o'clock in FH 509.

 VII.   Grades will be determined as follows:
            Four major tests:  15%, 15%, 15%, and 15%.                             A:  91-100%
            Comprehensive final examination: 15%                                     B:  82-91%
            Outside writing assignment: 10%                                               C:  73-82%
            Class attendance, preparation, and participation:  15%              D:  63-73%
                                                                                                            E:  below 63%

VIII. Prerequisites: An inquiring mind, a desire to learn, and a willingness to work.  If you do not have these, you should not be here.

  IX.  Purpose and Objective.  The purpose and objective of the course is to give the student a  basic knowledge and understanding of what the American political  system is and how and why it works as it does so that he/she may be a better informed citizen and a more effective participant in the political process.  It also counts as a Category IV social science elective in the university studies requirements.
    You should be different for having been here and taken this course.  You should know and understand more on December 8 than you do on August 25.  You should be better prepared to be a good citizen the rest of your life.  Taking this course should move you toward achieving the "Characteristics of the Murray State University Graduate."  If these do not happen, then you have failed and I have failed.  (See "Philosophy of Teaching" on my homepage.)

  X.  Extra Credit.  Extra credit may be earned by renting and viewing classic movies related to the course.  Examples are Advise and Consent, The  Candidate, All the President's Men, Gideon's Trumpet, The Ugly American, Inherit the Wind, and Primary Colors.  Others should be pre-approved in advance and all require the submission of a report for credit to be received.  Instructions may be obtained by clicking here.
    Extra credit also may be received by reading and reporting on newspaper, magazine, internet and journal articles.  You should write a short summary of the article, explain its relevance to the course, and attach a xerox copy.  The same may be done for the websites listed/linked later in this syllabus except simply attach a downloaded and printed copy.
    Extra-credit points will not raise a low C to a B or a low B to an A; they will, however, help tilt you toward the higher grade if you are on the borderline between the two, and the more points you have, the better off you will be.  You will receive one point for each submission; there is no limit to the number of submissions, and you may submit them until the last regular class period.

  XI.  Class policies.  There are eight complete and total prohibitions:  (1) talking to one another when it is time for class to begin or after it has begun; (2) Walkman radios/cassette, CD players, iPods or similar gear; (3) wearing caps in class; (4) eating in class; (5) habitual tardiness; (6) reading or studying other material or doing homework for another class; (7) leaving or preparing to leave before class is dismissed; and (8) texting, cell phones and pagers which sound in class.   Drinking Cokes, Pepsis, coffee, etc., and laptop computers for taking notes are acceptable, but please turn off all cellular phones and pagers when class begins.  Thanks.

 XII.  Academic Honesty.  The policy on academic dishonesty adopted by the Murray State University Board of Regents and reprinted in all official academic bulletins is hereby incorporated into this syllabus.

XIII.  Students with Disabilities:  The Office of Student Disability Services (OSDS) is designed to coordinate and administer services and accommodations for students with documented disabilities. In doing so, OSDS will review disability documentation, meet with students to determine appropriate reasonable accommodations, and work with other areas on campus to implement services.  Their goal is to provide individuals with disabilities access to programs, services, and activities at Murray State University. Contact information:  Velvet Wilson, Director, 423 Wells Hall, Murray State University, Murray, KY 42071, (270) 809-5737, velvet.wilson@murraystate.edu 

XIV.  Equal Opportunity.  Murray State University endorses the intent of all federal and state laws created to prohibit discrimination. Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, veteran status, or disability in employment, admissions, or the provision of services and provides, upon request, reasonable accommodation including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford individuals with disabilities equal access to participate in all programs and activities.  For more information, contact the Director of Equal Opportunity, 103 Wells Hall, (270) 809-3155 (voice), (270) 809-3361 (TDD).

XV.  Political Science Internet Resources.  There is a great amount of information available on the WorldWideWeb and I urge you to spend some time surfing the internet for political and historical information on the United States.  If you are not familiar with this process, go to the title page of my homepage and click on the links there. Yahoo is an excellent search engine on politics and public affairs (Do you Yahoo?). Political Documents contains documents such as the Declaration of Independence, Jurist contains much timely information and Findlaw is an excellent source of court opinions and other legal materials.  The Federal Web Locator, ROLL CALL, PoliSci.com,and the Federal Internet Guide are excellent guides to the federal government on the 'net. Virtually every federal agency has its own website; for example, see the Internal Revenue Service and the FBI.

XVI.  Newspapers and Television.  American National Government is a political science course that is very timely and relevant.  Politics happens all the time, and is reported in the media constantly.  Illustrations of principles and ideas discussed in your text and in class will occur almost every day.  It is imperative for the good student and the good citizen to keep up with these developments by reading newspapers, magazines, and watching television news.  You should read at least one good newspaper a day; better yet would be one national paper such as USA Today and a local paper.  One of the best features of newspapers is columns written by nationally-syndicated political analysts such as George Will, Michael Gerson, Juan Williams, Thomas Sowell and others; these are usually found on the editorial page and  provide excellent analysis and interpretation of the news as well as news itself.  They are online as well and page 1 of the website of the Jewish World Review contains a long list of such columnists.  They also may be used for extra-credit submissions.
    The Fox News Channel is, in my view, the best source of news on television ("We report; you decide.")   It is a 24/7 channel and is carried on channel 49 on the Murray/Charter cable system.  C-Span I and II provide continuous coverage of important events and are carried on channels 50 and 51.  CNN is on channel 47,  and CNBC and MSNBCare on channels 48 and 56 respectively.  To be an intelligent voter in particular and a good citizen in general, your learning must be a continuous, diligent, and life-long process.
 

       COURSE OUTLINE
 

  I.  Introduction (Jillson ch. 1, the Mayflower Compact, and the Declaration of Independence)
       A.  Goals for the course.  Why study American government ?

 II.  The Formal Institutional Setting (Chs. 2 & 3)
        A.  Articles of Confederation (read in Appendix)
        B.  The Constitution (read in Appendix)
                1.  The Founding Fathers and the Constitutional Convention of 1787
                2.  Plans, proposals and compromises
                3.  Ratification and The Federalist Papers (see Appendix; read #'s 10 & 51)
                4.  Interpretations: Beard and McDonald
                5.  Fundamental Principles and Features
                        a.  separation of powers and checks and balances
                        b.  federalism and the types of powers
                        c.  Amendments 11-27; amendments proposed but not ratified

III.  Inputs:  Public Opinion and the Mass Media (Chs. 4 & 5)
        A.  Examine the websites Roper Center for Public Opinion Research,
         The Gallup Organization, Harris Poll Online, and Public Agenda Online
        B.  Definitions and characteristics
        C.  Political socialization and its agents
        D.  Propaganda.  Click on Propaganda Analysis HomePage and study the types and     examples of propaganda presented there.  You will be responsible for this.
        E.  Mass media and the "Madison Avenue" approach to politics: politicians as soap and toothpaste.
        F.  The mass media: are they "out of touch" and can they be believed?
        G.  The talk radio and talk t.v. phenomena (see the Guide to Talk Radio Programming.)

 IV.  Input Linkage I:  Political Parties (Ch. 7)
        A.  What is a political party?                                     See Directory of U. S. Political Parties.
        B.  Party identification in the American electorate
        C.  Functions of political parties
        D.  Party systems: one-, two-, and multi-
        E.  Why a two-party system in the United States?
        F.  Party organization and structure
        G.  Party lineage, doctrine, and dominance
        H.  Political parties in the American system: an evaluation.   

  V.  Input Linkage II:  The Selection of Actors/Voting and Elections (Ch. 8)
        A.  Constitutional standards of eligibility
        B.  Formal requirements for voting                                  See Campaign Secrets.
        C.  Party identification and participation in politics
        D.  Ballot systems
        E.  Expansion of the suffrage
        F.  Nominating methods
        G.  Campaign strategy, techniques, and finance; federal election laws
                    and the Federal Election Commission
        H.  The voting decision
        I.  Turnout and voting patterns
        J.  Typology of elections
        K.  Do elections matter?
        L.  Go to Kentucky State Board of Elections for the current Kentucky election calendar,
                voter registration statistics by county, primary and general election results, and a
                downloadable voter registration card with instructions.
        M.  Go to the official websites of the national Democratic and Republican parties.
        N.  So you want to run for office?  Things to consider.

 VI.  Input Linkage III:  Interest Groups and Social Movements (Ch. 6)
        A.  Enter "lobbying" and "interest groups" into a search engine and see what you get.
        B.  What is an interest group?
        C.  Differences between interest groups and political parties
        D.  What interest groups do and how they do it ;  A Day in the Life of a Lobbyist     
        E.  FORTUNE's 25 Most Effective Interest Groups Today and related links:  Social Groupings and Organized Groups;                                                                                      First Street 30 Revealed;  Special Interest Group Links
        F.  Evaluation: pro's and con's
        G.  Social Movements

VII.  The Political System, Part I:  Congress  (Article I of the Constitution and relevant amendments; chapter 9 in text)
        A.  The origin and powers of Congress
        B.  Recruitment:  what types of people run for Congress?
        C.  Professionalization and turnover; are term limits needed?
        D.  Current party alignment in the House and Senate
        E.  Party cohesion and party discipline
        F.  Representative roles and duties
        G.  The two houses: the House and Senate
                1. leadership
                2. committees, their chairmen, and seniority
                3. major differences
        H.  The legislative process, including the House Rules Committee, the discharge petition, the filibuster, and the President
        I.  Congress in the American system:
                1.  special functions: confirmations, ratifications, investigations; impeachments.   Foreign v. domestic policy
                2.  the powers of the legislative branch compared to those of the executive and judicial branches
                3.  evaluation;  Project VoteSmart:  How to Learn About Your Representatives in Congress

VIII.  The Political System, Part II:  The Presidency (Article II,  relevant amendments and Chapters 10 & 11).  To other good Internet links on the Presidency.   Federal law pertaining to Presidential elections and controversies: Title 3 United States Code, Chapter 1.

 IX.  The Political System, Part III:  The Judiciary (Article III, relevant amendments, Federalist # 78 and Chapter 12).  See Jurist: The Law Professors' Network,  U. S. Judicial Branch Resources and Judicial Nominations.
        A.  The origin and powers of the judicial branch
        B.  Recruitment: what types of people become judges?
        C.  Basic concepts and definitions
        D.  About the Supreme Court
        E.  Selected important decisions of the Supreme Court
        F.  Contributions of Chief Justice John Marshall
        G.  The powers of the judicial branch compared to those of the executive and legislative branches
        H.  The Judiciary in the American system: activism v. restraint

X.  Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (Amendments 1 - 10 & 14, Chapter 13)
        A.  The Bill of Rights; see First Amendment Cyber-Tribune and the
     Second Amendment Foundation.
        B.  The 14th Amendment and the Incorporation Doctrine
        C.  The Bill of Rights interpreted and applied today
        D.  Criminal Justice in America
        E.  Evaluation

 XI.  Public Policy, Foreign and Domestic (Chapters 14 & 15)
        A.  Promoting the general welfare
        B.  Social Security, Medicare
        C.  Regulating the economy
        D.  Taxing and spending: the budget and the national debt; see Tax Foundation
        E.  National security and international affairs: the Cold War and its aftermath

XII.  Concluding Observations

     With the collapse of the Soviet Union a phenomenon the world has seen many times, but which had lain dormant for much of the 20th century, once again stepped to center stage of the great drama of world civilization; that phenomenon is national disintegration.  The pages of history are littered with the debris of past civilizations.  In ancient times the civilizations of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks, Persians, and Romans all came and went.  In later times the Mongols, the Safavid Persians, the Moghuls in India, and the Ottomans in Turkey all established great empires and they likewise vanished.  The same applies to one Chinese dynasty after another.  What happened?  Are there any lessons that can be learned from the histories of these peoples?
    Aristotle wrote in The Politics around 330 B.C. that all societies must, in order to survive and endure, have a glue that holds them together.  Traditional glues of the past have been a common language, a common culture, a common ethnicity or race, a common geographical territory, a common religion, and even a common enemy.  Put another way, they had common values or interests of some sort.
    The Russian communist empire known as the Soviet Union collapsed and disappeared with remarkable speed.  Yugoslavia disintegrated and its former citizens engaged in civil war with one another.  Czechoslovakia broke into two parts.  Canada is struggling with its French minority and in the next referendum on the subject Quebec may vote for separation.  An Amerindian uprising has broken out in Mexico, there is an independence movement in Hawaii and in Scotland, and there is civil war in Liberia.
    Having weathered this storm once in the great Civil War of 1861-65, we must again inquire if the United States is immune to such centrifugal forces.  The United States is not and never has been a homogenous society.  Its people have come from all over the world.  They have brought different cultures from diverse places; they have done so for centuries and they continue to do so.  That is what is called the great American melting pot, and somehow they have merged together to form and maintain a nation, and a rather good one at that.  For our republic to have lasted for over 200 years, it must have had some kind of glue to hold it together.  What has been that glue?
    In the 20th century the United States (and other nations as well) have faced and answered two questions:  (1)  which political system is better, democracy or totalitarianism?; and (2) which economic system is best, capitalism, socialism, or communism?  History has answered those questions in favor of democracy and capitalism.  We fought and won three great wars against tyranny, despotism and totalitarianism: World War I, World War II and the Cold War.
     Now, in a new century, we face the new enemy of militant Islamic fundamentalism, sometimes called "Islamofascism." We all know what happened on and since September 11, 2001.  Some say this threat is even worse than Nazism and Communism.  We are currently engaged in a war in Iraq, a war in which the Brits and a few others have stood with us while the rest have not.  Some have said that we brought the 9/11 attacks on ourselves and others danced in the streets upon hearing the news.  Your outside writing assignment for POL 140 is to read and write a review of the book The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror by Bernard Lewis (Random House, 2004).  The review should adhere to the following format.

Please repeat each question, single-spaced, in bold  print before you begin answering it.

(1)  Does the author have a thesis, theory, or hypothesis he is testing?  If not, what was the purpose in writing the book?

(2)  What kinds of data, that is, what are the principal data the author brings to bear in the book?  Is the book empirical, historical, intuitive, experiential, or a combination?

(3)  Summarize his most important findings, conclusions, and positions.

(4)  What contribution, if any, does this book make to the study of American government and to the clarification of contemporary political issues in the United States?   (This should be the "heaviest" if not the lengthiest part of your paper.)

(5)  What is your general assessment of the book?  Is it well written?  Are the author's conclusions easy to follow?  Is his argument clear?  Would you recommend the book?  Why or why not?

    Your book review should consist of about eight to ten typewritten, double-spaced pages printed on a good printer in # 12 font.   Papers not meeting these minimal criteria will not be accepted.  They should be done in a highly competent and professional manner.  You should adhere closely to my hand-out Tips on Good Writing which can be downloaded from my homepage.  Excessive errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation cannot be tolerated; it is time you learned the King's English, if you have not done so already.   Once you have made five such mistakes, your grade will begin to decline regardless of your paper's quality otherwise.  Your paper is due November 15.  Provided your paper is turned in on time, you will be allowed one voluntary resubmission after it is graded and returned to you in which you will have the opportunity to correct mistakes in your original draft and thereby improve your grade.  If you exercise this option, please paperclip your revision to your original draft when turning them in.   I suggest you not delay in getting started on this project because at some point the bookstore will return unsold copies to the publisher.  I also suggest that you do some research on the author.

    "Footnotes" need not be put at the bottom of the page but may be inserted as page references throughout the text of your paper since you will be dealing with only one source.  The first time say (Revel, p. x); subsequently (p. xx) will suffice.  You should be careful to insert page references frequently in order to relate your review to the book properly; this means that more than direct quotes should be referenced.  A review should consist of more than piecing together a series of quotations copied from the book; you need to demonstrate that you have read the book, that you know and understand what is in it, and that you have analyzed it to reach some conclusions about the validity of its arguments.

    Plagiarism warning:  Any evidence that this paper is not your original work will result in a grade of E for the course and in the invocation of appropriate University disciplinary procedures.  See the policy on academic dishonesty referred to above.

Thoughts to Ponder: