3. Learning how to analyze political information and news, including how to identify political propaganda;

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1 CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO Department of Government Government 150 American Governments SPRING 2001 Robert Waste Office Hours: Tuesday 11-12, Thursday 9-11, Office Location: Tahoe Hall 3036 Class Location & Time: Douglas Hall 207, Tuesday & Thursday 1:30-2:45 Course Description This course examines the fundamental institutions, processes, traditions and philosophies of government and politics in both American national government, and California government. As such, this reading discussion course includes coverage of both the U.S. and California state Constitutions, the presidency, legislative branch, courts, civil rights and civil liberties, federalism, the role of the media in state and national politics, ideology, propaganda, as well as state and local political processes and issues. This upper division course satisfies the American institutions and California government requirements in the GE program. Government majors may use Govt. 150 as an elective within the major (but may not simultaneously use it for GE credit). Learning Objectives 1. Understanding how governments work at the national, state and local levels; 2. Understanding the political philosophies underlying American politics, particularly those ideas associated with people such as Locke, Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton; 3. Learning how to analyze political information and news, including how to identify political propaganda; 4. Becoming acquainted with current political controversies; and the differing perspectives surrounding these controversies; 5. earning the different methods by which citizens influence the political process, for example, voting, political parties, interest groups, petitions, etc. 6. Developing a real "feel" for the personalities, issues and philosophies of the Federalists that shaped the Constitution but also of the "Anti-Federalists" including later dissenting thinkers such as John C. Calhoun that "lost" the Constitutional debate; 7. Becoming acquainted with the Progressive tradition in American and California politics, and the legacy of the progressive tradition in both national and state politics and political processes; 8. Developing objective non-ideological criteria for judging the effectiveness of chief executives such as the U.S. president, and the governor of California; and 9. Understanding the "life cycle" of policy and politics at the national, state and local levels a process that political scientist John Kingdom has referred to as learning about the pivotal role of "focusing events" and the "agendas and alternatives" that tend to characterize American politics. Required Books All of the following books are the lowest-priced paperback editions currently available: Peter Woll. American Government: Readings and Cases. 13 th edition, (New York: Longman, 1999) Howard Fast, Citizen Tom Paine (1943). John C. Calhoun, Disquisition on Government & Discourse. (Hackett Pub. Co. Oct. 1993). Frank Norris, The Octopus: A Story of California. Introduction by Kevin Starr (NY: Penguin USA, 1994). Peter Schrag, Paradise Lost: California s Experience, America s Future, Louis Hartz and Tom Wicker. The Liberal Tradition in America: An Interpretation of American Political Thought Since the Revolution (New York: Harcourt Brace, 1991). 1

2 Also Required Class members will also need to follow a regular source of news during the semester. I suggest a major daily newspaper, such as the Sacramento Bee (including page 3 daily for coverage of California news and politics), or a daily electronic news source such as NPR radio (i.e., the campus news station KXPR and the "Morning Edition" station, or for a more slash & burn news style see the Drudge Report Internet site). Recommended Reading A great one-stop shopping source for answering questions about California government and politics is Ken DeBow and John C. Syer, Power and Politics in California (Boston: Allyn and Bacon), available in paperback. Grading and Course Requirements This course involves a significant reading, writing, and class discussion responsibility on the part of all students enrolled in the course. Grades are based on two bluebook midterms and one final bluebook exam (short and long essay questions); three quizzes; and one final paper (to be explained in class). The dates for the midterm exams and final are as follows: Quiz # 1- Feb. 13 th Quiz # 2 March 20 th Quiz # 3 May 1 st Midterm # 1 March 1 st Midterm # 2 April 3 rd Final Exam Week of May 22 nd Total 20 points, 20 percent of course grade 25 points, 25 percent of course grade 25 points, 25 percent of course grade 100 points, 100 percent of course grade Government 150 Reading Outline (subject to change) Unless otherwise noted, these readings are from the main text: which is Peter Woll, American Government: Readings and Cases. 13 th edition, (New York: Longman, 1999). The number on the left (below) for each reading corresponds with the number of the assigned readings in the Woll text. For example, the first reading under the topic of Federalism is Number 6 meaning that the first assigned reading for that part of our course is reading number 6 in Woll (which is Federalist Papers # 16 & 17, by Alexander Hamilton). The Origins of Constitutional Government 1. John Locke, Second Treatise, Of Civil Government (in Woll text, reading # 1) Book: Tom Paine 2. John P. Roche, The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action 3. Charles A. Beard, Framing the Constitution 4. James Madison, Federalist 47, 48, 51 The Declaration of Independence, p. 439 (in Woll text, p. 439) The Constitution of the United States, p. 445 (in Woll text, p. 445) Federalism 6. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist # 16 & 17 Book: Disquisition on 9. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) Government, Discourse 10. United States v. Lopez (1995) 11. Morton Grodzins, The Federal System Public Opinion, Ideology, Propaganda, Socialization & Mass Media 43. George Reedy, The Press and the President 2

3 52. Timothy Cook, Media Power and Congressional Power 53. Timothy Cook, Evolution and Revolution: Leadership Media Strategies The Presidency 39. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Clinton Rossiter, The Presidency Focus of Leadership 41. Richard E. Neustadt, Presidential Power 42. James David Barber, The Presidential Character 43. Aaron Wildavsky, The Two Presidencies Political Parties, Elections and Interest Groups 23. James Madison, Federalist 10 Book: Paradise Lost 24. E.E. Schattschneider, Party Government 25. Martin Wattenberg, Perspectives on American Political Parties 26. V. O. Key, Jr., A Theory of Critical Elections 27. V.O. Key, Jr., The Responsible Electorate 28. David B. Truman, The Governmental Process 25. Toward a More Responsible Two Party System Congress & the Legislative Process 50. Morris P. Fiorina, The Rise of the Washington Establishment Book: The Octopus 52. Edmund Burke, Speech to the Electors of Bristol 53. Nelson W. Polsby, Congress-Bashing for Beginners 59. Walter J. Oleszek, The New Era of Congressional Policy Making The Judiciary 60. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Marbury v. Madison (1803) 19. Roe v. Wade (1973) 63. William Brennan, Jr., How the Supreme Court Arrives at Decisions 64. Justice Sandra Day O Connor, Constitutional Liberty and the Right to Abortion 65. Chief Justice William H. Rhenquist, Liberty, Privacy and the Right to Abortion 66. Justice Antonin Scalia, Liberty and Abortion: A Strict Constructionist s View Course Policies - Attendance is Required. Roll will be taken. Students may have two unexcused absences without any grade consequences any time during the semester. Four unexcused absences will result in the reduction of a third of a letter grade (a B+ becomes a B, a C becomes a C-, etc). After six unexcused absences you will have missed so much of the necessary material and discussion for the course that your grade will be automatically changed to a U (Unsatisfactory) grade. Incompletes. An incomplete grade will be assigned only in cases where you have completed all of the work for the course, attended regularly, and have a verifiable reason for not taking or completing the final exam or final paper. Cheating and Academic Dishonesty: Students cheating copying from the work or another student, the exam of another student, or copying material from sources such as books, newspapers or journal articles without proper citation is grounds for receiving an automatic letter grade of F in the course. Questions to Use as Study Guides When Reading the Required Documents & Books for this Course For John Locke s Second Treatise on Government, Of Civil Government 1. Like his rival, Thomas Hobbes, Locke argued that society was preceded by a "State of Nature." Unlike Hobbes, Locke thought that the state of nature created a rough equality of all persons, that all people had a right to punish those who broke the "Law of Nature". What are the State of Nature & the Law of Nature? 2. Explain how you think that Locke would explain the origin of the concept of private property the origin of what Rousseau called the "distinction between mine and thine". 3

4 3. If people existed freely and in a more or less rough equality in the State of Nature, why according to Locke do they give up some of these rights to form governments? Locke argued that the State of Nature had three serious flaws at least three what are they? 4. What powers did people in the State of Nature give up to form governments and "Civil Society" and why? 5. Locke listed four limitations on legislative power. What are these and what is their rationale? 6. Louis Hartz and others have argued that Americans are basically Lockeans that we are all influenced by and attached to the views expressed by John Locke in a very fundamental and important sense. Is this right, can this be right especially after the passage of over two hundred years? Why or why not? Charles Beard, Framing the Constitution Charles Beard argues that the Constitution has a definite economic bias, including a hostility to majority rule and the protection of economic elites and private property; and that the founders were attempting to protect their own economic, financial and property interests. Is he (or was he) correct? Why or why not? For the U.S. Constitution 1. It s often argued that the Constitution sets up a democracy? Is that correct? Why or why not? Put somewhat differently, what does the Constitution have to do with Aristotle, and why? 2. What was the legal status of African-Americans under the Constitution? Of women? 3. What are the differences between the Constitution and the earlier Articles of Confederation? 4. Is the Electoral College still necessary for American government? Should the Electoral College be abolished in favor of a popular vote? Why or why not? For the Bill of Rights 1. What are the key freedoms protected in the First Amendment? 2. The First Amendment protects freedom of speech but not all categories of speech are protected? What kinds of speech are not protected under the First Amendment, and why? 3. Are the Constitution and the Bill of Rights "conservative" or "liberal" documents? What is a conservative or a liberal view of the world? Explain and defend your own answer and your own liberal, conservative or moderate ideology. 4. A question for everybody but especially for conservatives the National Rife Association frequently refers to the "right of the people to keep and bear arms" in the Second Amendment. Did this refer to the individual right to own guns in or was it a reference to the right of the individual states to form and keep state militias, and why or why not? When, statistically speaking, did gun ownership in American households become commonplace or even "average," and why? 5. A question for everybody but especially for liberals what the Court has defined as a woman s right to choose (to abort a fetus in the first trimester of a pregnancy) is based on the right to privacy. Where exactly in your opinion is the right to privacy to be found in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights? (For help in locating the Court s logic, see the Court s opinion in Woll, Reading # 19, Roe v. Wade). For Citizen Tom Paine 1. What personal characteristics and philosophical beliefs characterized Tom Paine? If I argued that Tom Paine was one of the "most American" individuals in U.S. history how would you respond? 2. How does Paine s life fit your view of American politics? How does it not fit; is it not relevant to politics of the Year 2000? 3. Some historians have argued that the American Revolution was a "conservative" revolution. Do you agree or disagree? Why? 4. What were the differences, if any, between the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, and the American Revolution? For Calhoun s Disquisition On Government & Discourse 1. Granted, Calhoun was a proponent of slavery but was his argument on behalf of "concurrent resolution" and a federal versus a national government wrong? Why or why not? 2. Is Calhoun still relevant today? Why or why not? 3. Criticize or defend Calhoun s argument that the United States should have a "plural executive"? 4

5 4. If a friend argued to you that California has a "plural executive" would he/she be right or wrong? Why? For Schrag s Paradise Lost: California s Experience 1. Schrag argues that life in California is fundamentally different and worse- after the passage of Proposition 13 in Do you agree or disagree, and why? 2. Schrag think that Progressivism and the ballot initiative process in California have backfired, producing a lower quality of life in contemporary California. Do you agree or disagree, and why? For Frank Norris, The Octopus: A Story of California 1. Is this ancient history or does it apply - for example in the case of energy politics in California today? 2. What role do regulatory commissions play in California and U.S. national politics? What role ought they to play, and why? For Louis Hartz and Tom Wicker, Liberal Tradition in America; An Interpretation of America 1. Hartz argues that Americans are basically Lockean liberals. What does he mean and is right? Why? 2. The authors argue that American "liberals" are really conservatives? Evaluate this argument. 3. How would you use arguments in this book to analyze the Red Scare of the 1950 s in America? The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s? The explosion of ballot initiatives in California in the 1970s-2001? The Energy Crisis in California in the year 2001? 5