American Politics Political Science 101 (Fall 2010) Course # 74510, 4 credits, Gen Ed (SB) Class Meeting: MWF 2:30PM - 3:20PM Mahar, Room 108 Professor Ray La Raja Office: 330 Thompson Hall Tel: 545-6182 Email: laraja@polsci.umass.edu Office Hours: Tu 2:00-4:00, Friday 12-1 and by appt. Course Description This course offers an introduction to American government, politics and citizenship. In the first part, we explore the philosophical foundations of American democracy. In the second part, we look at the workings of essential institutions of national government: the presidency, Congress, and judiciary. Lastly, we focus on how citizens influence and engage in politics through the media (including the Internet), political parties, interest groups, elections and social movements. The course emphasizes the following themes: (1) the historical effort by Americans to support and balance the values of liberty, equality and order -- especially in the context of the U.S. Constitution and how these efforts affect current beliefs and actions; (2) The central importance of political institutions through which Americans try to govern themselves; (3) the purposeful choices and actions that individuals pursue to shape government outcomes. Course Goals This course fulfills a General Education requirement (Social & Behavioral Sciences) and, as such, pushes you to examine prior assumptions, broaden your knowledge of the world, sharpen your critical thinking, and engage you in intellectual dialogue with classmates. At the most basic level, this course aims to teach you about American politics. Specifically, you will learn about the ideas, political institutions and political activities that shape contemporary politics in the United States. One goal is to expose you to foundational ideas concerning American government and democracy. However, I also want to test your assumptions (and that of political pundits ) against evidence. Throughout the course you should ask: how do we know that is true? I ask especially that you listen to alternative perspectives, as a way of discovering the soundness of your own opinions. The course also strives to engage you in politics as a citizen by developing habits of reading newspapers, political blogs and finding sources of information to help you understand the world of politics. You will be asked in this course to learn about who represents you and how they deal with issues that are important to you. Ultimately, I expect students who take this course to Updated 09/06/2010 1
participate confidently as citizens in American democracy (or your home country) and perhaps pursue leadership roles in the future. Graded Work Quizzes and Exams 6 online quizzes based on textbook and readings (4%) One in-class quiz on US Constitution, Mon-Sept 20 (4%) Midterm examination, Wed-Oct 20 (25%) Final examination, date to be announced (30%) Written assignments 4 journal entries (several paragraphs posted at SPARK) (3%) 2 page opinion essay, Mon-Oct 4 (10%) 5 page strategy memo, Mon-Dec 6 (20%) Participation Class participation using PRS (4%) EXTRA CREDIT: 250-word issue memo about a legislator who represents you OR an op-ed article (worth up to 5 points on final exam); Wed-Nov 24 GRADING SCALE: Percentage Totals Grade Credit Points 93 100% A 4.0 90-92% A- 3.7 87 89% B+ 3.3 83 86% B 3.0 80 82% B- 2.7 77 79% C+ 2.3 73 76% C 2.0 70 72% C- 1.7 67 69% D+ 1.3 63 66% D 1.0 60 62% D- 0.7 59% or below F 0 Incomplete INC 0 Late Assignments Late assignments will be penalized one grade level for each day late. Thus, an A paper becomes an A- if it is turned in within a day of the deadline; it becomes a B+ if turned in within 2 days of the deadline. If you have a problem meeting the deadline, you must discuss this with your TA well before the deadline (at least a week or more) or provide documentation of the problem afterwards. Updated 09/06/2010 2
Statement on Academic Honesty The integrity of the academic enterprise of any institution of higher education requires honesty in scholarship and research. Academic honesty is therefore required of all students at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Academic dishonesty (cheating, fabrication, facilitating dishonesty) is prohibited in all programs of the university. In this class, plagiarism and cheating will be punished with an F possibly for the entire course and will be reported to the University s Academic Honesty Board. See the University Undergraduate Rights and Responsibilities handbook for further details. Statement on Disabilities The University of Massachusetts-Amherst is committed to providing an equal educational opportunity for all students. If you have a documented physical, psychological or learning disability on file with Disability Services (DS) or Psychological Disabilities Services (PDS), you may be eligible for reasonable academic accommodations to help you succeed in this course. If you have a documented disability that requires an accommodation, please notify me with the first two weeks of the semester so that we may make appropriate arrangements. Getting Help I will do everything within my means to help you do well and learn as much as possible. I encourage you to visit me in office hours, or simply approach me after class with your questions and concerns. I also urge you strongly to draw upon the talents of the friendly Teaching Assistants to guide you through the course. Steps to take when you are confused: Ask classmates for notes, advice and insights about course Contact your Teaching Assistant (to be posted the first week of class) Contact me through SPARK email, office hours or after class Recommendations for doing well in the course: 1. Pay attention Attend lectures and turn off distracting video games, text messaging, etc. Listen to all class announcements (about assignments, tests, etc.). Read assigned readings before the lecture they are assigned. Understand the concepts and terms used in the textbook (try index cards to memorize them). Look at exams and assignments from previous years (posted at SPARK) to see what kinds of questions I ask. Keep these questions in mind as you attend lectures and do the readings. Start formulating responses to them at the back of your notebook. Updated 09/06/2010 3
2. Be organized Create a semester calendar for all your courses for assignments, exams, etc. Always look several weeks ahead to see what is coming up. Organize your note-taking. Write questions in margins about concepts you do not understand, and then find out the answer. Start assignments early; show TAs an outline of your written assignments before you write them; look at previous sample papers posted at SPARK. Take the online quizzes regularly to make sure you understand the material Do not let small assignments pile up to the end of the semester. Do them regularly. 3. Connect Ask for help from TAs or professor when you are confused or want additional guidance. Form small study groups with other students before exams. Read the newspapers and try to see how the news is related to what we discuss in class. Readings and Materials for Course: 1. SPARK: this is the website for course information, schedules, assignments, discussions, grades and supplementary materials. You should view this site frequently for the latest information about course additions and changes. Your TA will use the SPARK for mail & discussion groups. Use your OIT account name and password to access the site at: https://spark.oit.umass.edu/ 2. Textbook and Reader: Lowi, Ginsberg, Shepsle and Ansolabehere, American Government: Power and Purpose, 11 th edition (BRIEF edition) available at the UMass Textbook Annex. 3. Personal Response System-Radio Frequency (PRS-RF). We will use this device to poll class opinion and respond to questions posed during lecture. You should bring the PRS to every class because your responses with this device during lecture will affect your participation grade. It may seem expensive, but you can use this in other courses or sell it back to the Annex. Every student is allowed 5 missed PRS scores without any penalty, (for example, if you forget your PRS or if you miss class for some reason). Please do not provide explanations for not having your PRS just know that you have 5 free misses to use up during the year. After that, the PRS missed scores begin to affect your participation grade. 4. Newspapers: Read news about national political before every class, from one or more of the following: New York Times, Wall Street Journal or Washington Post. I occasionally post timely articles from these newspapers at SPARK. Reading at least one of these newspapers is required reading (i.e., some material might appear on a quiz or exam). I urge you to read a newspaper that Updated 09/06/2010 4
does not necessarily reflect your political views. Example: If you have liberal views, please occasionally read the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal. And if you lean toward conservative views please read the editorial pages of the NY Times. Ideally, you should try to read several newspapers with different political leanings, regardless of your political preferences. The Internet, of course, also has political blogs that cover a broad range of political views. Course Schedule There are NO scheduled course sections where your meet in smaller classrooms with Teaching Assistants (TAs) to discuss class material. However, the TAs will hold office hours and answer your questions via SPARK. I will ask the TAs to schedule some informal group sessions on several Fridays after class (dates and times to be announced). At these sessions students may ask questions and check-in to see that they understand the material. I will also devote a part of Friday lecture to Q&A, and stay after the end of class to talk with students about issues in the news that relate to American politics, as well as course questions. These post-class sessions may depend on whether events are scheduled after our class, but typically there are none. Wed Sept 8 Overview of Course Textbook: Chapter 1 Five Principles of Politics Assignments: (1) browse the SPARK site for course (2) take the Politics Survey at SPARK (3) choose your daily newspapers and blogs for semester. Questions to consider during and after lecture: What are the basic attitudes of liberals and conservatives toward government? Why does government tend to be inefficient? Do Americans generally want government to stay out of their lives? Or do they want government to solve problems? Part I. Foundations of American Government Fri Sept 10 Democracy and American Political Thought SPARK: Declaration of Independence (which can also be found easily by Googling) SPARK: Read about Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, whose writings influenced American political thought. For Hobbes go to http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hobbes-moral/#stanat and read section 3 (The State of Nature) and section 4 (The State of Nature is a State of War); For Locke go to http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/#twotregov Updated 09/06/2010 5
and read section 3 (The Two Treatises of Civil Government) Where did the American colonists get their ideas about selfgovernment? What did Hobbes and Locke think about how human beings would behave in a state of nature? What are the democratic values expressed in the Declaration of Independence? Mon Sept 13 The Founding and the Constitution Textbook: Chapter 2 Constructing a Government: The Founding and the Constitution SPARK: Skim Thomas Paine, Of the Origin and Design of Government in General from Common Sense, at http://www.ushistory.org/paine/commonsense/sense2.htm to get the main ideas, observe his style of writing and understand the views of government by many American colonists How unified were colonial Americans in their political views and interests? What were some of the virtues and defects of the Articles of Confederation? What is the collective action problem regarding democracy? And how did the Constitution try to resolve it? Why is it difficult to create a strong government without trampling liberty? Did the Framers strike the right balance, or was national government made too strong (or weak)? Did the Constitution expand or limit decision-making by the People? Wed Sept 15 The Constitution (continued) Textbook: U.S. Constitution and Federalist No. 10, 51 (Appendix) SPARK: Storing, What the Antifederalists Were For: read the sections called Conservatives and Conclusion. In the Federalist papers, what was Madison s view of human nature? What safeguards are built into the constitution to prevent tyranny and ensure adequate representation of many interests? Were the Anti-federalists chief objections to the proposed Constitution? Updated 09/06/2010 6
Fri Sept 17 The Constitution, Federalism & Separation of Powers Textbook: Chapter 3 Federalism and the Separation of Powers Sept. 17 is nationally-recognized Constitution Day. See http://constitutioncenter.org/constitutionday/ Should the federal government decisions always take precedence over state government decisions? Think of some issues that are important to you. At which level of government should these decisions be made? What are the benefits of a federal system? What are some potential problems? At what points in history did the federal government get stronger, and how do you explain that? Mon Sept 20 Federalism (continued) SPARK: Medical Marijuana Before the Supreme Court, San Francisco Chronicle; Rourke, Amending the Constitution to Bar Gay Marriage. QUIZ on the U.S. Constitution at START of CLASS **Monday, Sept 20 is the Last Day to Add or Drop course with no record Wed Sept 22 The Constitution and Liberty Textbook: Chapter 4 SPARK: U.S. Supreme Court; Miller v. California, Levy, Assaults on Liberty What do you consider to be the most important rights included in the Bill of Rights? Why? Do you think the government is ever justified in abridging civil liberties? Do you think that the Internet should be protected from censorship? Should terrorists captured on foreign soil have all the constitutional rights of Americans? Which rights do you believe are not emphasized sufficiently in our society? Which are emphasized too much? Fri Sept 24 Liberty (continued) SPARK: Levy, The Right to Bear Arms Mon Sept 27 In-class debate on liberty: Torturing terrorists (see SPARK) Free speech (see SPARK) Updated 09/06/2010 7
Wed Sept 29 The Constitution and Equality Textbook: Chapter 4 SPARK: Alexis de Tocqueville, Why Democratic Nations Show a More Ardent and Enduring Love of Equality than of Liberty http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/detoc/ch2_01.htm Christian Science Monitor, Has Equality in Sports Gone Too Far? To what extent is there political equality in the United States? How do elements of the Constitution promote political equality or not? (e.g. equal vote, 14 th Amendment) How much should the government intervene to improve economic and social equality? How is there a tension between liberty and equality? Can you think of specific examples? Fri Oct 1 Mon Oct 4 Equality (continued) SPARK: U.S. Supreme Court, Brown v. Board of Education Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail Equality In-class debate on equality: Gender Pay Equity (SPARK) Affirmative Action DUE at START OF CLASS: Short-Essay (2 pages, double-spaced) Sample papers are posted at the SPARK website under Assignments Part II. The Institutions of American Government Wed Oct 6 Congress (Mon sched) Textbook: Chapter 5 The First Branch Is Congress organized well to assess policy and pass laws? What s the purpose of political parties in a legislative body like Congress? Why have them at all? Does Congress have too much power relative to the president, or not enough? What do you expect from YOUR member of Congress? Fri Oct 8 Congress (continued) SPARK: Mayhew, Congress: The Electoral Connection; John F. Kennedy, The Legislator as Trustee Updated 09/06/2010 8
In what ways are Members of Congress trustworthy and accountable? How do you know if they are doing their job? What is their job? What are the goals of Members of Congress? What motivates elected officials to do the right thing? How do legislators typically make decisions? Who do they listen to and why? Mon Oct 11 Tues Oct 12 Wed Oct 13 Holiday Columbus Day (class rescheduled for Tuesday) Congress (continued) The Presidency Textbook: Chapter 6 The Presidency as an Institution Does the president have enough power to do his/her job effectively? How does the president try to expand his/her power? Why has the presidency become stronger in the past century? What constraints on presidential power continue to thwart his or her goals? Fri Oct 15 The Presidency (continued) SPARK: Neustadt, Presidential Power; Greenstein, The Leadership Style of Barack Obama: An Early Assessment What qualities make a good president? What factors explain presidential popularity? Is the Electoral College the best way to elect the national executive? What would you change if you don t think so? What would be the implications of your change on who gets elected and how they govern? Mon Oct 18 Presidency and Executive Branch Textbook: Chapter 7 Bureaucracy in a Democracy What are the essential tasks that are necessary for a government bureaucracy? Should more be done by the private sector or not? Is government too big? What would you diminish or increase Does politics influence how executives in the bureaucracy implement and enforce laws? How do our elected officials control the bureaucracy? Do they do an adequate job? Updated 09/06/2010 9
Wed Oct 20 MIDTERM (in class) **Oct 21 Mid-Semester Date (Last day to Drop with W ) Fri Oct 22 The Judiciary (federal courts) Textbook: Ch 12, and article to be posted at SPARK Is it necessary for judges to be appointed for lifetime tenure or should they be accountable to citizens by running in elections? Are judges political? Why has the judiciary become more influential in government since the Founding? Should judges be pragmatic when making opinions or follow strict principles when deciding a case? Mon Oct 25 Wed Oct 27 The Judiciary (continued) SPARK: Thayer, The Doctrine of Judicial Review; Marshall, Reflections on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution; Bork, The Tempting of America (excerpts) The Judiciary (continued) ** October 27 is the Mid-Semester Date and last day to drop with 'W Part III. Influencing American Government Fri Oct 29 American Political Culture and Public Opinion SPARK: Tocqueville, Political Associations in the United States from Democracy in America. Putnam, Bowling Alone What is unique or similar about American political culture compared to say, Canada, Mexico or any nation you are familiar with? How does joining associations help improve democracy, according to detocqueville What evidence from your experience that indicates Americans still join (or do not join) civic organizations? Mon Nov 1 Public Opinion (continued) Textbook: Chapter 9 Do Cell Phones Affect What We Know about Public Opinion? American Association of Public Opinion Research, Updated 09/06/2010 10
How much should politicians follow public opinion? Can public opinion be tyrannical? in what way? How accurate are opinion polls? ** Nov 2 is Election Day. Vote. Wed Nov 3 Fri Nov 5 Elections Come to class prepared to discuss what happened in the 2010 election Elections: Who votes and how they choose Textbook: Chapter 10 SPARK: Caplan, Five Myths About our Ballot Box Behavior ; Schlozman, Brady & Verba. The Big Tilt: Participatory Inequality in America How do you explain low voter turnout in America? What changes would you recommend to change how Americans vote? Does voting matter or not? Are Americans making informed choices when they step into the voter booth? How do they make their vote choice? Mon Nov 8 Elections: Congress SPARK: Abramowitz, Don t Blame Redistricting for Uncompetitive Elections. Why are incumbents so hard to beat? Under what conditions do they lose? Are American congressional elections competitive enough? What would you recommend to improve political competition? What are the advantages and disadvantages of incumbents winning most of the time? Wed Nov 10 NO CLASS Veterans Day (this is a Thursday schedule) **Fri, Nov 12, Registration begins for Spring 2010 Fri Nov 12 Elections: Presidency SPARK: Kimberling, Strengths and Weaknesses of the Electoral College; Does the party nomination process seem fair? Does it pick the best candidate? Updated 09/06/2010 11
Should the US abandon the Electoral College? How would campaigns change? Mon Nov 15 Political Parties Textbook: Chapter 11 How are parties necessary in a democracy? What alternatives exist to parties in a democracy? How are American parties different or similar to European parties? Are the parties pretty similar or are they polarizing? Wed Nov 17 Political Parties SPARK: Galston, Can a Polarized American Party System Be Healthy? Fri Nov 19 Interest Groups Textbook: Chapter 12 SPARK: Grossman, Who Gets What Now? Interest Groups under Obama Olson, The Logic of Collective Action. What is a special interest? Do interest groups have too much power in America? What is the evidence? Do campaign finance rules affect the power of interest groups? What do different interest groups choose different strategies in trying to influence government policy? Which is the most effective strategy? How would you know? Mon Nov 22 Interest Groups Wed Nov 24 The Media Textbook: Chapter 13 What is fair and balanced news coverage? To what extent do Americans listen to political news? How much do they seek out views that are different from their own? How does the dependence of the media on commercial success affect how they cover the news? Would it matter for democracy if newspapers disappeared? Fri Nov 26 NO CLASS Thanksgiving Holiday Updated 09/06/2010 12
Mon Nov 29 The Media SPARK: The State of the News Media: 2008 Trends (Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism) Wed Dec 1 Fri Dec 3 Mon Dec 6 The Media Making Domestic Policy Textbook: Chapters 14 & 15 Making Domestic Policy DUE at START OF CLASS: Papers (5-6 pages, double-spaced) Sample papers are posted at the SPARK website under Assignments Wed Dec 8 Fri Dec 10 Making Foreign Policy Textbook: Chapter 16 Summary of Course Topics and Themes Dec 11-12 is reading period FINAL EXAM (Date To Be Announced) Updated 09/06/2010 13
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS Teaching Assistants (TAs) will be grading all your work and answering questions you may have about the course. You should feel free to contact the TA I assign to you. I WILL ANNOUNCE WHO IS YOUR TEACHING ASSISTANT AFTER THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASS. I urge you to take advantage of their knowledge and attend their office hours. We will not accept emailed copies (unless you are sick). Late papers will lose a grade level for each day late. (A goes to A- for one day; A to B+ if two days late, etc) 1. Keeping a Journal Due: 4 times throughout year Goal: Think critically Students are required to post at least 4 journal entries called Reflections on American democracy at the SPARK discussion page (Instructions for how to do this assignment and how it will be grade will be announced and posted at SPARK soon). These journal entrees are like the reflections on American democracy written by Alexis detocqueville when he visited America in the first part of the 19 th century. We will talk about detocqueville in one of the early classes. In this course, you are asked to take basic knowledge of American politics and government and go a step further. Is American democracy working the way you or the broader public thinks it should be working? Why or why not? What observations do you have from your experience or other evidence do you have to back up your opinions? Use concrete examples the way detocqueville does. Consider whether conditions today make it easier or harder to have representative democracy? In addition to posting at the SPARK site, I encourage you to copy your journal entries into a separate file, which you can accumulate and save. You TAs will give you credit can look at if there is any question about whether you have been doing the work). The entries should be at least 2 paragraphs, but they could be as long as 4. At the end of the semester, you should have posted at least 4 entries to get full credit. The reflections in this journal should touch on at least 3 topics, which reflect the 3 parts of the course, but you are free to address any aspect of American democracy for your 4 th journal entry. I listed some questions that you might consider addressing, but feel free to come up with your own: 1. Ideas. What ideas about American democracy make the actual working of contemporary democracy in the U.S. a success or problematic? Updated 09/06/2010 14
Possible questions to address: Are citizens really capable of self-governing? Do they know enough? care? Do they have the time? Does American government protect liberties sufficiently or not enough? Does government stress equality enough or not? Is the government capable of maintaining public safety and defending the nation? 2. Political Institutions. How does Congress, presidency or judiciary work to make democracy a success or problematic? Does Congress truly represent the American people? Does the president have too much or too little power? Are the courts political do they make policy decisions that really should be left to the legislature? Should government be more centralized or should more power go to the states? 3. Citizen Participation. What is it about the way citizen participate in American democracy that make contemporary democracy a success or not? Are Americans lazy or uninformed? Do the mediating institutions (parties, media, interest groups) make things worse or actually help Americans get what they want? What conditions today make it more or less likely they will participate? Are the advantages of the wealthy greater today than in the past? OPTIONAL PARTICIPATION: Students can meet in groups twice during the year for about an hour (meeting time and place to be determined) to talk about their journal entries regarding the state of American democracy, and/or a current policy. A Teaching Assistant (TA) will organize and lead the discussion. 2. Short Opinion Essay Due: Monday, Oct. 4 at start of class Goal: Think critically and communicate ideas persuasively Who Should Decide? The State or Federal Government? Write a 600-750 word, double-spaced essay that makes an argument about whether the state or the federal government should take the lead on a particular policy. In other words, should states pass the laws that conform to preferences of citizens in those states, or should the federal government have a law that is essentially a national law that all citizens must comply with? You have a choice of talking about ONE of the following policies: medical marijuana, same sex marriage, or abortion. This essay should NOT be based on your unsupported opinion. (Don t simply say, I think same sex marriage should be a national law because it is only fair and just to do this. ) You must make references to arguments discussed in the course about the nature of American democracy, including your interpretation of federalism, the constitution, Updated 09/06/2010 15
political culture, and anything else, including news or court decisions, that might be relevant to your argument. For example, good papers might consider the following related questions: Can you relate this debate to arguments among the founders about the respective roles of the state and national governments? (Suspend your assumptions about what the founders would think about this particular issue) Are there fundamental constitutional issues that should be considered? What contemporary events or conditions make it reasonable that either the state or federal government should take precedence? What are the counter-arguments to your view? Why are they not very strong arguments? 3. Five-page Strategy paper Due Date: Monday, Dec. 6 at start of class Goal: Apply knowledge to situation Imagine you work in the White House for the President Obama. As a special assistant to the president, you are responsible for helping him pass legislation. It is your task to write a strategy memo to the president s chief of staff explaining how to get passage of legislation on (TOPIC will be ASSIGNED after the Midterm). As you know from class, the president cannot simply send a letter to Congress telling members to pass a bill. He needs to understand how Congress works, recognize the key players (for example, particular interest groups) on an issue, and know how to mobilize public opinion in his favor. For this reason, you need to address at least each of the following areas in your memo: Congress Outside groups Public opinion I am not interested in knowing the details of policy so do not spend time on this. Instead, focus on the political process and the political actors the president needs to persuade and how he might do this. Give careful thought to how Congress works, the formal and informal powers of the president, and the various possible roles of political parties, interest groups or the mass Updated 09/06/2010 16
media in the political process. What does the president need to do to gain public support? How should he work with Congress on this issue? Which interest groups might help him and how? Can you think of ways to attract media attention? You do not need to do much additional reading beyond news articles about the issue. Your other research consists of materials and readings we have covered in this course which show you understand the workings of institutions such as Congress, the media, public opinion, political parties, interest groups and elections. I have also provided suggestions below for where you can get information about Congress, interest groups and public opinion. You should use in-text citations when you want to cite a reference, and include a full bibliography of materials you rely upon. When you insert an in-text citation, you should put the author s name and date of the publication in parentheses at the end of the sentence, including the readings that have been assigned in class. Example: (Neustadt 1960). This will demonstrate that you understand the link between the coursework and the real world. (Some of the assigned readings lack a date of publication, so don t worry about inserting the date in those cases). A good paper will demonstrate that you understand how the governmental process works. You do this by making recommendations that reveal your knowledge about how various institutional actors might be influenced and what formal/informal powers the president has to pass legislation. Papers should be typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, and one-inch margins. Plagiarism and cheating will be punished with an F (possibly for the entire course), and will be reported to the University s Academic Honesty Board. Please consult the Undergraduate Rights and Responsibilities (2003-2003) manual for the definition of plagiarism and university policy regarding academic honesty. EXTRA CREDIT 4. 250-word issue memo OR op-ed Due Date: Wed, Nov. 24 at start of class (or any time before the date) Goal: Apply knowledge and engage in political process Students must participate in democracy in a small but important way. You have choice of visiting or contacting the office of a local elected official (state or federal legislator), or writing an op-ed piece for your hometown newspaper about an issue you care about. When contacting the elected official s office you must find out about an issue YOU care about and write a 250-word memo about your representative s position on the issue, and what the representative is doing (or not) about it. Updated 09/06/2010 17
You can receive up to 5 extra points on your final exam grade if you do this assignment. I will say more about how this assignment will be graded later in the course. Updated 09/06/2010 18