PLSC 113-0 Winter 2015 American Government-Honors MW 12:30-1:45 Dr. Henschen Pray-Harrold 220 601Q Pray Harrold [CRN 25768/credit hours=3] Hours: MW 8:30-9:00, 11:00-11:45; 2:00-3:00, and by appointment E-mail: bhenschen@emich.edu Phone: 734.487.3113; 734.487.1398 In this course we will examine American political institutions and processes at the national level. We will discuss the context of American politics and look at how individuals and groups participate in the political system. We will also examine the behavior of political actors in government institutions and explore the making of public policy. Throughout the semester, we ll emphasize the complexity that characterizes American politics. I want you to understand political decision making and policy choices as more nuanced than a sound bite on cable television can convey. You will come to recognize that things political are rarely black and white, and I ll try to make that lesson memorable by frequently reminding you that my favorite color is gray. We will also be mindful of how serendipity and chance play a role in charting the course of political history and we will consider how some important changes came about in American politics as the result of unexpected events. If you take away from the course a more sophisticated view of the context in which American politics takes place and how contemporary issues in American politics are complicated issues about which reasonable people can disagree and if you have some fun along the way our time together will have been well spent. Books: (Required) Canon, David T., John J. Coleman and Kenneth R. Mayer. 2014. Faultlines: Debating the Issues in American Politics. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Gillon, Steven M. 2006. 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America. New York: Three Rivers Press/Random House. On Reserve: Sidlow, Edward and Beth Henschen. 2015/2012. GOVT 6. Boston: Cengage Learning. 1
Reading, Assignments, and Exam Schedule January 5 January 7 Politics and the Art of Governing Ideology, Governmental Arrangements, and Political Culture Faultlines: Chapter 1. Political Culture: What Does It Mean to Be an American? 1. Eric Liu, Sworn-Again Americans 2. Steven M Warshawsky, What Does It Mean to Be an American? 3. Daniel J. Elazar, The Three Political Cultures 10 Days: Chapter 1. Massacre at Mystic January 12 Changes in American Culture 10 Days: Chapter 9. When America Was Rocked January 14 Creating the Constitution Faultlines: Chapter 2. The Founding and the Constitution: How Democratic Is the Constitution? 4. Sanford Levinson, The Ratification Referendum: Sending the Constitution to a New Convention for Repair 5. Eric Lane and Michael Oreskes, We 10 Days: Chapter 2. Shays Rebellion: The First American Civil War January 21 Federal-State Relationships Faultines: Chapter 3. Federalism: Immigration Reform and State Power 6. Jay Sekulow, State Sovereignty Is the Issue 7. Richard Peltz-Steele, Dismantling Federalism Is a Shortcut with a Very Steep Price 8. Kevin Johnson, The Debate over Immigration Reform Is Not Over Until It s Over January 26 The Civil Rights Movement 10 Days: Chapter 4. Antietam 10 Days: Chapter 10. Freedom Summer January 28 Rights and Liberties Faultines: Chapter 4. The Constitutional Framework and the Individual Civil Liberties and Civil Rights: Same Sex Marriage 9. Ross Douthat, The Marriage Ideal 10. Justin Raimondo, The Libertarian Case Against Gay Marriage 11. Jonathan Rauch, Objections to These Unions February 2 Civil Liberties: First Amendment; Privacy 10 Days: Chapter 7. Scopes: The Battle Over America s Soul 2
February 4 Interest Groups in the American Political System Faultlines: Chapter 12. Groups and Interests: Corporate and Labor Spending in Campaigns 30. Ronald Dworkin, The Decision That Threatens Democracy 31. Bradley A. Smith, Citizens United We Stand 32. Matt Bai, How Much Has Citizens United Changed the Political Game? February 9 February 11 Student-Led Discussion: Lobbying and Money Political Socialization, Public Opinion, and the Media Faultlines: Chapter 9. Public Opinion and the Media: The Future of Political Journalism 22. Paul Starr, Goodbye to the Age of Newspapers (Hello to a New Era of Corruption) 23. James Fallows, How to Save the News February 16 February 18 Television in Campaigns and Elections Political Parties Faultlines: Chapter 11. Political Parties: Red America versus Blue America Are We Polarized? 27. Morris P. Fiorina, What Culture Wars? Debunking the Myth of a Polarized America 28. James Q. Wilson and Morris P. Fiorina s Response, How Divided Are We? 29. John B. Judis, Tea Minus Zero February 23-February 25 Winter Recess March 2 March 4 Campaigns and Elections Voting Faultlines: Chapter 10. Elections and Voting: Voter Identification 24. Chandler Davidson, The Historical Context of Voter Photo-ID Laws 25. Hans Von Spakovsky, Requiring Identification by Voters 26. Edward B. Foley, Is There a Middle Ground in the Voter ID Debate? March 9 March 11 Student-Led Discussion: Voting Behavior and Electoral Outcomes The Context of American Politics and Political Participation March 16 Exam I 125 points March 18 The Congressional Process Faultlines: Chapter 5. Congress: Pork-Barrel Politics 12. Cato Handbook for Policymakers, Corporate Welfare and Earmarks 13. Brian Friel, Inhofe: Earmarks Are Good For Us 14. Jonathan Rauch, Earmarks Are a Model, Not a Menace March 23 Congress and the Courts 3
March 25 Judicial Decision Making Faultlines: Chapter 8. The Judiciary: Interpreting the Constitution Originalism or a Living Constitution? 20. Antonin Scalia, Constitutional Interpretation the Old-Fashioned Way 21. Stephen Breyer, Our Democratic Constitution March 30 The Presidency: Politics and Performance Faultlines: Chapter 6. The Presidency: Prospects, Possibilities, and Perils in Obama s Second Term 15. Adam Clymer, Triumphant Obama Faces New Foe in Second-Term Curse 16. Tim Cavanaugh, Beware Obama s Big Ideas 17. Akhil Reed Amar, Second Chances 10 Days: Chapter 6. Murder at the Fair: The Assassination of President McKinley April 1 The Federal Bureaucracy Faultlines: Chapter 7. Bureaucracy: Privatization of Government Activity 18. Jenine R. Wedel, Federalist No. 70: Where Does the Public Service Begin and End? 19. Cato Handbook for Policy Makers, Privatization Compilation of Directed Writing Assignments Due 120 points April 6 April 8 The Complex Environment of the Presidency Domestic Policymaking Faultlines: Chapter 13. Government and the Economy: Is Income Inequality a Problem? 33. Timothy Noah, Why We Can t Ignore Growing Income Inequality 34. Richard A. Epstein, Three Cheers for Income Inequality Faultlines: Chapter 14. Government and Society: Health Care Reform 35. Marilyn Werber Serafini, Grading Health Reform: Experts Assess Whether the Bill Delivers on Its Promises 36. Yuval Levin, Repeal: Why and How Obamacare Must Be Undone 37. George E. Condon, Jr., Even After Big Victory, Health Care Future Uncertain April 13 Foreign Policy Faultlines: Chapter 15. Foreign Policy and World Politics: Is the World Still a Dangerous Place? 38. Micah Zenko and Michael A. Cohen, Clear and Present Safety: The United States Is More Secure Than Washington Thinks 39. Paul D. Miller, National Insecurity: Just How Safe Is the United States? 4
April 15 Global Politics in a Nuclear Age 10 Days: Chapter 8. Einstein s Letter April 20 The Complexity and Serendipity of American Politics April 22 12:30-2:00 Exam II 140 points Summary of Graded Exercises: February 9 Student-led Discussion (10 students) 15 points March 9 Student-led Discussion (10 students) 15 points March 16 Exam I 125 points April 1 Compilation of Directed Writing Assignments (4@30 points each) 120 points April 22 Exam II [12:30-2:00] 140 points Details regarding the student-led discussions and the directed writing assignments will be distributed separately. Grading scale 375-400 A [94-100%] 359-374 A- [90-93] 347-358 B+ [87-89] 331-346 B [83-86] 319-330 B- [80-82] 307-318 C+ [77-79] 291-306 C [73-76] 279-290 C- [70-72] 267-278 D+ [67-69] 251-266 D [63-66] 239-250 D- [60-62] < 239 F [<60%] Class attendance, good note taking, and careful reading are essential to doing well in this course. BE AWARE OF THE UNIVERSITY S POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY GO TO WWW.EMICH.EDU/STUDENTCONDUCT/INDEX.PHP Additional information regarding classroom matters will be discussed in class. Check your university e-mail frequently for announcements related to class. If you need help with your writing, use the services of the writing center. 5
UNIVERSITY WRITING CENTER 115 Halle Library 734-487-0694 http://www.emich.edu/uwc WINTER 2015 SYLLABUS TEXT The University Writing Center (115 Halle Library; 487-0694) offers one-to-one writing consulting for both undergraduate and graduate students. Students can make appointments or drop in between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays. The UWC opens for the Winter 2015 semester on Monday, January 12 and will close on Monday, April 20. The UWC also has several satellite locations across campus (in Owen, Marshall, Pray-Harrold, Sill, and Mark Jefferson). These satellites provide writing support to students in various colleges and programs across campus. The Pray-Harrold satellite (rm. 211) is open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Other satellite locations and hours can be found on the UWC web site: http://www.emich.edu/uwc The Academic Projects Center (116 Halle Library) also offers one-to-one writing consulting for students, in addition to consulting on research and technology-related issues. The APC is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays for drop-in consultations. Additional information about the APC can be found at http://www.emich.edu/apc. Students seeking writing support at any location of the University Writing Center should bring with them a draft of what they are working on and their assignment sheet. Important Dates Related to Course Registration Part of Term 1: 1/5/15-4/27/15 (15 weeks) 1/9/15 Last date to add courses via the web (a) 3/5/15 Last date to add courses with departmental authorization 1/14/15 Last date for 100% tuition refund (individual or total withdraw from term) 3/23/15 Last date for individual class withdrawal (with W grades) - No Refund 1/30/15 (b) Last date for 50% tuition refund (total withdrawal only) with W grades 3/5/15 (b) Last date for 25% tuition refund (total withdrawal only) with W grades 4/20/15 (b) Last date for total withdrawal from term (with W grades) -No Refund 1/14/15 Last date to declare pass/fail grading option or select to audit a course 4/20/15 Last date to remove pass/fail grading option and receive letter grade Codes (a) Initial registration occurring on or after the Part of Term start date will incur a one-time $140 late registration fee 6
(b) Date applicable only if student's classes are ALL within the same Part of Term and/or a later starting Part of Term (**) A written request must be faxed to the Office of Records and Registration at 734.487.6808 before midnight This course (PLSC 113) provides students with critical exposure to the methods used by social scientists in creating knowledge. Political Science 112 provides a thorough grounding in American government. It also provides a strong introduction to the discipline of political science. In this course, students gain exposure to how knowledge is generated in the social sciences through the lens of one content area, that of American government. Through material covered in the course, students gain practice in asking important questions about the political world and answering them using the methods practiced in this social science discipline. Completion of this course fulfills a requirement in the Knowledge of the Disciplines/Social Sciences: In Knowledge of the Disciplines courses, students will Acquire introductory knowledge about the discipline. Develop questions for inquiry that reflect an understanding of the discipline(s) in which they are asked. Learn how knowledge is developed and disseminated in particular disciplines. In Social Science courses, students will Acquire an understanding of social science methods and of how they are used to engage in the systematic study of society and culture. Understand and compare formal and informal social and political structures, organizations, and institutions. Explore and understand power relationships and the impact of social change on different groups and on society in general. Develop an appreciation of different interpretations of contemporary issues, institutions, or structures. Use social science methods and content to interpret and analyze data and reports in the media and to make informed decisions regarding local, national, and international issues. Use basic social scientific research techniques to examine and present information in a clear and concise manner. Understand the relation between qualitative and quantitative research. These objectives will be addressed through our examination of the historical and constitutional context of American government, the evolving nature of civil liberties and civil rights, the mobilization of political participation by interest groups and political parties, the behavior of individuals in the political arena, the measurement of public opinion, the role of the media, the power and procedures of national governmental institutions and agencies, and an assessment of the processes by which domestic and foreign policy is made. 7