GOV 312L: America s Constitutional Principles: Instructor: Mark Verbitsky Semester: Spring, 2013 Office Location: Mezes 3.220 Unique Number: 38700 Office Hours: Tue 10:30-12:00, W 10:30-12:00 Class Location: Parlin 1 E-mail: mverbitsky@utexas.edu Class Time: MWF 9:00am-10:00pm I. COURSE OVERVIEW: Modern liberal democracy is founded upon the idea that the purpose of government is to protect individual liberty. This course is designed to explore the American understanding and experience of liberal democracy. In particular, we will be considering the foundational commitment to equality and the constitutional challenges entailed by this commitment. In the first part of the course, we will explore the theoretical foundations of American government, considering first the work of John Locke, who provides the major philosophic foundation for liberal government. We will then turn to the American Founding and the debates involved in how to instantiate this new form of government. In the second part of the course, we will explore the subsequent development of American constitutional principles, focusing on challenges posed by the Constitution itself and by historical circumstances. This part of the course will include a consideration of the American commitment to equality against the challenges of slavery, segregation, and income inequality. We will also explore the American understanding of liberty, focusing on the right to free speech. Finally, we will conclude by considering some of the most compelling and provocative assessments of American life today. This course aims to give students a better understanding of the origins and evolution of American political principles. It also seeks to provide a theoretical framework for understanding contemporary government and the issues that arise in modern politics. It is hoped that students will find this framework useful for making informed judgments about how well America has achieved its ideals.
II. REQUIRED TEXTS: 1) Second Treatise of Government by John Locke. Hackett edition, edited by C.B. Macpherson. 2) Democracy in America, Volume Two, by Alexis de Tocqueville. Vintage Classics edition. 3) COURSE READER: All other readings will be posted on blackboard. Paper copies will be made available at Jenn s Copying and Binding, 2518 Guadalupe St. III. COURSE GRADING: Option 1 (No Paper): Option 2 (With Paper) Quizzes: 20% Quizzes: 20% Practice-Exam: 10% Practice -Exam: 10% Midterm: 30% Midterm: 20% Final: 40% Final: 30% Paper: 20% Grade Scale: B+ = 87-89 C+ = 77-79 D+ = 67-69 A = 93-100 B = 83-86 C = 73-76 D = 63-66 F = 0-60 A- = 90-92 B- = 80-82 C- = 70-72 D- = 60-62 IV. COURSE DETAILS: 1) Pop Quizzes: The quizzes will be multiple choice or short answer questions. They will not be difficult, as they are meant to ensure that students are coming to class and engaging with the readings. Make-up quizzes will not be given, but I will *drop your two lowest scores*. 2) Practice-Exam: This will be a short test consisting of two short answer questions. Along with testing students on concepts and keeping them up to date, this short exam offers students a relatively low-risk way of getting used to the sort of questions that will be on the more valuable midterm and final exams. 3) Midterm & Final: The exams will consist of short answer questions and an in-class essay. The final will be cumulative, but it will be heavily weighted to the latter part of the course.
4) *Optional* Paper: The task of the paper will be to analyze and/or evaluate several readings or themes covered in the course. I will distribute a list of potential paper topics in the second half of the term. Papers must be between 4-6 double-spaced pages in standard formatting. Late papers will not be accepted. If you choose to submit a paper, your grade will be calculated according to Option 2 described above so choose carefully. 5) Make-up exams/tests: Make-ups will only be granted for valid, documented excuses. 6) *ATTENDANCE*: I will take attendance daily by passing around an attendance sheet, by roll call, or by giving quizzes. Coming overly late to class or leaving early will count as an absence. **After five unexcused absences, students will be docked a half-letter grade for each subsequent absence.** 7) Laptops: Laptops must be turned off and stowed away during class. If you have a special need for a laptop, please see me. 8) Academic Integrity: In all of your work for this course, you are expected to adhere to the University of Texas s policies regarding academic honesty and integrity. Please review the information provided by Student Judicial Services (SJS): http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/. All cases of academic dishonesty will result in an F grade for the course. 9) Special Needs: Students with documented disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259, http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/
V. *TENATIVE* COURSE SCHEDULE: Note: This course schedule is *only approximate*. Some readings may be added, some may be dropped. After each class, I will post on Blackboard the official reading assignment for the next class. January 14: Introduction Part I: Theoretical Foundations and Early Constitutional Experience A) Theoretical Foundations of Liberalism January 16: Declaration of Independence; John Locke, Introduction January 18: John Locke, Second Treatise: 1-3 January 23: John Locke, Second Treatise: 4-5 January 25: John Locke, Second Treatise: 6-7 January 28: John Locke, Second Treatise: 8-11 January 30: John Locke, Second Treatise: 12-14 February 1: John Locke, Second Treatise: 19 February 4: (Application): Prerogative/Emergency Powers court cases February 6: (Application): 2 nd Amendment/Gun Control court cases B) The Founding & American Constitutional Principles February 8: Articles of Confederation; Anti-Federalists: Centinel #1, Federal Farmer #1 February 11: Federalist Papers: #1, 3, 9 February 13: Federalist Papers: #10 February 15: Federalist Papers: #48, 49, 51 February 18: Anti-Federalists: Fed Farmer #2, Cato #5 February 20: Federalist Papers: #84; Anti-Federalists: Brutus #1, 2, Agrippa #9
February 22: States rights court case: McCulloch v. Maryland (In CR) **PRACTICE-EXAM** Part II: The Constitutional Challenges of Equality and Freedom C) Confronting American Slavery February 25: William Lloyd Garrison: No Compromise with the Evil of Slavery Frederick Douglass: What to the Slave is the 4 th of July? February 27: Henry David Thoreau: Civil Disobedience, Slavery in Massachusetts March 1: Dred Scott v. Sandford selections Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Selections March 4: Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Selections March 6: Review March 8: ** MIDTERM EXAM ** March 11-16: Spring Break! D) Cultural Effects and Tensions of Democracy March 18: Tocqueville, Democracy in America: Preface, Chapter 2.1 March 20: Tocqueville, Democracy in America: Chapters 2.2-6 March 22: Tocqueville, Democracy in America: Chapters 2.8-13 (Midpoint class evaluation) March 25: Tocqueville, Democracy in America: Chapters 2.15-17, 20 March 27: Tocqueville, Democracy in America: Chapters 4.1-3, 6 March 29: Tocqueville, Democracy in America: Chapters 4.7-8
E) The Role of Government April 1: T. Roosevelt, The Man in the Arena: Citizenship in a Republic, (In CR) **Optional Paper Assigned** April 3: Woodrow Wilson, The New Freedom, Selections (In CR) F) Equality and Civil Rights April 5: (Segregation) Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education April 8: (Affirmative Action) Regents of the University of California v. Bakke April 10: (Income inequality) San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez G) Individuality and Free Speech Rights April 12: JS Mill, On Liberty April 15: JS Mill, On Liberty April 17: JS Mill, On Liberty **OPTIONAL PAPER DUE** April 19: Chaplinksy v. New Hampshire, Texas v. Johnson April 22: Hate Speech cases April 24: (Campaign finance regulation) Citizen s United v. FEC H) Assessing American Political Life April 26: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, A World Split Apart April 29: Of Men and Angels: A Search for Morality in the Constitution May 1: Class overview May 3: Review *FINAL EXAM*: WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2:00-5:00 PM (Location TBA)