Course description

The comedian George Carlin says life is really about managing “stuff.” Where can you put your stuff? A house is really just a place for your stuff, he says. When going on vacation you must confront the important question of how much of your stuff you should bring. Thus a suitcase functions much like a mini house – a portable place to put some of your stuff.

What, you may ask, does this have to do with politics? Well I think Carlin’s sketch is a really humorous way of capturing the essence of politics (trust me, he does it considerably better than I do!). For example, a well known political scientist named Harold Laswell once defined politics as the process by which the fundamental question of “who gets what, when, and how” is resolved. Much of Laswell’s “what” is Carlin’s “stuff.” Another equally well-known scholar, David Easton, said politics is about the “authoritative allocation of values in society.” Though he uses the term values in his analysis he talks a lot about the stuff that represents society’s values. For example, Indiana residents have discussed whether Indianapolis should build another professional football stadium in order to keep the Colts. The problem? Some would prefer to see that money used to improve public education, to build new correctional facilities, or, perhaps, a new museum. The collective choices made about what stuff the city should acquire (if anything) reflects a set of values. But those values are ultimately made manifest in real stuff.

Thus George Carlin, like all good comedians, gets us to see the simplicity of what we tend to make overly complex. I hope we can do the same in this class. This term, we will explore the many ways in which society’s values are represented (and sometimes not represented) in such diverse forms as the written constitution and the formal institutions of government. In addition we look at the practices of people engaged in such public behavior as running for elected office, lobbying public officials, publishing newspapers, magazines and the like. These activities, too, reflect certain values. In the end, I hope we will see how these institutions and practices relate to the decisions and actions of government, which we call policy. For at the end of the day, it is policy that most reflects values.

Whose values, however, is not always clear. Thus we will ask such questions as, on what philosophical or ideological basis is the American republic founded? What rights and freedoms do citizens of the United States enjoy simply by virtue of their citizenship? How have these rights and freedoms changed over the course of our nation’s history and especially since September 11, 2001? Do all citizens of the US enjoy the same liberties? What is the nature of the office of the US presidency? What powers would any person occupying that office enjoy and which does he, and someday she, have to negotiate? What powers do the fifty states enjoy vis-à-vis the national authority? What role do the media play in our political system? How important are interest groups such as the National Rifle Association or the American Association of Retired Persons? How, and with what effect, are such policies as environmental protection or US participation in multinational “peacekeeping’ missions formulated? These are the questions that constitute the study of American National Government.

Course Requirements

Grade performance consists of: class participation, quizzes (approximately 7-10), two written assignments and examinations (3).

Class participation (10%)

Attendance in this class in not required per se. It has been my experience, however, that regular attendance is absolutely essential to securing a good grade. In addition, I do expect you to come to class prepared to engage the material in an informed and active way. You cannot do that, of course, if you do not attend. Regular and informed participation accounts for 10% of the final grade.

Quizzes (10%)

The quizzes will be short, unannounced appraisals of your comprehension of the required reading, including The New York Times (details below). The total number of quizzes will account for 10 % of your total grade so they are not meant to add to your level of stress, but rather to gauge how you are doing with the reading. They should alert you to any problems you may have prior to the coming test.

Papers (25%)

There will be two short writing assignments (3-5 pages). The formal instructions for these papers will be given out by the end of the second week of class. The two writing assignments will account for 25% of your final grade (10% and 15% respectively). I hope you will consult with me as you work on these short papers. I encourage you to do so. You cannot, however, expect a major consultation or review of your paper in the last week before it is due. I am happy, at any time, to answer relatively minor questions about procedural matters such as citation format or about a specific point you are addressing in the paper. Please make note of this: If you wish for me to read of rough draft of the paper, I am happy to do so, but there will be no major consultations on the paper in the final five days before the paper is due.

Tests/examination (55%)

There are two tests and a final examination. These account for 55% of your final grade. I recognize there are those of us who get off to quicker starts than others, so for this reason the first test is worth 12.5%. Test 2 is worth 17.5% and the third (and final) exam is worth 25%. The final exam is both the last test covering sections three and four (political behavior and policy) and a cumulative final examination of the first two sections.

Please note: No late assignments or make-up examinations will be accepted without an authorized medical excuse, unless you make arrangements with me ahead of time. Quizzes, because of their nature, cannot be made up. If you have a scheduled absence, such as an away game, you will receive a form of credit.

Summary of grades

Participation – 10%

Quizzes – 10%

Papers (2) – 25%

Tests (3) – 55%

Each component to the final grade will be graded on a 100-point scale. Letter grades are calculated as follows:

97-100 A+	87-89 B+	77-79 C+	67-69 D+
93-96 A	83-86 B	73-76 C	63-66 D
90-92 A-	80-82 B-	70-72 C-	60-62 D-

And of course, 59 and below is an F.

Required reading material

There are three sources of reading material for this course.

Barbour, Christine and Gerald Wright. (Latest edition). Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company

Allan J. Cigler and Burdett A. Loomis (eds.) (latest edition), American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company

The New York Times Note: You will be required to subscribe to The Times for the duration of the semester. You can pick up your paper every morning in Asbury Hall.

Academic Integrity

From the Student Handbook:

“Academic integrity refers to the ethical standards and policies that govern how people work and interact in the academic enterprise at a college or university. These standards and policies attempt to do more than define and condemn what is wrong or unethical; they also attempt to provide a foundation for the mutual trust and individual responsibility necessary in a healthy academic community….

Academic integrity is not solely the responsibility of students. Rather, faculty members and administrators have the responsibility of creating an environment in which honesty is encouraged, dishonesty discouraged and integrity is openly discussed.”

Consistent with these remarks, please understand that I view academic integrity as the moral foundation of the university experience. In recent years the presumption of integrity has suffered some very serious blows. A professor at Mount Holyoke College admitted he falsified information in his lectures regarding service in the US Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. He was subsequently dismissed from the college. More recently, noted historian Stephen Ambrose admitted to using without proper attribution sentences and phrases from others’ work in his recent book The Wild Blue. It would seem we have a problem of national scope.

We cannot be responsible for what others may do, but we can see to it that our own efforts are of the highest caliber. To pursue such a course, we must be familiar with the University’s policy regarding Academic Integrity. In this, as in all my courses, I apply the University’s policy fully. In short, no violation of the integrity policy will be excused.

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Politics as Theatre

Part I – The Setting

(Normative and Constitutional Foundations of the American Republic)

Week one

· Introduction: Concepts in Politics (B&W 1, 2; Federalist 10)

Week two/ three

· Classical liberalism? The Constitution of the United States of America (B&W 3&4; Appendix A3-A12; C&L 1.1 – 1.5)

Week three/ four

· Pornography, cults, and the right to remain silent: Civil Liberties in America (B&W 5, C&L 3)

Week four/five

· Race, Gender and Sexual Orientation: Civil Rights in America (B&W 6)

Test 1 scheduled for late February

Part II – The Cast

(The Formal Institutional Basis of the Republic)

Week six

· The Haunting of Hill House – Part 108: The Congress of the United States (B&W 7; C&L 10)

Week seven

· From George Washington to George Dubya. : The (Postmodern?) Presidency (B&W 8; C&L 11)

Paper 1 due Friday, March 19

Week eight

· More than just red tape: The Federal Bureaucracy (B&W 9; C&L 12)

Week nine

· Not the “Least Dangerous Branch”: The Judiciary (B&W 10; C&L 13)

Test 2 scheduled for early April

Part III – The Plot

(Political Behavior: Formal Participation in the American Republic)

Week ten

· What we think, why we think it, and what difference it makes: Public Opinion (B&W 12; C&L 4)

Week Eleven

· Not by invitation only: Political Parties and Interest Groups (B&W 13, 14; C&L 6.1, 9.3,9.4)

Week twelve

· The Big Dance: Voting and Elections (B&W 15; C&L 7)

Paper 2 due Friday, April 30

Week Thirteen/fourteen (Thanksgiving)

· The Fourth Estate? Media and Politics (B&W 16; C&L 8)

Part IV – Reviews of the Production

(Policy analysis: or the whole point of all this)

Week fourteen

· “Protecting mothers and soldiers” with markets and the state: Economic and Social Welfare policy (B&W 17; C&L 14)

Week fifteen

· Politics Beyond the Water’s Edge: Foreign and Military Policy (B&W 18)

Final Examination: Monday, Monday, May 17 (1:00-4:00)