AMERICAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

POLS 110E

 

Spring semester, 2004

 

Beverly Takahashi

Room: Emison 101C

Office phone: 658-4909

Office hours: Friday 11-1

Email: btakahashi@depauw.edu

 

 

The purpose of this course is to examine the most important aspects of the political system of the United States.  We will be defining politics broadly, to encompass all forms of decision making that affect the welfare of a large sector of the public, and so we will include in our study powerful actors not usually regarded as governing institutions. At all times, the emphasis will be upon democratic political theory, which will provide us with a standard for the evaluation of how institutions and processes have developed historically. We will consider empirically how these institutions function in the contemporary context, sensitive to how practice might depart from theory.  Specific topics will include American political beliefs, the distribution of power in American society, governmental responsiveness to various sectors of the community, federalism, political parties and the electoral system, and the three branches of government: Congress, the Executive, and the Judiciary.

Texts should be read in the approximate order listed, and you should keep well ahead of the pace set in class lectures. It will be assumed that you have read the relevant text, and are prepared to participate fully in all class discussions. Your presence and participation in class are important and highly valued by your instructor and your classmates.

If at any time you need to contact me, my office is located in Room Emison 101C, or call 658-4909 and leave a message on my voice mail. I can be reached by e-mail and encourage you to use this resource should any questions occur to you during your reading. The address is: btakahashi@depauw.edu

ASSIGNED TEXTS:

THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY, by Edward Greenberg & Benjamin Page, Sixth Edition (New York: Longman, 2003) 

AMERICAN DEMOCRACY IN PERIL, by William E. Hudson, Third Edition (Chatham: New York, 2001)

CLASSICS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT, by Jay Shafritz & Lee Weinberg, Second Edition (Fort Worth: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2000)

 

The New York Times: You can read it online (you need to register the first time, but it is free) or subscribe to a hard-copy of the national edition of the New York Times, Mon-through-Sat, at 40 cents per issue.  From time to time I will assign specific articles; however, most often I will simply assume that you have read the paper and that you are prepared to discuss pertinent articles.   

Planned course requirements and grading scheme:

1.      Participation in class (10%) 

2.      Two short-answer tests (30 %)

3.      Midterm test (essay) (30%)

4.      Final exam  (essay)  (30%)

COURSE OUTLINE

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE DISCIPLINE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

Greenberg & Page, Ch. 1
Hudson, pp. 8-10, 15-18

II. AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE

A. THE IDEAS OF THE FOUNDERS:

Greenberg & Page, Ch. 2
Federalist # 10, in Greenberg & Page, p. A-23
Federalist # 51, in Greenberg & Page, p. A-27         
Shafritz & Weinberg, pp. 33-43   
 

B. THE MADISONIAN LEGACY

1)      Federalism
Greenberg & Page, Ch. 3

Shafritz & Weinberg, pp. 49-67
U.S. Federalism Site 
The Close-Up Foundation 

2)      The Political Economy
Greenberg & Page, Ch. 4
Hudson, Ch. 6
FedStats

FIRST TEST: February 20

III. SEEKING DEMOCRACY (AND WHY IT IS SO ELUSIVE)

A. PUBLIC OPINION

Greenberg & Page, Ch. 5
Hudson, Ch. 2 
Shafritz & Weinberg, pp. 136-171  
                                            

B. THE MASS MEDIA

Greenberg & Page, Ch. 6
Shafritz & Weinberg, pp.266 – 281
 http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/fcc.html
Media Reform Information Center

C. INTEREST GROUPS & CORPORATIONS

Greenberg & Page, Ch. 7
Hudson, Ch. 5
Shafritz & Weinberg, pp. 250-263
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/corptax.html
IRS PAC Filings http://eforms.irs.gov/search_result.asp

MIDTERM: March 14

D. POLITICAL PARTIES

Greenberg & Page, Ch. 9
Hudson, Ch. 3
Shafritz & Weinberg, pp. 174-210
Open Secrets http://www.opensecrets.org/
Republican National Committee http://www.rnc.org/
Democratic National Committee http://www.democrats.org/
Green Party http://www.greenpartyus.org/
Green Party US http://www.greenparty.org/

E. VOTING & ELECTIONS

Greenberg & Page, Ch. 10
Hudson, Ch. 4
Shafritz & Weinberg, pp. 214-241
The Electoral College
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/electoralcoll.htm
Campaign Finance Institute http://www.cfinst.org/
Alliance for Better Campaigns http://www.bettercampaigns.org/
Open Secrets http://www.opensecrets.org/

F. SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

Greenberg & Page, Ch. 8
Martin Luther King, Jr., "Letter From Birmingham Jail"
(any of the following)
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/MLK-jail.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flashbks/black/mlk.htm
http://www.wmich.edu/politics/mlk/jail.html

SECOND TEST: April 9

IV. THE STRUCTURES OF GOVERNMENT 

A. THE CONGRESS

Greenberg & Page, Ch. 11
Hudson, Ch. 1
Shafritz & Weinberg, pp. 288-311                                 
House of Reps Home Page: http://www.house.gov/
Senate Home Page: http://www.senate.gov/
Thomas Information from Library of Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov/
Know Your Congress http://causenet.commoncause.org/afr/dbq/officials/

B. THE EXECUTIVE

Greenberg & Page, Ch. 12, 13
Hudson, Ch. 7
Shafritz & Weinberg, pp.314-356                                     
The Whitehouse http://www.whitehouse.gov

C. THE JUDICIARY

Greenberg & Page, Ch. 14, 15
Shafritz & Weinberg, pp. 360-384
The Supreme Court http://www.supremecourtus.gov
Oyez Institute http://oyez.nwu.edu