1INTRODUCTION TO U.S. POLITICS Political Science 2311-001 MW 8-8:50am, 121 UH http://www.uta.edu/faculty/story/ The official syllabus is found only on Professor Story’s web site Dale Story 449 University Hall, [email protected] Fall 2011 Office Hours (by appt.): 10-11 MWF, 9:30-10 TTr The main objectives of this course are: (1) to provide the students with substantive knowledge of formal and informal institutions of U.S. government; (2) to motivate them to evaluate political problems, specifically in the U.S. context; (3) to expose them to basic issues and policy decisions in U.S. politics; and (4) to sensitize them to their “roles” as political participants. This course is both an introduction to the study of politics as well as an introduction to the study of U.S. government. The instructor’s assumption is that there have always been fundamental problems in terms of properly and efficiently allocating decision-making authority and scarce resources. We will examine these problems in the U.S. context with the aim of reaching some conclusions concerning solutions (which, of necessity, must be the responsibility of each individual student). We will look at normative questions relating to the extent and source of these problems. Interspersed with these normative questions will be empirical analysis of the U.S. political system. Normative issues are not raised in order to teach the students a particular viewpoint, but rather to motivate the students to examine critically the U.S. political system and to reach independent conclusions regarding that system. One expectation for students is that they will keep aware of national news events either through: (1) reading a daily newspaper with good national coverage; (2) watching the national news on one of the major networks; or (3) reading one of the major newsmagazines. Hopefully, one or all of these will become a habit extending beyond the time span of this course. Students will be held responsible on exams for any current events discussed in class. COURSE REQUIREMENTS. All readings listed in this syllabus are required. Students are expected to do the readings as well as attend class. Class activities and the readings are complementary yet distinct and all exams will cover both the readings and class lectures. The required text is: Janda (et al), The Challenge of Democracy, 11th Ed. Also available for purchase in the UTA Bookstore are Student Response Pads (sometimes labeled “Pulse Clickers”). See below. Grades are based on three exams and daily quizzes (the daily quizzes are worth 19% and each exam is worth 27%). Each exam (including the “Final” Exam—or Exam 3) covers only the material since the preceding exam. The daily quizzes will be conducted via the Student Response Pads. The daily quizzes will typically consist of one question taken from the preceding class. These Student Response Pads must be purchased and you must have “enrolled your Pad” in this class by Fri., Sept. 2, 8am. After the beginning of class on that day, you may not “enroll your Pad.” If you have not enrolled by that deadline, you will be automatically choosing the “non-attendance option” described below.2Any student may opt not to participate in the daily quizzes and will not have to purchase the Response Pad. For this “non-attendance” option, your final grade will based solely on the three exams (each exam weighted equally). The three tests will consist of some 20-30 objective questions (multiple choice and true-false). Roughly 30-40% of these will be chosen randomly from a nationally normed test bank from your text-book (composed of literally hundreds of questions). The other 60-70% will consist of questions derived from class lectures. You will need to bring a number two pencil and an 882-E form. In any case, if a student attends class, they must arrive on-time and not leave class until dismissed. Each student will need to furnish their own #2 pencil and a Scantron Form 882-E for each exam (do not fold, etc.). Twenty points will be deducted for any multiple choice exams that must be graded by hand (i.e., no pencil, no Scantron Form 882-E, unreadable Scan Form, etc.). Essential Expectations All students are expected to: (1) attend class at all times (unless the course has a non-attendance option); (2) arrive in class on-time (preferably early); (3) always remain respectful of class environment (no extended conversations, etc.); (4) never leave class before they are dismissed; (5) never leave class during an exam; (6) take extensive notes on class lectures and all assigned readings, videos, and the like; and (7) devote at least two hours studying outside of class for every hour of scheduled class time. General Policies All requirements, exam dates, and deadlines are 99.5% firm. Any deviations will be due to highly extenuating circumstances, such as cancelled class due to inclement weather. These deviations will be announced in class and provided to the students in written form. No extensions will be given. Exercises/papers/projects are due by the beginning of class on the due date. Work submitted at any time after the precise deadline will receive an automatic deduction of 50 points. No excuses will be accepted. You are encouraged to submit your work early. Think: “Early is on-time; and on-time is late.” Letter grades correspond to the following scales: 90+ = A; 80+ = B; 70+ = C; 50+ = D; and below 50 = F. Fractions are not rounded off, grades are not "curved," and the numerical minimums for letter grades are absolute and fixed. All students are treated equally, and grades are based on performance and not on need. If any adjustments are made to grades, they will made equally to all students—and will be based on a quantitative analysis of mean, median, standard deviation, maximum, and minimum. In answering essay questions in exercises or exams (describing, analyzing, discussing, explaining, identifying, etc.), always use complete sentences and paragraphs. Organize your answers. Be complete, but do not ramble. Diagrams, lists, graphs, and the like might be useful—but they should be within the structure of sentences and paragraphs. For statistical or quantitative problems and questions, show all work. Begin by writing the formula(s) and show all important steps in reaching your answer. On all exercises and tests, be neat and show all work! Also, all