GVPT 473Fall 2006 TuTh 12:30-1:15 p.m.E. Uslaner Tydings 2126E, [email protected] Assistant: Gregory Shaffer [email protected] Assistant: Patrick Hughes [email protected] home page: http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/uslaner/gvpt473.htmlThe U.S. CongressThis course will examine politics and policy-making in the U.S. Congress. We shall focuson what motivates members of Congress, how bills become (or don't become) laws, how Congresshas changed over the past two decades, the roles of committees, parties, and the President in affect-ing Congressional decision-making, and elections and representation.The course has its own home page: http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/uslaner/gvpt473.htmlThe page has lots of information (including the syllabus, suggestions for the paper design, class notes,information on internships, and useful linkages).The course requirements include: (1) a midterm examination on November 9 coveringmaterial through Topic 6 (20 percent of your grade); (2) a 10 page paper in which you analyze thefate of a bill introduced in a recent Congress (30 percent of your grade, due on December 5 in class);(3) a take-home final examination due on Tuesday, December 19 at 1:30 p.m. in my office (40percent of your grade); and (4) class participation in lectures and discussion sections (10 percent ofyour grade). See the end of the syllabus for the take-home final and the requirements for thepaper. You are also required to turn in a one-page statement of your paper proposal by September28. This paper will not be graded but if you do not turn it in on time, you will lose one-third of agrade on your course paper for each day late. I encourage you to set up meetings on your paper witheither Mr. Shaffer or myself.All written work must be your own. Copying the work of others, whether that of fellowstudents or anyone else, constitutes plagiarism. You need not copy a work in its entirety to plagiarize.Should you plagiarize, you will be reported to the appropriate authorities at the university and the casewill be prosecuted. The penalties for plagiarism range from failure in the course to expulsion fromthe university. Since there has been a large number of plagiarisms, I must insist that everyone statethe following on the simulation evaluation:I have read the statement on plagiarism, understand it, and state on my honor that thispaper is my own work.Signed, (your name)The university plagiarism policy can be found on page 37 of the undergraduate catalogue. In signingthe plagiarism policy, you are also assenting to MY conception of plagiarism as well. The universitydefines plagiarism as using the works of others without attribution. I also include the use of others'words with attribution if your use of others' words are excessive. It is fine to quote others whenuseful. It is wrong to make extensive use of other people's words. The paper should reflect your ownideas and words. If you have any questions about what constitutes excessive use of other people'swords, please ask me. The paper is an exercise in research, not retyping others' words. Shouldanyone have any questions, please feel free to consult me. Papers without this statement will notbe accepted. If your paper does not contain the statement, you will automatically receive an Ffor the paper unless I determine that you have plagiarized. In that case, I shall refer the caseto the University Honors Court.You are expected to come to class--and not to leave early because you have some otherpressing obligations. Doctors and dentists have office hours other than Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30-1:15 p.m. Poor attendance will adversely affect your participation grade. The only excuses that willbe accepted for missing examinations are medical (YOU MUST HAVE A NOTE FROM EITHERTHE HEALTH CENTER OR YOUR DOCTOR) or a verified death in your immediate family. If youare not sick enough to visit a doctor, you are well enough to take an exam. This note MUST de-scribe the nature of your illness and why you could not take the examination. Merely visitingthe Health Center or your doctor is not an excuse for missing an examination. If the note is notdetailed, I will call the Health Center or doctor to verify (sorry, but false excuses in the pastforce me to be skeptical).I take notice of who walks out of class when I have my back turned and who shows up late.When you come in late or leave early (even to go to the rest room), it takes my attention away fromteaching. If you have to come late because you can’t make it here from another class across campus,please let me know and please enter the class by making the minimum disturbance. Also, I expectyou to schedule meetings with other professors, job interviews, and appointments with doctors anddentists when the class is not in session. Missing class will adversely affect your participation grade.I expect you to take care with your writing. An excessive number of spelling and/or grammat-ical errors will lead to a reduction in your grade on both the paper and essay questions onexaminations.Incompletes will not be granted unless: (1) you die; (2) you have a baby; or (3) you canconvince me, prior to week 10, that something terrible will happen to you if an incomplete is notgranted. Failure to request an incomplete prior to November 28 will, except under the most unusualcircumstances, eliminate the possibility of receiving an incomplete. Also, I try to be accessible toanswer questions that you might have. If something terrible happens, please wait until a reasonablehour to let me know of your problem. IF FOR ANY REASON YOU CANNOT TAKE AN EXAMINATION OR HAND IN ANASSIGNMENT ON TIME, YOU NEED TO CONTACT ME OR MR. SHAFFER BEFORETHE ASSIGNMENT IS TO BE HANDED IN. IF WE DON’T HEAR FROM YOU BEFORETHE DEADLINE, THERE WILL BE NO POSSIBILITY OF A MAKE-UP FOR EXAMSAND YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY LOSE A FULL GRADE FOR EACH DAY LATE FORPAPERS/TAKE-HOME EXAMS. WE WILL MAKE EXCEPTIONS FOR TRULYEXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT YOU MUST BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE TOUS THAT YOU WERE UNABLE TO CONTACT US. IF YOU DO MISS AN EXAMINA-TION, YOU NEED A STATEMENT FROM YOUR DOCTOR VERIFYING YOUR ILLNESS.PLEASE ALSO NOTE: THE COURSE PAPER IS DUE IN CLASS ON DECEMBER5, 2006 AND THE TAKE HOME FINAL IS DUE EITHER IN MY OFFICE OR IN THEMAIN GVPT OFFICE AT 1:30 P.M. ON DECEMBER 19, 2006. THE DEPARTMENT OFGOVERNMENT AND POLITICS DOES NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR PAPERS.ESPECIALLY