UMD GVPT 473 - Syllabus (11 pages)

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GVPT 473 Fall 2009 MW 12 12 50 p m E Uslaner Tydings 2126E x54151 euslaner gvpt umd edu Graduate Assistant Brittany Bramlett brittanydyan gmail com Undergraduate Assistant Eric Merin eric merin gmail com Course home page http www bsos umd edu gvpt uslaner gvpt473 html The U S Congress This course will examine politics and policy making in the U S Congress We shall focus on what motivates members of Congress how bills become or don t become laws how Congress has changed over the past two decades the roles of committees parties and the President in affecting Congressional decision making and elections and representation The course has its own home page http www bsos umd edu gvpt uslaner gvpt473 html The 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 October 28 covering material through Topic 6 20 percent of your grade 2 a 10 page paper in which you analyze the fate of a bill introduced in a recent Congress 30 percent of your grade due on December 2 in class 3 a take home final examination due on Friday December 18 at 1 00 p m in my office 40 percent of your grade and 4 class participation in lectures and discussion sections 10 percent of your grade See the end of the syllabus for the take home final and the requirements for the paper You are also required to turn in a one page statement of your paper proposal by October 1 This paper will not be graded but if you do not turn it in on time you will lose one third of a grade on your course paper for each day late I encourage you to set up meetings on your paper with either Ms BentleySmith or myself All written work must be your own Copying the work of others whether that of fellow students 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