1 Political Science 101: Introduction to American Politics Spring 2010 Instructor: Michael Stamcoff Email: [email protected] Office: Wright Hall A224 Phone: 895-5248 Office Hours: 7:00 - 8:30 AM Classroom: BEH-121 or by appointment This course, which satisfies the UNLV United States and Nevada Constitution requirements, provides an overview of the political institutions, processes, and cultures in the United States and in Nevada. It also includes an examination of current political, economic, and social issues and policies. Course Objectives 1) Understand the fundamental principles upon which the U. S. government is based. 2) Know the structure, responsibilities, and contemporary issues of the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary branches at both the federal and Nevada state level. 3) Be familiar with the civil liberties and civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. 4) Examine the impact on the political system of American political culture and ideology, the political parties, interest groups, public opinion, and the media. Textbooks 1) Ginsberg, Lowi, and Weir We the People (7th Edition) This text is available at the UNLV Bookstore or may be purchased as an e-book. 2) Bowers, Michael The Sagebrush State: Nevada’s History, Government, and Politics (3rd edition) One copy of this book is available on 2-hour reserve at the Circulation Desk at Lied Library. Requirements 1) Attendance: Students are urged to attend all classes. It is difficult to earn a passing grade in this class if you are not present for the lectures. Additionally, administrative information and details of which chapters will be included in each exam will be given in class. Students are responsible for all information given in class, whether they are present or not. 2) Examinations: There will be two exams, a midterm and final. Examinations are not cumulative. Students must bring a SCANTRON and photo ID to each exam. Make-up for the midterm exam will be given DATE BEFORE FINAL. There will be no make-up exam for the final exam and students may not take the final exam early or late. Communications Email communications, including those to and from the Mr. Stamcoff, must be via RebelMail. You are responsible for all information provided in this manner. Grading There will be two exams, a midterm and final. Examinations are not cumulative. Students must bring a SCANTRON and photo ID to each exam. Make-up for the midterm exam will be given the class before the final (see schedule). There will be no make-up exam for the final exam and students may not take the final exam early or late. Your course grade will be an average of the grades on the two examinations; each one counts as 50% of your grade. Your grades will be posted on the class WebCampus site within 24 hours after each exam and, for the first exam, your SCANTRON sheet will be returned. If you have a question about your exam or if the grade is entered incorrectly in MyUNLV, you must contact Mr. Stamcoff within one week of the exam. For the final exam, this time frame is 48 hours. After that 48 hours, your final grade will be submitted formally to the university’s grading system.2 Letter grades will be assigned as follows: 90% - 100% = A 60% - 69% = D below 60% = F 80% - 89% = B 70% - 79% = C Academic Integrity Any attempt to cheat on an examination is academic misconduct. Academic misconduct in this course will be subject to the most severe penalty the University allows. This includes being given an “F” for the course and reference to the campus disciplinary system. Religious Holidays and Official Extracurricular Activities If the date of any of the examinations conflicts with a religious holiday that you observe or an official extracurricular activity, notify Mr. Stamcoff no less than 1 week prior to the examination so that alternative arrangements can be made. For extracurricular activities, official documentation will be required. Tutoring The Academic Success Center (ASC) offers free drop-in lab tutoring for courses such as political science, accounting, biology, chemistry, and math. Subjects are added based on tutoring requests and availability. Tutoring is provided throughout the school year so students can sign up anytime for assistance. All students wishing to receive tutoring must have a UNLV ID to enter the tutoring labs. Tutoring is available Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Lied Library. For more details, visit http://academicsuccess.unlv.edu/tutoring/ Disabilities UNLV complies with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and offers reasonable accommodations to qualified students with documented disabilities. If you have a documented disability that may require accommodations, you will need to contact the DRC for the coordination of services. The DRC is located in the Student Services Complex (SSC), Room 137, and the contact numbers are: VOICE (702) 895-0866, TTY (702) 895-0652, FAX (702) 895-0651. For additional information, please visit: http://studentlife.unlv.edu/disability Schedule The dates of the exams are firm; the topics to be covered for exams are estimates. January 22: Ginsberg – Chapter 1 January 29: Ginsberg – Chapter 2 & US Constitution February 5: Ginsberg – Chapter 3 & 4 February 12: Ginsberg – Chapters 5 & 6 February 19: Ginsberg – Chapters 7 & 8 February 26: Ginsberg – Chapters 8 & 9 March 5: Ginsberg – Chapters 10 & 11 March 12: Midterm Examination. March 19: Spring Break. No Class. March 26: Ginsberg – Chapters 12 &13 April 2: Ginsberg – Chapters 14 & 15 April 9: Ginsberg – Chapters 16, 17 & 18 April 16: No Class. April 23: Bowers – Chapters 1-5 April 30: Bowers – Chapters 6-10 May 7: Make-up day for Midterm Exam. All others do not need to attend. Finals Week: Final Examination. To Be
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