US Politics

Stevens Institute of Technology
College of Arts and Letters
HSS 127-E2
Introduction to Political Science (National Government)
Fall Semester 2008
MW 6:15-7:30pm
Bibbio, Room 204

Name of instructor: Thurman Hart
Office: M-319
Office hours: by appointment
Telephone extension:
Email address: Texan@xpatriatedtexan.com

An introduction to the evolution and operation of the U.S. federal government. This course focuses on illustrating general political science concepts through an in-depth study of the American governing system.

Prerequisites: None

Goals from CAL statement of mission and goals applicable to this course:

1) Promote ethical responsibility and awareness of the societal impact of one’s future profession.
2) Promote a fuller understanding of the traditional humanities and social sciences can be obtained through the study of science and/or technology.
3) Increase awareness of cultures and societies other than one’s own.
4) Improve writing and/or public speaking skills.
5) Increase one’s love of learning for its own sake.
6) Develop leadership and team skills.

Course objectives:
1) Identify the branches of government, their major functions, and how they work together as a complete system.
2) Develop an understanding of the historical values which have guided the American people and apply that understanding to contemporary issues.
3) Understand one’s place within the political system and how to exert political pressure using appropriate methods.

Required print texts:
Ginsberg, Lowi, and Weir. We the People: An Introduction to American Politics. Sixth Edition. 978-0-393-92852-5.
Heywood. Key Concepts in Politics. 0-312-23381-7.
McCarthy and McMillian. The Radical Reader. 1-56587-682-6

Online materials:
Online subscriptions (free) to New York Times, Washington Post , and Newark Star-Ledger
Online membership at class blog.

Course structure: The preferred structure of this course is facilitated group discussion. This means that students will need to do the outside reading and come to class prepared to ask questions and hold a detailed discussion about the material. Continued failure to prepare will cause the course to revert to a standard lecture-type class (and that means that participation grades will have to come from quizzes). Discussion will extend to online participation on the class blog.

Grading policies: I use a simple grading system. Every assignment you complete will result in a specific number of points being awarded to you. At the end of the semester, I add the points together and determine your grade based on the following scale:

>900 points – A
800-899 points – B
700-799 points – C
600-699 points – D
< 600 points – F

Points available are as follows:
Tests – mid-term and final exam, each worth two hundred points. Each test has two sections, each worth a hundred points. The first part is a take-home essay section in which you will be asked to write two two-page essays. This part should be completed prior to the day of the exam and emailed to your professor prior to the beginning of class. The second part will consist of vocabulary and short-answer questions and will be completed during the class period of the exam.

Class Participation/Quizzes – Up to a hundred points will be awarded through a combination of quizzes and class participation grades.

Class Blog Posts – Four times per week, students will complete a blog assignment on the class blog. The standing assignment is to read the newspapers and provide commentary on events as they unfold. Each post is worth up to five points, for a total of 300 points through the semester. This is 30% of your grade. Do not put this off. It will turn your “A” into a “B” or lower.

Each post will contain three parts. The first is a link back to the original article – this is important because it is the internet version of citations. Failure to link can be considered plagiarism. The second part is to provide a two- or three-sentence summary of the article. Quotations from the article are encouraged, if they are properly set off using the blockquote function or simply put in quotation marks. The final part is to provide commentary (opinion) on the article – either the content of the article, the manner in which it is written, or what important facts are left out. This should be long enough to be a complete thought, but short enough to be interesting (less than 200 words total).

Values assignment – By the week after the mid-term exam, a three-page essay will be emailed to the instructor that investigates how three values discussed in the Heywood book are exhibited in contemporary issues. This is worth 100 points.

Radical assignment – By the last day prior to Thanksgiving holiday, the student will email to the instructor a three-page essay covering one of the sections in the McCarthy reader. Supplementary information from the other texts and an evaluation of the subject from a contemporary issue perspective is required for full credit. This is worth 100 points.

Attendance policies: Attendance is informally considered part of your class participation grade. If a quiz is given and you are not there, you will not be given an opportunity to make up the quiz. Since you never know when a quiz might make an appearance, it’s best to be in class if at all possible. You don’t need to let me know if you are absent. When I don’t see you, I’ll assume that you are somewhere else.

Adding and/or dropping the course: I cannot possibly stress this enough – if you are not going to complete the class for any reason, go through the paperwork necessary to officially drop. If you don’t, I will give you whatever grade your point total indicates. Usually, that means an F – which can really have adverse effects on your ability to get financial aid or to have anything close to a decent GPA.

Consult the registrar’s website for information re: add/drop policies.

Honor board policies:

Enrollment into the undergraduate class of Stevens Institute of Technology signifies a student’s commitment to the Honor System. It is the responsibility of each student to become acquainted with and to uphold the ideals set forth in the Honor System Constitution. Specific student responsibilities include: Maintaining honesty and fair play in all aspects of academic life at Stevens; Writing and signing the pledge, in full, on all submitted academic work; Reporting any suspected violations to an Honor Board member or to the Dean of Student Development; Cooperating with the Honor Board during investigations and hearings.

The pledge signifies that the work submitted by a student is indeed his/her own. There is one designated pledge to be used for tests, homework assignments, lab reports, and computer projects. The pledge shall be written in full and signed by the student on all submitted academic work. Any references used (including texts, tutors, classmates, etc.) should be listed below the written pledge: “I pledge my honor that I have abided by the Stevens Honor System.”

I take the approach that the rest of the world takes – I expect you to abide by this pledge. If, for any reason, you cannot, I expect you to indicate as such. Failure to inform me that your work does not meet academic honesty standards will subject you to the Honor System. I will not grade any paper whose author cannot abide by the Honor System.

I can’t promise that I can catch everyone who cheats, but I promise that everyone I catch will fail the course with no exception. Save your excuses for an appeal, if you think you deserve it.

Students with disabilities:
If you require special accommodations due to a disability, or if you need individual arrangements should the building be evacuated, you must inform the office of Student Counseling and Psychological Services, Dr. Terence Hannigan, Director, in the Howe Center, 7th floor (x5177), and ask that he inform the instructor as early as possible.

Changes in the syllabus:
The instructor may modify or alter the syllabus to make up for lost classes due to weather conditions, health, or other reasons or when he/she feels it would help to attain course objectives, or for any other such reasons.