Political
Science 100
Instructor: Dr. Naji J. Dahi
Office: Physical Education 1252-02
Phone: (714) 992-7362
E-Mail: ndahi@fullcoll.edu
Web Site: http://www.oocities.org/ndahi
Ticket Number: M-T-W-TH
10:40-1:10, Room 515
I. Text:
A. Required:
Thomas Dye. Politics
in
II. Course Objectives:
This course is intended to introduce students to the
national institutions and political processes of American government and to a
lesser extent
·
To
assess critically the meaning and limitations of American democracy.
·
To
critically understand the Constitutions of the
·
To
critically evaluate the institutions (Congress, the Presidency, judiciary) that
make up the American political system and how the interaction between these
institutions shapes public policy.
·
To
critically examine the dominant role that the Presidency plays in foreign
policy.
·
To
compare and contrast the models of elitism and pluralism.
·
To
critically examine and analyze the political culture of the
·
To
evaluate the role of the mass media in the political and electoral process.
·
To
evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups and political parties in
American democracy.
·
To
appreciate the differences of
III. Evaluation & Grading:
A.
Examinations (90 points out of a 100):
90 points of
your final grade will be based on four exams.
All exams are made up of multiple choice
questions and/or short answer
and essay questions. The exams will
test your abilities in two ways:
·
The
multiple-choice questions will test your factual
and analytical knowledge.
·
The
short answer/essay questions will test your analytical knowledge as well as your writing skills.
The exam dates are listed in the class
schedule section below. Each of the first three exams will count as 20 points of your grade. The final exam
will count as 30 points of your
grade.
B.
Participation (10 points out of a 100): Your participation is based on your
attendance in the classroom. As such, your absence will hurt your participation
grade. Due to the size of this class attendance will not be taken regularly.
However, a roll call will be taken occasionally based on my discretion. These
attendance points will add valuable points to your final grade.
C.
Classroom
Rules: The
following classroom rules must be obeyed at all times:
Failure to obey any or all of these rules will result in being asked to leave the class for one or two class sessions.
D.
Make-up Exams: No
makeup exams will be administered. If you miss an exam, consult with your
professor for available options.
E.
Extra Credit: There are no extra credit assignments in this course. However, the instructor
reserves the right to assign extra credit should a valid topic arise.
F.
Exam Review Sheets: Each exam has a review sheet. The
review sheets are meant to guide you in your study for the exam. They are not
meant to replace studying and hard work. Relying solely on these review sheets
would lead to failure. The review sheets are posted at the following web site: http://www.oocities.org/ndahi
G.
Grade Breakdown: As a general rule there is no curve in this class. Grade breakdown
is as follows: 90-100 A; 80-89 B; 70-79 C; 60-69 D; 0-59 F. However, the
instructor reserves the right to use a curve should the class average drop
below a "certain" level.
IV. Tips for Success
A.
Reading Assignments: You should complete reading
assignments prior to attending the relevant lecture. Use the syllabus as a
guide. Completing readings prior to lecture will enormously aid your understanding
of the material being discussed. If you are not able to complete reading
assignments before the class, then do the readings after the class. Use the
lecture as a guide for reading and highlighting what is important in the book.
B.
Notetaking: It is important to take accurate and
complete notes while attending lectures. Taking notes is a skill that you must
learn for success in College and in any future career. As such bringing tape
recorders to class with the intention of taping lectures without my oral or
written consent is strictly
prohibited. For students needing special accommodations please see me
at the beginning of the semester.
C.
Communicating with the Instructor: If you have questions about the
subject matter of this class or your progress in the class you should not
hesitate to raise your concerns after the class is dismissed. The instructor is
willing to stay after the class for a short period of time to discuss student
problems. You can also visit my office during office hours.
D.
Academic Honesty: Students caught cheating on a test
will fail both the test and the course. Books, notes, and dictionaries
are not to be used for tests. If you have any questions on the meaning of words
during an exam do not hesitate to ask.
A. Critical Thinking Approach:
This instructor utilizes the Critical Approach to the study of American
politics. In that vein, research, data, and information will be presented in
the classroom that contradicts what most students have acquired about politics
and government while in high school. The information and data presented is
sourced and it is replicable by any student who will take the time to do research.
While this approach to teaching government and politics is welcomed and appreciated by an overwhelming majority of the students, there are a few students that do not enjoy such an approach to teaching. It has been my experience that these few have very rigid belief systems and they refuse to critically assess their belief system. They refuse to go through the process of self-evaluation and self-criticism. They fear that critical thinking and research might undermine their firmly held beliefs. These few sometimes confuse criticizing government with lack of patriotism; they confuse love of government and its institutions for love of country. This is of course false. Love of country does not mean love of government. As President Theodore Roosevelt observed:
“Patriotism
means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any
other public official. It is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about
the president or anyone else. That we are to stand by the president, right or
wrong is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the
American public.”
B. Structure of Classroom Sessions: Classes
that meet twice per week during the Fall and Spring
semesters are sometimes made up of two parts: the lecture and a story
about a salient issue taken from a newspaper/magazine/Internet source. These
stories are intended to stimulate critical thinking on the part of the
student. Students are only tested on the lecture notes and the book used
in this course. These stories are simply a tool to further enhance the ability
of students to question their perception of reality as it is presented to them
by television news.
C. Your
Ideology and Mine: Your beliefs and values about
politics and society have absolutely no impact on your grade. Your grade
is based on the exams, participation, and a paper (Summer
classes have no paper assignment). Do not assume that agreeing with the
instructor’s ideology will enhance your grade and do not assume that
disagreeing with the instructor’s ideology will hurt your grade. Basically,
there is no relationship between your beliefs and values and your grade.
VI. Class Schedule
DATE |
|
CLASS ACTIVITIES |
M JULY 7 |
Dye,
Chap 1 & pp 311-313 |
Basic Concepts: Politics, Government, Power, Democracy,
Legitimacy, Authority, Public Goods |
T JULY 8 |
Dye,
Chap 3 & pp 270-271 |
Historical Context; Constitutional
Convention and Contents |
W JULY 9 |
Dye, Chap 4 |
Forms of Government; States v. Federal Government;
The role of Grants in Federalism |
FIRST IN CLASS CLOSED BOOK EXAM ON THURSDAY JULY 10(Hour and Fifteen Minutes Exam Followed By Lecture) |
||
TH JULY 10 M JULY 14 |
Dye,
Chap 2 & 5 |
Political Culture and Political Socialization |
M JULY 14 T JULY 15 |
Dye,
Chap 5 |
Public Opinion and Political
Ideologies; Similarities and Differences in American Policy Preferences; The
Vanishing Electorate; Who Votes? |
W JULY 16 |
Dye,
Chap 6 |
Role of Media in Politics; Bias in the Media; Government
Regulation |
SECOND IN CLASS CLOSED BOOK EXAM ON THURSDAY, JULY 17(Hour and Fifteen Minutes Exam Followed By Lecture) |
||
TH JULY 17 M JULY 21 |
Dye,
Chap 8 & 9 |
Money and Elections; Campaign Finance
Rules; Deciding an Election |
T JULY 22 |
Dye,
Chap 7 |
Definition; The Two-Party System; Party Weakness; Party
Decline |
W JULY 23 |
Dye,
Chap 9 |
Increase of Interest Groups; Types of
Groups; Role of Interest Groups |
THIRD IN CLASS CLOSED BOOK EXAM ON
THURSDAY, JULY 24 (Hour and Fifteen
Minutes Exam Followed By Lecture) |
||
TH JULY 24 M JULY 28 |
Dye, Chap 10 |
Foundations of Congress; Who are
Congress Members? How Congress Works; The Process of Making a Law |
T JULY 29 W JULY 30 TH JULY 31 M AUG 4 T AUG 5 |
Dye, Chap 11 |
Founding and Growth of the
Presidency; The President and US Foreign Policy; Job and Staff of the
President; Presidential Success |
W AUG 6 TH AUG 7 M AUG 11 |
Dye,
Chap 13, 14, & 15 |
Judiciary in the Constitution;
Judicial Review; Eras in the Supreme Court; Federal Court System; Judicial
Activism and Restraint |
FINAL
EXAM IS ON TUESDAY AUGUST 12, 10:40-12:40 PM |