American and Texas Government

POLITICAL SCIENCE 1051.001

American and Texas Government

Spring 2006

MWF 11-11:50 AM

Prof. RudermanOffice Hours:

Office: Wooten 157R 9:30-11:30, 1-3; F 12-1

Telephone: 565-4944 (and by appointment)

E-mail: (email will not be answered on Friday night and Saturdays)

Textbook website: (You will find helpful review questions and links to additional information here.)

Purpose of Course: This course seeks to introduce you to major political processes and informal institutions, organizations, and behaviors characterizing our political system. It consists of four main parts: (1) an examination of the several modes of political participation in the American and Texas political systems; (2) a look at key aspects of U.S. and Texas economic, welfare, and national security policies; (3) an examination of the reasons for America’s “unusual” approach to politics through Kingdon’s cross-cultural discussion; and (4) an opportunity to examine one domestic or foreign policy issue in depth.

Required Texts:

Karen O’Connor, Larry J. Sabato, Stefan D. Haag, & Gary A. Keith. 2006 (Texas Edition). American Government: Continuity & Change. New York: Pearson/Longman. (= OS)

Gloria C. Cox, editor. 2005 (6th ed.). Processes and Policies in American And Texas Politics: A Workbook for Political Science 1050. Denton, TX: UNT Press. (ORANGE cover) (=WB)

John W. Kingdon. 1999. America the Unusual. New York: St. Martin’s Press. (=AU)

In addition, you will receive photocopies of two articles: (1) Arnold S. Relman, “The Health of Nations,” The New Republic, March 7, 2005; (2) R. Kenneth Godwin, Frank Kemerer, Valerie Martinez, and Richard S. Ruderman, "Liberal Equity in Education: A Comparison of Choice Options," Social Science Quarterly79:3 (Fall 1998): 502-522.

Finally, I strongly recommend that you keep up with the news, preferably through nytimes.com or washingtonpost.com (or the actual newspapers themselves!). You will find it interesting to “check up” on the “main-stream media” by consulting such blogs as “Powerline” (on the right) and (yes, look at both) the “American Prospect” magazine’s blog (on the left).

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Course Format and Requirements: The course consists of a careful reading of selected chapters of the textbooks along with occasional written and video supplements. Classes will be a combination of lecture and discussion. It is essential that you read all assignments before each class so that you will be prepared to discuss them. You will be required to write: (1) a midterm exam; (2) a final exam; (3) 3 assignments from the 1050 Workbook (dates to be assigned in the second class); and (4) a presentation on an aspect of American foreign or domestic policy (to be assigned).

***NOTE: You may omit one WB assignment and, in its place, make a 5-7 minute presentation of your domestic or foreign policy paper (in one of the final two classes of the semester). The presentation will count in place of the “missed” WB assignment.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

(1) Class participation can be used to improve your grade; it will surely improve your grasp of the material.

(2) More than TWO unexcused absences WILL be used to lower your grade, so do not use them up for anything other than a dire emergency (e.g., bubonic plague, civil war). You must supply valid evidence (e.g., a doctor's note) for an absence to be excused. Students with a third or fourth absence will have their final grade reduced one-third of a grade for each of those absences. I will assign a "WF" or "F" grade to students with more than four absences.

(3) Please ensure that all beepers, cellular phones, etc. are turned off for the duration of each class period. They are extremely distracting to me and to your colleagues. The presence of any of these during an exam will result in a grade of “F”!!

(4) I permit (non-alcoholic) drinks in class but not food: the latter is quite distracting (it is noisy and the smell travels).

(5) Please keep all papers that are returned to you as a check on our record keeping.

(6) Unforeseen events may require a change in scheduled tests and/or classes.

(7) If you are having any difficulties in class, please see me AT ONCE. Only then can I help you succeed in the course.

Your course grade will be calculated as follows:

participation 5%
midterm exam20%
three Workbook assignments 15%

(You may elect to replace one of these assignments with a presentation of your policy paper)

one foreign/domestic policy paper (6-8 pages) (Due: Apr. 24)30%
non-comprehensive final examination 30%

ALL assignments must be completed to pass this course. You must receive permission from me IN ADVANCE to arrange an alternate WB assignment due date. (Each student will have three different dates assigned for his/her WB assignment.)

The midterm and final exams will be combine multiple-choice and brief essay questions. The final exam will not be cumulative. The exams will cover all texts, articles, and concepts from the WB.

Domestic/Foreign Policy Topics: You may write on any one of the following topics. In each case, you should note how America’s approach is “unusual” (according to Kingdon). And in each case, you must utilize (and refer to) at least ONE book or TWO articles (as opposed to websites). Lists of books and articles can be found at the end of each chapter of the workbook, of O’Connor/Sabato, and of the Kingdon book. You may utilize either of the two assigned articles (Relman or Godwin, et. al.) or the section on environmental regulation in OS, 680-685 (not assigned for class). You may of course use other sources as you wish. The paper must be typed, double-spaced, clearly annotated and run 6-8 pages. I will not read beyond a concluding paragraph on the 9th page! Remember to consider the issue from the point of view of elected officials, answerable to their constituents!

1)Should the environment be protected through governmental regulation and litigation or tax policy alone? Explain the pros and cons of each position and then determine which approach has more of the former and fewer of the latter. (Be sure to explain the concept of deregulation here.)

2) Will a free market (“voucher”) approach to education reform entail greater benefits than costs or vice versa? What are the goals and chief expectations of Americans with regard to education? Explain clearly.

3) Will a government-run (“single-payer”) approach to health care reform entail greater benefits than costs or vice versa? You may approach this narrowly (looking only at drug costs, coverage for the elderly, coverage for the poor, “quality” of care, etc.) or generally. Explain clearly.

4) (Not a “policy” topic per se.) Is there political bias in the American media (consider chiefly TV and newspapers)? You should discuss the issue in general, explain the forces at work, and illustrate your thesis with an analysis of the coverage of one major story from this school year.

5) In a speech on Feb. 4, 2004, President Bush stated: “For too long, American policy [in the Middle East] looked away while men and women were oppressed, their rights ignored and their hopes stifled. That era is over.” He of course proposed to replace it with a “forward” policy of bringing democratization to the area, beginning with Iraq. What principle was at work in the older policy? Did it appear to be “working” in Iraq? Is it the case, as Bush has elsewhere asserted, that our principles and our interests now coincide in a policy of democratization? Why?/Why not?

Tentative Class Schedule

I. POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

W. Jan 18: Introduction: Course Aims and Baseline Knowledge Questionnaire

F. Jan 20: Read AU, Preface, ch. 1: Introduction, and ch. 2 (pp. 7-10 only). Please read over the US Constitution (OS, pp. 68-93; you need not read the annotations).

M. Jan. 23: Public Opinion: Read OS, ch. 11, pp. 385-406; WB ch. 1 (1-6)

W. Jan 25: Read OS, 406-414. HAND IN WB Assignment 1-2 (p. 8) (For students with last names beginning with B-G.)

F. Jan. 27: National Political Parties: Read OS, ch. 12, pp. 417-427.

M. Jan. 30: Read OS, 427-442; WB ch. 2 (11-18)

W. Feb 1: Read OS, 442-455. HAND IN: WB Assignment 2-7 (p. 28) (for students with last names beginning with H-Q)

F. Feb. 3: Texas Political Parties:Read OS, ch. 26, pp. 921-933.

M. Feb. 6: Voting and Elections: Read OS, ch. 13, pp. 459-473

W. Feb. 8: Read OS, 473-490.

F. Feb. 10: VIDEO: Vote for Me!; Read WB ch. 3 (29-35)

M. Feb. 13: Read OS, 490-506. HAND IN: WB Assignment 3-4 (p. 31) (for students with last names beginning with R-Z and B)

W. Feb. 15: The Campaign Process: Read OS, ch. 14, pp. 509-524.

F. Feb. 17: Read OS, 524-535; WB ch. 4 (43-51)

M. Feb. 20: Read OS, 536-545; HAND IN: WB Assignment 4-3 (pp. 57-58) (for students with last names beginning with C-J)

W. Feb. 22: Elections and Political Campaigns in Texas:Read OS, ch. 26, pp. 939-952.

F. Feb. 24: The News Media: Read OS, ch. 15, pp. 547-562; WB, ch. 5 (61-68)

M. Feb. 27: Read OS, 563-578; HAND IN: WB Assignment 5-2 (p. 71) (for students with last names beginning with L-Z) (Note: you must start reading the newspapers a week ahead!)

W. Mar. 1: Interest Groups in US Politics: Read OS, ch. 16, pp. 581-593.

F. Mar. 3: Read OS, 594-604; WB, ch. 6 (75-81)

M. Mar. 6: Read OS, 604-609; and Mancur Olson on “The Logic of Collective Action” (go to:

HAND IN: WB Assignment 6-4 (pp. 87-88) (for students with last names beginning with B-F)

W. Mar. 8: Interest Groups in Texas: OS, ch. 933-939; VIDEO: Vote for Me!

F. Mar. 10: MIDTERM EXAM!

M. Mar. 13—F. Mar. 17: Spring Break (during which Bill Clinton read policy books!)

M. Mar. 20: Social Welfare Policy in the US: Read OS, ch. 17, pp. 611-623

W. Mar. 22: Read OS, 623-636; WB ch. 7 (93-100)

F. Mar. 24: Read OS, 636-648; HAND IN: WB Assignment 7-2 (pp. 102-104) (for students with last names beginning with G-K)

M. Mar 27: Focus on Health Care: Read Arnold S. Relman, “The Health of Nations,” The New Republic, March 7, 2005.

W. Mar. 29: Focus on Education Reform: Read WB ch 8 (111-115); R. Kenneth Godwin, Frank Kemerer, Valerie Martinez, and Richard S. Ruderman, "Liberal Equity in Education: A Comparison of Choice Options," Social Science Quarterly79:3 (Fall 1998): 502-522.

F. Mar. 31: US Economic Policy: Read OS, ch. 18, pp. 651-664.

M. Apr. 3: Read OS, 664-673; WB ch. 9 (125-131)

W. Apr. 5: Read OS, 673-680; HAND IN: WB Assignment 9-2 (pp. 135-136) (for students with last names beginning with L-Z)

F. Apr. 7: Read AU, ch. 2

M. Apr. 10: Read AU, ch. 3 (23-41)

W. Apr. 12: Read AU, ch. 3 (41-56)

F. Apr. 14: Class cancelled (Research foreign/domestic policy question)

M. Apr. 17: Read AU, ch. 4

W. Apr. 19: Class cancelled (Research foreign/domestic policy question)

F. Apr. 21: Read AU, ch. 5

M. Apr. 24: Foreign and Military Policy: Read OS, ch. 19, pp. 689-701.

***Foreign/domestic policy paper DUE

W. Apr. 26: Read OS, 701-716; WB ch. 10 (143-150)

F. Apr. 28: Read OS, 716-729; HAND IN: WB Assignment 10-2 (p. 152) (students who still must hand in a third WB assignment) (**Additional instructions: You must cite actual examples and explain the legal/constitutional aspects in concrete detail.)

M. May 1: Discussion of Foreign Policy Issue(s)

W. May 3: Discussion of Domestic Policy Issue(s)

F. May 5: Review Session

W. May 10: FINAL (Non-Comprehensive) EXAM. (10:30AM—12:30 PM)