PSCI 1101: AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEMS
University of Colorado, Boulder
Department of Political Science
Spring 2006
Section 200: Clare Small Arts and Sciences 207, MWF 9:00-9:50 A.M.
Section 300: Ramaley Biology N1B23, MWF 11:00-11:50 A.M.
Instructor: Michael John Berry
Email:
Office: Ketchum 130–The Center for the Study of American Politics
Office Hours: Monday 12-2 P.M. (Ketchum 130), Tuesday 9-10 A.M. (On the Hill)
Website: http://sobek.colorado.edu/~berrymj
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an introduction to the institutions, processes, and primary actors of the American political system. Over the course of the semester we will critically examine and evaluate the fundamental actors and institutions that comprise the American political system and subsequently influence the formation of public policy. No prior coursework in political science is necessary as a prerequisite for this course. At the end of the semester students should have a solid understanding of the American political system and be well prepared for more advanced coursework in political science.
Texts
Readings for this course will come primarily from an introductory textbook and an edited volume. Please purchase each of the following books. All of the readings assigned in the syllabus are required.
Kernell and Jacobson. The Logic of American Politics. 3rd Edition. Congressional Quarterly Press.
2006. (Hereafter Logic.)
Kernell and Smith. Principles and Practice of American Politics: Classic and Contemporary
Readings. 2nd Edition. Congressional Quarterly Press. 2004. (Hereafter Principles.)
Additionally, in order to stay informed of current political events and debates, I require daily reading of a major national newspaper of record. I have specially arranged for students enrolled in this course to receive a discounted subscription rate to The New York Times during this semester. If you’d prefer to read on-line versions of newspapers, that is fine as well. Please see me if you are unsure if the newspaper you’ve selected is appropriate. In general, I’d strongly suggest reading either The New York Times or The Washington Post.
Course Requirements
Attendance of each class meeting is mandatory. You are responsible for having read the assigned material for each class prior to the date listed in the syllabus. If you have questions regarding the material in the readings you may: (1) ask questions in class, (2) e-mail them to me and I will respond either in class or via e-mail, or (3) visit my office hours.
Exams will cover material from the assigned readings, class lecture and discussion, as well as current events. There will be three exams throughout the semester. The exams will be comprised primarily of multiple choice and short answer (1-2 paragraph) questions. Your grade for this course will be determined by the following components:
Exam I (30% of total grade) This will be an in-class exam covering the material from the first third of the course. The first exam is scheduled for Friday, February 17.
Exam II (30% of total grade) This will be an in-class exam covering the material from the second third of the course. The second exam is scheduled for Wednesday, March 22.
Exam III (30% of total grade) This will be an in-class exam primarily covering the material from the final third of the course. A portion of the final exam will be cumulative in nature, allowing students to incorporate material from the entire course. The final exam is scheduled by the University for the following dates and times.
Section 200: Wednesday, May 10, 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Section 300: Monday, May 8, 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Attendance and Participation (10% of total grade) In addition to the three exams, a final ten percent of your grade for this course is based on your attendance and participation in class discussions. I will not be taking daily attendance throughout the course of the semester; rather, I will use a random sample of our meetings to take attendance. Thus, it is to your advantage to attend every class. Your participation grade is based largely upon my subjective assessment of your overall participation in class. If it becomes evident that students are not doing the reading or are not able to intelligently discuss the course material, I reserve the right to administer unannounced quizzes that will also count toward this portion of your grade.
Make-up exams are conducted at the instructor’s discretion and are rarely granted. However, if you miss an exam for a legitimate reason, you must take a make-up exam during the final exam period. Make-up exams will be all essay questions covering the designated material from the respective third of the course. Documentation is required in order for any make-up exam to be considered.
All students are required to take the final exam during the scheduled time. If you are unable to attend the final, please drop the course. Additionally, if you have three final exams scheduled for the same day, you are entitled to reschedule the last exam in accordance with University policy. Please notify me within the first two weeks of the semester if this situation applies to you. Rescheduling requests made after the first two weeks of the semester will not be considered.
You must complete all the course assignments in order to receive a passing grade in this course.
Academic Honesty
All the work you do in this course is expected to be your own. Absolutely no cheating or plagiarism will be tolerated. Any cases of cheating or plagiarism will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students. Please review the University’s policy regarding academic integrity: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/acadinteg.html
Religious Observation
Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to reasonably and fairly deal with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments, or required attendance. See full details at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html
Sexual Harassment
I am required by law to report to university officials any sexual harassment that I observe or that is reported to me. The university’s sexual harassment policy can be found at the following website: http://www.cusys.edu/~policies/Personnel/sexharass.html
Disabilities Accommodation
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) provides protection from illegal discrimination for qualified individuals with disabilities. Students requesting instructional accommodations due to disabilities must arrange for such accommodation through the University’s Disability Service Office. Please review the University’s services for such accommodations: http://www.colorado.edu/sacs/disabilityservices/index.html
Course Schedule
W, Jan. 18 Course Overview
*Syllabus
F, Jan. 20 Introduction to Political Science and Rational Choice Theory
*Rational Choice Handout
M, Jan. 23 Collective Action Problems and Politics
*Logic, Chapter 1
*Principles, 1-1 Olson
W, Jan. 25 The Constitution I: The Articles of Confederation
*Logic, Chapter 2
*Logic, Appendix 1 (The Articles of Confederation)
*Logic, Appendix 2 (The Declaration of Independence)
F, Jan. 27 The Constitution II: Constitutional Convention and Ratification
*Logic, Appendix 3 (The U.S. Constitution)
*Principles, 2-2 Roche
Note: The Constitution can also be found in Principles p. 621-638
M, Jan. 30 The Constitution III: Amendments and the Amending Process
*Amendments Handout
W, Feb. 1 James Madison and Pluralism
*Logic, Appendix 4 (Federalist 10)
*Logic, Appendix 5 (Federalist 51)
Note: Federalist Papers 10 & 51 can also be found in Principles 2-2 & 2-3
F, Feb. 3 Federalism
*Logic, Chapter 3
M, Feb. 6 Federalism II
*Principles, 3-2 Kettl
W, Feb. 8 The Judiciary I: Constitutional Foundations and Judicial Review
*Logic, Chapter 9
F, Feb. 10 The Judiciary II: Judicial Decision Making
*Principles, 9-1 and 9-2
M, Feb. 13 The Judiciary III: Court Appointments and the Politics of “Advise and Consent”
*New York Times Handout
W, Feb. 15 The Judiciary IV: The Roberts and Alito Hearings
F, Feb. 17 EXAM I
M, Feb. 20 The Executive I: Roles of the President and Electoral College
*Logic, Chapter 7
W, Feb. 22 The Executive II: Presidential Power
*Principles, 7-1 Neustadt
*Principles, 7-2 Kernell
F, Feb. 24 The Executive III: Rating the Presidents
*Presidential Handout
M, Feb. 27 The Bureaucracy I
*Logic, Chapter 8
W, Mar. 1 The Bureaucracy II: Department of Homeland Security
*Principles, 8-1 Wilson
*Principles, 8-3 Daalder et al.
F, Mar. 3 Ken Burns Congress Documentary (Part I)
M, Mar. 6 Ken Burns Congress Documentary (Part II)
W, Mar. 8 Congress I: Roles of the Congress and Constitutional Foundations
*Logic, Chapter 6
F, Mar. 10 Congress II: Congressional Process
*Principles, 6-3 Smith
M, Mar. 13 Congress III: Committees and the Importance of Rules
*Committees Handout
W, Mar. 15 Congress IV: The Electoral Connection and Incumbency Advantage
*Principles, 6-2 Mayhew
*New York Times Handout
F, Mar. 17 Congress V: Redistricting
*Redistricting Handout
M, Mar. 20 Congress VI: Redistricting In Class Exercise
W, Mar. 22 EXAM II
F, Mar. 24 Introduction to Political Parties
March 27-March 31 No Class: Spring Break
M, Apr. 3 Parties I
*Logic, Chapter 12
W, Apr. 5 Parties II: Why only two parties?
*Principles, 12-1 Aldrich
*Duverger Handout
F, Apr. 7 Parties III: Party Polarization and the Median Voter Theorem
*Principles, 12-2 Bartels
*Principles, 11-3 Jacobson
M, Apr. 10 Enfranchisement and Civil Rights
*Logic, Chapter 4
W, Apr. 12 Voting: Is Voting Rational?
*Logic, Chapter 11
F, Apr. 14 Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
*Principles, 11-1 Popkin
M, Apr. 17 Interest Groups I
*Logic, Chapter 13
W, Apr. 19 Interest Groups II: Elitism versus Interest Group Pluralism
*Principles, 13-1 Schattschneider
*Revisit Principles, 2-2 Madison
F, Apr. 21 No Class: Midwest Political Science Association Conference
M, Apr. 24 The Media I: The Media’s Role in a Democracy
*Logic, Chapter 14
W, Apr. 26 The Media II: Media Trends and Consolidation
*Media Consolidation Handout
F, Apr. 28 Public Opinion I
*Logic, Chapter 10
M, May 1 Public Opinion II
*Principles, 10-1 Asher
W, May 3 Course Wrap-up
F, May 5 No class: Study for final exam
Course Listserv
Please subscribe to the course listserv. The instructions to do so are as follows:
1. Send an email from your CU e-mail account to with nothing in the subject line.
2. In the first line of the body of the email type the following:
2a. If you are in section 200 (M, W, F 9:00 am)
subscribe John Smith
2b. If you are in section 300 (M, W, F 11:00 am)
subscribe John Smith
**NOTE: In the text above, please replace “John Smith” with your full name.
3. You should receive a confirmation email, which states that you have successfully subscribed to the list. Both lists will be deleted at the end of the semester.