Course Description and Objectives:

This course is designed to provide students with a broad survey of the major features of the American political system. We will examine both patterns of stability and change in the values, procedures, participants and processes that characterize U.S. national politics. One primary objective of this course is to provide you with the skills and knowledge necessary for understanding more concrete political events as they unfold. Through lecture, discussion and textbook readings, we hope to interest you in American government and enable you to become more informed observers of the American political process. Topics we will be covering include the nature of democracy, citizen participation and public opinion, the changing role of political parties, election campaigns, the growth of interest groups and political action committees, congressional decision making, and presidential power.

The following textbook should be purchased in the H.D. Smith Bookstore. It comes packaged with a free CD-ROM containing useful supplements to the textbook, including practice tests and videos. You will need to purchase additional items for your discussion sections. Your discussion leader will inform you about these materials and where you may purchase them.

Your final grade will be based on your performance in the lecture portion of the course and in your discussion section. We adhere to the University's policy on the definition of letter grades.

Two-thirds (66%, to be exact) of your final grade in this course will be based on three equally weighted examinations that will cover material from the textbook and lecture. These examinations will be multiple choice and the final exam will be a regular exam and will not be cumulative. On the exams, you will be held responsible for the assigned reading and the material presented in lecture, even if you are unable to attend.

Your performance in section will count for the remaining third (34%) of your final grade. Your discussion leader will tell you how your section grade will be calculated.

Makeup examinations, as a general rule, will not be given. The following will be considered legitimate excuses for requesting a make-up examination: verified illness (needs a doctor's note), participation in University-sponsored events or athletic competitions, subpoenas, jury duty, military service, and religious observances. In order for you to be granted the right to a make-up exam, you will need to call Profesor Rahn's office number and leave a message on her voice mail BEFORE 9:30 a.m. on the day of the exam. You will also need to produce a documented excuse for your absence, such as a doctor's note. The make-up exam may be different from the regular exam.

Bonus points: You will have the opportunity to earn bonus points by doing practice tests online on the course web page. Longer versions of these practice tests are available on the CD-ROM that comes with your textbook, but you will have to do them online to earn the extra credit. A separate handout with instructions for accessing and submitting the practice tests will be provided. You will not be allowed to submit practice tests after the date listed on the syllabus. There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule, so don't bother asking.

Recitation Sections: Sections are designed to complement lecture, not substitute for it. Each discussion section is its own "mini-course," and discussion sections should not be viewed as "exam preparation classes." Only a small portion of section will be devoted to reviewing for exams. The remainder of section will provide you with in-depth information about certain topics in a format that is more interactive and engaging than is possible to provide in a large lecture setting. Discussion and lecture are designed to be synergistic, so your performance in class will be enhanced if you regularly attend both lecture and section.

Citizen interest and involvement have always been the backbone of American democracy. Citizen participation remains the primary means through which citizens citizens can control who holds public office and influence what the government does. But compared to citizens in other developed democracies, Americans participate less in national elections and are less well informed. Young people, in particular, are not very interested in politics. The present climate of competing presidential campaigns provides a timely forum from which to explore issues of citizen participation. In this section, you will spend some time following the campaigns with a focus on how citizens respond to and influence presidential campaigns. Assignments include two three-page papers, several "reflection" exercises, and a news and information journal.

This section will give students the opportunity to explore for themselves what they are learning in lecture and reading in the text. Using nationwide surveys of American citizens, we will find out what Americans think about their government, investigate levels of political participation, assess support for civil rights and civil liberties, and try a hand at being a campaign consultant. Although people often find surveys and statistics a little intimidating, students will discover how accessible the information is, as well as how much insight it can given us into American politics. Towards that end there will be four data analysis assignments looking at a series of relevant questions, as well as an essay tying section, lecture, and the book together.

In order to effectively participate in the American political system, citizens need both a basic knowledge of how our system of government works as well as certain civic skills. The work you will do in section is designed to help you practice and strengthen these civic skills and to solidify some of the basic knowledge about our system that you are first exposed to in lecture. Assignments center around a "Youth Civic Engagement Task Force" simulation in which students plan and hold a mock "youth civic engagement fair." In addition to the simulation, several exercises are planned to help students think more critically about how our system of government works.

This is a very large class, and in order to have things operate smoothly, we have formulated a few simple guidelines to help us all get through the semester.