American Politics 2007
Political Science 1100
  Introduction to American Politics
 - Fall 2007 -
Section E01; Reference 51704

Professor Dave Robertson  
Office 801 Tower; Phone 314-516-5855
Class Meets Monday & Wednesday, 5:30 - 6:45 pm
 Office Hours: Tuesday 9:00-12:00 am; Monday 7:00-8:00 pm; & I can easily arrange other times to fit your schedule.
Click here to learn more about the topics in this course covered in Political Science at UM-St. Louis

What is this course about?

  What texts are required?

 Do I need to attend class?

What are they exams like?

 How are grades assigned?

 When is the reading due?

How about current events?

What else should I know?

DAILY ASSIGNMENTS

Sample exam questions

What's the memo assignment?

What's the policy on plagiarism?

1. WHAT IS THIS COURSE ABOUT?

We expect a lot out of our government. We count on our government to protect us from criminals and terrorists, to keep the economy running smoothly so that we can have good jobs at good wages, to provide education and other services, and to ensure that we are treated fairly. We expect government officials will listen to us and care about our problems.  Government touches our lives much more than we think, and with benefits to us we often take for granted. Yet our government often seems mysterious, distant, and disappointing. We disagree about what problems government should help solve, and how government should help solve them. 

This course provides a fair-minded and thoughtful description of the way this American government deals with our expectations, the reasons that it works the way it does, and the challenge of governing America in the twenty-first century.  We will examine our rights, liberties and Constitution; the way people can influence government through political parties, elections, interest groups and the media; Congress, the presidency, and the courts; and the ways that government had addressed problems ranging from economic prosperity  to Social Security to pollution and war.  It is especially important to understand our government this semester as the President Bush, the U.S. Congress, and the rest of the political system deal with the war in Iraq, the budget deficit, the economy, terrorism, immigration, health care, and other challenging problems - all in the shadow of the 2008 elections. 

2. WHAT TEXTS ARE REQUIRED?

These are the books that are required for this class. They are available at the UM-St. Louis bookstore. 

3. DO I NEED TO ATTEND CLASS?

Yes. Attendance is required. MOST LECTURES DO NOT COVER THE READINGS. The lectures substantially expand on and interpret the reading materials, and provide opportunities to discuss the lectures and books. Attendance constitutes a supplement to the final grade, and will be taken into account in borderline cases.

About half the material on the exams comes from the lectures. In my experience, if you do not attend class regularly, you will perform very poorly on exams.

Outlines of the day's lecture are available before each class.  The Powerpoint presentations will only be shown during lecture - they will not be made available. 

4. WHAT ABOUT THE EXAMS?

There will be four exams (three in class: September 12, October 8, October 31; and the final, December 10, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm). Each exam consists of three parts: 50 modified true/false questions worth 1 point each, 15 multiple choice questions worth 2 points each, and 1 short answer question worth 20 points. The first three tests and about 90% of the final are not cumulative. Ten to twelve percent of the points on the final are cumulative; they will consist of questions from the previous three exams. Please plan your activities on exam days so that you are in your seat at 5:30 sharp; please do not schedule end of semester travel prior to the final exam. Makeup exams; they will be given only for dire circumstances (vacations are not dire circumstances); makeup exams are 80% essay.

It will be essential to attend lectures and to read the material.  Again, about half the material for each exam is drawn from lecture; about half is drawn from readings.  Current events -- that is, keeping up with the news --  constitutes about 5% of the points on each exam.

For more about the exam format and sample questions, click here

5. HOW ARE GRADES ASSIGNED?

There are 500 total points in the course. Each exam counts for 100 points, or 1/5 of the final grade. The policy decision memo, due November 14, counts for 100 points, or 1/5 of the final grade. You will not be allowed to drop any of your exam grades. Essay make-up exams will be scheduled only if you have a very serious problem attending a scheduled test.  This table will let you determine your grade in the course at any time.

 

RANGE OF POINTS FOR ASSIGNING GRADES

 Grade 

    A

    A-

    B+

    B

    B-

    C+

    C

    C-

    D+

    D

    D-

  F

 Points 
 Needed 
 for 
 Each 
 Exam
 & the 
 Memo

   93-100

   90-92

   87-89

   83-86

   80-82

   77-79

   73-76

   70-72

   67-69

   63-66

   60-62

   59 
   or 
  less

 Points 
 Needed 
 for the 
 Final
 Course
 Grade 

  463- 500

 450-464

 433-449

 413-432

 400-412

 383-399

 363-382

 350-362

 333-349

 313-332

 300-312

   299 
    or 
   less

NOTE: You are NOT competing with other students  for grades.  There is NO CURVE for the course overall.  Each student can get an A; each student can get a D or an F.  It's up to you.

On the first exam only, if the average for the class falls below 75, all the exams in the class will receive the additional points necessary to bring the class average to 75 (Example: Class average on exam 1 is 73; all those taking the exam receive 2 points).

All your exams will count in the final grade. In one of two cases, I will drop the lowest grade on the first three exams. First, I will drop the lowest grade if one exam score is two full grades below all the rest (that is, 3 As and 1 C). Second, I will drop the worst exam of the first 3 exams if the exams show steady progress of two grades from the first exam to the third and fourth exams (for example, a pattern of D, C, B, A or C, B, A, A).  NOTE: The final exam grade cannot be dropped.   

Note that a paragraph about your policy decision memo topic is due October 10. The policy decision memo is due November 14.  Information about the memo is detailed further down in this syllabus.  Late Papers lose one point per day (that is, each day that ends in the letter "y") - no exceptions. You should submit a paper copy of the memo; memos submitted electronically have not been submitted until the instructor acknowledges receipt. 

 

I will grade the memos and return them to you at the last class meeting. You can revise the memo and resubmit it for a grade adjustment on the day of the final exam. 

6. WHEN IS THE READING DUE?

Your reading assignments are listed on the attached class schedule. I expect you to have read the material before coming to class, and that you will be prepared to discuss it.

7. HOW DO I KEEP UP WITH CURRENT EVENTS?

Each student in this course should read the national and metro news sections of the St Louis Post-Dispatch every day. In addition, daily analysis is available in newspapers available on campus,  the New York Times, the Washington Post , the Chicago Tribune, and the Wall Street Journal. A wealth of newspapers and news sources can be found at Newslink You can look at the front pages of 200 newspapers from around the world daily at PressDisplay.com. We are very fortunate to have KWMU, the National Public Radio affiliate for St. Louis, located on the UM-St. Louis campus; here's the link to KWMU. The Newshour shown at 6 PM weeknights on Channel 9 provides in depth coverage and interviews with notable political leaders and analysts. C-SPAN provides live coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives, and C-SPAN II provides live coverage of the U.S. Senate; the C-Span site offers streaming videos of both, and also much other coverage of hearings, major speeches, press conferences, rallies, and historical sites.  Two weekly publications provide incomparable coverage of American politics and policy from the inside: Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report and the National Journal. The National Political Index has links to many other political sources. 

There are many sources available for keeping up with day to day politics in 2005. Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire, CNN/Time's AllPolitics, Real Clear Politics are very good sites. Many political insiders consider NBC News's First Read and ABC News's "The Note" to be "must" reading.  Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire, CNN/Time's AllPolitics, Real Clear Politics also are very good sites. Politics1 and Dave Varadian's Left, Right and Center provide additional links.  In addition to the general sources above, see these sites: The Hill; Mondo Politico; Campaigns & Elections magazine; and Yahoo! Politics index.

 

For Missouri politics, see johncombest.com, the Post-Dispatch's Political Fix, Missourinet, and Stateline.

 

To evaluate the claims of the presidential candidates, try the Truth-O-Meter

 

To write or to petition your government, click here

 

For help in evaluating websites, click here

To find out more about government, politics, and public policy, visit the UM-St. Louis Library:

8. WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?

Are politicians providing accurate facts?  Click on FactCheck.org  to find out.

I welcome and strongly encourage you to ask questions about the material or current events in American government and politics. Please ask questions.

Please turn off electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, games, metal detectors, etc.) during class. You may take notes on a laptop, and you are allowed to tape record the lecture.  Phones, laptops, and other electronics are not allowed during exams.

When I return your exam, please check to make sure that I have computed your grade correctly. Please be in your seat by the time class begins, and do not hold conversations during class. If you do not understand lecture, if you have further questions about lecture, please don't hesitate to interrupt and ask your question. If I begin to speak too quickly, please tell me to slow down.

Daily Assignments

August 20 (Monday): How do American Values affect American Government?

 

August 22 (Wednesday): What Were the Founders Thinking?

 

August 27 (Monday):  Federalism: What Government Should Tackle Public Problems?

 

August 29 (Wednesday):  Civil Rights: When Should Government Protect Freedom and Fairness?

 

September  3 (Monday): Labor Day; Class does not meet

 

September  5 (Wednesday):  Civil Liberties and Tolerance: Who Should Government Protect?

 

September 10 (Monday): Public Opinion: How do Americans View Government and Politics?

September 12 (Wednesday): --- EXAM 1 --- / Study Guide for Exam 1

September 17 (Monday): How do Americans Participate in Politics and Government?  

                     Last day to to drop a course or withdraw from school without receiving a grade.

 

September 19 (Wednesday): How do Americans Vote and Why?  

September 24 (Monday):  Why do Political Parties Matter?

September 26 (Wednesday): Elections 2006, 2008

 

October  1 (Monday):  How Do Interest Groups Affect American Politics?

 

October  3 (Wednesday): How does the Media Affect American Politics?

 

October  8 (Monday): --- EXAM 2 --- / Study Guide for Exam 2                                 

                   

October 10 (Wednesday):   What do Members of Congress Do, and Why? 

 

October 15 (Monday): How Does Congress Work?

 

October  17 (Wednesday): What Problems do Presidents Face, and What Kinds of People Become President?  

 

October  22 (Monday): How does the Presidency Work?

 

October  24 (Wednesday): How Powerful is Bureaucracy, and How does it Work?

 

October 29 (Monday): What does Watergate tell us about the way American Politics Works?

October 31 (Wednesday): --- EXAM 3 --- / Study Guide for Exam 3

November  5 (Monday):   Why are American Courts So Powerful?

 

November  7 (Wednesday):   How does the Government try to Manage American Prosperity?

 

November 12 (Monday):  Why is the Federal Budget so Important? 

 

                 Last day that students may drop a course

 

November 14 (Wednesday): Social Welfare: How Does the Government Provide Protection for our Income?

 

November 19--21        Thanksgiving Holiday - Class does not meet

 

November 26 (Monday): Environmental Protection: does the Government Deal with the Environment?

November 28 (Wednesday):  Foreign Policy: How does the Government deal with Other Countries

 

December   3 (Monday): Vietnam & Iraq

 

December  5 (Wednesday):  Conclusion 

 

 

December 10 (Monday): --- FINAL EXAM --- /  5:30-7:30 Study Guide for Exam 4

Exam Format and Sample questions

The exam consists of three sections: 50 modified true/false statements, 15 multiple choice questions, and 1 short answer question.

Section 1: This section consists of 50 true/false questions. Mark the answer to each question on your machine readable answer sheet. For each question, there are only two possible answers. If the answer is true, darken in the space under A on the answer sheet. If the answer is false, darken in the B on the answer sheet. The remaining letters (C,D,E) are irrelevant for this section of the test. Try to spend no more than 20 minutes on this section. Each correct answer is worth 1 point.

Before the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the United States was experiencing a number of serious problems.  Which of the following are true?

    1. The states were interfering with each others’ trade, and some were taxing imports from other states.

    2. Under the Articles of Confederation, there was no U.S. Supreme Court.

    3. Under the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. had a king with the power of a dictator.

On the machine-readable answer sheet, you would answer "A" (true) for statement 1, "A" (true) for statement 2, and "B" (false) for statement 3.
 

Section 2