American Government Course Website

Syllabus

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Lecture Notes:

American Politics: Notes for Exam 1 (Background, Constitution, Federalism, Participation and Elections)

Parties and Groups
Civil Liberties - Religion
Judicial Branch (Courts)

Congress Notes
President Notes

Think-Tank page

AG teaching resource links

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American Politics
Political Science 101

Instructor: Dr. Troy Gibson

Course Website: ocean.otr.usm.edu/~w302011

Contact Information
            Location: Liberal Arts Building
            Phone: 601-266-4277
            E-mail: troy.gibson@usm.edu
            Hours: TBA

Course Description:

The purpose of this course is to help students become familiar with the structures and processes that makeup American government.  We will focus on the interaction between political participants and the political institutions fashioned to govern them.

Course Requirements:
25% Exam 1
25% Exam 2
25% Exam 3
15% Discussion Days*
10% Daily Grades (Includes unannounced quizzes, participation, and any other assignments)

Grading:
A 10-point grading system will be used (i.e. 90-100 = A, 80-89 = B… Below 60 = F)

Course Text:
American Government and Politics Today: The Essentials (2008 Edition).  Bardes, Shelley, and Schmidt.    

Attendance:
While attendance will not be taken daily, missed quizzes and assignments will result in a zero and can not be replaced.  However, I will drop your lowest daily grade at the end of the semester.  Missed exams will not be made up without a documented excused absence.  If you must miss class, notify me well in advance.  Always consult the course website and contact me for any missed assignments.

Class Policies:
I strictly follow this institution’s standards with respect to academic dishonesty.  Conviction will result in an automatic “F” in the course and may also involve an additional penalty from outside authorities.  Consult your Student Handbook for details.

 Course Schedule
Week of:
Jan 18 – Introduction and Background to American Politics
Jan 25 – Chs 1&2 Background Issues in American Politics; Liberty Exercise
Feb 1 – Ch. 2 Constitution and Ch. 3 Federalism; Discussion Day #1 Thursday (Should Homosexual couples be allowed to legally marry?)
Feb 8 – continue material
Feb 15 – Chs. 6 and 9 Participation, Candidates, and Elections (IGNORE MEDIA SECTION)
Feb 22 – continue material; Discussion Day #2 Thursday (Should Affirmative Action programs in Higher Ed be discontinued?)
Mar 1 – Chs 7&8 Political Parties and Groups; Exam I Thursday;
Mar 8 – Ch 4 Civil Liberties; Discussion Day #3 (Is Nationalized Public Health Insurance a Good Idea?)
Mar 15 – SPRING BREAK
Mar 22 – Ch 13 Courts
Mar 29 – continue…; Discussion Day 4 (Should abortion be legal except for cases of rape, incest or imminent death of the mother?)
April 5 –  continue…
Apr 12 – Ch 10 Congress; Exam II Thursday;
Apr 19 – continue…
Apr 26 – Ch 11 President; Discussion Day 5 Thursday (Should the death penalty be abolished?);
May 3 – Ch 11 Presidency continue…

*Discussion Day.  Write a one-page summary (2/3 summary; 1/3 your supported opinion) using and citing two sources from the Think-Tanks page (use the Think-Tank search engines to locate articles).  When citing something from your articles in the body of your essay, use superscript numerals to indicate which source you are using.  Provide the exact web addresses to your articles (in addition to the title and think-tank) below or on a separate page.  Find at least one fact/argument/point that you feel is particularly important and be prepared to mention it in the class discussion.