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Section A |
Section B |
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Robin Datta, Ph.D. |
Office Hours |
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Alderwood 238 |
Daily 9:00-9:50 AM |
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[425] 640-1590 |
appointments welcome |
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AOL IM: RobinPDatta |
If all of mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.
John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
Though many Americans are loath to admit it the exercise of government affects their everyday life in fundamental ways. As your authors suggest (SH 5) government “provides the essential framework for nearly everything that you do” on a daily basis—government mandates and monitors the safety of the food supply, it regulates your access to transportation (driving is a heavily regulated privilege not a right), provides you access to education, and ensures that you are safe on the job. And yet, the American political process is rife with tension over the proper purpose and scope of government activity, what political theorists call the “Public Good.” These tensions may be most apparent in the public debates over the post-9/11 Economic Stimulus package, the granting of increased police powers in the USA Patriot Act of 2001, and the increase in sin taxes (Washington State now has the highest cigarette tax in the nation). But there are other, deeper tensions, about the character of government. How sensitive to the will of the people should the government be? Should the majority rule absolutely or should minority rights be somehow protected? Is this an absolute or, as we are seeing with the domestic “war on terrorism” are there necessary exceptions? What happens when government becomes too sensitive to moneyed or special interests and acts to the detriment of the public good? Conversely, could it be argued that governmental regulation of economic, political, religious, and individual behavior is detrimental to the public good? These are tough questions that get to the heart of contemporary debates. To understand them you must first understand the political system itself: its underpinnings, its actors, and its processes. However, we will not stop at the acquisition of basic knowledge. To be a student of politics and, not coincidentally, an informed and engaged citizen you must also develop critical thinking and analytical skills. As Brudney and Culver observe in Critical Thinking and American Government (1998) “knowledge requires more than just an exposure to a new concept, literary genre, economic theory, chemical reaction, or musical score. It demands that we think about relationships, formulate new ideas about why something works the way that it does, and experiment on our own.” This is the essence of this quarter’s scholarly enterprise. During the next 10 weeks you will be asked to think about your own place in politics, the role of popular culture in supporting or challenging the “American political perspective,” and, most importantly, the usage of statistics and public opinion in the political process.
Though this is an introductory course it is not an easy one. Much reading, writing, and critical thought will be demanded of you. Why? I assume that all of you are here because you want to transfer to a four-year school and approach this course accordingly. All of the activities and tests are designed to help you learn the necessary skills for survival in upper-division college courses. Since some of the assignments [like writing essay questions and argumentative research papers] may be very new to you, I take it as my responsibility to help you through the process. In turn, it is your responsibility to keep up with course work and always ask questions when you don’t understand something. Indifference in this can be detrimental to your academic success. Ultimately you are accountable for your performance in this course. Make a decision about the grade you wish to receive and work accordingly.
There is a heavy emphasis on cultivating the EDCC College Wide Abilities, specifically: Critical Thinking, Written and Oral Communication, and Group Interaction skills. Specific objectives are as follows:
· Acquire a general understanding of the American political process.
· Understand the historical roots of contemporary politics.
· Develop facility with the theoretical language of political science scholarship.
· Foster a better understanding and appreciation of cultural and political diversity.
· Become familiar with primary and secondary academic resources.
· Write clear, comprehensive, and well-supported academic essays.
· Develop basic computer research and communication skills.
· Acquire and Apply a rudimentary understanding of social science statistical methodology in polling (selection bias, sample size and randomness, percentages, statistical significance, Mean, Median, and Mode)
The Internet is having a profound impact on global and national politics and, as communication, research, and writing tools, networked personal computers are becoming critical for survival in college and the professional world. However, the information rich environment we live in has a downside. There is so much information to be had that it becomes difficult to tell what is useful and what is not. This raises an interesting problem for researchers like you. Where do you go for reliable information about politics and what kinds of questions should you ask when you get there?
During this class we will be addressing this problem. You will be required to use the Internet as one in a quiver of research and course participation tools. The purpose of this is to help acquaint you with the strengths and limitations of this new communications medium. If you don’t know how to use this resource, here is your chance to learn a bit and, maybe, have some fun doing it. You will require consistent access to the Internet through your home Internet Service Provider or through the EdCC computing facilities.
Disclaimer: The Internet is an unregulated global network providing access to information, ideas, and commentary spanning a wide variety of topics, including a vast amount of material that is professionally, culturally, and personally enriching. As an unregulated medium, however, it also enables access to material that may be considered offensive, disturbing, and/or illegal. Neither Edmonds Community College nor the Department of Political Science at Edmonds Community College is responsible for content on the Internet. Users should use their discretion in seeking out and evaluating material found on the Internet.
Edward Sidlow and Beth Henschen, America at Odds: The Essentials, Wadsworth Publishing Company, 3rd Edition, 2002. [politicalscience.wadsworth.com/]
In addition to the texts listed above you will be required to keep up on current events by reading online course related resources and articles. These will be accessible from the course BlackBoard site and are listed in the course schedule.
A notebook dedicated to lecture, reading notes, and class handouts
Two 3.5 inch, IBM Formatted floppy disks—to make redundant backups of your work.
An email address.
A student account on blackboard.edcc.edu. (See appended instructions.)
The ability to listen to Internet Streamed audio files.
A calculator capable of statistical functions.
20%—10 online quizzes covering reading, class activities/discussions, and current events.
15%—Public Opinion Polling Exercises (4).
15%—Class Participation (a combination of in-class and online activity).
25%—Critical Reflect #1: Civil Liberties Poll
25%—Critical Reflection #2: Politics in Film
Make it a practice to check your BlackBoard account daily for updated discussions, course materials, and assignments.
Form study groups with fellow students and work with them regularly. You'll understand the materials better and perhaps you'll make some new friends. You may do this online or in a face-to-face fashion.
Take notes in class and on the assigned materials.
Make the library an important place in your life. Learn to use its resources effectively. In addition to journalistic discussions of politics know where to locate scholarly journals.
Study at least two hours for every hour of the class. Use the time to transcribe and review your lecture and reading notes.
If something is confusing you formulate and submit questions to me in class or via email. I'll post responses to the class discussion board.
Be an active participant in class and online discussions.
Our time together will be spent in a variety of ways. Lectures and general class discussion will be complemented by breakout sessions in which groups discuss problems and then present their ideas to the class. In addition, various articles will be distributed/assigned via the class web site. These will be used to drive in-class and online discussions. It is your responsibility to be in class on time and ready to actively participate in lectures, discussions, and exercises. In designing these activities I take for granted that you have read, understood, and thought about the assigned readings. Exams will ask you to address the topics we have discussed in class as well as the readings.
Merely showing up and sitting quietly may constitute good attendance but it does not constitute good participation. In fact if you just show up and sit quietly, even with perfect attendance, you will only receive a 70 or a low “C” for class participation—20% of your overall grade. If you feel uncomfortable talking in class you may compensate by participating more heavily in the weekly online discussions.
I will assess your participation using the following criteria:
Activity
How actively do you participate in class and in our online discussions?
Quality
How good are your contributions to the in-class and online discussions?
Are they based on the ideas contained in the readings and do they strengthen our deliberations OR are they merely expressions of unsupported opinion—“data-free” analysis?
Are you bringing some new and relevant information into the discussion? An interesting journal or newspaper article that pertains to the discussion topic?
Having said the foregoing let me also suggest that there is a model for good participation that is characterized by the following simple rules:
Be prepared to discuss the assigned reading materials and current issues.
Show respect for others in the classroom and on the discussion board. The use of ad hominem attacks against those who hold positions that you dislike or disagree with will not be tolerated.
Wait to be recognized before speaking in class and do not interrupt others as they are speaking.
Be thoughtful in formulating your statements and questions. Do not blurt out or post anything that comes to mind or rely on prepackaged opinions you may be carrying around. Instead show that you have been listening and thinking about course activities and materials—this is one way of demonstrating your learning.
Recognize that moral indignation does NOT a good argument make. Just because you may be upset about or hold passionate beliefs about some issue does not mean that you may throw good logic or evidence out the window.
Disrespectful behavior and solipsistic, and ad hominem argumentation will not be tolerated. Your participation should adhere to the rules outlined above not the prevailing examples of “discussion” that pervade American media culture.
You will be expected to uphold the standards of Academic Honesty and Conduct set forth on pages 7 and 8 of the Student Rights, Freedoms, and Responsibilities Handbook. Most importantly, I expect that you will adhere to the highest standards of ethical behavior when preparing papers and taking exams. Plagiarism, collusion in the writing of papers, and cheating on examinations will result in your failure for the assignment and, in all probability the course, and referral to the Associate Dean of Students for disciplinary action. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to become familiar with and abide by EDCC regulations and standards of conduct regarding attendance, course work, and classroom discipline. To pick up a copy of the Student Rights, Freedoms, and Responsibilities Handbook go to the Student Programs Office [TU 108] or read the document online at the Student Life web site [http://www.edcc.edu/stulife/rightres.stm].
If you require an accommodation for a disability please contact Services for Students with Disabilities, WDY 114, 425-640-1320, ssdmail@edcc.edu.
If you miss class it is incumbent upon YOU to find out what you missed. Check the course announcements page or post a request on the course discussion board.
All assigned work is due on the date published in this syllabus. The penalty for late work is 5 points per day without exception. I reserve the right to revise due dates as needed.
Computer problems are not an acceptable excuse for late or missing work.
I will take approximately one week to grade and return all assignments. They will be graded and returned electronically.
Class time is Political Science time—not homework, newspaper, magazine, or comic book reading, personal grooming, gossiping with friends, staring out the window, or catching up on sleep time. I expect you to pay attention and remain on-task. If you can’t do this you probably don’t belong in this class.
Beepers and Cellular Phones are a distraction to your peers. Please disable them during class.
Extra Credit will be assigned at my discretion. Please do not ask for it.
See me if, for some reason, you need to take an incomplete in this course. Incompletes will only be awarded in cases where a significant portion of the work has already been completed and there are one or two assignments outstanding. We will negotiate and sign a contract regarding outstanding work and due dates. Without exception you will only have until the close of the following quarter to fulfill this contract. Failure to do so will result in an F (0.0) grade for the course.
An A [100-90 or 4.0-3.5] level paper or essay answer is one which clearly and accurately describes and defines the issues raised and is accompanied by analysis and/or commentary which in addressing the question shows a superior understanding of the material.
A B [89-80 or 3.4-2.5] level paper or essay answer is one which clearly and accurately describes and defines the issues raised and is accompanied by analysis and/or commentary which, while promising, lacks refinement or focus.
A C [79-70 or 2.4-1.5] level paper or essay answer is one in which the issues raised by the question are accurately described and defined but which lacks sufficient analysis and/or commentary.
A D [69-60 or 1.4-.7] level paper or essay answer is one which shows effort but which contains serious errors in its definition and/or description of the problem and which lacks analysis and/or commentary.
An F [59-0 or .6-0] level paper or essay answer shows little or no understanding of basic concepts and lacks analysis and/or commentary.
Week |
Topic |
To Do |
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1 1/7-1/11 |
Intro to |
· Read SH 1 and 6 · Sign into Blackboard · Submit the Student Accountability Statement (Due by 10:00 PM 01/14/02) · Take the Sample Quiz (Due by 10:00 PM 01/14/02) |
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2 1/14-1/18 |
The Constitution |
· Read SH 2 and SH Appendix A, B, & F · Quiz#1 (Due by 10:00 PM 1/16/02) |
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3 1/21-1/25 |
Federalism |
· Read SH 3 · Critical Reflection #1: Take NPR Civil Liberties Poll [www.npr.org/news/specials/civillibertiespoll/021130.poll.html]. Write Reflection comparing your answers with those of the national sample. (Due by 10:00 PM 2/1/02) · Quiz#2 (Due by 10:00 PM 1/23/02) |
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4 1/28-2/1 |
Civil Rights & Liberties |
· Read SH 4 & 5 · Quiz#3 (Due by 10:00 PM 1/30/02) |
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5 2/4-2/8 |
Parties & Interest Groups |
· Read SH 7 & 8 · Quiz#4 (Due by 10:00 PM 2/6/02) |
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6 2/11-2/15 |
Public Opinion & Voting |
· Read “How Polls are Conducted” [www.gallup.com/help/FAQs/poll1.asp] and SH 9 · In-class Group activities on Random Sampling, Writing Poll Questions, & Sample Variation and Margin of Error. · Quiz#5 (Due by 10:00 PM 2/13/02) |
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7 2/18-2/22 |
Campaigns & Elections |
· Read SH 10 · Quiz#6 (Due by 10:00 PM 2/20/02) |
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8 2/25-3/1 |
Politics & The Media |
· Read SH 11 Critical Reflection #2: Politics in Film (Due by 10:00 PM 3/4/02) · Quiz#7 (Due by 10:00 PM 2/27/02) |
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9 3/4-3/8 |
Congress & The Presidency |
· Read SH 12 & 13 · Quiz#8 (Due by 10:00 PM 3/8/02) |
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10 3/11-3/15 |
The Courts & The Federal Bureaucracy |
· Read SH 14 & 15 · Quiz#9 (Due by 10:00 PM 3/9/02) |
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11 3/18-3/22 |
Finals Week |
· Quiz#10 (Due by 10:00 PM 3/20/02) · Opportunity Quiz (Due by 10:00 PM 3/20/02) |
Signing into Blackboard
Due: By 5:00 PM on 01/11/02
Step 1: Getting to BlackBoard.
Step 2: Create a new blackboard account.
Step 3: Adding the class.
Step 4: Start Exploring.