Introduction to American Politics
Political Science 111 (CRN 13883), Chambers 215
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 2:30 a.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Fall 2003

Course Objectives

This course is designed to introduce students to fundamental concepts and institutions of American politics. Throughout the semester, we focus on the theme of acting collectively.  What obstacles discourage individuals from working together for their political interests, and how do they overcome these obstacles?  While these questions may appear abstract, they capture central political dynamics of many aspects of American politics.  For example, why do people vote when it is very unlikely that their individual votes make a difference in the electoral outcome?  Why do members of Congress and the President so rarely work together to pass laws?  Why are labor unions able to match the million-dollar political expenditures of their business opponents, while other left-leaning interest groups such as the Children’s Defense Fund struggle to raise any funds?

To address these questions and others, students engage in diverse activities, from in-class presentations to written papers and exams.  These activities have two goals.  First, students will improve their skills of expression, both verbal and written.  Second, students will develop a better understanding of American politics, including a greater interest in current events and an enhanced ability to understand and assess those events.  These skills will prove useful for each student’s Davidson career and afterwards.

Course Requirements

Each student’s grade for the course will be based on several components.

• One-page papers.  During the semester, I will assign 3 papers, each of which can be no longer than a single page.  The grade for each of these papers will count 10% of the overall course grade.  In other words, the average of the 3 paper grades will count 30% of the overall course grade.
• In-class presentations.  Each student will make two in-class presentations at different points in the semester.  The first will be part of a debate on specific civil liberties issues, and the second will be part of a debate on issues facing Congress and the president.  The grade on each presentation will count 7.5% of the overall course grade.  In other words, the average of the 2 presentation grades will count 15% of the overall course grade.
• Midterm exam.  This in-class exam on October 17 will count 20% of the overall course grade.
• Final exam.  This self-scheduled exam will be taken during the final exam period, December 12-18.  It will count 25% of the overall course grade.
• Current events quizzes.  Before almost every class, students will need to take a current events quiz, available on the class web site.  Each quiz will focus on a recent article in the New York Times.  The average of these quiz grades will count 5% of the overall course grade.
• Class attendance and participation.  Students are expected to come to class every day, prepared to discuss and write about the assigned reading.  Many discussions will incorporate current events, particularly articles in the New York Times (and the topics of the daily quizzes).  I will assess each student’s attendance and performance in discussing current events, and this assessment will make up 5% of the overall course grade.

All the paper assignments are due at the start of class on the assigned date (unless noted otherwise above).  Assignments turned in more than halfway through a class period will be considered late.  For each 24-hour period that an assignment is late, the grade on that assignment will be penalized by 10 points.  Exceptions to the late penalty will be considered for medical and other emergencies; computer problems are not acceptable excuses for late work. 

All work in the course is bound by the Honor Code.  In accordance with the Honor Code, all paper assignments must provide appropriate citations for any sources or information included in the paper.  If you have questions about the appropriate format for citations, make sure that you ask me before turning in the paper.  You can also visit the Campus Writing Center for additional assistance with citations.  All work for the course must be completed individually, with each student responsible for his or her own work.  Students are encouraged, however, to work together in several ways.  When preparing for exams, study groups with fellow members of the class are an excellent way to study.  In addition, students can often improve their papers by getting classmates to read and comment on them.  I encourage this peer review, but students must cite in their paper the names of any other students who have read and commented on that paper.

 Assigned Readings

Three required texts are available for purchase in the bookstore: The Logic of American Politics, by Samuel Kernell and Gary Jacobson; Principles and Practices of American Politics, by Samuel Kernell and Steven Smith, and Polling the Public, by Herb Asher.  Students are also required to read the New York Times on a daily basis (except Sundays).  Each day’s edition can be purchased in the College Union for 40 cents; copies are also available in the library.  In class each day we will discuss at least one article from recent editions, mainly from the front page or the National Section of the paper (I will individually assign any other articles from outside these parts of the paper that should be read).  Finally, additional required reading is available on electronic reserve at Davidson College library web site (here).  In the course outline below, assigned articles on electronic reserve are denoted with an “*”.  Additional articles may also be placed on reserve. 

 Course Outline