GOVT. 1: Essentials of
Government
Fall 2009
Professor:
Dr. Kimberly Nalder
Office:
Tahoe
3121
e-mail: klnalder@csus.edu
Phone:
278-6693
Office
Hours: W 3-5, and by appointment
Website: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/n/nalderk
Course Objectives
*This course meets the GE requirement
for Area D3.
The primary
objective of this course is to familiarize you with the processes and
institutions of American government. You should emerge from this course
with a clearer understanding of your own political views and better equipped to
serve as an active and informed citizen. This semester, we will study
theories of democracy, ideology, the founding and U.S. Constitution,
federalism, California politics, processes and linkage institutions, as well as
the branches of government. We will also focus on current events, which
will help to crystallize course concepts and relate them to our roles as citizens.
In addition
to the acquisition of substantive knowledge about politics and government, this
course should serve to help you to: improve your writing, work on critical
thinking skills, learn to work in groups, attune you to current events, and
help you to discuss potentially controversial topics in a meaningful and
respectful way. Also, as in any Government 1 course, you should learn the
following:
(1) To
understand the values that influenced the colonists to separate from England
(2) To
understand the purposes of the Framers of the Constitution.
(3) Learn
the theory of federalism and its contemporary relevance
(4) Know the basic structure and processes of the federal and
California political systems and how the two systems are similar and
dissimilar.
(5)
Understand the history and importance of civil rights and civil liberties
(6) Explore
the different avenues that citizens have for influencing the government
Required Readings
Understanding American Government. Alternate 12th
Edition. Welch, Gruhl, Comer, Rigdon, 2008 (this package
includes “California Government and Politics: A Practical Approach ” by Gerston and Christensen, 10th edition)
ISBN 1424086825 . The bookstore version
has both texts together, and will be much cheaper than trying to buy them
separately (like half price).
There is also a website associated with the main text. It has practice quizzes, flashcards, and a
glossary of terms: http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&flag=student&product_isbn_issn=9780495501176&disciplinenumber=20
The New York Times.
Mon.-Fri. PRINT edition is required. Saturday and Sunday editions
are suggested. Call 1-888-698-2655 (888 NYT COLL) and mention my name to get
the discounted version (or sign up in class). Weekdays only are required,
though you can also get a discount on the weekend editions.
The NYT is considered the national newspaper of record, so
though reading other newspapers (such as the Bee) is always a good idea, no
other papers can be substituted for the NYT for course purposes. The
course will have an integrated current events group challenge for each
week. You will sign up to read a particular segment of the paper each day
to contribute to your team’s overall knowledge. There will also be questions
from the NYT on the exams.
Course Requirements
This course
is structured so that you can develop and draw on various skills and learning
styles. Specifically, you will be tested on your ability to digest
information from written sources as well as from lecture via a midterm exam and
a final. Your critical thinking and writing skills will be developed and
tested through a civic engagement paper, and your oral
presentation and group interaction skills will be used during in-class small
group work.
Midterm
20% October
15 (Thursday)
Civic
Engagement Paper 20% December 1 (Tuesday)
Current
Events Quizzes
30%
Thursdays
Attendance,
In-Class Work, Particip. 10%
Every class
Final 20% Dec.
15
1. Exams –There will be a midterm and a final
exam. The format may be multiple choice, short answer, or short
essays. You will be required to bring a scantron
and a blue book to class the day of the exam. Do not write on either
prior to the exam. There will be a midterm exam on October 15th.
The final will be Tuesday, December 15th at12:45-2:45.
2. Civic
Engagement Paper – You
will need to write a 5-7 page report/ research paper exploring the topic of
youth civic engagement. This project
will require you to volunteer to work for a political party, interest group, or
campus organization during the semester.
Your paper will report on that experience and put it in a larger context
of democratic participation. A detailed
assignment sheet will be given out later in the semester, and we will discuss
the assignment in detail in class. It is due on December 1st at the beginning of class. Turn it in on time. Late papers will have 5% deducted for every
day late (including weekends) Any papers turned in
after the beginning of class on the 1st will be considered a day
late. Paper copies are required. I will not accept an electronic version of
the paper.
3. Current
Events Quizzes – Each week, on Thursdays, we will have a team current events/
textbook reading quiz. You are expected to have the readings listed for
that week done by class time on Thursdays. You will be asked questions as a team and be
scored as a team. I will on occasion, without warning, administer
individual quizzes – so you need to be ready with your reading every week.
4.
Attendance, Assignments, Group Work - This course will not rely solely on lectures for transmitting
knowledge. Lectures will cover some of the content in your textbook, but
will also include additional information. Also, we will periodically do
small group work and short class presentations. In other words, you need to
come to class! I will take attendance. You will not be docked points for your first
2 absences, but after that, your grade will suffer.
Class Policies
Attendance:
Mandatory.
Should you miss an in-class activity or be absent more than twice, your grade
will suffer. Being in class is vital to your learning. If you miss more than 7 days, you will not
pass the course.
No
Make-Up Exams: There will be no make-up exams offered unless you bring
documentation of severe illness or a death in the family. The same is
true of assignments and quizzes. No
early exams will be given. It is your
responsibility to take exams as scheduled.
Cheating
and/or plagiarism:
At the risk of being clichéd, you only cheat yourself when you cheat in
class. Just do the work. The penalties will adhere to University
Policy, but at the minimum will result in an F for the exam or assignment in
question. The relevant university policy can be accessed at: http://www.csus.edu/admbus/umanual/UMA00150.htm
Turn off
Beeping Things. Please remember to turn off your cell phones, laptop
sounds, etc. Please use your laptop only for note-taking, anything else
is distracting and defeats the whole purpose of being in class. I retain the right to ban laptops entirely if
this becomes a problem. Please be
courteous and refrain from texting during class.
Late
Arrival or Departure: It is expected that you will be on time to class and
will stay for the duration of the class period, which is only one hour and
fifteen minutes. If you miss roll at the
beginning of class, you will be counted as absent. It is rude to interrupt class by walking out
early. If you have an
extraordinary reason to leave early, please sit near the door and exit as
quietly as possible. Please do
not leave in the middle of class for any reasons that might be put off until
after class.
Courtesy. Please
be respectful of other’s opinions during discussions. Rest assured that
everyone will get a chance to express themselves. In short, please show
respect and courtesy for everyone in the classroom. Your participation
score can be negatively affected if there are any problems in this area.
Class
Disruptions:
It is important that the learning environment be free of distractions and
disruptions. Any student who creates a disturbance or otherwise prohibits the
class from proceeding smoothly will be ejected from the class. Further
penalties will be imposed if the behavior recurs. The University policy can be
viewed here: http://www.csus.edu/admbus/umanual/UMD03250.htm
Participate! This course covers topics that
are relevant to all of our lives and our futures. You are needed to help
enliven the course meetings and to contribute to the learning
environment. Come prepared to do just that.
State of CA Furloughs
This
year, the State of California is experiencing an unprecedented budget
crisis. One of the ways (in addition to raising your tuition) that the
Governor, Legislature, and CSU administration have chosen to address the
problem is through furloughs of state employees, including all faculty, staff,
and administrators at the CSU. A
furlough means mandatory un-paid days off for employees; there are 18 of these
this year for faculty. You will notice
that this syllabus schedule reflects some of those furlough days. Your educational experience will be
negatively impacted by these massive budget cuts, but the days have been
scheduled to minimize disruption to our class.
Tentative Schedule
The
reading listed below is to be done BEFORE the Thursday class meeting.
I.
Introduction
Week of Sept. 1
II. Democracy
and Political Values
Week of Sept. 8
(Chapter 1)
III. The
Founding and the
Constitution
Week of Sept. 15 (Chapter 2 and the U.S.
Constitution – Appendix B, p. 495, in Welch)
Quiz will include questions on the Constitution
IV. Congress
Week of Sept. 22 (Chapter 10)
V. Presidency
Week of Sept. 29 (Chapter 11)
VI. The
Judiciary
Week of October 6 (Chapter 13)
Thursday, October 8 is a Furlough Day – use it to study
for the midterm.
VII.
Elections and Voting
Week of October
13 (Chapter
8; Gerston, Chapter 3)
***Midterm Thursday, October 15***
VIII. Interest
Groups
Week of October 20 (Chapter 6; Gerston
Ghapter 4)
IX. Political
Parties
Week of October 27 (Chapter 7; Gerston Chapter 2)
X. Public
Opinion and Political Socialization
Week of November 3 (Chapter 4)
XI. California
Politics
Week of November 10 (Chapters 5,7, and 8 in Gerston)
XII. Civil
Liberties
Week of November 17
XIII. The
Mass Media (content eliminated due to furloughs)
Week of November 24
Tuesday, November 24 is a furlough
day, and November 26 is Thanksgiving Holiday, so there will be no class this
week. Please use the time to work on
your papers.
XIV.
Civil Liberties
Week of Dec. 1
***Paper due Tuesday, Dec. 1 at the
beginning of class***
XV. Civil Rights
Week of December 8
Furlough Day Dec. 10, but there will be an
in-class review session by the TA
Final Exam: Tuesday, December 15, 12:45-2:45