POL 111-01
Introduction to U.S. Government
Instructor: Dr. Kevin Parsneau
Office Hours by appointment
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: (507) 389-5232
http://mavdisk.mnsu.edu/parsnk
http://connect.mheducation.com/class/k-parsneau-summer-2015
Course Description:
This course is intended to introduce students to U.S. politics and institutions, including the
legislative, executive and judicial branches, as well as parties, interest groups, the media and
public opinion. A recurring theme of the course will be challenging the “civics class” version of
American politics that is commonly taught in high schools and reinforced in popular culture.
While the “civics class” version gets many basic facts correct, it oversimplifies major aspects of
the U.S. system and ignores important issues. The goal of this class is not to discard the “civics
class” version, but to build upon it and raise challenging questions about it with the expectation
that students develop their own sophisticated opinions about the U.S. system.
In addition to raising new issues that students may have never considered, this course will
emphasize basic understanding of the issues concerning American politics, as well as familiarity
with different ways of understanding politics. Along the way, the course will provide context to
current debates, trends and events.
This is an on-line course. The materials and assignments will be distributed in a web-based
environment including Desire2Learn (D2L), Mavdisk (http://mavdisk.mnsu.edu/parsnk/201516/pol111-summer15/pol111-summer15.htm) and the textbook website
(http://connect.mheducation.com/class/k-parsneau-summer-2015). Class discussions,
examinations and other assignments will be conducted on line. It will be important that you check
D2L and email on a regular basis.
If this is your first on-line course, please note that on-line courses are very different from
traditional in-class courses. The major difference is that the on-line courses require much more
self-discipline. Reading and doing assignments is much more self-directed than in a traditional
course. For this reason it is important that you keep yourself on schedule.
Text Book:
Thomas E. Patterson. 2015. We the People. 11th ed. McGraw Hill Co.
Other readings will be available via the course website or emailed. Students will be held
responsible for all listed or distributed course readings.
Grades:
Exams and quizzes for this class are done on line through D2L and the textbook website.
Because they are on line, students have the option of taking them at convenient times in their
schedules. Students can take them on their own computers but should note that unless they take
the assignments on a university computer and can provide acceptable documentation of the
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problem, computer problems are not an acceptable excuse for failure to complete the
assignments. Students are encouraged to use university computers, save their answers as they do
the assignment, and do assignments as early as possible to allow for any unforeseen problems. If
they encounter problems on a university computer, immediately contact the person responsible
for the computer lab, get documentation of the problem and the name of the person as soon as
possible so that I can contact them, verify the problem and make an exception. I can not be
responsible for computer problems.
The course is divided into five sections, and each section has one exam due by the end date of the
section. There will be fifteen chapter quizzes from the textbook website, due by the end date of
the section. There will be ten on-line discussions involving student participation, an introductory
quiz, a survey and a quiz about the survey. Each student’s grade will be based upon their best 4
exam scores, their 15 chapter quizzes, their 10 on-line discussion grades, the introductory quiz
and the survey.
Individual assignment grades are weighted as follows:
Best Exam:
12%
Second Best Exam:
12%
Third Best Exam:
12%
Fourth Best Exam:
12%
Chapter Quizzes:
30%
On-line Discussions:
20%
Introductory Quiz
1%
Survey and Quiz
1%
Grades are not based upon a curve, but upon reasonable expectations for learning that each
student should have after taking this course. As of the first day, I would give everyone in the class
an A, provided each person earned one. That said, students should recognize that a C represents
an average score that meets basic requirements. To receive an A, students must have achievement
that is “outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements.” Do not assume
that you will get an A unless you are willing to put in the work necessary to reach that standard.
This course uses the following grade scale:
Grade Scale:
93-100
90-93
87-89
83-86
A
AB+
B
80-83
77-79
73-76
70-73
BC+
C
C-
67-69
63-66
60-63
below 60
D+
D
DF
Class policies:
This course is primarily an on-line course and it is divided into five sections. There is one exam
per section, and each section includes two discussions that will become available on the course
D2L page. Each section exam has questions based upon the video lectures, the course text and the
additional readings from that section. Students should read all the assigned readings, watch the
video lectures and take notes, and then take the section exam before the end date for the section.
Each section has between two and four topics. Some sections have more topics and thus more
information than others because some topics have enough similarities that they logically hang
together and belong in the same sections (e.g. the political institutions, legislature, executive and
judiciary, are in the same section). Each topic has an associated video lecture presentation
available on the course D2L site, and includes readings from the text and/or additional readings
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available through the course website on Mavdisk. Students must complete all discussions, chapter
quizzes and exams before the end date for each section to receive credit.
Video Lectures:
The video lectures are similar to lectures I would give in class if this was an in-class course—but
there are several important differences. First, these videos have the advantage that you can watch
them at the times most convenient for you and when your mind is most attentive. However, do
not wait too long to watch the videos or try to watch them back to back because they contain a lot
of information that will be difficult to retain without substantial breaks in between.
Second, the videos are much shorter than in-class lectures because I pause often for students to
take notes when I can see them in person. Such pauses do not work and do not happen in these
videos. Thus I recommend that you pause the video yourself when you need to take notes. To the
extent possible, treat the videos like class lectures and do not give in to the temptation to just play
the videos as if you are passively listening to a television show or movie.
Third, it is impossible to stress enough the importance of not trying to multi-task while watching
the videos. Many people give in to the temptation or believe they can successfully multi-task.
However, countless studies demonstrate that people simply do not pay close attention or retain
the same amount of information when trying to do more than one thing at a time. There is a lot of
information on the videos and students trying to multi-task will miss information vital to
succeeding in the course.
Fourth, the videos are simply recorded Power Point presentations with low production quality and
some glitches. There are abbreviated versions of the slides available through the course Mavdisk
site to help you take notes and in case of low video quality. I will also have discussion groups on
the course D2L page to answer any questions arising from technical problems or any other
questions about the video content—similar to students raising their hands in class if they do not
understand what I say. Please ask me any questions about the videos in the section discussions.
Fifth, you should know that extensive research indicates that taking notes by hand is the best
method of retaining information. I recommend that you take notes by hand while watching the
videos and avoid any other distractions. Furthermore, the videos are in basic black and white for
easy visibility and because simpler slides are also easier to study and retain.
Exams:
Five section exams are available through the course D2L site. Each exam will consist of multiplechoice questions drawn at random from a question bank for the section. No two students will
have the same exam, and the tests will be timed. On-line exams allow a great deal of flexibility in
exam times, and the grading criteria allow students to discard their lowest exam score. Thus, if
students miss an exam, then they can treat that exam as their lowest exam and discard it.
Students may use their books and notes for the exam. However, there will not be enough time to
look up each answer, so students should study the material in advance and answer the questions
as if it was a closed-note exam. Then, you can use the remaining time to look up any answers you
were unsure about. While students may share notes prior to quizzes and exams, they may not
have any other person help while taking the quizzes or exams.
Textbook (Connect) Chapter Quizzes:
One great feature of the course textbook is the adaptive chapter quizzes. While other texts’
chapter quizzes include questions that are graded resulting in some scored percentage of correct
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answers, the adaptive quizzes keep asking questions until the computer program determines that
you know the material. You have to answer more questions and it takes longer when you do not
know the correct answers, but your final grade is 100% for every quiz you complete. Finish each
quiz while the section is open and you will get all the possible points for the quizzes.
There are several ways to get Tech Support for problems with the Connect website, but it has
been my experience that the easiest and fastest is using the telephone help 1-800-331-5094.
Please note that I am unable to act as tech support for the site, so contact them if you have
problems, and let me know if there is a persistent problem.
Class On-line Discussions:
On-line discussion participation is part of your course grade. While the exams and quizzes are
primarily multiple choice, there are many course topics that do not have clear answers, but
deserve deeper consideration and discussion.
To encourage such learning and to make the course more interesting, I will post two questions
related to the section at the beginning of each section. Minimally, each student should answer
each question with some unique contribution to the discussion. Students may also ask further
questions generally related to the initial question. I will occasionally respond to student answers,
comments and question.
The main purpose is to encourage discussion, but students will be graded on their participation
and thoughtfulness in comments. Every student should respond to every question and students are
encouraged to discuss the topics with each other and respond to each other’s questions and
comments. Remember, simply answering the question is considered the minimum expectation.
While the topic questions will be about politics, they will not be the types of questions normally
seen in partisan debates or editorials. They will be designed to encourage discussion and thought
about other types of issues, although they may still be controversial or cause sincere disagreement
between students.
Given the nature of political topics, I encourage questions and discussion, but require courtesy.
Be civil and respectful to your classmates and recognize that often people must agree to disagree.
Sometimes, I may have to put an end to a line of discussion or commentary for the sake of time or
civility. If you have concerns about any class discussions or comments by me or another student,
please bring them to me as soon as possible. I will do my best to remedy problems.
Summary of Assignments:
Section Exams—There are five section exams available through D2L that will open and close on
scheduled dates based upon the start and end dates of the sections. The exams will consist of
multiple-choice questions primarily based upon video lectures and the additional topic readings
available through the Mavdisk site.
Chapter Quizzes—There are fifteen chapter quizzes available through the textbook publisher’s
website (Connect). The quizzes are adaptive and include questions from the text.
On-line Discussions—I will provide two discussion questions through D2L during each section.
Students should respond to the questions as well as comment upon other students’ answers for
full points for participation in the discussions.
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Introductory Quiz—There is a short quiz available through D2L, based upon the contents of the
syllabus, during the first week of class. The quiz consists of multiple-choice questions based upon
the syllabus.
Survey and Quiz—There is a survey and a short quiz available through D2L during the first week
of class. The survey is anonymous questions about your opinions, and the quiz consists of one
short-answer question based upon information provided at the end of the survey. Because the
survey is anonymous, you will not receive credit for the survey if you do not take the quiz.
Contact:
I enjoy most of my interactions with students and try my best to be available to assist and answer
questions, but I have a lot of students and can not accommodate many student requests. I have
provided various means to contact me including email, the course website and my office
telephone number. I will be out of town for some portions of the course, but otherwise I will be
able to meet at my office for students who are in Mankato.
Concerning other questions and contact via email, I warn you that I get a great number of emails
and can not always respond right away. However, I will prioritize students currently enrolled in
this course in recognition of the importance of contact in on-line courses. If you have a question
or a problem please let me know as soon as possible and avoid situations where you need a
response in a short period of time.
I have the following rules concerning email. (1) First, check other resources such as the syllabus,
the course website, D2L, the textbook, the textbook website “help” section, etc. before emailing
me questions that can be answered elsewhere. (2) Second, if you email, then write a concise email
with full sentences and do not assume that I know all the relevant details. A simple question can
turn into multiple emails when details are omitted from the original message. (3) Third, please
allow at least 24 hours for me to respond and longer on weekends. Students too often expect an
immediate response, but I do not monitor my email and respond often enough to meet that
unreasonable expectation.
Technical Support:
While I try to work with students as best possible when there are problems. I can not be
responsible for computer problems. Students must take a pro-active role in addressing any
technical problems with their own computers. They should contact university tech support (507389-6654 or email [email protected].), D2L support (https://d2l.custhelp.com/) or the
textbook support system (http://mpss.mhhe.com/contact.php or 800-331-5094 [I recommend the
toll-free phone number]) with technical problems.
I strongly encourage students to use university computers whenever possible. Students should
save their answers as they do the assignment, and do assignments as early as possible to allow for
any unforeseen problems. If they encounter problems on a university computer, immediately
contact the person responsible for the computer lab, get documentation of the problem and the
name of the person as soon as possible so that I can contact them, verify the problem and make an
exception.
If a student is taking the course and a university computer is not available, then please do
everything possible to insure that the computer system is working and do assignments in advance
to be sure that it works and there is time to address any problems.
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Questions about Grading:
I do not use surprises on tests to measure students’ knowledge of the course materials. I make the
contents of the tests and the requirements for assignments as clear as possible. If students have
kept up on the course websites, watched the on-line videos and done the assigned readings, then
they should do well on the test. If you have any questions about expectations, please ask as soon
as possible.
Because I am clear about the contents and my test and quiz questions are straightforward, I am
confident in the fairness of my exams and assigned grades. However, if you feel that you have
been treated unfairly in my course, please let me know as soon as possible and while there is time
to address any problems.
Remember, the most important result of any class at is the knowledge gained from the class and
not the grade received. Even if you are disappointed in a grade, it is most important to learn the
material and understand the subject of the course for your development as a student, citizen and
scholar.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
I encourage and appreciate the contribution of students with disabilities in my courses. I also
encourage you to take advantage of support from the university. Minnesota State University
provides students with disabilities reasonable accommodation to participate in educational
programs, activities or services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodation to
participate in class activities or meet course requirements should first register with the Office of
Disability Services, (Memorial Library 132, telephone 289-2825, TDD 711) to establish an
accommodation plan and contact me as soon as possible.
Academic Conduct Policy:
No cheating or plagiarism will be tolerated, and such acts of academic misconduct will be
punished according to established university rules. If you have any questions regarding cheating
or plagiarism, please discuss them with me or consult university rules.
All other university policies also apply to this course.
Section I:
American Political Culture, the Constitution and Federalism
Start Date: June 22
End Date: July 5
Discussion Questions A and B
Topic A: American Political Culture
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 1-27.
“The Declaration of Independence” (We the People, p. 573-576.)
“The Iroquois Constitution” http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/iroquois.html
Topic B: Ratification of the Constitution
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 28-64.
“The Constitution of the United States” (We the People, p. 577-594)
“Federalist Papers 10.” (We the People, p. 595-599)
“Federalist Papers “51.” (We the People, p. 600-602)
“The Articles of Confederation”
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Excerpt from “Centinel” by Samuel Bryant (probably) 1787
Excerpt from “John DeWitt” (Unknown)
Excerpt from Melancton Speech 1788
Excerpt from “A Farmer and Planter” 1788
Excerpt from “A Farmer” by John Francis Mercer (Unknown)
Topic C: Federalism
“Weed, Inc.” The Week, May 30, 2014.
Section I Exam Due Date: Midnight July 5
Section II:
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Start Date: June 22
End Date: July 5
Discussion Questions C and D
Topic A: Civil Liberties
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 100-139.
“The Death Penalty in Decline,” The Week, October 28, 2011.
“All the Speech Money Can Buy,” The Week, December 16, 2011.
Topic B: Civil Rights
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 140-175.
“The Alabama Literacy Test”
“I Have A Dream” Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/treatise/king/mlk01.htm
“Brown v. Board: Sixty years later, are we sliding backward?” The Week, May 30, 2014.
“A defeat for affirmative action” The Week, May 2, 2014.
Section II Exam Due Date: Midnight July 12
Section III:
Congress, President, Bureaucracy and the Court
Start Date: June 26
End Date: July 12
Discussion Questions E and F
Topic A: Legislature
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 327-368.
“Women in Congress” The Week, July 7, 2012.
Topic B: Executive Branch: President
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 369-407.
“Federalist 67,” “68,” “Federalist 70” (All available at: http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/federalist/)
“The Federal Farmer” Patrick Henry http://www.wepin.com/articles/afp/afp69.html
“War Powers Resolution” November 7, 1973 http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/warpower.htm
Wright Thompson. “Washington’s New Power Game.” The Week. July 3-10, 2009.
“The Power to Declare War.” The Week. April 22-29, 2011.
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Excerpts from Richard Neustadt. 1990. “Presidential Power and the Modern President.”
Topic C: Executive Branch: Bureaucracy
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 408-440.
“Cracking Down on For-Profit Colleges,” The Week, September 23, 2011.
Topic D: Judiciary
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 440-474.
“The Keepers of the Constitution.” The Week. June 12, 2009.
Section III Exam Due Date: Midnight July 19
Section IV:
Political Participation, Public Opinion, Polling and Media
Start Date: July 5
End Date: July 19
Discussion Questions G and H
Topic A: Political Participation
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 207-231.
Seth Borenstein. “Odds of single vote deciding election: 1 in 60M.” November 02, 2008
Topic B: Public Opinion
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 176-206.
“Opening the Prison Gates,” The Week, August 21, 2009.
Topic C: Polling
Richard Morin, “Telling Polls Apart,” The Washington Post, August 16, 2000.
Megan Thee-Brenan, “How Can the Opinions of 1,000 People Possibly Represent the Entire
Country?” The New York Times. April 24, 2014.
Topic D: Media
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 298-326.
George Orwell “Politics and the English Language.” 1954.
Section IV Exam Due Date: Midnight July 24
Section V:
Political Parties, Campaigns and Interest Groups
Start Date: July 12
End Date: July 24
Discussion Questions I and J
Topic A: Political Parties
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 232-267.
National Humanities Center. “Plunkitt of Tammany Hall” (excerpted).
Topic B: Campaigns and Elections
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Topic C: Interest Groups
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 268-297.
Jeffrey Nunberg “Interested Parties” NY Times Week in Review. September 14, 2003.
Topic D: Economic and Environmental Policy
Text: Patterson. We the People, p. 475-508.
Students should note that there is no associated video for this material.
Section V Exam Due Date: Midnight July 24
I reserve the right to amend this syllabus as necessary. Please check your email and the course
D2L and Mavdisk pages on a regular basis.
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