______________________________________________________________________________ POLITICAL SCIENCE 101: INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN POLITICS Online Course ~ Winter 2012 ______________________________________________________________________________ Instructor: Email: Phone:

Office: Emily Lynch lynch.379@osu.edu (preferred mode of communication) (401) 595-9536 2014 Derby Hall Whenever/wherever you want them to be. Thats the great thing about an online course! Course Description: This course is an introduction to the institutions, processes, and influences of American government, politics, and political behavior. It is roughly broken into two sections. The first five weeks of the course will focus on political elites, discussing the history and theories of American democracy, as well as its political institutions (Congress, Executive, Judiciary, and Bureaucracy). In the second half of the course, we will shift gears and focus on mass political behavior and interests. Course Logistics: There are a number of things you need to do in order to get yourself set up for this course and they correspond with the two online interfaces for the class, CARMEN and www.americansgoverning.com. 1. The first interface is this CARMEN site. On the CARMEN site under "Content" you will find the course syllabus, lectures with Powerpoints, and separate corresponding Powerpoints on which you can take lecture notes. News items will be posted on the CARMEN course homepage, and you will also use CARMEN to complete your weekly quizzes on the readings. Simply click on "Quizzes" in the upper left corner of the CARMEN site to access your quizzes each week. This is also where the Midterm and Final will be taken. You must download the Respondus Lockdown Browser on your computer in order to take the weekly quizzes on Carmen. The instructions on how to download Respondus Lockdown Browser can be found at the following site: http://elearning.osu.edu/carmen-help/instructors/quizzes_lockdown.htm You can also read more about the Respondus LockDown Browser at http://www.respondus.com/. If you have any trouble downloading this browser, you need to contact the CARMEN help desk. I will not be able to assist you with technical computer issues. 1

Class Hours & Location:

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The second online interface is www.americansgoverning.com. This is where you will view/read all the supplementary material for the course (see below), where you can complete the extra credit assignments, and where you can access the online textbook if you choose to purchase it. Go to www.americansgoverning.com, click on Student Signup, and follow all the prompts. You have three purchase options: a. Americans Governing material ONLY ($25) b. Americans Governing material + e-textbook ($52) c. Americans Governing material + e-textbook + hard copy textbook ($79)

If you opt for a., then you must find a hard copy of the textbook on your own. There are many different versions of this textbook, so be sure that you purchase the 3rd or 4th editions. The textbook, Keeping the Republic, is available at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore. I listed ISBNs below. I have also put the 4th Brief Edition of the textbook on two hour reserve at Thompson Library. Course Textbook: Barbour, Christine and Gerald C. Wright. Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics. 4th Brief Edition, Online (or you can order a hard copy). 3rd Brief Edition info: ISBN-13: 978-0872899353. 4th Brief Edition info: ISBN-13: 978-1608712748. Washington DC: CQ press. The 3rd edition is generally cheaper than the 4th. Please do not get the 2nd edition as it varies too much. Only the 4th Brief Edition is available as the e-text, and e-texts are generally cheaper if you want to use that instead of a hard copy.

You should complete these course logistics (downloading Respondus Lockdown Browser, signing up for Americans Governing, and obtaining the textbook) before the first week of class. Course Requirements: 1. Carefully read this syllabus. The syllabus contains important information about the course, so it is imperative you read through it before the quarter begins. After you carefully review the syllabus, you must take the syllabus quiz on Carmen during the first week of class. You have until Saturday, January 7 at 10pm to complete this quiz. The syllabus quiz is worth ten points, and this will be added to the total points accrued from your CARMEN quiz grades (the syllabus quiz will be weighted slightly less than the other CARMEN quizzes). Note: You must complete two CARMEN quizzes by the end of the first week of class the syllabus quiz and the first reading quiz.

2. Do the reading and listen to lectures: To start off the week, you should read the assigned chapter(s) for that week. As previously addressed, the e-textbook, if you so choose to purchase it, can be found directly on the Americans Governing website. You should also listen to the lectures for that week and use the corresponding Powerpoints to facilitate note taking on the lectures (both the midterm and final exams will cover material in the Powerpoint lectures). For maximum effectiveness, you should also take notes as you do the readings. I will also post several notes per week on that weeks readings. The notes will appear on the CARMEN course homepage as News items. You should read and pay attention to the notes because they contain hints to some of the CARMEN quiz questions for that week. A new note will be posted every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning. 3. Take quizzes on the reading: After youve completed reading the chapter(s) for the week, you should login to the CARMEN site and take the quiz on that weeks readings. The quizzes contain 10 multiple choice questions and are worth 10 points each. Quizzes for weekly modules are available only during the week that module is assigned. Quizzes are available starting at 7am Sunday and become unavailable at 10pm Saturday. For example, you must take the first weeks quiz on the Constitution and Federalism anytime between Sunday, January 1 at 7am and Saturday, January 7 at 10pm. After that time, the quiz will be unavailable and you will receive a 0. Also, the quizzes are timed, and you have 30 minutes to complete them. After 30 minutes from the time you start, the quiz will no longer be available to you. That means you should read the book carefully before taking the quiz as you will not have much time to hunt for the answer in the book while taking the quiz. In addition, you should NOT wait until the last minute to take the quiz. I do not extend deadlines or make exceptions when something goes wrong with the computer at the last minute. I also do not allow make-up quizzes for any reason other than death in the family or a serious medical condition requiring a doctors note. Therefore, plan for contingencies and do not wait until the last minute. These quizzes are worth 110 points total (1 syllabus quiz + 10 CARMEN quizzes @ 10 points each), or 54% of your overall quiz grade. 4. Watch/read supplementary materials: Every week, there is supplementary material that you must view/read by logging into www.americansgoverning.com. Pay close attention to the material as you view or read it because you are required to take a quiz on this material. 5. Take quizzes on supplementary material: After viewing or reading the supplementary material at www.americansgoverning.com, you must take a multiple-choice quiz on the website that corresponds with that material, which is located directly beside the material. Unlike the quizzes on CARMEN, there is no time limit on these quizzes. You can take as long as you want or need. There is also no mandatory time period within which you have to complete these quizzes. In other words, you do not need to complete these quizzes the week that module is assigned; however, I strongly encourage that you watch/read the material and take the quizzes during the week it is assigned in order to keep up and get most out of the class. Do not wait until the last few weeks of the course to complete these quizzes because it will take you a very long time, and some of these questions will appear on your midterm and 3

final exams. You must complete ALL Americans Governing assignments by Tuesday, March 6 at 5pm. Any quizzes you complete past this deadline will NOT count towards your grade (I can view the date and times each quiz is completed) and I do not make exceptions to this rule, so do not go past this deadline. These quizzes are worth 85 points total, or 46% of your overall quiz grade. Regarding the Americans Governing quizzes, you need to know which answer you want to select prior to making any selection. You only get one click. Once you click on an answer, the system automatically determines that is your final answer and this answer is automatically saved. You don't have the luxury of clicking through different answers before deciding on one. 6. Take midterm and final exams: You must take the midterm exam anytime during Week 5 (but by 10pm on February 4). The final exam must be taken anytime during exams week (but by Thursday, March 15 at 5pm). Both the midterm and final exams will mostly cover material in the textbook, but on each of the exams there will be 10 questions that cover material in the Powerpoint lectures, and 5 questions from the Americans Governing supplementary material quizzes. They both consist of 55 multiple choice questions (very similar to the types of questions on the weekly Carmen quizzes), and you will have 1.5 hours to complete them. The midterm will cover Weeks 1-5. The final exam will cover Weeks 610 (i.e. it is not comprehensive). DO NOT wait until the last minute to complete the midterm and final exams because, just like the quizzes, things can go wrong with the computer and I will not make exceptions based on technical problems that occur at the last minute. 7. Extra Credit: I provide you with ample opportunities to earn extra credit points. You have two ways to gain extra credit: through Americans Governing and participating in political science experiments. Americans Governing Extra credit: You have the opportunity to gain extra credit in this course by completing the Extra Credit Quizzes on the Americans Governing site. There are 12 extra credit quizzes available to you on that site over the course of the class. You will receive 1 point per extra credit quiz for up to 12 quizzes if you complete them with a score of 70% or higher (note: this is one point of extra credit per QUIZ, not per question). If you score a 70% or better on 12 extra credit quizzes you will receive 12 points extra credit. Extra credit for participation in an experiment: You have the opportunity to receive an extra 6 points by participating in two online experiments. Each extra credit experiment is worth 3 points. You will receive emails during the quarter asking you to participate in these experiments. Additionally, I will post reminders for the experiments under the News section on the Carmen class homepage. If you complete 12 Americans Governing quizzes with a score of 70% or higher AND if you participate in two experiments, you will receive a total of 18 extra credit points. This is enough extra credit to raise your grade by 5 points, which is over one-third (e.g. from 87 to

92). You must complete the Americans Governing extra credit by Tuesday, March 6 at 5pm.

Grading: Quizzes: 30% Midterm: 35% Final: 35%

Grading Scale: 93-100 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 60-66 < 60 A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D E

Academic Honesty: I expect all of the work you do in this course to be your own. No dishonest practices on the examinations or in the course will be acceptable, and any suspected cases of dishonesty will be reported to the university committee on academic misconduct and handled according to university policy.

Disability: If you need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, you should contact me to arrange an appointment as soon as possible. At the appointment we can discuss the course format, anticipate your needs, and explore potential accommodations. I rely on the Office for Disability Services for assistance in verifying the need for accommodations and developing accommodation strategies. If you have not previously contacted the Office for Disability Services, I encourage you to do so.

Course Schedule: (Note: the chapters are numbered differently in the KTR book and on the AG site.) Week 1/January 1-7: Constitution & Federalism Readings: Keeping the Republic (KTR), Chapters 2 & 3 Quiz: Must take Syllabus quiz and Carmen reading quiz by 10pm on Saturday, January 7 Americans Governing (AG) Supplementary Materials- Ch.1 Constitution & Federalism: a. Brutus #6 b. Federalist #10

Week 2/January 8-14: Congress Readings: KTR, Chapter 6 Quiz: Must take quiz by 10pm on Saturday, January 14 AG Supplementary Materials Ch.2 Congress: a. Learn about Congress AG Extra Credit: a. How members vote b. What does Congress do?

Week 3/January 15-21: Presidency Readings: KTR, Chapter 7 Quiz: Must take quiz by 10pm on Saturday, January 21 AG Supplementary Materials Ch.3 Presidency: a. How did Bush beat Gore b. Watergate AG Extra Credit: a. Johnson, the Sudden President

Week 4/January 22-28: Bureaucracy Readings: KTR, Chapter 8 Quiz: Must take quiz by 10pm on Saturday, January 28 AG Supplementary Materials Ch.4 Bureaucracy: a. Bureaucracy and Medicaid AG Extra Credit: a. Candidate for Chief Bureaucrat

Week 5/January 29-February 4: Judiciary Readings: KTR, Chapter 9 Quiz: Must take quiz by 10pm on Saturday, February 4 AG Supplementary Materials Ch.5 Judiciary: a. US Federal Courts Structure AG Extra Credit: a. Brennan & Bork interpreting the Constitution MIDTERM: Must take midterm by 10pm on Saturday, February 4

Week 6/February 5-11: Civil Liberties Readings: KTR, Chapter 4 Quiz: Must take quiz by 10pm on Saturday, February 11 AG Supplementary Materials Ch.6 Civil Liberties: a. Bioterrorism and Civil Liberties b. Bong Hits 4 Jesus

Week 7/February 12-18: Civil Rights Readings: KTR, Chapter 5 Quiz: Must take quiz by 10pm on Saturday, February 18 AG Supplementary Materials Ch.7 Civil Rights: a. I Have a Dream b. John Lewis AG Extra Credit: a. Letter from Birmingham Jail

Week 8/February 19-25: Public Opinion & Media Readings: KTR, Chapters 10 & 13 Quiz: Must take quiz by 10pm on Saturday, February 25 AG Supplementary Materials Ch.8 Public Opinion and Media: a. On the ground in Haiti b. Politics & Values in a 51-48% Nation AG Extra Credit: a. How is Congress doing? b. How is your representative doing? c. Twenty Questions

Week 9/February 26-March 3: Parties & Interest Groups Readings: KTR, Chapter 11 Quiz: Must take quiz by 10pm on Saturday, March 3 AG Supplementary Materials Ch.9 Parties & Interest Groups: a. Elizabeth the Elector b. Sandra Froman Profile AG Extra Credit: a. 2008 Party Platforms

Week 10/March 4-10: Voting, Campaigns and Elections Readings: KTR, Chapter 12 Quiz: Must take quiz by 10pm on Saturday, March 10 AG Supplementary Materials Chapter 10 Voting, Campaigns, and Elections: a. Who Votes? b. Campaign Strategists AG Extra Credit: a. Charlie Stuart, Campaign Finance b. Campaign Commercials

ALL AMERICANS GOVERNING QUIZZES MUST BE TAKEN BY TUESDAY, March 6 at 5pm!

FINAL EXAM:

TAKE IT BETWEEN March 11-15. MUST BE COMPLETED BY THURSDAY, March 15 AT 5:00pm. NO EXCEPTIONS.