Course Syllabus
ISI Website | indepst@uidaho.edu | 208-885-6641
POLS 1101 American National Government
Sponsoring Institution: University of Idaho
3 Credits
Instructor Information
Course Instructor: Jennifer Stephens
- Email: jstephens@idaho.edu
- Office Hours: Students may email me at any time
- Copy the ISI office at indepst@uidaho.edu on all communications.
Course Description
Introduction to the study of politics focusing on basic concepts, processes, and institutions; emphasis on government and politics of the U.S. examined in comparative perspective; probable topics include nature of constitutional democracy, ideology, parties and elections, and formation of public policy.
The American political process is often over-simplified in the modern 24/7 news cycle. The reason for this is simply to promote the agenda of the corporate ownership, whether it is CNN, MSNBC, FOX, etc. American politics is, however, anything but simple. The American political landscape is composed of institutional, non-governmental, and individual actors. For this reason, this course will concentrate primarily on the main constitutional actors: the legislative, executive, and judicial actors and how these actors are relevant to society and, most importantly, to you the voter; i.e. the “Iron Triangle" of US intergovernmental relations.
The two overarching questions that you, as a novice student of politics, should ask throughout this course are these: how can I affect the political process at Federal, state, or local levels, and what effect does my participation have on me?
UI students: general education credit Social Science, American Diversity
Course Learning Outcomes
For political science majors/minors, this course is meant as an initial stepping stone in your political science studies. By the end of this semester, you should have the ability to correctly express yourselves, in writing, as to your political views and affiliations. You will be able to write a sufficient essay that covers the governmental branches, their exact functions, the electoral process, and reasonably comprehend and excel in upper-level political science coursework.
For future education studies majors, this course is meant to give you a basic grounding in the American political process and its actors: how it works, actor function in government; the Lasswellian concept of “when, where, and how much,” societal control/reciprocity that the individual in society is “due.”
General Studies majors and other disciplines, this course will not only fulfill coursework requirements but enhance your knowledge of the American political process and your rights/obligations within that process.
Required Materials
Marone, James A. and Rogan Kersh. By the People: Debating American Government. 2ND ed. New York; Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0-19-021673-3
When purchasing the textbook refer to the ISBN for the textbook listed for this course to ensure that you obtain the correct edition(s).
Course Rules and Requirements
14 graded assignments, 14 non-graded self-study assignments, 3 exams.
Your course developer has had the sincere pleasure of instructing this course for ISI since 2009. In this class, you will be learning about the formation and function of the US government; in your assignments you will be sharing what you have learned through term definition and essays.
It is my pedagogical view that this sharing continues with your instructor guiding you through work product formulation and the sharing of knowledge regarding American governance. Each lesson will serve as a building block towards that section's exams. Your final exam is not cumulative.
Guidelines
- Students may submit up to 3 assignments at a time/6 per week.
- Before taking exams, students MUST wait for grades and feedback on assignments.
- Keep a copy of every assignment submitted.
- Write your name and V Number on every submission.
- Students will submit assignments and receive grades via Canvas.
- You will typically receive graded lessons within two weeks after the date of the receipt by the instructor.
- ALL assignments and exams must be submitted to receive a final grade for the course.
Lessons
Each lesson includes lesson objectives, an introductory lecture, and a reading and writing assignment.
The written assignments consist of term descriptions (three complete sentences each) and essays. All answers to essays are to be written in essay form using complete sentences. Students should write in their own words when referencing authorities, and all quotations must include complete citations of the work from which they are taken. Do not copy from the textbook or any other book.
- The written lesson assignments will be worth a total 20 possible points.
- The key term questions are worth 1 point each and the two or three essay questions are worth 5 to 7 points each (unless noted otherwise).
Self-Study
Your self-study assignments can help in raising your course grade. While self-study assignments are not graded, consider them as an extra credit assignment. Even a few paragraphs of comments you have on the self-study questions, inserted into your study lessons as notes, should improve lesson and exam performance, ergo grade average.
Your lesson's essay sections will always contain two questions. The self-study questions can help connect the information treated in the chapter. Please set aside a bit of time each day to just ponder the self-study assignment.
Study Hints:
- Complete all reading assignments.
- Set a schedule allowing for course completion one month before your personal deadline. An Assignment Submission Log is provided for this purpose.
- Web pages and URL links on the World Wide Web are continuously changing. Contact your instructor if you find a broken Web page or URL.
- Introduce and explain any terms that are essential to understanding the course.
Exams
- You must wait for grades and comments on assignments before taking initial and subsequent exams.
- Exams are closed book and closed-notes.
Email Standards
Place questions or comments for the instructor in the body of the email.
- In the email's subject line include: Your name, V number, course subject and number, and assignment number(s).
- Example: Joe Vandal, V01234567, BUS L321, Assignments 1, 2
Grade Information
The course grade will be based upon the following considerations:
| Assessment | Points |
|---|---|
| 14 Assignments (worth 20 points each) | 280 |
| 3 Exams (worth 100 points each) | 300 |
| Total | 580 |
| Points | Percent | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 522-580 | 90-100% | A |
| 464-521 | 80-89% | B |
| 406-463 | 70-79% | C |
| 348-405 | 60-69% | D |
| 0-347 | Below 60% | F |
Course Policies
Refer to ISI Policies for the most current policies and procedures, including information on setting up accounts, student confidentiality, exams, transcripts, course exchanges, refunds, academic integrity, library resources, disability support and other services.
Cheating and Plagiarism
Acts of academic dishonesty include cheating or plagiarism are considered a very serious transgression that may result in a grade of F for the course. Because of the nature of Independent Study instruction, the main academic honesty issue is not cheating, but plagiarism. At the introductory course level, it is understandable that during the course students should grow in the disciple; growth often includes mistakes. To avoid plagiarism issues, please understand how to cite the written word correctly as expressed in books, newspapers, the internet, journals, personal interviews, reference works, legal documents, etc. While blatant plagiarism will not be tolerated, obvious “soft” issues such as punctuation, integration of quotes/author intent, and citation style requirements, will be addressed in a more informal manner.