Professor: Greg Thorson
Phone: (320)589-6208
Office Hours: 2:00-3:00pm  Tuesdays and Thursdays (Central),
Email: gthorson@morris.umn.edu
Course WWW Page:  http://www.morris.umn.edu/courses/pol1201/
Personal WWW Page:  http://www.morris.umn.edu/~gthorson/index.html

Who Should Take This Course?
    This course has been designed for both lower division college students as well as academically strong, college-bound, high school students who are interested in politics.  In addition to covering many of the traditional areas in American politics, we will also take time to discuss current political events.

Course Description
Part I: The Process
    This course is quite unusual in that it will be taught entirely on the World Wide Web.  The Fall 2002 administration will be the eight time that I have offered this course on the web.  I have really enjoyed offering it to students throughout the Midwest.  The course will be conducted much like a traditional course in that I will assign readings from selected textbooks, give short video lectures, and write three tests for you to take.  But unlike the traditional classroom, it will also allow you to attend lecture anytime that is convenient for you, watch the lectures anywhere that has a multimedia computer, and allow you to discuss the issues that are interesting to you with virtually unlimited amounts of time and space.  I think that this course features just as much interaction as the courses that I teach on campus.  Let me explain how the course will work in more detail..
    First, the course will usually feature approximately two short video lectures per week.  These lectures will be delivered over the World Wide Web.  The courses are encoded using Real Video software, so you'll need to download the latest Real Player available at http://www.real.com/.  The Real Player is free.  You should watch the video clips during the week that we cover the assigned topic.  The length of each video clip varies, but the average length is about 20 minutes.  In the lecture, I will try to set the context for the readings that are assigned for the week, as well as pose some questions that I think are important and that we should discuss.
    Second, you will need to actively participate on the discussion board.  The discussion board is located at http://www.morris.umn.edu/courses/pol1201/protected/wwwboard/wwwboard.html.  I will ask some important questions that recur in American politics, and I encourage you to either respond to them directly, respond to another student's response, or ask a separate question yourself.  Because there are no time or space constraints, I would like you to work at making postings that are both well reasoned and well written.  Try and make your position as clear as possible.  Try to avoid simply stating your conclusions.  Build strong arguments.  It is good practice for the future!
    Finally, you will need to take three exams.  Unfortunately, they will all be closed book and closed notes :-).  Before you can take any test, you must solicit a proctor to administer your tests.  See the web site for finding a suitable proctor at http://www.morris.umn.edu/genedweb/ss/exams.shtml.  Most of you will choose to have a nearby high school counselor or other public official supervise the administration of your exams.  I will give you directions so that you can download and mail-in proctor verification forms early in the semester to ensure that this process goes as smooth as possible.  Watch for announcements about the proctor selection process during the first week of class.

Part II: The Substance
    This course serves as an introduction to both the institutions (Congress, the Presidency, and the Judiciary) and the processes (Elections, Media, Public Opinion, etc.) of American government. We many times refer to these introductory courses as "survey" courses. In this class, we are going to "survey" a very wide range of different topics, all of which are classified under American politics.  We will read directly from many of the most famous texts published about each topic.
    You should know that for each of the areas that we cover in class, there exists a substantial amount of literature that reveals interesting aspects of each of these subfields. This class will serve as menu of sorts that will allow you to sample various subfields of political science. You may choose to take more American Politics courses as a result of your interests.  Most university political science department offers courses in virtually all of the subfields introduced in this class.
    One of the most effective (and fun!) ways to learn about politics is to pay close attention to current political events. I encourage you to discuss not only the readings but also current events while on the discussion board.  I would like you to actively watch and read about current American politics. Specifically, I encourage you to sample the following news sources: the evening nightly network news (5:30pm CT), The Jim Lehrer News Hour (PBS-6pm and 11pm CT), Inside Politics (CNN-7:30pm CT), the Charlie Rose show (PBS-10:00pm CT), the Larry King show (CNN-8:00pm CT), and C-SPAN 1 and 2.  I would also recommend that you browse the morning newspaper each day, or access the World Wide Web for the latest news (see my homepage for some good sources at http://www.morris.umn.edu/~gthorson/index.html).  One of my goals is to have you get caught up in the day-to-day events of today's politics arena.  If you do, it will be much easier for you to follow political events when the course is finished.  You will recognize many of the important political players and will likely be able to predict some of their behavior based on your knowledge of American politics.

Textbooks:

There are two primary textbooks that are required:

Edwards, George C. III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry.
    Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy (Brief Version).New York: Longman.

Woll, Peter. American Government: Readings and Cases.
    New York: Harper Collins.

If you are a high school student in Minnesota, the books will be purchased for you and mailed it out quickly.

Grading:

Final grades for the course will be based on your performance in the following areas:
First Exam: 25%
Second Exam: 25%
Final Exam: 25%
Participation on Discussion Board: 25%

Exams

The exams will be closed book and be composed of multiple choice, matching and/or short essay questions. They will be proctored.  Be sure to visit the instructions for establishing your proctor at  http://www.morris.umn.edu/genedweb/ss/exams.shtml

Academic Honesty:

All of the exams are closed book and closed notes. You are not to consult with any materials during your tests. In addition, the exams are not collaborative. You are not allowed to talk with anyone during the exam period.

Course Outline:

This course outline serves as a guideline. It is quite likely that we will deviate substantially from the assigned dates. Nevertheless, you can expect that we will cover the topics in the assigned order. The exam dates, on the other hand, are firm. The exams will cover topics covered up until the exam dates.

Week 1: Introductions and Technology Check

Weeks 2-3:  The Origins of Our Constitution
Edwards, Chapters 1 and 2
Woll, Chapters 1 through 5
    Key Articles:
        John Locke -- Second Treatise, Of Civil Government
        John P. Roche -- The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action
        Charles Beard -- Framing the Constitution
        James Madison -- Federalist 47, 48, and 51

Week 4: Federalism (to be completed by October 11)
Edwards, Chapter 3
Woll, Chapters 6 through 11
    Key Articles:
        Alexander Hamilton -- Federalist 16, 17
        James Madison -- Federalist 39

Weeks 5-6: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (to be completed by October 25)
Edwards, Chapter 4
Woll, Chapter 12 through 22
    Key Articles:
        Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
        Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1955)
        Engel v. Vitale (1962)
        Roe v. Wade (1973)

First Exam:
You must take the first exam between Monday, October 21th and Friday, October 25th.

Week 7-8: Congress (to be completed by November 1)
Edwards, Chapter 10
Woll, Chapters 49 through 59
    Key Articles:
        Morris P. Fiornia -- The Rise of the Washington Establishment
        Lawrence C. Dodd -- Congress and the Quest for Power
        Richard Fenno -- If, as Ralph Nader Says, Congress Is "The Broken Branch," How Come We Love
             Our Congressmen So Much?"
        Nelson Polsby -- "Congress-Bashing for Beginners"
        David Mayhew -- Congress: The Electoral Connection
        Richard Fenno -- Home Style and the Washington Career

Week 9-10: The Presidency and the Bureaucracy (to be completed by November 15)
Edwards, Chapters 11 and 12
Woll, Chapters 39 through 48
    Key Articles:
        Richard Neustadt -- Presidential Power
        James David Barber -- The Presidential Character
        Aaron Wildavsky -- The Two Presidencies

Week 11: The Judiciary (to be completed by November 22)
Edwards, Chapter 13
Woll, Chapters 60 through 66
    Key Articles:
        Alexander Hamilton -- Federalist 78
        Marbury v. Madison (1803)
        John Roche -- Judicial Self-Restraint
        William Brennan -- For "Loose" Construction

Second Exam:
You must take the second exam between Monday, November 18th and Friday, November 22nd.

Week 12: Political Parties and Interest Groups (to be completed by November 29th).
Edwards, Chapters 7 and 9
Woll, Chapters 23 through 38
    Key Articles:
        James Madison -- Federalist 10
        E.E. Schattsneider -- Party Government
        David Mayhew -- Divided We Govern
        V.O. Key -- Pressure Groups

Week 13: Public Opinion, Campaigns, and Elections (to be completed by December 6th)
Edwards, Chapter 5 and 8

Week 14: The Media and Politics (to be completed by December 13th)
Edwards, Chapter 6

Week 15: Public Policy (to be completed by December 20th)
Edwards, Chapters 14-16

Final Exam:
You must take the final exam between Monday, December 16th and Friday, December 20th.