American Government Assignments

POL 104 American Government Assignments

Assignments for Spring, 2012

For the Class of Monday, February 20^th:

The mid-term exam is scheduled for the day we get back from Spring Break—March 12. The subjects that must still be covered are (1) completing the discussion of political ideologies that we began on Monday; (2) the discussion of interests and interest groups that was in the first half of chapter 7 of the Turner text; and (3) the discussion of the media that is in chapter 6 of the Turner text.

We will take up the topics in that order: on Monday the 20^th we will finish the discussion of political ideologies (conservatism, libertarianism, and democratic socialism) and the discussion of interests groups. We will also begin the discussion of the media. On Monday the 27^th, the last class before Break and before the mid-term, we will discuss only the media. To equalize the reading assignments somewhat and avoid dumping a huge assignment on you one week and a short assignment the next, the assignment for next week is (1) two articles on interest groups in The Enduring Debate—de Tocqueville's "Political Associations in America," pp. 464-467, and Theda Skocpol's "Associations without Members," pp. 478-489—and chapter six ("Politics and the Media") of the Turner text. The quiz will be a definitions quiz on the vocabulary for chapter six. A guide to writing definitions is at the end of this assignment.

The assignment for the class of February 27^th will be entirely from the Enduring Debate reader: pp. 340 to 375, which includes articles by Prior, Price, Starr, and Fallows. It should be a relatively short class. Please read and think about the discussion questions that follow each article in The Enduring Debate.

Instructions for definitions quizzes.

One complete sentence for each term is sufficient. A definition is more than a true statement about the term; a definition captures the essence or the nature of the term being defined, and this is done by describing the genus and differentia of the term. In defining a term, the genus of the definition is the type of thing that the term is—the general class or category to which the term belongs. For example, the genus of the term "executive privilege" is "a right of the president"; that is, it is one of the many rights or powers possessed by a president of the United States. The differentia of a definition is the particular characteristic that distinguishes the term in question from the other members of the class or category. The differentia that sets "executive privilege" apart from the other rights of the president is that it is his "right to withhold certain information from Congress and the courts." Thus, a good definition would be the following: Executive privilege is the right of a president to withhold certain information from Congress and the courts. This definition is a complete sentence; it is in genus and differentia form; it says more than something true about the term—it captures is essential nature.

Turner-Stephenson Text Vocabulary Lists

Introduction and Chapter 1, the Constitution

Chapter 2, Federalism

Chapter 3, Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Chapter 4, Political Ideologies

Chapter 5, Public Opinion & Political Participation

Chapter 6, Politics and the Media

Chapter 7, Interest Groups and Political Parties

Chapter 8, Campaigns and Elections

Chapter 9, Congress

Chapter 10, The Presidency

Chapter 11, Bureaucracies

Chapter 12, Supreme Court

Chapter 13, Public Policy

Chapter 14, Public Policy and Economics

For the Class of Monday, February 13^th:

The new edition of the reader, The Enduring Debate, does not have any good readings that focus on American political ideologies, so please read two chapters in the Turner text this week: chapter four and chapter seven.

Since I did not have a chance to explain the method of defining terms, the quiz will be a True-False, Multiple Choice quiz like the first quiz we had. (Definitions next week on chapter six.)

For the Class of Monday, February 6^th:

The reading assignment is chapter five of the Turner text and several short articles: Voter Values (available via this link), and Richard Morin's "Choice Words," in the Enduring Debate, pages 335-339. The quiz will be a short answer essay quiz on one of the articles.

The short answer essay questions are always two- or three-part questions that can be answered in a paragraph of three or four good sentences. For example (and this example is not related to any of the articles assigned this week), I may ask "In his article about minority voting, (1) what is the author's main point? Does he discuss any exceptions to his thesis? (3) Do you agree with him or disagree? Why?" Thus, your answer should have a sentence (or two) that answers the first part (1), a sentence (or two) that answers the second part (2), and a sentence (or two) that addresses the third part (3). Keep it short and to the point. I will knock a point off the grade of an overly long answer that is filled with irrelevant information, even if the information is true! Good essay answers here and in other courses are answers that provide accurate information and that directly address the question. Don't spill your guts!

The assignment for the class of February 13th will be chapter four of the Turner text and a few articles, and the quiz will be a definitions quiz, which I will explain in class on the 6th.

For the Class of Monday, January 30^th:

The assignment for the next class is the Introduction, Chapter One, and Chapter Eight of the Turner American Government textbook (not the Enduring Debate reader). I already covered the material in the Introduction and Chapter One, so it is review for you. The material in Chapter Eight gets us right into campaigns and elections. Be sure to download the vocabulary list for Chapter Eight. The quiz will be a multiple choice, True-False quiz. Be sure to skim the front page of a newspaper or a news website every day to have some idea of the political and governmental activities that are taking place.

Welcome to the class! This is a course in the basic principles and facts of American national government. Because we meet only once a week and each class must cover the amount of material usually assigned for a whole week, the usual weekly assignment will be two one or two chapters of the Turner textbook and two or three additional short reading assignments. There will be weekly quizzes on the assigned readings, a mid-term exam, and a final exam, but no papers.

Because this is the season of presidential primary elections, one of the two current events themes of the course will be the nomination process of presidential candidates. The second theme is the economic crisis that is facing the United States and the world and the efforts of the United States government to address the crisis.

There are many websites devoted to the 2012 presidential primaries. A couple that I have found useful in learning about the presidential nomination process are the Wikipedia website "Republican Presidential Primaries, 2012, and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) calendar of primaries and caucuses. The Wikipedia site lists the primaries and caucuses by date, and the FEC site lists them alphabetically by state.

Of the many polling organizations, two well respected ones are The Cook Political Report and The Rasmussen Reports. Check them out.

A good general source of electoral politics is RealClearPolitics.

We will list sources for the economic crisis later in the semester.

An introductory course on American government focuses a great deal on basic facts and concepts. The concepts that you should learn for this course are listed on the vocabulary sheets below. (The textbook contains a list of "Key Terms" at the end of each chapter, but I am holding you responsible for the terms on the Vocabulary sheets, not the list of Key Terms in the book.) You might want tot download these vocabulary lists as we go through the semester and make notes on them during class.

Election 2002

Voter Values.

If you are interested in following political (and other) polls, the following are two good sources:

Gallup Polls

Rasmussen Political Polling Reports

Not all big lobbying efforts succeed.

The assignment for Monday is to read chapter 14 and the following three newspaper articles on the budget situation:

Monster Interest on the National Debt (February 17, 2011);

Government Shutdown article (April 4, 2011) The link at the end of this article to "Full Coverage of Government Shutdown" contains all the information you would ever want to have about what a shutdown entails.

Budget Battle Came Down to Three Men and their Weaknesses.

Though not assigned, you may be interested in the Status of FY 2011 Appropriations Bills.

FY 2012 Budget Graphic

Please get in the habit of reading a daily newspaper, or simply looking for stories regarding the workings of our national government. There will be a current government events question on each of the quizzes. The questions will focus on events happening within a couple of days of the quiz. So for your own self interest, look for stories relating to what we study in the course in the paper or on the web—TV and radio news simply do not follow government closely enough.

No class on Friday.

MID-TERM EXAMS. The mid-term will cover all of the materials that have been assigned since the first class and all of the class lecture materials. There will be questions on each of the chapters and readings, and I try to ask a proportional number of questions on each. Thus there will generally be one or two True-False, one or two Multiple Choice, and one or two vocabulary terms to be defined from each chapter of the textbook. There will be one short answer essay and perhaps one or two True-False and Multiple Choice questions on each of the Federalist Papers and other readings that were assigned as well. Most of the exam will cover material that we have discussed in class and that was in the reading assignments, but a few questions are based solely on the readings and a few solely on the lectures. I ask questions that I really believe someone who has taken a college course on American Government should know: I do not ask obscure facts. (You might think some of the questions are obscure, but that is definitely not my intention.)

The questions are based mostly on basic facts and on definitions that we have discussed in class. Some of the true-false and multiple choice questions will be based directly on questions in the "Pop Quiz" section at the end of each chapter in the text. For the multiple choice questions, review those terms that appeared in series: e.g., the four types of congressional committees; the different concepts of democracy; the constitutional amendments that tinkered with the presidential election and succession; and so on. These types of terms make great multiple choice questions! For the short answer essays, you should be able to write one paragraph of three or four sentences for a ten point question and two paragraphs of three or four sentences each for the twenty point question. Included in the short answer essay questions are questions on Federalist ##39 and 51, MacDonald's article on George Washington, and a question comparing the legislative process in the House with that in the Senate. (We only read three extra readings for this mid-term; the legislative process question takes the place of the fourth.)

The exam will consist of ten True-False questions, ten Multiple Choice questions, and ten Genus-Differentia definitions—all worth two points each. There will also be four short answer essay questions, each worth ten or twenty points. It all adds up to at least 110 points.

The questions are based mostly on definitions and on basic facts that we have discussed in class. Some of the questions will be based directly on questions in the "Pop Quiz" section at the end of each chapter in the text. For the multiple choice questions, review those terms that appeared in series: e.g., the four models of legislatures that the Framers were familiar with; the different kinds of congressional committees; the different kinds of election; the different meanings of "democracy"; and so on. For the short answer essays, you should be able to write one paragraph of three or four sentences for a ten point question and two paragraphs of three or four sentences each for the twenty point question.

For the Final:

The final exam will be in exactly the same format as the mid-terms. It will cover only what we have read since the last mid-term: chapters 12, 3, & 6 of the Turner-Stephenson text and the following articles from The Enduring Debate: "In Defense of Prejudice," pp. 142-149; "Terrorism and the Constitution," pp. 151-158; "Not a Suicide Pact," pp. 159-166; Marbury v. Madison, pp. 665-670.

The final will cover less material than either of the mid-terms. Most of you did real well on the short answer essays last time; prepare the same way. As you can see—four readings, four short-answer essays—there will be a question on each of the readings. I also noticed that your definitions on the second exam were not nearly as good as those on the first. Be sure to put them in the genus-differential form, and to change any definitions given in the book with the corrections that I gave you in class.

Consider taking the final if one of your exam grades was particularly low (and you know you could have done better) or if your present total is only a point or two away from the next higher grade.

When figuring out your present grade and deciding whether to take the final, keep in mind that a few of you (three of you) lost a point or two because of excessive absences (see the syllabus). If you were absent on a quiz day, your absence resulted only in a zero for the quiz; you were not additionally marked absent. Your quiz grade suffered the absence. If you were absent on a non-quiz day, you were marked absent, and each absence over two resulted in a loss of one point from your final total. Usually that does not make much difference, but since I give you the grade that precisely fits your point total, it might affect your grade by dropping your total into the next lower range.

Instructions for definitions quizzes.

One complete sentence for each term is sufficient. A definition is more than a true statement about the term; a definition captures the essence or the nature of the term being defined. In defining a term, The genus of the definition is the type of thing that the term is—the general class or category to which the term belongs. For example, the genus of the term "executive privilege" is "a right of the president"; that is, it is one of the many rights or powers possessed by a president of the United States. The differentia of a definition is the particular characteristic that distinguishes the term in question from the other members of the class or category. The differentia that sets "executive privilege" apart from the other rights of the president is that it is his "right to withhold certain information from Congress and the courts." Thus, a good definition would be the following: Executive privilege is the right of a president to withhold certain information from Congress and the courts. This definition is a complete sentence; it is in genus and differentia form; it says more than something true about the term—it captures is essential nature.

School Cancellation Policy. Since we may have another snow day on Tuesday and maybe more later this semester, let me indicate again Marymount's (and my) class cancellation policy. If Marymount decides to open late, the school day begins at the revised opening time; everything up to that time—but only up to that time—is cancelled. So if Marymount opens at 10:00am, as it did this past Tuesday, school and classes begin at 10:00am: all class time up to 10:00am is cancelled. In other words, we would begin American Government class at 10:00am, as we did on Tuesday morning. Obviously, if Marymount decides to open later than 10:45, our whole class is cancelled. My practice on snow days, if part of the class is cancelled, is to postpone quizzes or tests to the next appropriate day, but to still have class. This, as I understand it and have understood it for years, is the generally accepted practice at Marymount, but check with your other profs to make sure.

To guide you through Federalist #10, look for answers to the following questions:

How does James Madison define "factions"?
Why are factions a particular problem for democracies? All kinds of democracies?
Why shouldn't we focus on eliminating the causes of faction?
Can we have any control over the effects of factions in democracies?
What two devices were built into the design of the United States Constitution to address the problem of factions?

What is Truman's response to Madison's argument? What is Truman's main point(s)? Who do you think has the stronger argument? Why? (There are discussion questions following every article in the Canon text. Here, the discussion questions are on page 510, following the three related readings on interest groups, of which only the first two have been assigned.)

For Federalist #39. Consider the following as you read the essay:

Madison organizes the essay on the basis of two questions posed by opponents of the 1787 constitution.

What question does Madison first address in the essay?
How does Madison define "republican government"?
How does Madision go about answering the question and what is his final answer?
What is the next question he addresses?
How does Madison define "federal government" and "national government" in Federalist 39?
How does Madison go about answering the second question and what is his final answer?

I may also ask you these questions, so jot down short possible responses as you read the essay.

Federalist Paper #39

A few study questions to lead you through Federalist 51:

What is the initial question that Madison addresses?
Why should the basic power of government be separated?
Does he insist on a strict separation and independence of the fundamental powers of government?
How does he answer his original question.
What is Madison's view of human nature, or at least of the nature of most politicians?
How does his view of the nature of politicians inform his suggested design of republican government?
What other advantage does American government have in preventing the concentration of political power?
What other Madisonian argument does his final argument-paragraph repeat?

"Congress's Afterthought, Wall Street's Trillion Dollars," by Appelbaum and Irwin.

Voter Values

Election 2002. Compare the points made in these two older articles (2000 and 2002) with the results reflected in the exit polls of the 2004 and 2008 elections. Are the conclusions in the two articles still true (if they ever were)?

If you are really interested you might want to ttake a look at this article on "Incumbency, Redistricting, Decline of Competition"

Additional Information about the Course:

Instructions for definitions quizzes.

One complete sentence for each term should be sufficient. The genus of the definition is the general class or category to which the term belongs. For example, the genus of the term "executive privilege" is "a right of the president"; that is, it is one of the many rights or powers possessed by a president of the United States. The differentia of a definition is the particular characteristic that distinguishes the term in question from the other members of the class or category. The differentia that sets "executive privilege" apart from the other rights of the president is that it is his "right to withhold certain information from Congress and the courts." Thus, a good definition would be the following: Executive privilege is the right of a president to withhold certain information from Congress and the courts. It is a complete sentence; it is in genus and differentia form; it says more than something true about the term--it captures is essential nature.

Links to class materials that we might use this Summer are listed below.

MID-TERM EXAM. The mid-term will cover all of the materials--Wilson text, Federalist Papers, and other readings--that have been assigned thus far and on all of the class lecture materials. There will be questions on each of the chapters and essays, and I try to ask a proportional number of questions on each. Thus there will generally be one or two True-False, one or two Multiple Choice, and one or two vocabulary terms to be defined on each chapter of the Wilson text. There will be one short answer essay and perhaps one or two True-False and Multiple Choice questions on each of the Federalist Papers and other readings as well. Most of the exam will cover material that we have discussed in class and that was in the reading assignments, but a few questions are based strictly on the readings and a few strictly on the lectures. I ask questions that I really believe are important for someone who has taken a college course on American Government should know: I do not ask obscure facts about things that we did not discuss in class. (You might think some of the questions are obscure, but that is definitely not my intention.)

The questions are based mostly on definitions and on basic facts that we have discussed in class. For the multiple choice questions, review those terms that appeared in series: e.g., the four models of legislatures that the Framers were familiar with; the different kinds of congressional committees; the different kinds of court jurisdiction; the different meanings of "democracy"; and so on. For the short answer essays, you should be able to write one paragraph of three or four sentences for a ten point question and two paragraphs of three or four sentences each for the twenty point question.

The exam will consist of ten True-False questions, ten Multiple Choice questions, and ten Genus-Differentia definitions--all worth two points each. There will also be three or four short answer essay questions, each worth ten or twenty points. It all adds up to 110 points. I will emphasize materials that we both read and discussed in class, but some questions are only covered in the readings and some are only covered in lectures.

Terminiello v. City of Chicago, 337 U.S. 1 (1949)

Original Gerrymandered District. William Safire says, in his New Political Dictionary, that Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry, for whom it was named, signed the 1811 redistricting bill reluctantly. For what it is worth, the original gerrymander was intended to favor the Democrats. Compare it to North Carolina District 12.

Miscellaneous Materials on the Presidency

"The Administration"

Executive Office of the President. The page also includes entities within the White House Office.

Presidential Succession Act--1994 House Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing

Legislation to change the 1947 Act

Commission on Continuity of Government

Presidential Primary Candidates, 1952-2012.

See also this Wikipedia and this (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/8088/ElectPandC.html) Geocities site for more information. (You must use the Internet Archive Wayback Machine for this site.) The Wikipedia site looks pretty good for the 1952 to 1976 elections; the Geocities site is quite cynical against all the candidates, but it recaptures the main outlines of the primary battles of the 1972 to 2004 primary battles. The Theodore White series, "Making of the President," with bestsellers covering the 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972 presidential campaigns, are excellent books for these four elections; they are well-known classics. I am not familiar with comparable books on the recent elections.

Presidential Elections, 1892-2008.

Presidential Succession, 1900-2004.