POL1001AmericanDemocracyinaChangingWorld

Instructor
:KyleAllen,M.Ed.
Contact
:
kallen2@isd578.org
Room:
125

InstructorHours(peremailrequest):
7:308:00MF,3:003:30MTH,3rd/7thHour

Prerequisites:
Top20%ofclassorindividualinstructorapproval

Credits:
FourUniversityofMinnesotasemestercredits

UofMRequirementsMetwithThisCourse:
(SOCS)meetsaUofMliberal
educationrequirementinSocialSciences.

CourseDescription
ThiscourseisdesignedtobeabroadsurveyofAmericangovernment:theprinciples,
organization,processes,functionsofgovernment,andtheinteractionofpoliticalforces
intheUnitedStates.Aprimaryobjectiveofthiscourseistoprovideyouwiththeskills
andknowledgenecessaryforunderstandingmoreconcretepoliticaleventsasthey
unfold.Throughlecture,discussion,textbookandsupplementaryreadings,itishoped
aninterestandunderstandingofAmericangovernmentisdeveloped,andthatstudents
willbecomemoreinformedparticipantsofthepoliticalprocessintheUnitedStates.

Textbook
th
Janda,K.,Berry,J.,&Goldman,J.(2008).
TheChallengeofDemocracy
(9
ed.).New
York:HoughtonMifflinCo.

QuantityofWorkperCredit
TheUniversitySenateprescribesthequantityofworkneededtoearnacreditasthree
hourspercreditperweekorapproximately45hourspercreditpersemester.The
mannerinwhichthecourseistaughtdetermineshowmuchoftheworkwillbeinthe
classroom,laboratory,library,orindependentstudyandresearch.Astudentshould
expecttospendabout9hoursaweek,
includingclasstime
,ona3creditcourse.
Therefore,forthis4creditclass,studentsshouldbepreparedtocommit12hoursper
weektothisclass.Fiveofthetwelvehourswillbeclasstime,theremainderofthetime
willbeexpectedtobedoneoutsideofclass.

StudentClassroomConduct
Studentswhoengageinbehaviorthatdisruptsthelearningenvironmentofothersmay
besubjecttodisciplinaryactionunderthecode.TheCollegeofContinuingEducation
reservestherighttocancelthecurrentorfutureregistrationsforsuchstudents.

StudentsareresponsibleforcomplyingwiththeUniversityofMinnesotasStudents
ConductCode,whichisavailableinthecollegestudentaffairsofficeandStudent
JudicialAffairs(6126246073).ThecodeispublishedregularlyandontheWebatthe
following:
http://www.sja.umn.edu/conduct.html
www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/StudentConduct.pdf

Plagiarismandotheracademicdishonesty:
Youareexpectedtomaintainacademichonestyinyourworkatalltimes.Inthisclass,
thepenaltyforfailingtodosoisa0ontheassignmentandagradeof"F"onyour
UniversityofMinnesotatranscript.Seetheendofthissyllabusforadetailed
explanationofscholasticdishonesty,asdefinedbytheUniversityofMinnesota.

SexualHarassment
Definition:SexualHarassmentmeansunwelcomesexualadvances,requestsfor
sexualfavorsand/orotherverbalorphysicalconductofasexualnatureThepolicy
strictlyprohibitssexualharassmentbyortowardamemberoftheUniversitycommunity
andrequiresappropriatereportingandinvestigationofsuchreports.Thepolicycanbe
seenat:
http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/humanresources/SexHarassment.pdf
.

DisabilitiesServices
ItisUniversitypolicytoprovide,onaflexibleandindividualizedbasis,reasonable
accommodationstostudentswhohavedocumenteddisabilityconditions(e.g.,physical,
learning,psychiatric,vision,hearing,orsystemic)thatmayaffecttheirabilityto
participateincourseactivitiesortomeetcourserequirements.Studentswithdisabilities
areencouragedtocontactDisabilityServicesandtheirinstructorstodiscusstheir
individualneedsforaccommodations.DisabilityServicesislocatedinSuite#180
McNamaraAlumniCenter,200OakStreet.Staffcanbereachedbycalling
612/6261333voiceorTTY.Forfurtherinformation,visittheirwebsite:
http://ds.umn.edu/

MentalHealthandStressManagement
Asastudent,youmayexperiencearangeofissuesthatcancausebarrierstolearning,
suchasstrainedrelationships,increasedanxiety,alcohol/drugproblems,feelingdown,
difficultyconcentratingand/orlackofmotivation.Thesementalhealthconcernsor
stressfuleventsmayleadtodiminishedacademicperformanceandmayreduceyour
abilitytoparticipateindailyactivities.UofMservicesareavailabletoassistyou.You
canlearnmoreaboutthebroadrangeofconfidentialmentalhealthservicesavailable
oncampusviatheStudentMentalHealthWebsite:http://mentalhealth.umn.edu.

WritingHelp
AllUniversityofMinnesotastudentshaveaccesstotheCenterforWritingatthe
Universityatnocharge.Studentscanreceivefeedback,suggestionsforformatting,
grammar,etc.Studentscanconnectwiththecentertoviewalloftheirservicesby
visiting:
http://writing.umn.edu

CISFieldDays
FieldDayeventsareopportunitiestobecomeacquaintedwiththeUniversityof
MinnesotaTwinCitiesCampus,meetyourfellowclassmatesfromthroughoutthestate,
andusetheexpertiseandexperienceyouhavegainedinclass.Fielddayfor2015
2016istentativelyscheduledforJanuary5th,2016.Studentsattendanceis
mandatory.

AccesstoStudentsUniversityRecord
Parentsdonothaveautomaticaccesstotheirstudent'seducationrecordsatthe
postsecondarylevel.UnderFERPAparentsareconsideredathirdparty,justlike
anyoneelseotherthanthestudent.However,therearewaysparentscangetaccessto
theirstudent'seducationalrecord.First,theycanobtainwrittenpermissionfromthe
studenttoaccesstherecord.Second,thestudentcangrantthemaccessinthe
UniversitysParent/GuestAccesssystemat
www.onestop.umn.edu
.

Absences
Studentswillnotbepenalizedfor12absencesduringthesemesterduetounavoidable
orlegitimatecircumstances.Suchcircumstancesincludeverifiedillness,participationin
intercollegiateathleticevents,subpoenas,juryduty,militaryservice,bereavement,and
religiousobservances.Suchcircumstancesdonotincludevotinginlocal,stateor
nationalelections.Intheseorlegitimatecasesotherwisenotlistedthemakeup
requirementsareaslistedabove.
Classattendanceisessentialandthebiggestfactortoyoursuccessinclass.Each
absenceisyourresponsibility.Youshouldcontactanotherstudentfornotesandspeak
withmeifyouhavefurtherquestions.Alwayscontactsomeonebeforeyoucometothe
nextclasssessionsoyoucancompleteanyassignmentsgiventhedayyouweregone.
Itisyourresponsibilitytobeanactiveparticipantatalltimes.Poorattendancemay
resultinlossofUniversitycreditand,accordingtoUniversitypolicy,willresultinagrade
reduction.
Studentsshouldnotgoover12totalabsencespersemesterforcollege
creditintheclassthisincludesSchoolAuthorizedactivitiesandabsences(exception
willbegivenforUofMsponsoredactivities).Forthosewhodogoover,every3days
afterthe12daysmaximumwillresultina1/3gradereduction(exampleB+willbe
droppedtoaB).
PleasenotetheUniversitytimelineforwithdrawal.Tardiesare
unacceptable.Beinyourseatwhenthebellrings.Threetardiescountasoneabsence.

UofMGrades
ThegradeyoureceiveinaCIScourseisrecordedonUniversityofMinnesotatranscript
andautomaticallybecomespartofyourpermanentUofMacademicrecord.The
UniversityofMinnesotauniformgradingpolicystatesthat"Universitygradedefinitions
establishthequalitiesofperformanceexpectedatdifferentgradelevels.Instructors
definegradestandardsfortheircoursesinconformitywiththeirdepartmentalpolicies."


A
A

94100
9093

B+
B
B

8789
8486
8083

C+
C
C

7779
7476
7073

D+
D
D

6769
6466
6063

A=
Achievement
outstanding
relativetothelevelnecessarytomeetcourse
requirements
B
Achievement
significantlyabove
thelevelnecessarytomeetcourserequirements
C
Achievement
meetingthebasiccourserequirements
ineveryrespect
D
Achievement
worthyofcredit
eventhoughitdoesnotfullymeetthebasiccourse
F
=

Representsfailure(ornocredit)andsignifiesthattheworkwaseither(1)completed
butata

levelofachievementthatisnotworthyofcreditor(2)wasnotcompleted&therewas
noagreementbetweentheinstructorandthestudentthatthestudentwouldbe
awardedan
I
.
I
=

(Incomplete)Assignedatthediscretionofthelevelsupervisorswhen,dueto
extraordinarycircumstances,e.g.,hospitalization,astudentispreventedfrom
completingtheworkofthecourseontime.Requiresawrittenagreementbetween
instructor,levelsupervisorandstudent.

Incompletes
Incompletesmaybegivenatthediscretionoftheinstructor.If,intheopinionofthe
instructor,thereisareasonableexpectationthatastudentcansuccessfullycomplete
theworkofthecoursebeforetheendofthenexthighschooltermanincompletemay
beused.TheassignmentofanIncompleterequiresawrittenagreementbetweenyou
andtheinstructorspecifyingthetimeandmannerinwhichyouwillcompletethecourse
requirements.Uponsuccessfulcompletionofthework,theIncompleteischangedtoa
permanentgrade.AnIncompletethatisnotcompletedwithinonecalendaryear
automaticallybecomesanF.

PercentageofWork
DailyWork(25%)
:Thisincludesbutisnotlimitedtodailyreadings,participation,
discussions,homework.Thisistheinformation/workthatisdoneinpreparationto
succeedontheMajorWork.

Quizzes(25%):
Thisincludesbutisnotlimitedtotheendofchapterquizzes.

MajorWork(50%)
:Thisincludesbutisnotlimitedtoessays,tests,andfieldday.This
isthesummativeworkoftheclass.

Participation/GroupWork
Therewillbetimeswhengroupworkisanoptionand/orrequired.Studentsmayormay
notreceivethesamegradebasedontheirwork.

LateWork/MissinganAssignment
Lateworkisnotaccepted.

Ifastudentmissesadeadlineduetoanabsence,itistheexpectationthatthestudent
emailtheinstructoraboutaduedateforthework.Ifitispossible,theassignment
shouldbeturnedinelectronicallyevenifthestudentisnotpresent.

Ifyouareabsentthedayanassignmentwasgivenyouwillhavetwodaysforeachday
absenttocompleteit.Ifyouareabsentforatestyouwillhavethreedaysfromyour
returntocompleteit.

Technology
Cellphones,laptops,iPods,andallotherelectronicdevicesmustbeturnedoff(noton
vibrate)andputawayduringclasstime.Additionally,Universitypolicyprohibitstheuse
ofclassroomorlabcomputersandtheInternetfornonclassrelatedactivitiesduring
classtime.Iwilldeductsignificantpointsfromyourparticipationgradeifyouchooseto
violatethispolicy.Weprojectrudenesswhenweusethematinappropriatetimes,and
rudenesswillnotbetolerated.

ClassroomExpectations
Thisisacollegecourse.Youhavetheopportunitytoearncollegecreditforcompletion
ofthiscourse.Youwillbetreatedlikeanadultandtheexpectationisyouwillconduct
yourselfinamannerthatissimilar.Ifthisbecomesanissues,youwillbedismissed
fromtheclass.

CourseOutline(Preliminary)
UnitI:DilemmasofDemocracy&FoundationsofAmericanGovernment(Chapters14)
Theclassbeginswithadiscussionofstudymethods,writingmethods,andcritical
thinkingskills.Wethenexaminewhygovernmentsexist,theircostsandbenefits,which
valuesarereinforcedwhengovernmentmakespolicychoices,andhowthegrowing
importanceofglobalizationimpactsthesedecisions.Thefirstchapterpresentsa
conceptualframeworkforanalyzingthepurposesandproblemsofgovernment,aswell
asindepthdiscussionsoftheideologiesofgovernmentandthemajoritarianand
pluralistmodelsofdemocracy.Thesecondandthirdchaptersreviewthehistorical
conflictsandresultingcompromisesoftheConstitution,focusingonthelinksbetween
thehistoricalandcontemporarydilemmasinherentwithinthisdocument.One
compromise,federalism,willbeanalyzedbyexaminingthehistoricaltheoriesandthe
contemporaryapplicationofthosetheories.

UnitII:LinkingPeoplewithGovernment(Chapters510)
ThisunitexaminesvariouslinkagesbetweenU.S.citizensandtheirgovernment.We
examinehowpublicopinionfitsintothemodelsofdemocracyandhowpolitical
socializationstressestheformationofpoliticalideology.Amainfocusofthisunitison
massmedia,whichplayanincreasingroleinpoliticalsocializationandpoliticalpolicy

formation.WeexaminetheoriesaboutwhytheUnitedStateshasvarioustypesofvoter
turnoutandwhetheritmatters.

Weinvestigatethepowerofpoliticalpartiesandhowtheirinfluenceimpactselections
andthedevelopmentofpublicpolicy.Dailycurrenteventswillhelpusexaminethe
ongoingdevelopmentsandissuesinthesepublicpolicyareas.Weconsiderthe2004
and2006electionresultswithinthecontextofthehistoryofU.S.elections.Finally,we
studyinterestgroups,whytheyexist,howtheyhavechangedovertime,andwhythey
arecriticizedfornegativelyimpactingpublicpolicy.

Thisunitemphasizesdataanalysis.Studentswillexaminepublicopinionpollsto
understandthecomponentsofspecificpollingandtodetectbiasinpublicopinionpolls.
Studentswillexaminedemographicdatafromthe2006electionsthroughtheuseofexit
pollingandusethatdatatodrawconclusionsaboutchangesandtrendsinvoting
patterns.StudentswillexaminedataaboutmembersofCongressandanalyze
descriptiverepresentation.Additionally,studentswillusemapstoexamineredistricting
andunderstandthechallengesandimpactsofdrawingcongressionalboundaries.

UnitIII:InstitutionsofGovernment(Chapters1114)
WewillexaminewhetherCongressisthemostimportantbranchofourgovernment,
studyingindetailhowCongressworksandhowitssignificancehaschangedovertime.
WewillquestionwhatroleCongressshouldplaywithinthedilemmasofourConstitution
andtheparametersofcontemporarysociety.Studentswillexplorehowandwhythe
initialconceptionofthepresidencyhaschangedandfurtherdissectthecontemporary
roleofthepresident,examininghow9/11impactedthepowerofthepresident,whether
wehaveanimperialoranimperiledpresident,andhowapresidentspersonalityand
timeinhistoryinfluencetherole.Studentslearnabouttheagenciescreatedtoassist
thepresidentinmeetinghisresponsibilitiesandconsiderwhetherthisbureaucracy
helpsorhindershisgoals.Thisunitwillalsoexaminethefederalcourtsystemstructure,
exploretheprocessthroughwhichjudgesareselected,andreflectonthelinkbetween
judicialrulingsandpublicpolicy.

UnitIV:CivilLibertiesandCivilRights(Chapters1516)
WeexaminehowadjudicationinfluencedthefreedomsguaranteedintheBillofRights,
laterfocusingonthehistoricalandcontemporarystruggleforequalityandcivilrightsin
theUnitedStates.Howhavethecivilrightsofindividualsandgroupsexpandedover
timeandwhatcontemporaryconflictshavesurroundedthesedevelopments?

ThisisaUniversityofMinnesotaClass.Acompletelistofpoliciesandprocedurescanbefound
onlineatwww.cce.umn.edu/cisorhttp://www.cce.umn.edu/CollegeintheSchools/index.html.
ClickonStudentandAdministrativeResourcesandthenForStudenttoaccesstheCollegeinthe
SchoolsStudentHandbook.Oryoumayusethisaddress:
http://www.cce.umn.edu/pdfs/dcp/cis/CIS_Student_Handbook.pdf

DearParentorGuardian:

YourstudentisregisteredforPOL1001:AmericanDemocracyinaChangingWorld.Pleasereviewthe
followingmaterialwithyoursonordaughterandsignbelow.KeepinmindthatthiscourseisaUniversityof
Minnesotacourseofferedinthehighschool,andassuchtheacademicrigor,content,andassessmentused
atthehighschooliscomparabletotherigor,content,andassessmentusedinoncampussectionsofthe
samecourse.TheUniversityofMinnesotaisalarge,prestigious,publicresearchuniversity.Manyofthe
assignmentsareextremelychallengingonanumberoflevels.ThiscoursewilladheretoallUniversityof
Minnesotarulesandguidelinesforcollegiatecoursework,academicintegrity,grading,dataprivacy,and
gradereporting.Studentsareresponsibleforkeepingreturned,gradedassignments.Thebelowsignatures
indicatethatstudentsandparentshavereadthecoursesyllabus,areawareoftheacademicstructureand
content,areawareofthemandateofincreasedstudentownership,andarewillingtoadheretoallcourse
policiesandprocedures.Iamlookingforwardtoanexciting,rigorouscourse,andIamanxioustohelp
studentsastheyundertakecollegelevelchallenges.

Sincerely,

KyleAllen,M.Ed.

StudentSignature:
_____________________________________
Date__________

ParentSignature:
_____________________________________
Date__________