Syllabus POLI 2051 Fall 2023 FINAL

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Louisiana State University *

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2051

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Political Science

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Oct 30, 2023

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pdf

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1 American Government Political Science 2051 Fall 2023 Dr. Hogan rhogan1@lsu.edu Office Hours: 9:00-11:00 am Mondays (240 Stubbs Hall) Course Description This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of American government and politics. The first part of the course examines the ideological, historical, socioeconomic, and constitutional contexts of politics in the United States. The second part explores components of the political process including interest groups, political parties, and elections. The third part focuses on the institutions of government (executive, legislative, and judicial branches) that create and implement public policies. Most of our attention will be on national level politics, although at points we will cover some aspects of state and local governments as well. LSU Integrative Learning Core Integrative learning allows students to make simple connections among ideas and experiences and across disciplines and perspectives. The LSU Integrative Learning Core (ILC) curriculum is designed to develop student abilities to transfer their learning to new situations and demonstrate a sense of self as a learner. A fundamental g oal of the ILC is to foster students’ practical and intellectual capacities associated with integrative learning in preparation for high competence and functionality in their post-baccalaureate careers. This course fulfills the BOR Area of Social/Behavioral Sciences and provides students experience with the ILC proficiency of Inquiry and Analysis . Course Requirements The course requirements include reading the textbook, watching video presentations, reading the Power Point slides, taking practices quizzes, writing reports, and taking multiple-choice exams (the final is not cumulative). The course schedule for completing practice quizzes, writing assignments and exams is listed below as well as on the course Moodle page. This is an on-line course that moves very quickly with assignments due throughout the semester, so it is very important that you pay close attention to the course schedule and check the Moodle site regularly. I provide updates and reminders on the Moodle page under “Announcements.” Occasiona lly I will send emails, but do not expect email reminders of upcoming deadlines. Again, it is imperative that you check the Moodle site regularly. Required Reading Materials The textbook for the course is listed below. The e-book version is available for purchase in the bookstore. You may prefer to rent or purchase a physical copy of the book and these are available from on-line vendors. Note that the 16 th , 17 th , or 18 th editions are all acceptable and each edition contains all the information you need. Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy, (by George C. Edwards, Martin P. Wattenberg, and William G. Howell, Pearson: ISBN: 9780135246498). How to Contact Me The best way to contact me is by e-mail. I will make every effort to answer your questions in a timely manner (usually within 24 hours during the normal work week). If you would like to set up a specific time to talk with me directly, e-mail me and we can schedule a time that is mutually convenient to speak by telephone or through Zoom.

2 Student Evaluations and Policies The final grade for this course will be determined by a student’s performance in the following areas: Practice Chapter Quizzes (18 @ 0.5% each): 9% Reports (6 @ 3% each) #1: 18% Exam #1: 21% Exam #2: 24% Exam #3 (Final Exam): 28% Total = 100% It is a student’s responsibility to monitor the grades they receive and to calculate the weighted average of the different as signments. Do not rely exclusively on the “course total” calculated on Moodle. Recognize that the Moodle “course total” does not a ccount for grades that are missing until I have entered a zero for the missed assignment. Final course letter grades are assigned as follows based on a student’s final numerical average: 97-100 = A+ 93-96 = A 90-92 = A- 87-89 = B+ 83-86 = B 80-82 = B- 77-79 = C+ 73-76 = C 70-72 = C- 67-69 = D+ 63-66 = D 60-62 = D- <60 = F Note: I generally round final averages. In other words, if your final average is an 89.5 you will receive an A-. If your final average is 89.4 your letter grade is a B+. Video Presentations For each chapter of the text, I provide a series of video slide presentations (usually 4-7 videos for each chapter with a combined run time of anywhere from 30-40 minutes). The videos for each week along with the slides are provided on the course Moodle page. These presentations are intended to highlight aspects of the reading that will assist you in grasping the central concepts. My goal is to provide illustrative examples where needed while demonstrating how the various concepts are interrelated and significant. Please recognize that the video presentations should not be viewed as a substitute for carefully reading and taking thorough notes on the text. I cover many of the main points in each chapter, but I do not cover every definition and concept. Note that I have adopted a minimalist approach with the slide presentation videos. In other words, I do not include extraneous photos or graphs other than what I believe to be necessary for conveying the central ideas and concepts. By avoiding a “dazzling” power point presentation, I hope to focus your attention squarely on the material you need to know while allowing you to preserve your printer’s ink supply (I highly recommend printing the slides so that you may take notes on them as you listen). I strongly suggest reading and taking notes on the chapter prior to watching the video presentations. Once you are familiar with the concepts covered in the book, you will find the presentations more useful.

3 Practice Quizzes A practice quiz on Moodle has been designed to accompany each chapter of the text. Each quiz contains approximately 12 multiple-choice questions on concepts covered in the text. While these quizzes are not comprehensive in their coverage, they should help you assess your grasp of some key concepts and hopefully help you learn more of the material in preparation for the exams. Occasionally, some of the quiz questions appear on the exams. NOTE: You may take each quiz as many times as you want to improve your score up until the time when the quiz is closed (note the times listed on the syllabus). Each quiz is worth 0.5 percent of your course grade (for a total of 9 percent of your course grade). Note that the practice quizzes are due at 6:00 p.m. on the dates listed on the syllabus (usually on Fridays, but not always). Because you may encounter technical difficulties, I urge you to begin these quizzes well in advance of the due dates. Again, you may take these as many times as you like to improve your grade up to due dates listed on the syllabus. Note for all quizzes there is a 3-day grace period. This means that if you do not complete a quiz that is due by a 6:00 p.m. Friday deadline, you have 3 additional days to complete it without penalty. Please note, I will not accept quizzes past the grace period unless a documented excuse is provided demonstrating why you were prevented from finishing the quiz prior to the original deadline . What this means is that you should make your best effort to complete the quizzes prior to the deadlines and rely on the grace period only when an unexpected problem arises. Please note, excuses such as “the Wi-Fi in my apartment was out” or “my computer was broken” are not acceptable excuses for missing practice quizzes. My strong suggestion is to check the schedule each week to make certain you have completed all the week’s assignments. Exams There are three exams and scores on these comprise the largest portion of your course grade. Note the final exam is not cumulative. You have a 48-hour window in which to take each exam (see schedule below). This means you may select any 30-minute period within this window to take your exam. Note that you will only have one attempt and only 30 minutes to take the exam. It is therefore imperative that you have a reliable internet connection. Should you lose internet access while taking your exam, you will not be allowed to repeat it. These are multiple-choice exams (50 questions) and you are free to use your textbook and your notes. However, recognize that you will only have 30 minutes, so it is imperative that you study in advance in order to do well. Given the time constraint (50 questions in 30 minutes), it will not be possible to look up answers to each question. While you may use your book and notes, you may not rely on the assistance of others. Makeup exams will not be given unless the instructor is notified in advance and agrees that the absence is a university-excused absence (Note PS-22). Makeups are all essay exams. There are no grace periods for the exams. Writing Assignments There are six reports that in combination count for 18% of the course grade. The due dates for uploading these reports through the Moodle site are listed on the schedule. Remember that these are individual assignments that you must complete without the assistance of others. The due dates for the assignments vary throughout the semester. It is your responsibility to keep track of the deadlines and complete the assignments on time. There are no grace periods for these assignments and submitting them after the deadline will result in a substantial reduction of points (usually 5 points for each day that it is late). I recognize, however, there are legitimate reasons for missing a deadline. If you experience a significant problem that prevents you from submitting a report, it is your responsibility to let me know about it in a timely manner and to provide appropriate documentation (e.g., medical professional ’s note). General Policies Academic Honesty Students are required to abide by the academic conduct policies outlined in the LSU Code of Student Conduct. Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to cheating on exams, plagiarizing (from published sources or from fellow students), buying or selling assignments, altering grades, intentional deception, and collaborating with others without permission. Be very careful with the writing assignments. Use of another person’s words without proper citation or copying from another person’s work is considered plagiarism. I

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