Poli 100: Introduction to American Government

Tuesday and Thursdays 9:30-10:45 am

Dey Hall 404
Instructor: Jacob Smith (smithjf@live.unc.edu)

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 11 am- noon; Friday 10:30 am-11:30 am

Office: Hamilton 300
Course Description

This is an introductory course on the origins of the American system of government, American political institutions, political behavior, and the policy process. We will also apply the theories and ideas we discuss in class to current events and problems facing American government. This course will consist of lectures from the instructor, class discussions and debates, and class activities.

Disruptive behavior (e.g. texting, surfing the internet, talking during lectures) is not allowed. Students are expected to do all of the readings in order to be able to fully participate in class discussion. Students are encouraged to use evidence from the readings to support arguments made in class. Students must be respectful of differences of opinion that may arise during class discussion. Students are encouraged to ask questions in class. If a question pertains to a topic covered in the reading, I will attempt to facilitate a discussion about the question before jumping in myself to provide an answer.

The following texts are required and can be purchased at UNC Student Stores:

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  Kernell, Samuel, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser, and Lynn Vavreck. 2014. The Logic of American Politics. 6^th Edition. CQ Press.
  

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  Mayhew, David. 2004. Congress: The Electoral Connection. 2^nd Edition. Yale University Press.
  

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  Toobin, Jeffrey. 2012. The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court. Random House.
  

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  I have also assigned some supplementary readings available as newspaper articles, e-books, or journal articles. Links for these readings are available on the syllabus. Please let me know if any of these links do not work.
  

Students who would like to receive a high grade for the class participation portion of the recitation grade should actively and consistently participate in all aspects of class discussion including discussion about the class readings, in-class group activities, and discussions and debates. I will provide an estimate of where students are in terms of participation approximately half way through the semester. As a general rule, I do not give pop quizzes, but reserve the right to change that if participation lags substantially for multiple class periods.

Electronic devices, including laptops or cell phones, are not allowed during recitation. If you have an important call you are waiting for (e.g. family emergency, job-related call) please put your cell phone on vibrate and step out of the room when you get the call.

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  A (93-100); A- (90-92)
  
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  B+ (87-89); B (83-86); B- (80-82)
  
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  C+ (77-80); C (73-76); C- (70-72)
  
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  D+ (67-70): D (60-67)
  
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  F (0-59)
  
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  If a final grade is near a cutoff at the end of the semester, I will generally round to the nearest integer, but will also take into account a student’s performance of the course of the semester.
  

Grading standards are meant to be high, but fair. If however, you would like to make a request a regrade on a paper there is a time window. Students must wait at least 24 hours (a cooling off period) and not more than two weeks (a statute of limitations) to submit a regrade request. For the second paper, all requests must be submitted before the final exam. Students should then submit a one page memo to me over email stating why they disagree with the grade that was given. I will then schedule a time to meet in person after I have a chance to read the memo. This policy does not apply to students who want to discuss why they got a certain grade and how they can do better who are not disputing the final grade that was given.

You are responsible for keeping a copy of all written assignments for the course. This ensures that we will not run into problems with lost assignments. You are also responsible for keeping copies of the assignments once they are handed back. Sometimes errors do happen, and a grade may not be recorded for you. If this happens you must be able to produce the graded paper to verify that the assignment was completed and that the grade is correct.

A final grade of “incomplete" will only be given in this course under exceptional circumstances and is solely at the discretion of the instructor. Assignments turned in late will be penalized one-third of a letter grade per day late. As a general rule, make-ups for exams will not be given. Students who must miss exams because of scheduled activities of an official University student organization, a religious holiday, or a verifiable illness should contact the instructor in advance of missing an exam so that alternative arrangements can be made.

Academic dishonesty—violating the standards of integrity all students pledge to adhere to as a condition of enrollment at UNC— shall result in a failing grade on that assignment and will also result in being referred to the Honor Court. Students with questions about what qualifies as academic dishonesty should as the instructor and can also consult the Honor Court Website at http://honor.unc.edu. Students may use any citation style they choose on papers so long as they remain consistent in that paper.

Any student with a documented condition who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations should contact the instructor and Accessibility Resources (https://accessibility.unc.edu/). Accessibility Resources can be reached by phone at 919-962-8300 or by email at accessibility@unc.edu.

Students are encouraged to attend office hours or contact me via email with any questions about the course. I am also available by appointment if one is unable to meet during the times listed on the syllabus.

Please feel free to also contact me over email. I will respond promptly and will do my best to respond the same day to emails; however, do not expect an immediate response to a late evening email sent the day before an exam or before when a paper assignment is due.
Please Note: I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus as necessary. Students will be promptly informed of any changes that are made to the syllabus.
Schedule of Required Readings
August 18: Class Introduction
No readings, Discussion of class procedures and class activity.
August 20: The Constitution
Kernell, Samuel et al. 2014. The Logic of American Politics, Chapter 2, pp. 41-72.
Tocqueville, Alexis de. 1835. Democracy in America. Chapter 2, Part 1 only, pp. 69-86

(Available as a Downloadable E-Book at http://site.ebrary.com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/lib/uncch/reader.action?docID=10805240.)

(Available at http://www.cbpp.org/files/4-14-08tax.pdf)

Abramowitz, Alan and Morris Fiorina. 2013. “Polarized or Sorted? Just what’s Wrong with Our Politics, Anyway?” The American Interest. (Available online at http://www.the-american-interest.com/2013/03/11/polarized-or-sorted-just-whats-wrong-with-our-politics-anyway/.)