Logistics:

Monday 2:00-2:45pm, Tuesday 1:30-3:00, and by appointment.
Ellison 3708

This course provides an introduction to American government and politics. It prepares students to think analytically about the interplay of ideas, people, and institutions in U.S. politics. The course covers the principles on which the national government rests, the nature of political action in the U.S., and the dynamics of the Congress, presidency, judiciary, and bureaucracy.

This course is intended for students of all majors interested in an introductory survey of the American political landscape, including those students completing the requirements of the political science pre-major. The course is open to students of all levels, but it is intended primarily as a first course in American politics for lower-division students.

This course requires that students prepare a term paper of about 8-10 pages, take midterm and final examinations, and participate in discussion sections. Late papers will be marked down one grade per day (i.e. from A- to B-). Examinations will be closed-book in format, and will cover lectures and reading. Discussion section performance will be evaluated on participation in the discussions. Grades will be weighted as follows in calculating the final course grade:

30% Midterm Exam
25% Term Paper
35% Final Exam
10% Discussion Section

Ethics:

Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of ethical behavior when preparing papers and taking examinations. Plagiarism, collaboration in the writing of papers, and cheating on examinations will result in failure in the course and referral to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action. It is the student's responsibility to become familiar with and abide by UCSB regulations and standards of conduct regarding academic work (Click here for more information about plagiarism.) I will be employing software developed here at UCSB to make automatic word-by-word analyses of every paper submitted in the class. This software is extremely effective at detecting plagiarism even when heavy editing or synonym replacement have been used to alter the appearance of another student's work.

Required
Books:

1. S. Kernell & S. Smith, Eds. 2007. Principles and Practice of American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings, 3rd Edition. Congressional Quarterly Books. (Hereafter "Principles.")

SPECIAL NOTE ON TEXTBOOK EDITIONS. Textbook publishers typically publish new versions of their books every couple years, and sometimes every year. They do this in order to stay current with new developments, which is good for students, but also to undermine the used book market, which is bad for students. In addition, publishers often ofter several versions of the same edition, some longer and some shorter. This leads to a profusion of book editions that can be confusing. If you purchase your books new from the UCSB bookstore, you will have the correct editions. However many alternatives exist for purchasing books, and in general I encourage you to shop around for the best price you can find.

If you choose to purchase your books from a seller other than the Bookstore, such as an online vendor, or if you obtain used books from another student, please pay careful attention to which editions you obtain.

We are using the 3rd Edition of Principles, and you are accountable for the material in this version of the book. You may find available on the used market copies of the 1st and 2nd editions, which differ somewhat. If you purchase a 2nd edition, you will find that about five chapters assigned from the 3rd edition are missing from the 2nd, and you will have to find alternative ways of reading these chapters. If you can find a suitable way to obtain those chapters, perhaps by sharing one copy among several students, that should work fine. I do not recommend attempting to work from a 1st edition, as the changes from that to the 3rd are more substantial.

2. Lowi, Ginsberg & Shepsle, 2006. American Government: Brief 2006 Edition." W.W. Norton & Company. (Hereafter "American Government.")

Used editions of this book and of similar editions are in circulation. You may use any edition of American Government by Lowi, Ginsberg and Shepsle marked 9th, 8th, or 7th (Brief, Core, or Complete). Although content varies sligthly among these, you will not be held accountable on exams for material unique to the Brief 2006 version. Editions prior to the 7th should not be used.

Note that the "Complete Ninth" can be purchased in electronic ("ebook") format. This version of the book is longer than the assigned edition, but some students may find the electronic format sufficiently attractive to offset the extra reading.

Campus Learning Assistance Service helps students increase their mastery of course material through course-specific tutoring and academic skills development. Check out our tutorial groups and drop-in tutoring schedules posted on our web site: www.clas.ucsb.edu. Sign up for services at our main office, Building 477 9-5 daily. 893.3269

Counseling & Career Services offers counseling for personal & career concerns, self-help information and connections to off-campus mental health resources. 893.4411

Student Health Social Services provides a range of services to help students identify and overcome obstacles to academic performance stemming from financial, medical, emotional, social, or family situations. 893.3380

Disabled Students Program provides academic support services to eligible students with temporary and permanent disabilities. Please inform me if you require special classroom accommodations due to a disability. You must register with DSP prior to receiving these accommodations, and you must re-register each quarter. 893.2668

Oct. 19, 22

The Presidency
American Government, Ch. 6
Principles, Ch. 7-1 (Richard Neustadt)

The Judiciary
American Government, Ch. 8
Principles, Ch. 9-5 (Carp, Manning, and Stidham)

Slides for Lectures: Oct. 12 - Oct. 31

Public Opinion
American Government, Ch. 9
Ch. 10-2 (Stimson, MacKuen, and Erikson)

Participation, Campaigns, and Elections
American Government, Ch. 10
Principles, Ch. 1-3 (Robert Putnam)
Principles, Ch. 11-1 (Samuel Popkin)

Slides for Lectures Nov. 5 - Nov.16

Political Parties
American Government, Ch. 11
Principles, Ch. 12-2 (Larry Bartels)

Slides for Lecture Nov. 19

Media
Principles, Ch. 14-1 (James Hamilton)
Principles, Ch. 14-2 (Jeffrey Toobin)

Term Paper:
Due Online 1pm Nov. 30 or up to one week before

Reform of Government in the US
Principles, Ch. 2-2 (Federalist #10)
Principles, Ch. 2-3 (Federalist #51)

Dec. 13