Purpose and Goals of Course: The immediate purpose of this course is to provide you with a broad overview of how American government and politics work. Beyond that, it has three basic goals. First, it should give you a foundation for more advanced study. In covering a wide range of topics that are examined in greater depth in upper-level courses, you will become acquainted with the basic concepts and facts related to politics in the U.S. This will be particularly helpful if you are (or will become) a Political Science major. Second, this course seeks to prepare you for your role as a citizen. In a society that aspires to be democratic, all adults have an obligation to participate in the political life of the community. Individuals are more likely to participate in the political process and find participation fulfilling if they understand how the process works and if their interest is stimulated. Finally, the course seeks to develop students’ competencies in the areas of reading comprehension, writing, and thinking analytically. After taking this course and similar courses, you should be better able to: 1) understand and identify key arguments, evidence and conclusions in scholarly readings and use reading and lecture material to develop your own arguments; 2) write more clearly and organize your written work in a more coherent fashion.

         Assignments and Exams: Each of the following is worth 20 percent of the course grade: 1) a take-home essay assignment on the book by Benjamin Page, 2) an in-class midterm exam, 3) a report on your Member of Congress, 4) an in-class final exam, and, 5) participation in weekly discussions and performance on any quizzes given during discussion sessions. We reserve the right to give quizzes during weekly discussion sections. Quizzes may or may not be announced prior to session.

        Policy on Missed Assignments and Unsatisfactory Performance: It will not be possible for students to submit extra assignments (such as a research paper) intended to offset poor performance on the exams or assignments. No extensions of time to prepare for or take assignments or exams will be given, nor grades of "Incomplete" be given, except where there is a compelling reason for doing so. Requests for extensions of time or grades of Incomplete will be considered only if they are supported by a written recommendation from a recognized authority (a physician or an academic dean, for example).

         Contacting the Instructor and Teaching Assistants: Prof. Mucciaroni’s office is located in Room 442, Gladfelter Hall (GH) on Main campus; phone: 215+204-6195; fax: 215+204-3770; email: mucc@vm.temple.edu His office hours are Mon. from 10:30-11:30am, and 3:30 - 5:30 and Weds.10:30-11:30am, 4:45 - 5:30pm, and by appointment… Mr. DeFrancis’ office is 416 GH and his email address is fdefrank@temple.edu. His office hours are on Mon. and Weds. from 10:30-11:30am. Mr.Petti’s office is 445 GH, his email address is bpetti@temple.edu, and his office hours are Mon. and Weds. From 10:30-11;30am.
 

Books available for purchase at the Zavelle’s Bookstore, 1520 North Broad Street:

Ben Page, Who Deliberates?
Thomas J. Volgy, Politics in the Trenches.
Karen O’Connor and Larry Sabato, Essentials of American Government: Continuity and Change.
 

Week of:

Sep. 2  Overview of the Course

Sep. 9  What are the intellectual and practical goals of this course?
              Some Basic Concepts
            What is "politics" about? What is "government"? Why does it exist? What kinds of goods
            does the government provide? What are the values "freedom," "order" and "equality?" Does
            government matter? What is "democracy"?
             Public Goods, Security, Order, Freedom, and Equality
            How does the Constitution reflect Americans’ attachment to Freedom and Rights? Are
            Americans too infatuated with freedom? Freedom for what? Are Americans too infatuated
            with rights?

            Reading: Text, Chapter 1 (skip discussion of "ideology" on pp. 18-19)
                          Begin reading Benjamin Page, Who Deliberates?

Sep. 16 Political Values and a Look at the Constitution

            How are freedom, order and equality reflected in the U.S. Constitution?

            Reading: Text, chapters 4-5.

          The Mass Media in Public Deliberation

          Reading: Text, chapter 10, pp. 323-340, and Page, Who Deliberates?

            Class discussion: What is Ben Page’s book, Who Deliberates? about? What is he trying to
            find out? How did he go about studying this topic? What conclusions did he come to about
            the role of the media in public deliberation? Does the evidence in his book support his
            conclusions or not? What is "public deliberation"? What is the mass media? Why is the
            media needed in deliberation? Under what conditions does mediated deliberation work well
            for democracy?

Sep.23  Public Opinion and Participation
 Sep. 30

            What is "public opinion" and how is it measured? Should the public deliberate or just elect
            their leaders and let them do the deliberating? Do the people know much about politics? Is
            the public capable of deliberating? What are the various ways in which citizens participate in
            politics?

            Reading: Text, chapter 10, pp. 302-323; chapter 12, pp. 408-427.

              Take-home Assignment handed out on SEPT. 27th (if your discussion section meets on
                Friday), or on SEPT. 30th (if your discussion section meets on Monday). Take-home
                Assignment Due OCT. 4th (if your discussion section meets on Friday), or on OCT. 7th
                (if your discussion section meets on Monday).
              One purpose of this assignment it to get you to read and make a persuasive argument
               based upon the evidence presented in a book. Another purpose is to help you understand
                the role of mass media in politics.

Oct. 7  Campaigns and Elections in America
Oct. 14

                Elections are the main mechanism through which citizens try to exert control over their
                government. Why are there so many elections in America? And why are election
                campaigns so long and so expensive? What role do campaign donations have in
                elections? Why don’t more people vote? Why do people vote the way they do? Why do
                we have an electoral college and should we get rid of it? Can our elections be made more
                    deliberative? What is a deliberative opinion poll?

                Reading: Text, chapter 12, pp. 382-408.

              American Political Parties

                Political parties emerge to help organize millions of citizens choose candidates who run
                for office. What else are political parties supposed to do? Why do we have only two
                parties? How does our single-member district system differ from a proportional
                representation system? Are the Democrats and Republicans like Tweedledum and
                Tweedledee, or do genuine differences between them exist?

                Reading: Text, chapter 11, pp. 342-364.

Oct. 21  Interest Groups

                An alternative route for the public to try to influence government is by joining interest
                groups and lobbying. Why is it so hard for interest groups to emerge? What advantages
                do small groups have over big ones? How do groups attract members? Do interest
                groups have too much power? Are the various groups in society well represented?

                  Reading: Text, chapter 11, 364-381.

Oct. 23  Midterm Exam – Covers all material in course up through Political Parties (Interest Groups
                will appear on the final exam). Exam does not incudeg questions directly related to
                Page’s book.

Oct. 28  Political Elites: Ideology

                Many political leaders and activists have political opinions that are coherently formed into
                what we call an "ideology". What is an "ideology"? Some of these people are called
                "liberals", others are called "conservatives", yet still others go by different names. What is
                a "liberal"? What is a "conservative"? Do these labels have any meaning for understanding
                American politics? Which values, among freedom order and equality, do liberals and
                conservatives champion?

                Reading: Text, chapter 1, pp. 18-19
 

Nov. 4  "If Men were Angels…": Separated Powers and Checks and Balances
                How and why is power so checked and divided in the American system? What are the
                powers of each branch? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this system?

                  Reading: Text, chapters 2-3.
                      Bring your textbook to class to refer to the Constitution.

Nov. 11 Representation in Theory
Nov. 18
                Why do we have a House and a Senate? What did the Framers of the Constitution view
                as the proper role of legislators in representative assemblies? Should legislators   follow
                the will of the people or exercise their independent judgment?

                Representation in Practice

                Every Member of Congress faces the dilemma of doing what his constituents want and
                what the country may need. How do representatives resolve this dilemma? Do they only
                care about getting reelected? How does a bill become a law?

                  Reading: Text, chapter 6.

 Nov. 25 Presidential Leadership in a Divided System.

                 Because power in the American system is so fragmented, it often results in stalemate and
                drift. The presidency would seem to offer an antidote to this problem: allow the president
                to lead and overcome the constraints imposed by the Constitutional system. What
                resources, powers and advantages does the president have at his disposal for this
                purpose? Why have so many presidents disappointed the public and left office
                disappointed themselves? What constraints does the president face? What conditions
                make it more likely, and less likely, to reach his goals?

                  Reading: Text, chapter 7.

Dec.2  The Judiciary

                   What is the role of the courts in a democratic political system? How are judges
                selected and how do they make decisions? How is an institution that is supposed to read
                the law "impartially" also steeped in politics?

                  Reading: Text, chapter 9.
                                                 (Report on Your Member of Congress Due)

Dec. 9   Bureaucracy: The Fourth Branch

                    What is a "bureaucracy"? How do government bureaucracies in the U.S. differ from
                    those in other nations? Do bureaucrats just carry out policy or do they also make it?
                    Why are bureaucrats so important?

Reading: Text: chapter 8.
 

Dec. 18 Final Exam – 8:30-10:30am