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(1)Political Science 1 – The Government of the United States Fall 2012 Syllabus – Section 1033 Instructor: Dr. John Paul Tabakian (TENTATIVE – July 26, 2012) Class: Section #1033 (Lecture) 08/27/2012 to 12/16/2012 – Tuesday & Thursday – 8:35am to 10:00am in TE312 Office Hours: Tuesday – 11:45am to 12:30pm in Social & Behavioral Offices in the TE Building Department Phone: (213) 763-5513 Voice Mail: (213) 763-5377 Ext. 4023 E-mail: [email protected] (the most reliable way to reach me is by e-mail) URL: www.tabakian.com (use the site to download lost class handouts). *Disability Support Services (DSS) Accommodation Statement* “Students with disabilities who need any assistance or accommodations should contact the instructor.” Students should also contact the Disabled Student Programs & Services (DSPS) center located in E-110 or call 213-763-3773. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course will examine the principles, structure, and problems of American government. Students will cover the Constitution of the United States of America, the Constitution of the State of California, political philosophies, political institutions, amendments and interpretations, the rights and obligations of citizens and Federal/State, State/Local, and contemporary State/Local/Federal government relationships.. OUTCOMES AND OBJECTIVES: Students will have attained the following tools upon successful completion of this course: (1) Acquire a strong understanding of how the American Political System developed and why elites serve as. important participants in every society. (2) Come to appreciate how theory helps us understand past events, presently unfolding events and even helps researchers to better predict future outcomes. Students will come to realize that theory serves as a vital tool in all fields, whether they are based in the social or natural sciences. (3) Better differentiate social science from natural science. Students will also come to appreciate political science as a distinct subfield of the social sciences. TEXTBOOKS The following textbook is required. Assigned readings will complement lecture. “The Irony of Democracy – 14th Edition” By: Thomas R. Dye & Harmon Zeigler. ASSIGNMENTS Two essay assignments, three in class quizzes, one research paper, AND ONE FINAL EXAM will serve as the assignments. ALL IN CLASS QUIZZES, INCLUDING THE FINAL ARE OPEN NOTES, BUT CLOSED BOOK. Students are given 60 minutes to complete their quizzes and the entire class meeting to complete the final exam. One of the three in class quizzes, the lowest scored quiz, will be thrown out. There will be no makeup quizzes. If a student misses a quiz then that will be the one dropped. STUDENTS MUST BRING THEIR OWN SCANTRON AND #2 PENCIL FOR ALL IN CLASS QUIZZES AND THE FINAL EXAM! FINAL EXAMINATION OUR EXAM IS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 13, 2012 FROM 7:00AM TO 9:00AM! IT IS OPEN NOTES, BUT CLOSED BOOK. Students will be informed of those areas the final will be based at least one week prior. STUDENTS MUST BRING THEIR OWN SCANTRON AND #2 PENCIL! ATTENDANCE Students are required to attend class. Attendance is taken during every class session. Repeated unexcused absences may lead a student to be dropped or face a reduction in grade due to nonparticipation. Be sure to contact your instructor if you are going to be absent. Keep in mind that it is the responsibility of students to formally drop classes AND confirm their enrollment. Your instructor is not responsible for dropping anyone.. Dr. John Paul Tabakian’s Political Science 1 – Page 1 of 6 – Syllabus – Fall 2012.

(2) ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY Violations of Academic Integrity of any type by a student provides grounds for disciplinary action by the instructor or college. Violations of Academic Integrity include, but are not limited to, the following actions: cheating on an exam, plagiarism, working together on an assignment, paper or project when the instructor has specifically stated students should not do so, submitting the same term paper to more than one instructor, or allowing another individual to assume one’s identity for purpose of enhancing one’s grade. For more information refer to the College Catalog available in hardcopy and online at www.lattc.edu.. “JP” TABAKIAN’S GRADING SYSTEM INTRODUCTION Students need to know how their instructor evaluates their work. Being that all of our quizzes and the final exam are multiple choice, students are for the most able to correlate a letter grade with the number of questions answered correctly. The purpose of this handout is to explain your instructor’s methodology for grading exams and most importantly essay assignments. Every instructor has a distinct teaching style. Your instructor believes strongly that classroom instruction is a process requiring students to improve throughout the course. No one assignment or exam should determine the ultimate fate of any student. Learning is an ongoing process for both the student and instructor alike. It is rare for any student to grasp all concepts of any discipline instantly. A student, who starts the semester attending all lectures and completes all assigned readings on time, may still score poorly on the first quiz or essay assignment. There is nothing to fear, but fear itself. Reviewing this handout should satisfy any concern you might have pertaining to your instructor’s grading philosophy. Grading methodology is broken into the following sections: grading system, quizzes, final exam, and essay assignments (including the take home exam if applicable). YOUR FINAL GRADE FOR THE COURSE IS THE AVERAGE OF ALL LETTER GRADES FOR EVERY ASSIGNMENT, QUIZ AND THE FINAL EXAM. GRADING SYSTEM There are three requirements that must be followed by every student. The first is active participation. Failure to participate constitutes nonattendance. Your final grade is the average of all grades for every assignment, quizzes, and the final exam. Active Participation Quiz #1 Quiz #2 Quiz #3 Minor Paper #1 Minor Paper #2 Minor Paper #3 Student Presentation of Research Topic Research Paper Final Exam. A–F A–F A–F A–F A–F A–F A–F A–F A–F A–F. Dr. John Paul Tabakian’s Political Science 1 – Page 2 of 6 – Syllabus – Fall 2012.

(3) QUIZZES There are three quizzes given to all of my classes, regardless if it is a Political Science 1, 2, or 7 course. There are no makeup quizzes. Your instructor may AND I STRESS MAY make an exception if it is warranted. Every quiz has thirty multiple-choice questions and is open notes, but closed book. The reason for this policy is that your instructor believes wholeheartedly that students are better able to retain information if they take notes during lecture AND while completing assigned readings. This is true for every type of class regardless of what class if may be. Students do not receive credit for taking notes. The incentive for disciplining yourself to become a good note taker is allowing all exams, including the final exam to be open notes, but closed book. It takes time for students to become accustomed to taking notes. Students are also human and may neglect their reading assignments, instead cramming the night before an exam and filling pages of notes believing that they will score highly. This is why a significant number of students do not score very well on the first quiz. DO NOT TAKE ANY EXAM LIGHTLY BECAUSE THEY ARE OPEN NOTES. Now you know why your instructor drops the lowest scored quiz. This is the quiz grading scale: • • • • •. 50 to 45 correctly answered questions 44 to 39 correctly answered questions 38 to 33 correctly answered questions 28 to 23 correctly answered questions 18 to 1 correctly answered questions. = = = = =. A B C D F. FINAL EXAM The final exam has fifty multiple-choice questions and is open notes, but closed book. There is also an essay portion to the final exam that is worth 5 points. The final exam is worth a maximum of 55 points. This is the final exam grading scale: • • • • •. 55 to 50 correctly answered questions 49 to 34 correctly answered questions 33 to 28 correctly answered questions 27 to 22 correctly answered questions 21 to 1 correctly answered questions. = = = = =. A B C D F. ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS Determining the letter grade requires adding the total number of points per criteria and then dividing that number by four. Your instructor evaluates every paper according to the following criteria: • Content & Development 4 points possible • Organization & Structure 4 points possible • Format – including images 4 points possible • Theoretical Arguments 4 points possible • Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling Students 4 points possible Let us assume that a student receives four points per criteria. Adding all points equals twenty. Dividing that number by four equals five, which the grading scale below shows that student receiving an “A” for the assignment. Refer to the next page for the grading rubric. • • • • •. 5 points = 4 points = 3 points = 2 points = 1 points =. A B C D F. Dr. John Paul Tabakian’s Political Science 1 – Page 3 of 6 – Syllabus – Fall 2012.

(4) ESSAY ASSIGNMENT GRADING RUBRIC. Dr. John Paul Tabakian’s Political Science 1 – Page 4 of 6 – Syllabus – Fall 2012.

(5) Weekly Schedule of Topics & Course Calendar (TURN PAGE FOR COURSE CALENDAR) August 28th: Lecture will introduce the course. Students will be introduced to the concepts of elitism and pluralism. Political science will be defined as a distinct field of the Social Sciences. Students are encouraged to read the packet handout titled “The Fundamentals Of Political Science”. This is part 1 of “Transparency” that is hosted in the publications section of www.tabakian.com or in the supplemental reading section of the Moodle Course Site. Reviewing this section will allow every student to get a good grasp on the subject material. READ “The Fundamentals Of Political Science” & Chapters 1 & 2 from “Irony Of Democracy”. August 30th: We continue our discussion from last week. Your instructor will review the directions for Minor Paper Assignment #1, Final Research Paper Assignment and the Extra Credit Paper Assignment Option. Minor Paper Assignment #1 is due no later than September 9th. The Final Research Paper is due December 7th. September 4th: Class continues to review the fundamentals of our discipline. We will cover elitism, pluralism, rational choice theory and other relevant theoretical constructs READ: Chapters 3 & 4 from “Irony of Democracy”. September 6th: Minor Paper Assignment #1 is due. Directions for Minor paper #2 will be given. It is due no later than September 30th. Degrees of policy changes, conflict and the concepts of stability / instability and rampant instability are matters of great concern. Students will begin to examine those classical theorists who had a great influence over the Founding Fathers. We begin with John Locke. READ: “The Second Treatise Of Government”. READ “Two Treatises On Government”. Locke’s arguments are the fundamental foundation of next week’s lecture. September 11th: Quiz #1 will be given today. September 13th: The theory of singular government deeply influenced founding fathers Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and even later political leaders like Abraham Lincoln to present leaders of today. John Locke’s “Two Treatises on Government” is recognized as being perhaps the first to articulate the basic principles of modern liberalism. Students will discover how greatly Locke and other great philosophers influenced the formation of our government. Lockean thought is the main focus of our class. Be sure to participate! REVIEW “Two Treatises On Government”. September 18th: Mass influence on elites is covered along with elite to mass communication. READ: Chapters 5 & 6 from “The Irony of Democracy”. September 20th: We continue our conversation about elite to mass communication. September 25th: Many have argued that political parties are losing power. We will examine this contention. Funding levels of political parties will also be discussed. READ: Chapters 7 & 8 from “The Irony of Democracy”. September 27th: Quiz #2 will be given today. Minor Paper #2 is due! October 2nd: Directions for Minor Paper #3 will be given. It is due no later than November 4th. We will learn how organized interest groups influence public policy. Presidential power is also examined. READ: Chapters 9 & 10 from “The Irony of Democracy”. October 4th: The class will explore different examples of presidential power. October 9th: Today we cover bureaucratic, legislative and judicial elites. READ: Chapters 11 to 13 from “The Irony of Democracy”. ALSO READ: “Common Sense” By: Thomas Paine. (Calendar Continues On Next Page). Dr. John Paul Tabakian’s Political Science 1 – Page 5 of 6 – Syllabus – Fall 2012.

(6) Weekly Schedule of Topics & Course Calendar (Continued) October 11th: Students will learn how elites utilize capital resources to exert influence over the political system. October 16th: Class compares different methods of inter-elite communication. Different delivery methods are used when elites communicate with other elites, versus with the mass class. READ: “American Crisis” and “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine. October 18th: Elites change their tone of message according to the target audience. READ: “American Crisis” and “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine. October 23rd: This class covers American federalism and the various responses available to elites when countering mass protests. READ: Chapters 14 to 16 from “The Irony of Democracy”. October 25th: Our discussion about California politics focuses on those pressure groups residing in the “Golden State” and how they attempt to influence public policy. We will also look at how political parties operate in the state and some interesting elections held in the past. Also important is how politics directs California’s budget process! October 30th: California based interest groups will be examined. Various methods of acquiring mass support will be examined. November 1st: MINOR PAPER ASSIGNMENT #3 IS DUE! We begin our discussion about the foundation of California politics. We will examine how California’s Constitution came into being. The Golden State has experienced its share of slights pertaining to the protection of civil liberties and rights. Our lecture will follow California’s past to its present day political hodgepodge of competing interests. November 6th: Balance of power between federal/state/local governments is the topic of lecture. Class examines the evolution of federalism, from the time of our founding to present. November 8th: Our discussion on interest group conflict continues from last week. We will review various political campaign literature and media pieces from official political campaigns along from the individual citizen participant. November 13th: We continue our study of political pieces from last week. November 15th: Your instructor will review the directions for the Final Research Paper. Students are to share their paper topics with the entire class. November 20th: Students continue to share their paper topics with the entire class. Your instructor is available for questions. November 22nd: THANKSGIVING! NO CLASS! November 27th: Your instructor will answer any question pertaining to the Final Research Paper. November 29th: REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM December 4th: REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM December 6th: RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT IS DUE! REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM December 13th: FINAL EXAM! STUDENTS MUST BRING A SCANTRON AND #2 PENCIL!. Dr. John Paul Tabakian’s Political Science 1 – Page 6 of 6 – Syllabus – Fall 2012.

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