Syllabus


Course News

nov 18

The schedule shows an assignment for Interest Groups. Please disregard it.

Decision points

Nov16

Iraq's lessons, on the home front
Volunteer veterans help California city use counterinsurgency strategy to stem gang violence

By Karl Vick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 15, 2009

Congress Quiz on Wednesday Nov 18

Congress research tools for hour policy briefs here

Lecture11/16

Lecture from 11/11

fourth practice quiz here quiz will be Friday 10/30

video from 11/10

Lecture From 10/28, website

Lecture from 10/27

Lecture from 10/26

diagram from 10/19 , lecture from 10/19

Lecture from 10/13 (no notes)

Lecture from 10/8 lecture from 10/8

Lecture from 10/6

Lecture from 10/1

Lecture from 9/30

Lecture from 9/29

Course Outline

Congressional Internships

Annenberg video case studies Please go to this site and create an account.

Here is a source on what an annotated bibliography is and how to make one .


Course Abstract

This course presents a survey of the origin and development of the U.S. government. It covers the structure of the Confederacy, Federalist papers, and functions of Congress, the Presidency and Courts as well as Interest Groups, Civil Liberties, Political Parties and Political Policy.


Assignment Types

You will be asked to do three types assignments in this class:

  • Weekly Quizzes, ...................................................................20%
  • Weekly thinking.......................................................................20%
  • term long policy research. .....................................................50%
  • Random in class assignments....................................................10%

Text:

Patterson: We The People

Richard Heffner: Documents in United States History (on order: links to be provided at schedule page)

 


Daily News

It is required that you read a newspaper about politics every day. I recommend the NY Times or the Washington Post the LA Times or the Wall Street Journal as very good on National News coverage.

I also recommend that you read an "alternative" political news source. Alternative can be about:

  • Specific issues (AARP Newsletter),
  • Points of view (In These Times, Mother Jones, National Review)
  • or from foreign countries (The Economist or The Guardian).