Political Science 322 Syllabus Spring 2007 "The rise of political parties is indubitably one of the principal distinguishing marks of modern government. The parties, in fact, have played a major role as makers of democratic government. It should be stated flatly ... that the political parties created democracy, and that modern democracy is unthinkable save in terms of the parties." E. E. Schattschneider, PARTY GOVERNMENT, 1942.

Course Objectives

American political parties as organizations have declined in importance over the last several decades. Nevertheless, partisanship, both in government and in the electorate, continues to play an important role in voting behavior, elections, and public policy. With this in mind, the objectives of the course are to understand the role of American political parties:

• in democratic government;
• as a linkage between citizens and government, and
• as a means to organize government and influence the direction of public policy.

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Course Requirements

The semester grade will be based on the letter grades (not the points) received on two midterms (50%), the final (25%), and a term paper (25%). The exams and the paper will be weighted equally in calculating the semester grade. An oral book report will also be considered in determining the semester grade for the course (see below).

• Exams: Please note that the lectures are not intended to duplicate the readings; students will be responsible for the information in both the assigned readings and the lectures. The exams will be essay and may be comprehensive. Please be advised that I do not arrange make-up exams. Instead, students may drop the lowest grade on one of the midterm exams (not the grade on the final). If a midterm exam is missed for any reason, then this will be the grade which will be dropped. I would encourage you to take all three midterms which can only help you improve your semester grade. The questions for each exam will be taken from the study guides found on this website. You will need to bring a large Blue Book to each of the exams.
• Book Report: Students are expected to read one book on American politics outside of class, and give an oral book report to the instructor (not the entire class) during an office hours. Please consult with me in selecting your book; remember the book you select must be appropriate for academic credit, and may NOT be a book you are reading for another class. Your book can be either fiction or non-fiction. The oral book report will be graded on a pass/fail basis. An "F" on the oral report will lower the semester grade 1/2 letter (e.g., B to C+). Be sure to give your book reports on time. The Book Reports may not be given any later than the date in the Syllabus.
• The paper: The research paper will be based upon quantifiable data available on the World Wide Web. For additional instructions see: Instructions and Requirements. The paper should be between ten and twelve pages long; it should include a minimum of three tables reporting the data that you collect. You may include additional tables or graphs you think are appropriate. If you choose, you may write the paper with other students in the class. If you work as a group, include one additional Democrat and one additional Republican for each person in the group. Submit ONE paper with each group member's name on the cover sheet. Late papers will be graded on a pass/fail basis, and papers will not be accepted after the last day of instruction (i.e., before the final exam). The letter grades for the exams and the paper will be based on the following scale:
  • 90-100 =A;
  • 80-89 = B;
  • 70-79 = C;
  • 60-69 = D;
  • below 60 = F.

  I reserve the right to modify the curve used to assign letter grades when it is appropriate in my judgment.

• Attendance. Because the class meets weekly, I strongly urge each student to attend class meetings on a regular basis. The material covered in class will be on the exams and that material may not be duplicated in the readings. Remember when you miss a single class meeting of a class that meets weekly, you are missing the equivalent of an entire week of classes.

Classroom Etiquette

Readings:

If you can find an older edition of the textbook that is less expensive, feel free to use it instead of the edition listed above. I have included two links [go to the "Links" page] to web sites that have used textbook much less expensive than a new book. I have included the ISBN number (see above) to assist in your search.

Additional required readings will be found at: http://www.csulb.edu/~astevens/posc322 These are usually short articles to give you current information. In addition, I have included links to selected lecture notes on this page as well. I hope you will download them and bring them to class with you.

Office Hours