Throughout, there will be an emphasis on examining how understanding the American political system is important in our daily lives.  The format will be lecture and discussion:  I will lecture on a set topic each class, ask questions, and help direct the discussion. It is your responsibility to come to each class prepared to discuss the readings and participate in classroom activities.  The lectures and readings are designed to be complimentary--you will need to read the materials to understand the lectures and you will need to listen to the lectures and participate in the discussions to gain a greater appreciation of and context for the readings.  Please note that this course requires a significant amount of writing; there will be several written assignments to insure a fruitful discussion of the issues.

We will be discussing a wide range of issues in this class.  If you have a question, comment, or disagreement, don't hesitate to raise your hand.  I will never be offended by a reasoned argument.  Sometimes you will disagree with a classmate.  Sometimes you will disagree with me. That's okay!  The political process is about deliberation and reasonable people often disagree.

Course Readings
The following books are required for the course and are available at the  Associated Students Bookstore (underlined titles are links to publisher web pages):

Guinier, Lani.  Lift Every Voice.  Simon & Schuster, 1998.  0684811456

Lowi, Theodore J., and Benjamin Ginsberg.  American Government, Sixth Edition.  New York: Norton, 2000.  0-393-98971-2

McKenna, George, and Stanley Feingold, eds.  Taking Sides:  Clashing Views on Controversial Political Issues.  Eleventh Edition. Guilford, CT:  Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 1999. 0-697-39146-9

Course Requirements and Grading
 

Your grade for the course will be based on the following:	These are the outcomes:
issue papers 100 pts. 25% mid-term exam  70 pts. 17.5% web quizzes  60 pts. 15% book exam  60 pts. 15% final exam  70 pts. 17.5% participation  40 pts. 10% 400 pts. 100%	A 360-400 pts. 90-100% B 320-359 pts. 80-89% C 280-319 pts. 70-79% D 240-279 pts. 60-69% F 0-239 pts. 59% and below

Issue Reaction Papers:  On five Fridays you will turn in a 2-3 page (typed, double spaced) position paper on that day's reading from the Taking Sides text. (On days when there is no formal paper due, you will be asked to write in class responses, or participate in some other way.)  These papers are worth 20 points each for a total of 100 points.  These papers should:  summarize each writer's position, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their arguments, advance your own position in the form of a clearly defined thesis (which may be pro, con, or somewhere in between), and provide a reasoned defense of your position.  These papers serve a three-fold purpose:  to help you become a better writer, to help you critically think through some tough political issues, and to guarantee fruitful class discussion.  We will be doing peer-editing and self-reflection exercises with some of these papers.

Mid-Term Exam: There will be a mid-term exam in class on October 11th.  Please plan to attend class, as you will not be able to make the test up later.  The exam will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and short essay questions on materials covered up to this point in the semester.  There will be an in-class review session prior to this exam.

Web Quizzes:  You will be taking a web quiz for each chapter of the Lowi and Ginsberg text that we read.  You should treat these quizzes as part of your daily reading for each class.  You should read the chapter and supporting web materials before taking the quiz, then email the quiz results to me (I will demonstrate this in class).  The quizzes are worth 5 points each and are due before class on the day indicated below.

Book Exam:  On November 6th you will be taking an exam over the book Lift Every Voice.  It is worth 60 points.  You will be given a study guide to accompany this text that will aid you in preparation for the exam.  The exam will consist of short answer and short essay questions.

Final Exam: During finals week, we will have a final exam.  It will mainly address material covered since the mid-term.  You can expect the emphasis to be on analysis of the American political system.  The format will be multiple choice, short answer, and short essays with some choice among questions.  The questions will cover a range of topics discussed in class and in the readings.  There will be an in-class review session prior to this exam.

Participation: Come to class; it is hard to participate if you are not here! 10% (40 points) of your grade is based on participation because I want to reward you for taking an active role in your education.  I also want to encourage you to come to class, pay attention, answer questions, and join in class discussions.  More than three absences over the course of the semester will result in serious damage to your participation grade.  I will call on you to answer questions.  I'm not expecting "right" answers--sometimes there isn't a right answer; I am expecting thoughtful and intelligent answers that demonstrate you have done the reading and are paying attention.  Additionally, pop quizzes, in-class writing assignments, and other in-class activities will become part of your participation grade.

Since this course requires multiple written assignments, you are encouraged to take advantage of Chico State's Writing Center (Taylor Hall, 203).  Writing well is a lifelong learning process, so don't feel like you have to be a "bad" writer to take advantage of student writing services, or that there is no need for help once you are a "good" writer.  There is always room for improvement!  Also, if you do not already own one, a writing guide/manual is an invaluable tool.  Some good examples are:

Hacker, Diana.  A Writer's Reference. Third Edition, St. Martin's Press. 1997.
Lunsford, Andrea, and Robert Connors.  EasyWriter: A Pocket Guide. Bedford/St.Martin's Press. 1998.
Schmidt, Diane. Writing in Political Science:  A Practical Guide.  Second Edition, Addison, Wesley, Longman. 2000.
Scott, Gregory M., and Stephen M. Garrison.  The Political Science Student Writer's Manual. Third Edition, Prentice Hall. 2000.
Strunk, William, Jr.  Elements of Style.
 

You also may wish to take advantage of the Dushkin Online service, which offers web-based assistance on writing, as well as on other aspects of college life: