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Canyon College
COURSE SYLLABUS: American Political Parties
| Course Title: |
PS389 - American Political Parties |
| Department: |
Political Science |
| Instructor: |
Tanya Mueller, MA, MA, BA E-Mail - Vitae |
Please print a copy of this syllabus for future reference.
Required Textbook: - Online Bookstore
Why Parties-: The Origin and Transformation of Political Parties in America (American Politics and Political Economy), by John Aldrich. University of Chicago Press, 1995. ISBN-13: 9780226012728 ISBN #: 0226012727
Third Parties in America (2nd Ed.), by Steven Rosenstone, Roy Behr, and Edward Lazarus. Princeton University Press, 1984. ISBN-13: 9780691026138 ISBN #: 0691026130
Crashing the Party: How to Tell the Truth and Still Run for President, by Ralph Nader. Thomas Dunne Books, 2002. ISBN-13: 9780312284336 ISBN #: 0312284330
Congressional Elections: Campaigning at Home and in Washington (3rd Ed.), by P. Herrnson. Congressional Quaretly Press, 2000. ISBN-13: 9781568025346 ISBN #: 1568025343
Course Description
This course is intended to introduce the student to the complexities of the American political party system. Emphasis will be on campaigns, political party participation and citizen involvement. Close attention will be paid to the relationship between motivation, values and involvement in the political process.
Course Objectives
At the conclusion of the course the student will be able to:
- Critique the political party system in American government and politics.
- Describe the roles of political parties in American politics.
- Give insight to how political parties are viewed in the American consciousness.
- Define the objectives of the various political parties in American politics.
- Offer insight to improve the current system of participation.
Overview
Throughout the course the student will read three books concurrently. Each book will offer a different perspective to the political party system. By reading these three books and doing online research the student will have an in depth understanding of how the political parties operate and how they are perceived from the views of academics (political scientists), sociologists and politicians.
This course will have weekly assignments accompanied by online research that is relevant to the topic of discussion for the week. Five short thought papers, one final and one midterm will be due. Weekly assignments are thought papers based on the readings using citations if necessary. There will be one midterm paper due the 4th week of the course and one final paper due the 8th week of the course. The midterm and final are to be written in APA format with citations from any relevant sources. Alternative topics may be chosen for the midterm and/or final but topics must have prior approval from the instructor.
Please review assignments in advance. Some assignments may take longer than the week assigned to complete. It will be to the student’s advantage to pace assignments appropriately.
Student should also read a major newspaper daily focusing on the international news section and the state and local section. In conjunction with a major newspaper student should also find news from one of the alternative news sources listed below. Links are provided to these news sources.
Alternative News Sources
The Christian Science Monitor
Independent Media
National Public Radio
United Nations Website
Links
Library of Congress
Voter Information
House of Representatives
US Senate
Public Policy Search
*Student should also be able to locate the Secretary of State website for their home state. Student should type in “Secretary of State (insert state name)” in any search engine, such as Google.com, to find this information.
Course Policies
On-Line Participation
Since this course is offered over the Internet, which allows students to participate at "any time, any where," it is important to plan your time carefully. Students are expected to pace themselves to access assignments, prepare their work and necessary research, and submit assignments to the instructor by the established due dates. Students are expected to make use of local resources as well as required readings.
Course Week and Due Dates
Generally, Monday is the first of the course week, and Sunday is the last day of the course week. Assignments scheduled for completion during a class week should be sent to the instructor via email or fax by end of the day Sunday, determined by your own time zone. If a student is sending assignments through the postal service, please make prior arrangements with instructor, as there is no postal delivery on Sunday.
Submitting Assignments - Instructions
Students may submit work in MS Word (any version) or Word Perfect (any version). Please send as a file attachment. If you use another word processing program (such as Works), please save as an .rtf file before sending it to me. Formats for files received other than those specified here that I cannot open using MS Word or a Word converter program for PC or Mac will be returned to you for reprocessing, and will considered late. Any questions on formatting of your file attachment documents, please email me with any questions now and we can find a format that will work for your particular needs. Thanks in advance on this matter.
Please include name, reply address, title of assignment, title of course, and date submitted on the document itself, in addition to the email text. Please indicate PS339 in the subject line of your email.
Late Assignment Penalties.
I must receive weekly assignments not later than Sunday midnight (your time zone) of the week due according to the syllabus. Students who anticipate that their schedule may cause assignments to be out of compliance are advised to contact instructor at least one week in advance, as an extension may be permitted with prior mutual agreement. Instructor discretion regarding point penalties for any late work will be considered final.
Absentee Policy
While this course is designed to be completed through independent study, "attendance" is recorded through assignment submissions in a timely manner to the instructor's email address (or via post or fax). However, please note that any student who has not participated (completed assignments) for 14 consecutive days without prior discussion with the instructor regarding such absence shall be recommended for administrative withdrawal. The school shall make recommendations to the instructor as to what action will be taken.
Academic Honesty
Canyon College policies are in effect. All work must be your own. Presenting as one's own the words, ideas, or expression of another in any form is cheating through plagiarism, and will not be tolerated.
Grading
You will receive a grade for each completed project. Your final grade will be based on points earned as a percentage of total points possible. Grades will be determined in the following manner:
| Assignment |
Grade Points |
| Thought papers |
100 (5 at 20pts each) |
| Midterm |
100 |
| Final |
100 |
| TOTAL |
300 |
Your final grade will be determined by the following grade schedule:
| A |
285 - 300 |
| A- |
270 - 284 |
| B+ |
258 - 269 |
| B |
249 - 257 |
| B- |
240 - 248 |
| C+ |
228 - 239 |
| C |
219 - 227 |
| C- |
210 - 218 |
| D |
180 - 209 |
| F |
below 180 points |
Reading and Assignments
Week 1 - Introduction to Political Parties
Aldrich Ch 1 - 2
Herrnson Ch 1
Thought paper due 2-4 pages
Visit the Secretary of State website for your state. Which political parties are registered in your state- Using the information provided on the website, give a brief description of what each political party's goals and platforms are.
Week 2 - Why Parties?
Aldrich Ch 3 - 5
Herrnson Ch 4, 7, 10
Thought Paper Due 2-4 pages
Go to the website for your state Senator or Representative, either one will be fine, and look up the voting record for your representative. Based on what you have learned about party goals, was your representatives voting record consistent with their political party platform's goals? Why, or why not? Cite readings where necessary.
Week 3 - Political Parties, Elections and Interests
Aldrich Ch 6 - 8
Thought Paper Due 2-4 pages
Go to the Secretary of State website and look up the campaign and lobbying information for your local representative (try to use the same representative you used last week). This information should also be available on your representative's website. This is public information and must be available to citizens. Who is giving money to your representative? Are the contributions consistent with the voting record of your representative? Incorporate the readings and the information you have gathered last week for this paper.
Reminder: Midterm due next week!
Week 4 - MIDTERM DUE
In a 7 - 10 page paper, written in APA format, give a critique of Aldrich's theory on political party behavior. Compare and contrast Aldrich and Herrnson. Use outside sources when appropriate.
Week 5 - 3rd party Challenges
RBL Read the entire book. Its not as bad as it sounds - you only need to skim Ch 3 & 4.
No thought paper due this week - I'm sure you need a break after the midterm.
Week 6 - Underdogs or Spoilers?
Begin reading Nader - you should finish this by the end of next week.
Thought Paper Due 2 - 4 pages
Why is it so difficult for 3rd parties to be "major" players? Give examples from the readings.
Week 7 - Now what?
Nader - finish book
Herrnson Ch 11
Thought paper Due 2 - 4 pages
Will campaign finance reform help 3rd parties? Why, or why not? Give examples where appropriate.
Week 8 - Final Due
Write a 7 - 10 page paper in APA format critiquing the 3rd party movement. Cite Aldrich, Herrnson and RBL where appropriate. Give examples.