Course Syllabus

Course Description:

Examination of the development and dynamics of American political institutions and political processes including a special emphasis on the role of minority groups. (Available for General Education, D3/D4 Constitution of the United States/State and Local Government.)

Student Learning Outcomes:

Political Science Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Active Citizenship and Civic Engagement –Students should demonstrate a knowledge and awareness of contemporary issues, political institutions, and problems in the community and their historical contexts. Students should demonstrate an understanding of the importance of community involvement and leadership.
  • Political Decision Making– Students should demonstrate an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the political institutions through which public policies are formulated, modified, and implemented.

GE Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Describe and analyze the histories of the United States and California over significant time periods
  • Explain the principles and major provisions of the Constitutions of the United States and California
  • Compare United States and California political institutions and practices
  • Describe and examine the histories and development of political institutions as related to diverse peoples in the United States and California

Course Content:

  • The political philosophies of the framers of the U.S. Constitution and critics of the Constitution.
  • The process of amending and interpreting the U.S. Constitution and California constitution.
  • The theory and practice of federalism.
  • Contemporary operations of United States political institutions and processes, including the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government and nongovernmental institutions.
  • The rights and liberties of individuals as articulated in the U.S. Constitution and federal court decisions.
  • Contemporary operations of California state and local political institutions within the framework of federal-state relations.
  • Individual and group political behavior of Americans and Californians within the frameworks established by the U.S. Constitution and California constitution, such as elections, interest groups, political parties, and the media.
  • Factors that shape politics and policymaking including diversity, political culture, political socialization, political ideologies and public opinion.
  • Domestic, economic, and foreign issues and policies.

Textbook:

Great news:  your textbook for this class is available for free online!

American Government 2e from OpenStax

You have several options to obtain this book:

You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended -- the responsive design works seamlessly on any device.

Assessment and Assignments:

You'll have at least one assignment due every week.

Most weeks, you'll have two short assignments.  One will be participation in online discussions.  I'll put up something from the current news, and ask for your perspective on it.  I'll also expect you to reply to at least one other student.  You'll receive two points for this - one point for your post (250-300 words), and one for your reply.  The other short assignment you'll have most weeks will be a short (one page/300 words) writing assignment on a topic I'll give you each week.  You'll receive up to three points for each of these.  Each week with these assignments therefore has five possible points, and you'll have these ten times, for 50 possible points.

You'll also have five tests total, each worth ten points.  Four of these will come during the term, and one will be given during your final time.  There's one test for each of the units we'll go through.  They'll be open-book and open-note, but I do want you to do them separately from one another.  Weeks where you have one of these tests, you won't have the short assignments.

  • (Mostly) Weekly Discussions and Replies:  2 pts. each, ten times, for 20 total points
  • (Mostly) Weekly Short Writings:  3 pts. each, ten times, for 30 total points
  • Each test:  10 pts. each, five times, for 50 total points

Important Notes:

  • Any student needing accommodations should inform the instructor. Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact the Disability Resources and Education Services (DRES) [https://www.csun.edu/dres] early in the quarter so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. Students may contact DRES by email [dres@csun.edu] or by phone (818-677-2684 voice). All information will remain confidential.
  • Academic dishonesty and plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the assignment. Using someone else's ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is a serious offense known as plagiarism. "Ideas or phrasing" includes written or spoken material, from whole papers and paragraphs to sentences, and, indeed, phrases but it also includes statistics, lab results, art work, etc.  Please see the CSUN handbook for policies regarding plagiarism, harassment, etc. [https://catalog.csun.edu/policies/academic-dishonesty/]