POLS 1101 Spring 2020

Political Science 1101—American Government: Practices and Values

Professor Mercedes Wilby Office: Vertical Campus, 5th Floor, Rm 280

Section B/CTRA, T/Th Office Hours: T/Th 12-1 & by appointment
Room: Vertical Campus, TBD Email: [email protected]

Course Description:
In this course we will analyze the ideas and values that shaped the nature of the American
government. We look at the institutions of government; electoral politics and the relationship
between institutions, the public, the media, and politicians; and the policies that come out of
government and affect the lives of the American Public. This course will prepare students for
future political science courses, courses in the other social sciences, and civic participation.

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
• Identify the differences among the three branches of government and how they interact
• Demonstrate understanding of the American Constitution’s construction and implementation
• Analyze the role of non-governmental players—i.e. voters, interest groups, and the media
• Identify ways in which government institutions create or mitigate collective action problems
• Critically evaluate evidence
• Produce reasoned arguments using evidence to support conclusions
Course Structure, Requirements, and Grading:
• Grade Distribution:
Attendance and Participation: 15%
Homework Quizzes: 25%
Midterm Exam: 30%
Final Exam: 30%

• Homework Quizzes: You will be expected to take a quiz online before each class. The
quizzes will, primarily, cover the homework readings. You are expected to do the
readings and the quiz for the day listed on the syllabus (for example, you will be expected
to do the readings labelled Jan 30 and take the quiz on those readings by the beginning of
class on Jan 30). You will have a limited time to complete each quiz—I reserve the right
to deduct points if you go over the allotted time. Your 3 lowest quiz grades will be
dropped. They are due before class each day, unless no readings are assigned. Late
homework will not be accepted.

• Exams: There will be one midterm exam and one final exam. The midterm will be held in
class, on the date indicated on the syllabus. The final exam will be given during the set
exam period. No makeup exams will be given, unless approved before the exam.

• Extra Credit: I will, from time to time, offer opportunities for you to earn extra credit.
These may involve attending events, responding to a news story, or something else.
POLS 1101 Spring 2020

• Accommodations: Students with disabilities and medical conditions will be provided

reasonable academic accommodations based on eligibility. Please discuss this with me
and the Office of Disability Services (at 646-312-4590) as soon as possible.

• Blackboard: Readings, assignments, and other course materials will be posted on the
course’s BB site. As noted above, all quizzes are due via BB by the start of class. Please
check BB regularly for updated class notices, readings, and grades.

Expectations:
• Attendance and Absences: Attendance is mandatory and you must arrive on time. Your
grade will suffer from latenesses and unexcused absences. Students who are consistently
late or have excessive unexcused absences may be dropped from the course. Absences
due to illness and religious observance are excused and will not count against students.
You must notify me of religious absences at least a week in advance of the absence—at
the beginning of term is preferable. A doctor’s note may be required in the case of
multiple medical absences. If you feel your absence/lateness should be excused for any
other reason, I encourage you to speak with me.

• Food and Drink: I have a strict no eating in class policy. Beverages in covered containers
(i.e., coffee cups with lids, water bottles, etc.) are allowed.

• Electronic Devices: No electronic devices (including laptops, tablets, etc) are allowed in
class without my prior permission. Please silence your cellphones and keep them packed
away. Devices can be distracting to your classmates and to me—plus research has shown
that we learn more when we take notes by hand.

• Email: If you have questions or concerns any time during the semester, please feel free to
email me at the email listed at the top of the syllabus. I ask that you address your emails
as you should any piece of professional correspondence, by including a salutation, being
sure to use proper grammar, and using a proper sign off. Please put your full name and
the course section number in the subject line. I am generally very responsive to emails,
but please do not expect a quick response to emails sent outside of regular business hours.
That said, I really do want to hear your questions and thoughts about the class or related
topics!

• Office Hours: I strongly encourage everyone to meet with me during my office hours (as
listed at the top of this syllabus). If you cannot meet during those hours, we can make
other arrangements—don’t hesitate to ask.
POLS 1101 Spring 2020

Academic Honesty:
I strictly enforce Baruch College’s Policy on Academic Honesty. For details on what constitutes
academic dishonesty—including cheating and plagiarism—see: www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/
academic_honesty.html. You may also wish to read the Student Guide to Academic Integrity,
written by Baruch students. This can be found at: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/facultyhandbook/
documents/StudentGuidePDF.pdf. If questions remain, please ask me.

Course Schedule and Readings:

Required text:
Krutz, Glen. American Government. Edited by Sylvie Waskiewicz. July 14, 2016. https://
openstax.org/details/american-government.

It is available in web view and PDF for FREE from OpenStax, www.openstax.org/details/
american-government (Print ISBN 1938168178, Digital ISBN 1947172107). If you prefer,
you can also get a print version at a low cost from OpenStax on Amazon.

Other readings will be available for free on Blackboard or online.

Unit I: Fundamentals

Jan 28 Introduction: Principles for Understanding Politics

Readings:
• Excerpts from Kernell, Samuel, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser, and Lynn Vavreck. The
Logic of American Politics. 8th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, CQ Press, 2017, Ch 1.
• “Five Principles of Politics.” In American Government: Power and Purpose. 10. Edited by
Theodore J. Lowi, Benjamin Ginsberg, and Kenneth A. Shepsle. 10th ed. New York and
London: WW Norton & Company, 2008.
• Morone, James A., and Rogan Kersh. By the People: Debating American Government.
Brief third edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018, page 10-14.

Jan 30 America Before the Constitution

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 2, only sections 2.1 and 2.2
• Morone and Kersh. Pages 42-49 (skim) and 49-51 (read).
• The Declaration of Independence: Krutz appendix A. (skim)
• The Articles of Confederation: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/artconf.asp. (skim)
Suggested Readings:
• Mason, George. “Virginia Declaration of Rights.” The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation,
Web. <http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/politics/varights.cfm>.
POLS 1101 Spring 2020

Feb 4 The Constitution

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 2, only section 2.3
• Kernell et al, pages 48, 60-61, and 72-73
• Morone and Kersh, (reread) pages 10-14
• “Sources and Concepts of the Framers.” In American Government: Power and Purpose.
50-51. Edited by Theodore J. Lowi, Benjamin Ginsberg, and Kenneth A. Shepsle. 10th ed.
New York and London: WW Norton & Company, 2008.
• Tribe, Laurence H., and Michael C. Dorf. “How Not to Read the Constitution.” In
American Government: Readings and Cases. 47-50. Edited by Peter Woll. 16th ed. New
York; Pearson Longman, 2006. (skim)
Suggested Readings:
• The Constitution (but not the Amendments): Krutz, Appendix B (skim)

Feb 6 The Federalist Papers

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 2, only section 2.4
• Kernell et al, pages 63-69
• Federalist #10 and #51, James Madison: Krutz, Appendix C
Suggested Readings:
• Federalist #1 and #70, Alexander Hamilton: https://www.congress.gov/resources/display/
content/The+Federalist+Papers.
• Anti-Federalist Centinel I (on BB)

Feb 11 The Amendments

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 2, only section 2.5
• Rutland, Robert Allen. “The English Beginnings.” In The Birth of the Bill of Rights, 3-13.
Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1955.
• “The Bill of Rights: A Brief History.” American Civil Liberties Union. 2017. At https://
www.aclu.org/other/bill-rights-brief-history.
• The Bill of Rights (Amendments I-X): Krutz, Appendix B (skim)
• Amendments XIII, XIV, XV, XIX, XXIV, XXV, XXV: : Krutz, Appendix B (skim)\
POLS 1101 Spring 2020

Feb 13 Federalism
Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 3
• Rosen, Jeffrey. “States’ Rights for the Left.” The New York Times, December 4, 2016, New
York Edition ed., Sunday Review sec. December 3, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/
2016/12/03/opinion/sunday/states-rights-for-the-left.html?_r=0.
Suggested Readings:
• Grozdins, Morton. “The Federal System.” In American Government: Readings and Cases,
84-88. Edited by Peter Woll. 16th ed. New York; Pearson Longman, 2006.

Unit II: Institutions

Feb 18 Congress: Structure

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 11, only sections 11.1 and 11.4
• Harrison, Brigid C., Jean Harris, and Michelle D. Deardorff. American Democracy Now.
Fifth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2017. Pages 382-384.
• Sinclair, Barbara. “The ‘60 Vote Senate.’” The Lanahan Readings in the American Polity.
162-168. Edited by Ann G. Serow and Everett C. Ladd. 4th Ed. Baltimore, MD; Lanahan
Publishers. 2007.
• Savage, Charlie, “The Senate Filibuster, Explained.” The New York Times, April 3, 2017.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/03/us/politics/filibuster-supreme-court-neil-
gorsuch.html.
Suggested Readings:
• Bresnahan, John, Burgess Everett, and Sarah Ferris. “Trump to GOP: Dump the Filibuster
Before Schumer Does.” Politico, June 26, 2018. https://www.politico.com/story/
2018/06/26/donald-trump-kill-the-filibuster-677151.

Feb 20 Congress: Lawmaking and Representation

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 11, only sections 11.3
• Harrison et al, pages 384-388
• Fenno, Richard. “Home Style” The Lanahan Readings in the American Polity. 150-156.
Edited by Ann G. Serow and Everett C. Ladd. 4th Ed. Baltimore, MD; Lanahan Publishers.
2007.
• Barker, David C., and Christopher Jan Carman. “This is why so many Republicans are
ready to ignore public opinion on health care.” The Washington Post, June 27, 2017. https://
www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/06/27/this-is-why-so-many-
republicans-are-ready-to-buck-public-opinion-on-health-care/?utm_term=.dc7915bb631f.
POLS 1101 Spring 2020

Feb 25 The Presidency and Presidential Power

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 12
Suggested Readings:
• Applebaum, Binyamin, and Michael D. Shear. “Once Skeptical of Executive Power,
Obama Has Come to Embrace It.” New York Times, August 13, 2016. https://
www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/us/politics/obama-era-legacy-regulation.html?_r=0.
• S.M. “Presidential Prerogative.” The Economist, June 9, 2015. https://
www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2015/06/diplomacy-and-supreme-court.

Feb 27 The Presidency: Why Presidents Fail

Readings:
• Pious, Richard M. “Why Do Presidents Fail?” Presidential Studies Quarterly 32, no. 4
(December 2002): 724-42. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27552437.
• Edwards, George C., III. “Can Donald Trump persuade Americans to support his agenda?
It’s not likely.” The Washington Post, December 27, 2016. https://
www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/12/27/can-donald-trump-convince-
americans-to-support-his-agenda-hell-soon-find-out-how-difficult-this-is/?
utm_term=.e562d691dfd9.
• Binder, Sarah, and Mark Spindel. “This is why Trump’s legislative agenda is stuck in
neutral.” The Washington Post, April 26, 2017. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/
monkey-cage/wp/2017/04/26/this-is-why-trumps-legislative-agenda-is-stuck-in-neutral/?
utm_term=.6c1c4a28c8dd.

March 3 The Bureaucracy

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 15, do not read section 15.4
• Morone and Kersh, pages 419-423.

March 5 The Judiciary: Structure and Decision-Making

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 13
Suggested Readings:
• Epps, Garrett. “The Post-Kennedy Supreme Court is Already Here.” The Atlantic. June 30,
2018. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/the-post-kennedy-supreme-
court-is-already-here/564176/.
• Higgins, Tucker. “Anthony Kennedy’s Retirement Threatens to Upend the Supreme Court
on Social Issues, but Big Business will Hardly Notice.” CNBC. June 28, 2018. https://
www.cnbc.com/2018/06/28/effect-of--anthony-kennedys-retirement-on-business.html.
POLS 1101 Spring 2020

March 10 The Judiciary: Civil Liberties

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 4
• Harrison et al, page 134-137
• Anthony Lewis. Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First
Amendment. Philadelphia: Basic Books, 2007. Pages ix-10. (skim)

March 12 Exam Review

Readings:
• None

March 17 Midterm Exam

Readings:
• None

March 19 A Digression: Research Methods and Critical Analysis of Data

Readings:
• None (so there’s no quiz!)
• Note: you may still be tested on the material we cover in class

Unit III: Politics

March 24 The Media

Readings:
• KJVK Chapter 14
• Hertzberg, Hendrik. “Senses of Entitlement.” The New Yorker, April 8, 2013. http://
www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/04/08/senses-of-entitlement.
Suggested Readings:
• Chokshi, Niraj. “Behind the Race to Publish the Top-Secret Pentagon Papers.” The New
York Times, December 20, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/us/pentagon-papers-
post.html.
• Franke-Ruta, Garance. “The NSA Leaks and the Pentagon Papers: What's the Difference
Between Edward Snowden and Daniel Ellsberg?” The Atlantic, June 15, 2013. https://
www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/the-nsa-leaks-and-the-pentagon-papers-
whats-the-difference-between-edward-snowden-and-daniel-ellsberg/276741/.
• DelBello, Alfred B. “Campaign Reporting.” The New York Times. March 22, 1984. https://
www.nytimes.com/1984/03/22/opinion/campaign-reporting.html
• Rutenberg, Jim. “The Mutual Dependence of Donald Trump and the News Media.” The
New York Times, March 20, 2016. https://nyti.ms/1pVI8HL.
• Confessore, Nicolas, and Karen Yourish. “$2 Billion Worth of Free Media for Donald
Trump.” The New York Times. Last modified March 15, 2016. https://nyti.ms/22ir8te.
POLS 1101 Spring 2020

March 26 Voter Behavior / Why Vote?

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 7 (do not read section 7.3)
• Morone and Kirsh, pages 204-208
• Bialik, Carl. “No, Voter Turnout Wasn’t Way Down From 2012.” FiveThirtyEight.
November 15, 2016. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/no-voter-turnout-wasnt-way-
down-from-2012/.
• Gabriel, Trip. “In Virginia, a 11,608-to-11,607 Lesson in the Power of a Single Vote.” The
New York Times, Dec 19, 2017. https://nyti.ms/2oR0lec.

March 31 Public Opinion

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 6
• Morone and Kirsh, pages 192-195 (skim)
Suggested Readings:
• Pew Research. “Wide Gender Gap, Growing Educational Divide in Voters’ Party
Identification” March 20, 2018. http://www.people-press.org/2018/03/20/wide-gender-gap-
growing-educational-divide-in-voters-party-identification/.

April 2 Political Parties

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 9
Suggested Readings:
• Pew Research. “Political Polarization in the American Public.” June 12, 2014. http://
www.people-press.org/2014/06/12/political-polarization-in-the-american-public/

April 7 NO CLASS—Classes follow Wednesday schedule

April 9-16 NO CLASS—Spring Recess!

April 21 Interest Groups and Campaign Finance

Readings:
• Krutz chapter 7, section 3 and reread section 4; chapter 11, section 2, read only
“Congressional Campaign Funding”; chapter 10 (all)
• Open Secrets, “Dark Money Basics,” https://www.opensecrets.org/dark-money/basics
• I encourage you to further explore this website, especially the articles on “Dark Money
Process” and “Top Elections”.
POLS 1101 Spring 2020

April 23 Presidential Elections

Readings:
• Krutz chapter 12, section 2
• “Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote.” National
Popular Vote. Last modified January 29, 2016. https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/
written-explanation. (I recommend reading through some of the “Learn More” topics, but it
is not required.)
• Wesleyan Media Project, “Presidential Ad Volumes Less than Half of 2012,” October 18,
2016. https://mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases/oct-2016/.
• “What Do Those 2020 Polls Tell Us?” Bloomberg, December 17, 2018. https://
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-12-17/what-do-those-2020-polls-tell-us.
• Sides, John and Michael Tesler. “How political science helps explain the rise of Trump:
Most voters aren’t ideologues.” The Washington Post, March 2, 2016. https://
www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/03/02/how-political-science-helps-
explain-the-rise-of-trump-most-voters-arent-ideologues/?utm_term=.4f1c02438c8b
• Klein, Ezra. “Why did the 2016 election look so much like the 2012 election?” Vox. June
05, 2017. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/5/15161442/2016-election-
normalcy-democracy-realists-identity.

April 28 Congressional Elections

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 11, section 2
• Harrison et al, pages 373-376.
• Cohn, Nate. “Why Democrats Gain Was More Impressive Than It Appears.” The New York
Times, November 7, 2018, sec. The Upshot. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/upshot/
2018-midterms-blue-wave-democrats.html.
• Domonoske, Camila. “A Boatload Of Ballots: Midterm Voter Turnout Hit 50-Year High.”
NPR. https://www.npr.org/2018/11/08/665197690/a-boatload-of-ballots-midterm-voter-
turnout-hit-50-year-high.
• Jones, David R., and Melissa J. Herrmann. “Exit Polls Show Trump a Major Factor in 2018
Midterm Election Voting.” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/exit-polls-show-trump-a-major-
factor-in-2018-midterm-election-voting/.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Suggested Readings:
• Stein, Jeff. “One (very) early sign looks good for Democrats in 2018.” Vox. August 11,
2017. Accessed August 16, 2017. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/
2017/8/11/16127638/democrats-2018-congress-house.
• Harwood, John. “Despite Trump's low ratings, midterm election map still favors
Republicans — for now.” CNBC. August 08, 2017. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/08/gop-
could-still-win-midterms-in-2018-despite-low-approval-for-trump.html.
POLS 1101 Spring 2020

Unit IV: Policy

April 30 Policy Change

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 16 (do not read section 16.5)
• Morone and Kirsh, pages 468-477
• “What Is Public Policy and Why Does It Matter?” Paul Cairney: Politics & Public Policy,
April 28, 2016. Accessed August 20, 2019. https://paulcairney.wordpress.com/2016/04/28/
policy-in-500-words-what-is-public-policy-and-why-does-it-matter/.
• “How Much Does Policy Change?” Paul Cairney: Politics & Public Policy, April 29,
2016. Accessed August 20, 2019. https://paulcairney.wordpress.com/2016/04/29/policy-
in-500-words-how-much-does-policy-change/. (Read first two paragraphs, skim the rest.)
Note: the first two paragraphs provides links to descriptions of various theories of policy
change—these may be of interest, especially the multiple streams analysis, which we will
discuss further in class.

May 5 Foreign Policy

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 17
• Kernell et al, pages 606-610 (“The Obstacles to Taking Domestic Action to Stop Global
Climate Change”).
• Rosenberg, Elizabeth. “The War Over Who Controls U.S. Foreign Policy Has Begun.”
Foreign Policy, July 28, 2017. http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/07/28/the-war-over-who-
controls-u-s-foreign-policy-has-begun/.
Suggested Readings:
• “What Are Economic Sanctions?” n.d. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/
backgrounder/what-are-economic-sanctions.

May 7 Domestic Policy

Readings:
• Kernell et al, chapter 15, pages 602-606, 613-616 (“Free Riding and Health Care” and “The
Prisoner’s Dilemma of Entitlement Reform.”)
• Zelizer, Julian. “How Medicare Was Made.” The New Yorker, February 15, 2015. http://
www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/medicare-made.
• “The fix for American health care can be found in Europe.” The Economist, August 10,
2017, United States section. https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21726124-
policymakers-should-take-close-look-fix-american-health-care-can-be-found.
Suggested Readings:
• Newkirk, Vann R., II. “The Limits of Using Reconciliation to Repeal Obamacare.” The
Atlantic, January 13, 2017. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/01/
reconciliation-obamacare-repeal-gop-strategy/513059/.
POLS 1101 Spring 2020

• Newkirk, Vann R., II. “Making Sense of the Obamacare Repeal Process.” The Atlantic, July
26, 2017. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/trying-to-make-sense-of-
whats-happening-senate-reconciliation/534942/.

May 12 Economic Policy

Readings:
• Krutz, chapter 16, section 16.5.
• Kernell et al, chapter 15, pages 610-613, 616-621 (“High Stakes Maneuvering: Why We
Tiptoe Up To, but Have Not Fallen Off, the Fiscal Cliff” and “The Success and Failure of
Collective Action: A Tale of Two Tax Reforms”).

May 14 Review
Readings:
• None

May 16-22 Final exam period (exam date TBD)

Note: Readings are subject to change. I will provide notice in class and/or via BB
announcements/emails if changes are made.