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1
PS 101 Summer (Four-Week) 2009
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
MTWRF 10AM-12PM C226 OHR
http://ukps101.pbworks.com/ 
 
INTRODUCTION:
This is an introductory course in American government, and as such, is designed to present students witha broad overview of the American political system. However, this course is NOT simply a college-levelcivics course. We will be learning to study American government and politics as political scientists do,with attention given to both empirical and critical theoretical approaches. By the end of the course we willhave examined the following questions/issues:
•
 
What are the bases of the American republic in political & democratic theory and in politicalculture? How is the Constitution of 1787 a reflection of these elements and the tensions betweenthem? How have the continued evolution of American political culture and our interpretation of theConstitution resulted in our current understanding of civil liberties and civil rights? How might theConstitution be amended to better reflect the political needs and realities of 21
st
century America?
•
 
What are the constitutional powers and responsibilities of all three branches of the federalgovernment? How do they relate to each other in the constitutional system of checks andbalances and shared powers? How do they function together to translate the will of the peopleinto policy and law?
•
 
What are political parties, and what crucial roles do they play in the American political system?How are they related to interest groups? What is the current status of both the Democratic andRepublican parties? Why have third parties so rarely been successful in the U.S.? How areelections supposed to result in democratic outcomes? What are the roles of political parties,interest groups, the media and money in American elections?
•
 
What is the role of the media in American politics? What should their role be? Why is high qualityinformation and debate so important to the functioning of our republic? Is there a bias to themedia, and if so, what kind and to what extent? What is the role of the emerging Internet media incontemporary politics?This course is structured for five 2-hour lecture classes per week. Although class time will largely be spentin lectures, I will always allow room for questions and discussions, such activities being necessary toachieve the best possible learning environment. We will also occasionally engage in small-group activitiesin class as time allows.
This course is part of the University Studies Program and can be taken to fulfill one of the Social Science requirements in University Studies.
INSTRUCTOR & COURSE INFORMATION:
Instructor:
Dr. Christopher S. Rice
Email:
Christopher.Rice@uky.edu
Office:
1649 POT
Twitter:
@ricetopher
Office Hours:
By Appointment Only
Telephone:
257-7030
 
2COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Grade Determination:
 
Your final course grade will be based on
four (4)
components:
•
 
Exam I – May 19
(
25%
)
•
 
Exam II – June 1 (30%
)
•
 
Final Exam – June 9
(
35%
)
•
 
Quizzes (10%)
Course Readings:
 
The following two (2) books are required reading for this course:
•
 
AmGov 2009 by Losco and Baker. ISBN: 978-0-07-724025-7
•
 
Annual Editions: American Government 09/10, ed. Stinebrickner. ISBN: 978-0-07-812769-4All of the reading in this syllabus is
required
. You should read all of the assigned material on the dates ofthe learning unit for which it is assigned, be prepared to discuss it or be quizzed over it in class, and alsobe prepared to be examined on it
EVEN IF IT IS NOT DISCUSSED IN CLASS
. Our class time
will not
 be spent simply “going over” the assigned readings. Rather, the readings will serve as our point ofdeparture for the lectures and class discussion. Indeed, most lectures will involve information notcontained in the readings.
So
 
do the readings for each class on a timely basis!
We will have a total of
five (5) short unannounced multiple-choice quizzes
(worth 10% of your total grade) over the assignedreadings to test your completion and comprehension of the assigned readings.
Exams:
 
There will be two exams given during the course of the semester and a cumulative final examgiven on Final Exam Day (June 9). Exams will consist of Multiple-Choice questions only. I will provide theexamination paper, but you are REQUIRED to bring a PENCIL to each exam. Review questions for eachexam, as well as PowerPoints for lectures covered by each exam, may be found on the course website afew days prior to each exam.Makeup exams will be given only for university-excused absences (See “Excused Absences” below) or ifyou have obtained approval prior to the absence. If you miss an exam with an unexcused absence
youwill receive a zero for the exam
. If the absence is due to a foreseen reason, written verification will berequired at least one week before the scheduled exam. Permission to miss an exam must be securedBEFORE the scheduled exam time unless the cause of the absence is unforeseen. If the exam must bemissed due to an unforeseen reason, it is your responsibility to contact me ASAP following the exam (byphone, email or in person). Make-up exams must be scheduled as soon as possible following yourabsence.Exam grades will be returned in class, usually about one week following the exam period. If you havequestions regarding your exam grades you should speak with me before class or during office hours. I willnot provide exam grades by phone or by email. If you miss class on the day exam grades are returned,you must come to my office during office hours to receive them.
COURSE POLICIES:
Email Policy:
 
You may always feel free to contact me via email. However, I do have a few generalguidelines you must follow when doing so. First, always begin the subject line of an email to me with “PS101:”. Be certain to use EXACTLY this subject line start (i.e., include spaces and the colon, capitalize“PS”, etc.). This will put your email into the appropriate inbox, allowing us to respond to your email in atimely fashion. Emails that do not have “PS 101:” at the beginning of the subject line may not receive a
 
3
response. Also, emails are NOT text messages/IM communications. When emailing me you should openthe email by addressing me as Dr. Rice, identifying yourself,
concisely 
providing the nature of yourproblem/request, and then signing off with your name. If you have followed these directions, you mayexpect a response within 48 hours of its receipt. If you have a pressing emergency, you should speak tome before or after class, or by phone. As a final note, I will NOT provide your grades (nor discuss anypersonally-identifiable grade information) over the phone or by email.
Classroom Standards:
 
I expect all students to behave in a professional manner during classtime.
This means coming to class on time and being ready to start class at 10am.
It is disrespectfulto me and to your fellow students to come late and disrupt class, so be on time. I will not tolerate chronictardiness, and if you arrive to class more than 5 minutes late, you may be asked to turn around and leave.Also, unless you have obtained prior approval from me, you may not leave class early. Furthermore, I donot tolerate rude and disruptive classroom behavior. During class, refrain from talking during the lecture(unless it is to ask me a question!), reading a newspaper, doing crosswords, sudoku or otherpuzzles/games, sleeping, text messaging or other cellphone use, or listening to your iPod or other .mp3players. When in class, turn off your cell phones – silencing will not suffice when many of your phoneshave a “vibrate” function that could crack a walnut. Finally, due to their potential for distracting you andyour fellow classmates, laptop computers or other devices that may be used to access the Internet areNOT permitted in class. I reserve the right to dismiss from class any student in violation of these policies.
Disputing Exam Grades:
 
Should you wish to dispute the grading of an exam, you maysubmit a written grievance. Your grievance should identify the question(s)/answer(s) in dispute andprovide arguments supporting your position. The appeal must be submitted IN WRITING (attached to thecorresponding exam) to me within two class periods following the exam in question. I will provide a writtenresponse to your grievance within one week of its receipt.
Excused Absences:
 
The University defines the following as acceptable reasons for excusedabsences: illness of the student or
serious 
illness of a member of the student
ʼ
s immediate family; death ofa member of the student
ʼ
s immediate family; trips for members of student organizations sponsored by anacademic unit, trips for university classes and trips for participation in intercollegiate athletic events; majorreligious holidays; any other circumstances which the instructor finds reasonable cause fornonattendance. I reserve the right to require documentation for any excused absence. It is the student
ʼ
sresponsibility to notify me before any absence if possible, but no later than one week following theabsence in any case. It is the student
ʼ
s responsibility to provide proper documentation and notification inall cases.
A Brief Note on Cheating & Plagiarism:
 
Plagiarism or cheating will NOT betolerated. If cheating or plagiarism is found to occur, it will be dealt with according to University SenateRule 6.4
DISPOSITION OF CASES OF ACADEMIC OFFENSES 
.
Classroom and Learning Accommodations:
 
Any student with a disability who istaking this course and needs classroom or exam accommodations should contact the Disability ResourceCenter, 257-2754, room 2 Alumni Gym, jkarnes@uky.edu.
One Last Thing – Dropping the Course:
 
Not that I hope you choose to leave ourlittle soiree, but there are a couple of dates you should keep in mind should the need arise. The last dayto drop this course without it appearing on your transcript is May 18, 2009. The last day to withdraw fromthe course is May 27, 2009.
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