This course is designed to offer you the means by which to build a solid understanding of the American political system. By the end of this class, students will be able to identify and analyze the principal rules, actors and institutions of national politics and explain their development. The foundation of this understanding is knowledge of basic facts regarding U. S. institutional structures from a historical perspective, covered in the first half of the class. This will include special consideration of the subjects "democracy" and "federalism." The second half will focus on how our political system functions in practice. Special attentions will be given to the role of political culture and ideas, elections and the operation of interest groups. In this class you will improve your ability to think, to examine issues critically and to express yourselves in an intelligent and honorable manner. To achieve these objectives, students will compare current political developments against the textbook and lecture presentations.

      This course provides content necessary to enable secondary licensure students to address the K-12 Colorado Model Content Standard in Civics and History.

      Your participation in class plays a necessary role in consolidating your understanding of the readings assigned. Class attendance and participation will account for 20% of your grade. There will be at least four quizzes consisting of definitions and short answers (5% each). If the quality of class participation indicates inadequate student preparation, unannounced quizzes will be frequent and the grades applied to that 20%. After three unexcused absences, each additional absence will reduce your grade by one-half letter grade (i. e. from an A- to a B+). No make-up quizzes will be given.

      The first test (worth 15%) will cover democracy, federalism and introductory supplemental materials. The midterm (20% of total grade) and final exams (30%) will be essay format, and written in class. During in-class exams students will be expected to explain everything that has been presented in class up to that point. You must prepare to present an exhaustive, thorough and well-analyzed essay. The questions will not be announced in advance, but there will be review and preparation assistance available.

      Students will write three short (2-3 pages) papers (5% each) analyzing and criticizing the reporting of some current event using the knowledge gained in class. You must learn to explain U. S. constitutional and political topics of current interest, controversy and significance. These reports MUST be typed, spaced 1 1/2, 12 point font, Times New Roman, one inch margins, BLACK font color. Pages must be numbered at the bottom, centered. Students must keep up to date on national political news. Acceptable sources include legitimate news providers such as the London Economist, New York Times, , which is available by subscription or on-line, library books, textbooks, government websites, E-books, JSTOR and other academic sites. Web sources from advocacy groups and organizations will not be accepted. Refer to the following link for information on how to appropriately cite material for these papers: www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPSA.html. Or consult The Chicago Manual of Style, on which the APSA Style Manual is based. You must proofread your paper for spelling and grammar. Plagiarism, or any other form of cheating, will result in an F grade, in addition to any departmental sanctions.

      Wilson and DiIulio, American Government, 9^th edition (Houghton Mifflin Co, Boston, 2004)

      This book has been ordered through the College Center Bookstore. Supplemental reading material has been made available on the professor's website at http://www.ca-politicaltransitions.com/ Classes/AmericanGovernment/AmericanGovernmentIndex.htm. Study guides for the tests, and other helpful material have been provided on the class website. Students are expected to have an e-mail account and to check their e-mail for messages related to class work.

Note: Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact the Disability Access Center as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

      The instructor reserves the right for minor modifications in the following schedule. Economic Policy and Defense and Foreign Policy will be covered, time permitting.

Summarizations have been provided for:

     The Price of Federalism, by Paul E. Peterson (May 1995) Brookings Institute;

     An Economic Theory of Democracy, by Anthony Downs (June 1957) Addison-Wesley Pub Co