Syllabus POL 1101 Section PTRA

Baruch College, CUNY Department of Political Science Political Science 1101 American Government: Practices and Values Section PTRA - Tu Th 5:50-7:05pm - Online Synchronous Fall 2023 Instructor: Josh Keller Of�ice Hours: By appointment via Zoom (link will be provided via Blackboard) Email: jkeller1@gradcenter.cuny.edu Class Location: Online via Zoom Course Description In this course, we will learn about the US government by examining its practices and institutions as well as the underlying values that have helped shape them. The course is divided into �ive sections as follows: 1. Section I: In this section, we will explore the US governmental system with a special focus on foundational documents such as the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. 2. Section II: In this section, we will focus on civil rights, civil liberties, public opinion, and voting/elections. 3. Section III: In this section, we will examine the role of the media, political parties, and interest groups. 4. Section IV: In this section, we will discuss the formal institutions of government (e.g., the presidency, congress, the courts, and state/local government). 5. Section V: The �inal segment of the course will address public administration, as well as foreign and domestic policy. Learning Goals After taking this class you will be able to: understand the American political system - its key institutions and actors, and the ideas that drive policy debates. Course Materials We will use one main book for this course. 1. Glen Krutz et al. 2021. American Government from OpenStax, Print ISBN 1947172654, Digital ISBN 1947172662. The book is FREE ! Get the course book here: https://openstax.org/details/books/american-government-2e

Course Requirements Attendance You are allowed two unexcused absences throughout the semester; more than two and it will start to affect your grade. Class Participation You are encouraged to participate in weekly in-class discussions by raising your hand using the Zoom functionality, and/or by posting questions and comments in the chat. Weekly Quizzes Starting in week 2, there will be weekly quizzes on Blackboard. You are required to complete 9 out of 11 quizzes. In other words, you can miss up to two quizzes with no penalty. Students may also elect to complete more than 9 quizzes. In such cases, I will take the 9 highest scores to determine your average. The quizzes will be available for nearly a full week, starting at 5:00pm on Thursdays, and will be due in by 11:59pm on each subsequent Wednesday. The full schedule of quizzes may be found on the course schedule that follows on the next page. IMPORTANT: You will have a limited amount of time -25 minutes or less- to complete each quiz once you have started. Once a quiz is started, you cannot shut it off. No late quizzes, no makeup quizzes, no retakes. I will post speci�ic instructions for each quiz on Blackboard. Exams There will be three exams throughout the semester. All exams will be taken on Blackboard. There will be 40-50 multiple choice questions on each exam as well as 4-6 short answer questions. 1. Exam 1 covers material from chapters 1-7 only and will take place on October 5, 2023. 2. Exam 2 covers material from chapters 8 – 14 only and will take place on November 16, 2023. 3. Exam 3 covers material from chapters 15 – 17 only and will take place on December 14, 2023. Exams MUST be taken on the dates speci�ied above. All exams will be taken during the regularly scheduled class time. You will have 1.25 hours to �inish each exam. Once an exam is started it cannot be paused. No late exams, and no makeups unless approved in advance.

Tues 10/10 NO CLASS NO CLASS NO CLASS Th 10/12 Chapter 8 (all) The Media Quiz #5 Assigned (due by 10/18/23) Tues 10/17 Chapter 9 (all) Political Parties None Th 10/19 Chapter 10 (all) Interest Groups and Lobbying Quiz #6 Assigned (due by 10/23/23) Tues 10/24 Chapter 11 (all) Congress None Th 10/26 Chapter 12 (all) The Presidency Quiz #7 Assigned (due by 10/30/23) Tues 10/31 Chapter 13 (intro. – 13.2) The Courts None Th 11/2 Chapter 13 (13.3 – end of chapter) The Courts Continued Quiz #8 Assigned (due by 11/6/23) Tues 11/7 Chapter 14 State and Local Government None Th 11/9 Reading on State and Local Government to be Assigned S tate and Local Government Continued Quiz #9 Assigned (due by 11/13/23) Tues 11/14 Exam Review Exam Review None Th 11/16 EXAM #2 Exam EXAM #2 Tues 11/21 Chapter 15 (all) The Bureaucracy None Th 11/23 NO CLASS NO CLASS NO CLASS Tues 11/28 Chapter 16 Domestic Policy None Th 11/30 Reading on Domestic Policy to be Assigned TBD Quiz #10 Assigned (due by 12/4/23) Tues 12/5 Chapter 17 Foreign Policy None Th 12/7 Reading on Foreign Policy to be Assigned TBD Quiz #11 Assigned (due by 12/11/23) Tues 12/12 Exam Review Exam Review None Th 12/14 EXAM #3 Exam EXAM #3 Baruch Policies 1 Baruch College Academic Honesty Policy: Baruch College expects that students will give credit to the proper sources for their work, meet their professors’ expectations when doing group work, and prepare for and take examinations without the assistance of prohibited sources or tools. 1 Per Baruch’s Website: htps://studentaffairs.baruch.cuny.edu/dean -of- students/academicintegrity/

Penalties for academic dishonesty may include academic sanctions, such as failing the course(s) in question or otherwise receiving reduced grades, and/or disciplinary sanctions, which include suspension or expulsion from the institution. To review the College’s specific policies and sanctions, please visit: provost.baruch.cuny.edu/academic-affairs/teaching- and-learning/academic_honesty CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity: Baruch’s policies are a reflection of the expectations set forth by the City University of New York. Check here to review the CUNY Academic Integrity policies (PDF). Students with Disabilities Policy for Accommodation 2 : If you are an individual with a disability, have a mental health diagnosis, have a learning disability, or have a chronic medical condition, you can of�icially request accommodations through Student Disability Services (SDS), which is part of Baruch’s Division of Student Affairs. A student with a disability can self-identify by visiting SDS, requesting reasonable accommodations, and if requested provide documentation of their disability to Student Disability Services. This is NOT part of your CUNYFirst (CF) record. A few typical accommodations are Additional Time for Exams; a Less Distracting Environment to Take an Exam; and Assistive Technology loans from SDS to remove barriers which may exist due to a disability. For more information contact Student Disability Services at: NVC 2-272 (within Suite 2- 255), call (646) 312-4590, or email disability.services@baruch.cuny.edu 2 Per Baruch’s Website: htps://studentaffairs.baruch.cuny.edu/student - disability - services/services/#:~:text=A%20student%20with%20a%20disability,disability%20to%20Student%20Disability%20Se rvices .