Thank you all for a great semester.
This is my fifth year of teaching at the college level, and it probably goes without saying that some semesters are better than others. This has been a very good semester. You all have been great, and I especially appreciate all the positive feedback on the course.
I look forward to seeing you all around campus, and I hope some of you will consider taking some higher-level course in political science. As always, I am usually around the Allen Building if you I can ever be of assistance.
So, this is my last official post for the semester. I will probably post a few house-keeping items of the next week, such as some details on the final grade distribution, etc. So, check back if you like.
Have a great summer, and good luck.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Office Hours Reminder
My final set of office hours for the semester will be Monday morning from 8:30-11:00. My office, again, is 2117 in the Allen Building.
Final Grades Are Up
I received grades for the third exam from the scantron folks this afternoon, and I have been able to post them (and the lingering extra credit points I have not yet gotten up) along with final grades for the course.
A few notes:
Letter grades are assigned on the basis of the scale in the syllabus, i.e. above 90-A, 80-89-B, etc. I took the liberty of rounding up (so As start at 89.5). I assume that no one will mind.
To calculate your final numerical grade by hand, you must compute a weighted average of the three exams. Exam 1 is 25% of the total. Exam 2 is 35%. Exam 3 is 40%.
If you were in class on Monday and signed in for the relevant extra credit, you have a "y" in the LAST DAY column in the grade book. If you are in this group, I gave an extra half point in rounding for assigning final letter grades (so, an A for an 89, for example). This bumped about 15 up a letter.
I haven't had time to calculate a full grade distribution, but it looks like something around 10% of the class got an A, 35% got a B, 35% got a C, 15% got a D, and about 5% got an F. I'll post more details later.
As a reminder, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law that protects the confidentiality of your academic records. I am prohibited by law (and university policy) from communicating with anyone but you (or other approved university personnel) about your grades. I am also prohibited from communicating information about your grades to you via unsecured communications methods (including e-mail) or when I cannot verify your identity (such a a telephone call). So, if you wish to speak with me about your grades, the conversation must be initiated in person. My office hours on Monday (from 8:30-11:00AM) would be an excellent opportunity to do so.
A few notes:
Letter grades are assigned on the basis of the scale in the syllabus, i.e. above 90-A, 80-89-B, etc. I took the liberty of rounding up (so As start at 89.5). I assume that no one will mind.
To calculate your final numerical grade by hand, you must compute a weighted average of the three exams. Exam 1 is 25% of the total. Exam 2 is 35%. Exam 3 is 40%.
If you were in class on Monday and signed in for the relevant extra credit, you have a "y" in the LAST DAY column in the grade book. If you are in this group, I gave an extra half point in rounding for assigning final letter grades (so, an A for an 89, for example). This bumped about 15 up a letter.
I haven't had time to calculate a full grade distribution, but it looks like something around 10% of the class got an A, 35% got a B, 35% got a C, 15% got a D, and about 5% got an F. I'll post more details later.
As a reminder, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law that protects the confidentiality of your academic records. I am prohibited by law (and university policy) from communicating with anyone but you (or other approved university personnel) about your grades. I am also prohibited from communicating information about your grades to you via unsecured communications methods (including e-mail) or when I cannot verify your identity (such a a telephone call). So, if you wish to speak with me about your grades, the conversation must be initiated in person. My office hours on Monday (from 8:30-11:00AM) would be an excellent opportunity to do so.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Exam 3 grades and office hours
I expect to be able to post grades from exam 3 on Thursday or Friday. When I do, I will also post final grades for the course.
I will hold office hours next Monday (5/11) from 8:30-11:00. My office is 2117 in the Allen Building, which is on the West Campus, off the No. 5 bus route, next to the Bush Presidential Library.
I am holding these extra office hours for students who would like to review their third exam, need to point out errors in my calculating their grades (e.g. I have not computed the average correctly or assigned extra credit, etc.), or have other end of the semester business to wrap up. These office hours are not a chance to come plead for grade changes, curves, etc.
I will hold office hours next Monday (5/11) from 8:30-11:00. My office is 2117 in the Allen Building, which is on the West Campus, off the No. 5 bus route, next to the Bush Presidential Library.
I am holding these extra office hours for students who would like to review their third exam, need to point out errors in my calculating their grades (e.g. I have not computed the average correctly or assigned extra credit, etc.), or have other end of the semester business to wrap up. These office hours are not a chance to come plead for grade changes, curves, etc.
Makeup exams
If you need to take a makeup for exam 3, I will be giving those on Tuesday during normal class times in CHEM 100. Please bring all relevant documentation (doctors' notes etc.) with you to class.
Class this week
As a reminder, classes will meet today (Monday) and tomorrow at their regular times and places. Tomorrow is a redefined Friday, so you should be attending all of your Friday classes.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Extra Credit Considerations
By now, many of you have recognized some of the problems facing the two sections in devising your sets of extra credit questions.
The first, and perhaps most evident problem, is the coordination problem among students in each class. How are 300 students to organize themselves to choose a single set of questions?
The second consideration that might occur to you is how to deal with the other class? Of course, the most obvious approach would be to simply write the hardest set of questions possible to try to maximize the extra credit you would receive from inducing incorrect answers in the other section.
Another approach might be to try to collude with the other class to submit sets of relatively easy questions, since the benefit of knowing 10 questions ahead of time outweighs the benefit of 5 points of extra credit.
This, in turn, raises two important problems.
The first is the prisoners' dilemma. Since questions must be submitted in sealed envelopes, it may not be easy to verify what questions the other section has submitted to me, regardless of what questions they might claim to have submitted. It would be entirely possible, and in violation of no rule, for one section to present different sets of questions to me and to the other section.
In fact, this is the most "rational" thing to do, since, no matter what strategy each section elects to pursue (hard questions v. easy questions), either section would be better off by actually submitting hard questions. (You can read about the prisoners' dilemma in your text or online.)
A second potential problem might arise if there are differences of opinion within each section about which strategy to pursue. How will you choose the easy question v. hard question strategy if there is disagreement?
There are still other considerations: what benefits in terms of studying might accrue in the preparation of hard questions, regardless of what's submitted? If there is collusion between the section, how will information about the agreement be transmitted to all students? How might the approval of the whole section be secured for such an agreement? How would such an agreement be enforced?
Again, I encourage you to think through the process as carefully as possible before making rash or sudden choices, and I likewise encourage students to participate in their sections' process and not necessarily go along with a small group that might act on a section's behalf without an open process.
Lastly, don't get so caught up in this thing that you forget to actually study for the exam.
The first, and perhaps most evident problem, is the coordination problem among students in each class. How are 300 students to organize themselves to choose a single set of questions?
The second consideration that might occur to you is how to deal with the other class? Of course, the most obvious approach would be to simply write the hardest set of questions possible to try to maximize the extra credit you would receive from inducing incorrect answers in the other section.
Another approach might be to try to collude with the other class to submit sets of relatively easy questions, since the benefit of knowing 10 questions ahead of time outweighs the benefit of 5 points of extra credit.
This, in turn, raises two important problems.
The first is the prisoners' dilemma. Since questions must be submitted in sealed envelopes, it may not be easy to verify what questions the other section has submitted to me, regardless of what questions they might claim to have submitted. It would be entirely possible, and in violation of no rule, for one section to present different sets of questions to me and to the other section.
In fact, this is the most "rational" thing to do, since, no matter what strategy each section elects to pursue (hard questions v. easy questions), either section would be better off by actually submitting hard questions. (You can read about the prisoners' dilemma in your text or online.)
A second potential problem might arise if there are differences of opinion within each section about which strategy to pursue. How will you choose the easy question v. hard question strategy if there is disagreement?
There are still other considerations: what benefits in terms of studying might accrue in the preparation of hard questions, regardless of what's submitted? If there is collusion between the section, how will information about the agreement be transmitted to all students? How might the approval of the whole section be secured for such an agreement? How would such an agreement be enforced?
Again, I encourage you to think through the process as carefully as possible before making rash or sudden choices, and I likewise encourage students to participate in their sections' process and not necessarily go along with a small group that might act on a section's behalf without an open process.
Lastly, don't get so caught up in this thing that you forget to actually study for the exam.
Exam 3 Extra Credit
OK kids, we are now two weeks away from exam 3. In order to help get you geared up for our last exam, I am offering one final chance for class-wide extra credit.
I am giving each section the opportunity to submit up to 10 questions to appear on the other section's third exam. For each submitted question that at least one third (rounded to 33%) miss, I will award one-half a point of extra credit to the submitting section (obviously, up to a maximum of 5 points).
Here are some ground rules:
1. A hard copy of each section's questions are due to me by 5:00pm on April 24, 2009. Submissions may be made to me before or after class, during my office hours, or in my office (Allen 2117) between 4:00 and 5:00PM on April 24.
2. Each section may submit up to 10 questions total, and a each class is entitled to submit only one hard copy of all questions. Submissions must be turned in in each section's official submission envelope, which will be made available before or after class to any student who is registered for appropriate section. If I receive more than one submission for each section, or if the submission is not delivered in the official envelope, all submissions from the section will be null and void and no extra credit will be provided.
3. Questions may cover any material covered in the assigned readings or lectures throughout the semester.
4. Questions must be in multiple choice format with no more than five possible answers.
5. "Trick questions" are not allowed.
6. I reserve the right to exclude any question that is not fair or clearly worded, or that does not provide one single correct answer choice per question. I may exercise this right at my sole discretion without appeal.
7. I reserve the right to modify or edit questions or answer choices at my discretion.
8. Finally, I reserve the right to modify or amend the rules with reasonable notice at my sole discretion to preserve the integrity or spirit of the assignment.
I will go over all of this in class today and answer any questions you may have.
I am giving each section the opportunity to submit up to 10 questions to appear on the other section's third exam. For each submitted question that at least one third (rounded to 33%) miss, I will award one-half a point of extra credit to the submitting section (obviously, up to a maximum of 5 points).
Here are some ground rules:
1. A hard copy of each section's questions are due to me by 5:00pm on April 24, 2009. Submissions may be made to me before or after class, during my office hours, or in my office (Allen 2117) between 4:00 and 5:00PM on April 24.
2. Each section may submit up to 10 questions total, and a each class is entitled to submit only one hard copy of all questions. Submissions must be turned in in each section's official submission envelope, which will be made available before or after class to any student who is registered for appropriate section. If I receive more than one submission for each section, or if the submission is not delivered in the official envelope, all submissions from the section will be null and void and no extra credit will be provided.
3. Questions may cover any material covered in the assigned readings or lectures throughout the semester.
4. Questions must be in multiple choice format with no more than five possible answers.
5. "Trick questions" are not allowed.
6. I reserve the right to exclude any question that is not fair or clearly worded, or that does not provide one single correct answer choice per question. I may exercise this right at my sole discretion without appeal.
7. I reserve the right to modify or edit questions or answer choices at my discretion.
8. Finally, I reserve the right to modify or amend the rules with reasonable notice at my sole discretion to preserve the integrity or spirit of the assignment.
I will go over all of this in class today and answer any questions you may have.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Class on Monday
I expect to be finished with the makeup exams by the end of the week, and I will go over the last exam in class on Monday.
Also, I will be distributing course evaluations on Monday, and I would appreciate having feedback from as many of you as possible. So, please do your best to make it.
Also, I will be distributing course evaluations on Monday, and I would appreciate having feedback from as many of you as possible. So, please do your best to make it.
No Class on Friday
This Friday is Good Friday and a university "reading day," so classes will not meet.
Voter Turnout
Today we'll start to talk about voting and elections by taking up the topic of voter turnout. Then, we'll circle back to our discussion of biases in individuals' ability to process and respond to political information to explore the extent to which American's system of political representation is biased as well (Foreshadowing: There's a surprise ending.)
But, to start out on voter turnout, I thought I would throw a little data at you. Michael MacDonald is a professor of political science at George Mason University and one of the experts on voter turnout. His website has tons of turnout data, which is loads of nerdy fun. But, I wanted to point out two data points to you in particular.
The first is US voter turnout for the 2008 presidential election, which was 61.7%, a high figure in modern US presidential elections. Of course, pre-election media speculation had suggested that then-Senator Obama's presence in the election would mobilize large numbers of new voters into the electorate. This did not happen.
US voter turnout in 2004 was 60.1%, though that year's election represented a marked increase in turnout from 2000, which was only 54.2%. (For those of you who are interested, Professor MacDonald's complete state-by-state and national turnout data going back to 1980 are here.)
This is not to say that an extra 1.6% voter turnout is small. That figure represents about 2 million new voters.
Yet, it is clear that voter turnout was already on the way up after the 2000 election and that 2008 didn't fundamentally re-make the electoral landscape. Despite the presence of a very high quality candidate in President Obama and very high stakes issues, voter turnout only inched up from previous levels. The interesting question for us is, why? Which we will get to today in class.
But, to start out on voter turnout, I thought I would throw a little data at you. Michael MacDonald is a professor of political science at George Mason University and one of the experts on voter turnout. His website has tons of turnout data, which is loads of nerdy fun. But, I wanted to point out two data points to you in particular.
The first is US voter turnout for the 2008 presidential election, which was 61.7%, a high figure in modern US presidential elections. Of course, pre-election media speculation had suggested that then-Senator Obama's presence in the election would mobilize large numbers of new voters into the electorate. This did not happen.
US voter turnout in 2004 was 60.1%, though that year's election represented a marked increase in turnout from 2000, which was only 54.2%. (For those of you who are interested, Professor MacDonald's complete state-by-state and national turnout data going back to 1980 are here.)
This is not to say that an extra 1.6% voter turnout is small. That figure represents about 2 million new voters.
Yet, it is clear that voter turnout was already on the way up after the 2000 election and that 2008 didn't fundamentally re-make the electoral landscape. Despite the presence of a very high quality candidate in President Obama and very high stakes issues, voter turnout only inched up from previous levels. The interesting question for us is, why? Which we will get to today in class.
Exam 3 Chapters
Our third exam is sneaking up on us, and to give you all a head's up, I wanted to remind you of its coverage. The exam will cover the topics of: public opinion, voting and elections, political parties, and interest groups. Those are covered in chapters 10, 11, 12, and 13, and (obviously) in your lectures, etc.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Slides for last week and today
Sorry for the slow rate of posting last week due to my travel schedule.
Here are the lecture slides for last week and today.
Class 19
Class 20
Class 21
Here are the lecture slides for last week and today.
Class 19
Class 20
Class 21
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Review session slides
Fine. Y'all have talked me into it.
Here are the slides from yesterday's review session.
Allow me to reiterate, though. The slides are merely a useful review of some important concepts. They are not an exhaustive guide of everything you will need to know for the test, and working through the slides is not a substitute for reading and studying.
Here are the slides from yesterday's review session.
Allow me to reiterate, though. The slides are merely a useful review of some important concepts. They are not an exhaustive guide of everything you will need to know for the test, and working through the slides is not a substitute for reading and studying.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Exam 2
As a reminder, this Friday's exam will cover chapters 6, 7, 8, and 9. That's Congress, the presidency, the bureaucracy, and the judiciary.
PLEASE do your reading.
PLEASE do your reading.
Lecture 17 and 18 Slides
Here are the slides for the second and third Supreme Court lectures as well as the infamous political language lecture.
Lecture 17
Lecture 18
Lecture 11 (political language)
Lecture 17
Lecture 18
Lecture 11 (political language)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Thinking about judicial power
Though judicial review is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, it is clear that the most of the Founders had the notion that the federal courts would take some role in keeping Congress within its constitutional boundaries. The classic statement of this perspective is Hamilton's Federalist 78.
Here, Hamilton makes the case that judicial review is a natural extension of courts' tradiutional powers and that judicial independence is "peculiarly important" for preserving constitutional limits on government power. It is fair to say that Hamilton's views on the matter are shared by a very large majority of legal scholars, historians, and political scientists.
And yet, Hamilton's views on the matter were not unchallenged at the Founding. The Antifederalist "Brutus," for example, was substantially critical of the form of the judiciary in the proposed Constitution. In his Essay XV, Brutus argued that handing the power of judicial review over to appointed and life-tenured judges was tantamount to surrendering popular control of the Constitution and that judges without political accountability would be dangerous to the people.
The issue of the importance of judicial independence for maintaining limited constitutional government is a vexing one, and I think that we have more assumptionsd than hard evidence on the point. Still, as citizens, it's important to weigh the extent to which granting extensive political independence to courts divorces the constitution from the people.
Here, Hamilton makes the case that judicial review is a natural extension of courts' tradiutional powers and that judicial independence is "peculiarly important" for preserving constitutional limits on government power. It is fair to say that Hamilton's views on the matter are shared by a very large majority of legal scholars, historians, and political scientists.
And yet, Hamilton's views on the matter were not unchallenged at the Founding. The Antifederalist "Brutus," for example, was substantially critical of the form of the judiciary in the proposed Constitution. In his Essay XV, Brutus argued that handing the power of judicial review over to appointed and life-tenured judges was tantamount to surrendering popular control of the Constitution and that judges without political accountability would be dangerous to the people.
The issue of the importance of judicial independence for maintaining limited constitutional government is a vexing one, and I think that we have more assumptionsd than hard evidence on the point. Still, as citizens, it's important to weigh the extent to which granting extensive political independence to courts divorces the constitution from the people.
Friday, March 6, 2009
President Obama Goes Public on the Economy
President Obama's high profile public addresses on his economic policies are a pretty clear attempt to "go public" in the style of Ronald Reagan, despite the mixed success of that strategy. As you look over The New York Times's coverage of his speech to Congress last week, think about what the president's push for economic reforms might have looked like if he had persued a bargaining strategy instead.
LBJ's Persuasion (Not Required)
If you were intrigued by the NPR story on LBJ's recorded phone conversations, you may be interested in this page operated by CSPAN, which has a number of longer LBJ recordings with commentary by professional historians.
Presidential Persuasion
President Johnson may have been the most effective practitioner of the kind of one-on-one persuasion and bargaining that Richard Neustadt believed was the foundation of a successful presidency.
Fortunately for us, LBJ recorded many of the phone calls he made as president, and it's possible to actually listen to him work his way through the process of persuading people to do what he want. National Public Radio did a stroy about LBJ's tapes, which you can listen to here. (If you pay attention to the story, you can hear echoes of Richard Neustadt throughout with constant references to persuaision and bargaining.)
Fortunately for us, LBJ recorded many of the phone calls he made as president, and it's possible to actually listen to him work his way through the process of persuading people to do what he want. National Public Radio did a stroy about LBJ's tapes, which you can listen to here. (If you pay attention to the story, you can hear echoes of Richard Neustadt throughout with constant references to persuaision and bargaining.)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Lecture Cancelled 03/04/2009 (Both Sections) for Makeup Exams
Due to the number of students who missed the first exam, I am canceling lecture on 03/04/2009 for both sections so I can administer the makeup exams during normal class time. I will adjust the course calendar soon to account for this.
To recap: All makeups for exam 1 (both sections) will be given during normal class times this coming Wednesday. If you are not taking a makeup, you do not need to come to class on that day.
To recap: All makeups for exam 1 (both sections) will be given during normal class times this coming Wednesday. If you are not taking a makeup, you do not need to come to class on that day.
Exam 1 Availability
Next week, I have arranged for a couple of graduate students in the political science department to hold special office hours so that you will be able to drop by and look over the first exam if you like. There are separate times for each section.
Section 503 (10:20-11:10)
Peyton Wofford (Allen 2054)
Tuesday, March 3, 1:00-4:00PM
Wednesday, March 4, 1:00-4:00PM
Section 504 (11:30-12:20)
Stephen Huss (Allen 2034)
Monday, March 2, 1:00-4:00PM
Thursday, March 5, 1:00-4:00PM
You will be able to look over your exams, and I will make answer keys available, but you may not take these with you or make copies of them (though you may take notes).
Because these grad students will have the exam copies in their offices, I won't have them back in mine until the following week. So, you are welcome to speak with me about the exam in general during my office hours next week, but we wouldn't be able to go over your specific exam.
Please take advantage of these opportunities now. This is the best chance you'll have to look over the first exam prior to the second exam without having to drag yourself over to the Allen building for my morning office hours.
Section 503 (10:20-11:10)
Peyton Wofford (Allen 2054)
Tuesday, March 3, 1:00-4:00PM
Wednesday, March 4, 1:00-4:00PM
Section 504 (11:30-12:20)
Stephen Huss (Allen 2034)
Monday, March 2, 1:00-4:00PM
Thursday, March 5, 1:00-4:00PM
You will be able to look over your exams, and I will make answer keys available, but you may not take these with you or make copies of them (though you may take notes).
Because these grad students will have the exam copies in their offices, I won't have them back in mine until the following week. So, you are welcome to speak with me about the exam in general during my office hours next week, but we wouldn't be able to go over your specific exam.
Please take advantage of these opportunities now. This is the best chance you'll have to look over the first exam prior to the second exam without having to drag yourself over to the Allen building for my morning office hours.
Undergraduate Research Opportunity
I know that many of you are freshmen, so this won't be applicable at the moment, but the university is accepting applications for its Undergraduate Research Scholars program. If any of you have completed at least 60 hours at A&M and have at least a 3.0 GPR, you may be eligible for the program which is designed to let you complete an original research project under the supervision of a faculty member.
This is an exceptional opportunity for students interested in graduate school, and I encourage those of you who may be eligible to pursue this. If any of you might be interested in applying to the program to conduct research in political science (now or sometime down the line), you are welcome to speak with me.
Here are the details:
The Office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Research wishes to announce the call for proposals for the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program for the 2009-10 academic year. The goal of this program is to encourage capable undergraduates to participate actively in
research/scholarly projects and to give them the opportunity to communicate their findings as principal authors to the university's scholarly community.
To qualify for participation in this program, students must have completed at least 60 hours of undergraduate courses with at least 24 hours at Texas A&M (exceptions may be made with the approval of the student's dean). Students should also have and maintain a Texas A&M GPR
of 3.0 or higher, and be currently involved or planning to start a suitable undergraduate project. If you have a student working with you who you feel would benefit from this program, we urge you to work with them in preparing an proposal for this program. The deadline for proposals for the 2009-10 academic year is Monday, April 20.
For more information about the UGR Scholars Program, visit our Web site at http://ugr.tamu.edu/scholars.
Application guidelines and instructions may be found at
http://ugr.tamu.edu/scholars/application-materials/guidelines . Sample proposals and timelines are also available on the website.
To view requirements for the program, please visit,
http://ugr.tamu.edu/scholars/requirements0607 .
If you have questions about the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, please direct them to Dr. Robert C. Webb, Associate Dean for
Undergraduate Research, by email at ugr@tamu.edu or phone 979-458-0039.
Dr. Robert C. Webb
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Research
1112 TAMU
318B Jack Williams Administration Building
College Station, TX 77843-1112
979-458-0039
This is an exceptional opportunity for students interested in graduate school, and I encourage those of you who may be eligible to pursue this. If any of you might be interested in applying to the program to conduct research in political science (now or sometime down the line), you are welcome to speak with me.
Here are the details:
The Office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Research wishes to announce the call for proposals for the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program for the 2009-10 academic year. The goal of this program is to encourage capable undergraduates to participate actively in
research/scholarly projects and to give them the opportunity to communicate their findings as principal authors to the university's scholarly community.
To qualify for participation in this program, students must have completed at least 60 hours of undergraduate courses with at least 24 hours at Texas A&M (exceptions may be made with the approval of the student's dean). Students should also have and maintain a Texas A&M GPR
of 3.0 or higher, and be currently involved or planning to start a suitable undergraduate project. If you have a student working with you who you feel would benefit from this program, we urge you to work with them in preparing an proposal for this program. The deadline for proposals for the 2009-10 academic year is Monday, April 20.
For more information about the UGR Scholars Program, visit our Web site at http://ugr.tamu.edu/scholars.
Application guidelines and instructions may be found at
http://ugr.tamu.edu/scholars/
To view requirements for the program, please visit,
http://ugr.tamu.edu/scholars/
If you have questions about the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, please direct them to Dr. Robert C. Webb, Associate Dean for
Undergraduate Research, by email at ugr@tamu.edu or phone 979-458-0039.
Dr. Robert C. Webb
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Research
1112 TAMU
318B Jack Williams Administration Building
College Station, TX 77843-1112
979-458-0039
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Exam 1 Grades Discussion
So, as a group, both classes performed well on the exam.
The average grade (before any extra credit) was almost exactly 74 for both classes. In terms of a distribution, letter grades broke down like this:
A: 10%
B: 25%
C: 33%
D: 22%
F: 10%
For those of you who did well, keep it up. For those of you who did not do as well as you might have hoped, you need not despair. It's important to keep in mind that this exam (intentionally) counts less than the remaining two. Now that you've been through the first third of the course and seen the structure and format of the exams, you have a chance to adjust your studies and improve over the next two exams.
Literally, three quarters of your grade is undetermined, so there is a substantial opportunity to improve.
The average grade (before any extra credit) was almost exactly 74 for both classes. In terms of a distribution, letter grades broke down like this:
A: 10%
B: 25%
C: 33%
D: 22%
F: 10%
For those of you who did well, keep it up. For those of you who did not do as well as you might have hoped, you need not despair. It's important to keep in mind that this exam (intentionally) counts less than the remaining two. Now that you've been through the first third of the course and seen the structure and format of the exams, you have a chance to adjust your studies and improve over the next two exams.
Literally, three quarters of your grade is undetermined, so there is a substantial opportunity to improve.
Exam 1 Grades Posted
I have posted grades from Exam 1 on the course's BlackBoard website. You can login at http://elearning.tamu.edu/. There is also a link in the top right corner of the blog, under the course information tab.
You should be able to view two grades so far. The first is your "raw" grade for exam 1, the second is your grade with any extra credit you may be due from the majority cycle assignment or the review session.
There are a very small number of students who did not fill in their UINs or did so incorrectly (or did not fill in their names correctly). These students' grades are not yet posted. If you took the exam, and your grade is not yet up, you may be in this category. So, please give me a day or two to straighten this out.
Also, there were a few students who had been dropped from the course for one reason or another who I allowed to sit for the exam. If you have not been re-enrolled in the course, it will not be visible to you on BlackBoard. Once you have officially been added to the course again, contact me, and I will upload your grades.
You should be able to view two grades so far. The first is your "raw" grade for exam 1, the second is your grade with any extra credit you may be due from the majority cycle assignment or the review session.
There are a very small number of students who did not fill in their UINs or did so incorrectly (or did not fill in their names correctly). These students' grades are not yet posted. If you took the exam, and your grade is not yet up, you may be in this category. So, please give me a day or two to straighten this out.
Also, there were a few students who had been dropped from the course for one reason or another who I allowed to sit for the exam. If you have not been re-enrolled in the course, it will not be visible to you on BlackBoard. Once you have officially been added to the course again, contact me, and I will upload your grades.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Congress and Congressmen
So far, this course has focused on formal institutions and how choosing one set of rules or another can influence social choices. We have seen that the same group of people, with the same preferences, can be induced to make different decisions simply by manipulating the rules which govern how decisions are made. In contrast, we have paid somewhat less attention to the people (and their preferences) who make choices within the constraints imposed by a particular set of institutions.
That will now begin to change.
Institutions structure social choices, but people animate institutions. To understand politics--the process of making binding social choices--we need to go beyond the study of institutions in a vacuum and take some time to understand the motives and interests of people in political situations.
So, to get us started in this new direction, we are going to begin our discussion of Congress somewhat differently. Instead of talking about the formal institutions that govern Congress, we will start out talking about the people who serve in Congress and how they got there. Our goal will be to try to find some insight about the way that Congress works (what institutions or rules it has and what outcomes they produce) by thinking about what motivates the people who choose those institutions and live under them.
With that in mind, I want you to read this article from Money magazine. It's a profile of a man running for Congress that focuses on the difficult personal financial challenges facing him and his family as a result of his campaign. As you read, I'd like you to think about the prospect of running for Congress. Does it seem easy or hard? What are the costs and benefits of running for Congress? What kind of person would take up this particular task? And, given your thoughts on these issues, how would you expect an institution populated by this sort of people to behave?
That will now begin to change.
Institutions structure social choices, but people animate institutions. To understand politics--the process of making binding social choices--we need to go beyond the study of institutions in a vacuum and take some time to understand the motives and interests of people in political situations.
So, to get us started in this new direction, we are going to begin our discussion of Congress somewhat differently. Instead of talking about the formal institutions that govern Congress, we will start out talking about the people who serve in Congress and how they got there. Our goal will be to try to find some insight about the way that Congress works (what institutions or rules it has and what outcomes they produce) by thinking about what motivates the people who choose those institutions and live under them.
With that in mind, I want you to read this article from Money magazine. It's a profile of a man running for Congress that focuses on the difficult personal financial challenges facing him and his family as a result of his campaign. As you read, I'd like you to think about the prospect of running for Congress. Does it seem easy or hard? What are the costs and benefits of running for Congress? What kind of person would take up this particular task? And, given your thoughts on these issues, how would you expect an institution populated by this sort of people to behave?
Political Language
Honest politics starts with honest language. Non one has made the point more forcefully than George Orwell. His essay on this point, Politics and the English Language, is here.
Also, the Harry Frankfurt's video interview is here.
Also, the Harry Frankfurt's video interview is here.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Exam seat assignments
Here are the seat number assignments for this semester's exams:
Section 503 (10:20-11:10)
Section 504 (11:30-12:20)
Section 503 (10:20-11:10)
Section 504 (11:30-12:20)
Friday, February 13, 2009
Omnibus Administrative Catch-Up Post
I am sorry about having to cancel classes on Wednesday, and I appreciate the get well e-mails I received from some of you.
There are several things to catch up on. First, here are the last two sets of lecture slides as well as the slides for today:
Lecture 8
Lecture 9
Lecture 10
Also, I'd like to remind everyone that we are now one week away from the first exam. The exam will be conducted in class during normal class times. The exam is entirely multiple choice and will cover lectures (through today), textbook readings, and material from the class blog.
Monday's lecture will not appear on the first exam, and on Wednesday, I will conduct a review session in each of the class sessions. I will use about 30 minutes for structured review activities and then take questions from the class for the final 20 minutes of class. In addition to helping you focus your studies a little bit, the structured review activity will offer you all the chance to win some fabulous prizes. (Seriously, there are prizes, though I suppose fabulous is subjective.)
To participate in the activity, please print and bring the following two pages with you to class:
Review props
I will have more details about the exam in class.
Lastly, I had forgotten to make an announcement in class, but I have the results of the extra credit project. The 10:20 class (Section 503) was able to turn in enough acceptable diagrams (nearly 70, in fact) to earn the extra credit, while the 11:30 class (section 504) did not reach the cutoff (only 31). So, students in the early section of the class will be getting 5 extra points on each of their exams.
There are several things to catch up on. First, here are the last two sets of lecture slides as well as the slides for today:
Lecture 8
Lecture 9
Lecture 10
Also, I'd like to remind everyone that we are now one week away from the first exam. The exam will be conducted in class during normal class times. The exam is entirely multiple choice and will cover lectures (through today), textbook readings, and material from the class blog.
Monday's lecture will not appear on the first exam, and on Wednesday, I will conduct a review session in each of the class sessions. I will use about 30 minutes for structured review activities and then take questions from the class for the final 20 minutes of class. In addition to helping you focus your studies a little bit, the structured review activity will offer you all the chance to win some fabulous prizes. (Seriously, there are prizes, though I suppose fabulous is subjective.)
To participate in the activity, please print and bring the following two pages with you to class:
Review props
I will have more details about the exam in class.
Lastly, I had forgotten to make an announcement in class, but I have the results of the extra credit project. The 10:20 class (Section 503) was able to turn in enough acceptable diagrams (nearly 70, in fact) to earn the extra credit, while the 11:30 class (section 504) did not reach the cutoff (only 31). So, students in the early section of the class will be getting 5 extra points on each of their exams.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Classes and office hours canceled today (2/11)
I've caught some sort of stomach flu, and I won't be able to make it to class today. We'll resume as usual on Friday.
For those keeping up with the class calendar, I will lecture on "Parchment Barriers" on Friday and drop the separate lecture on "Path Dependence." That will put us back on schedule for Monday.
For those keeping up with the class calendar, I will lecture on "Parchment Barriers" on Friday and drop the separate lecture on "Path Dependence." That will put us back on schedule for Monday.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Announcement: Reading Assignment Update and Exam Preparations
I am adding a chapter form the textbook to the assigned readings for this week. You need to also read Chapter 5 (Civil Liberties) this week. I apologize for the change, but the chapter should have been listed on the original course calendar.
So, the required reading for the first exam, which is one week from this Friday, will be:
Next week is intentionally "quiet" to give you all time to get caught up on reading, gather missed lecture notes from peers, attend study sessions, and generally harness your academic Chi to get ready for the exam.
So, the required reading for the first exam, which is one week from this Friday, will be:
- Chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5 from The Logic of American Politics and
- Class blog posts (including items I have linked to) through Friday, February 13.
Next week is intentionally "quiet" to give you all time to get caught up on reading, gather missed lecture notes from peers, attend study sessions, and generally harness your academic Chi to get ready for the exam.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Checks and Balances
The system of checks and balances may be the most important institutional feature of the US Constitution. Its presence is a result of the Founders' careful efforts to design a government that would be responsive to persistent changes in the needs of the country and public sentiment while limiting the ability of capricious, transient, or tyrannical majorities to use government power to promote private interests of the general welfare or violate the people's rights. James Madison--the primary architect of the Constitution--explains the logic behind the system of checks and balances more fully in Federalist 51.
This essay is one of the most important among The Federalist Papers, a set of extended newspaper editorials written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, under the pen name Publius, to encourage the state of New York to ratify the Constitution.
This essay is one of the most important among The Federalist Papers, a set of extended newspaper editorials written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, under the pen name Publius, to encourage the state of New York to ratify the Constitution.
Message for POLS 206-504 (11:30 Section) Only
One of your classmates, Alyssa Bulnes, is trying to organize an effort to ensure enough people turn in the extra credit diagrams for the class to win the extra credit points. If you are interested in coordinating your efforts with her, you may contact her at: pols206.extra.credit@gmail.com.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Example of a majority cycle and an extra credit opportunity
The House of Representatives' economic stimulus bill originally contained provisions providing funding for family planning, including birth control programs, in addition to spending on infrastructure projects and tax cuts. In pairwise competition with the status quo of no stimulus bill, it is likely that this proposal, including the controversial birth control provisions, would have passed the House with majority support. However, Republicans successfully pressured the Democratic leadership to consider an alternative proposal that stripped the family planning funds from the bill. It was clear that this amended proposal was preferred to original bill by a majority of the House, and the final legislation that passed the House did not include the birth control provisions.
News coverage of these developments are here and here.
Though a formal vote was not take on the floor to amend the stimulus bill by dropping the family planning funding, the outlines of a majority cycle are clear. Indeed, we might conceptualize this as a story about majority rule in two dimensions: stimulus spending on infrastructure and spending on family planning. Imagine three voters, a liberal Democrat (who wants high stimulus spending on infrastructure and family planning), a moderate Democrat (who wants high stimulus spending on infrastructure and some moderate level of funding for family planning), and a Republican (who wants low infrastructure spending and no funding for family planning). We could easily draw our policy space with infrastructure spending on one dimension and family planning spending on the other. We could place our voters in the space based on their preferences, draw indifference curves with respect to the status quo of no stimulus, and find a winset of alternatives including one with spending for both infrastructure and family planning. Then, we could repeat the process, drawing indifference curves with respect to the first bill to defeat the staus quo and identify a winning alternative that includes no spending on family planning.
I am offering 5 points of extra credit on our first exam (2/20/2009) to all students in each of my two sections entire class if any 45 students in a respective section (about 15% of the class) turn in two diagrams showing (1) the original bill (infrasturture plus family planning) defeating the original status quo (no stimulus at all) and (2) the revised bill (only infrastructure spending) defeating the original bill.
Rules:
1. Both diagrams should include two dimensions of spending and the three voters described above along with the relevant indifference curves and win sets. Diagrams without these features or that do not show the correct sequence of events will not count toward the 45 student total.
2. Hard copies of diagrams must be turned in to me or the mailbox in my office by the start of each class this Friday (2/6/2009). Late diagrams will not count toward the total. E-mailed diagrams do not count toward the total.
3. Students who make the diagrams will not receive additional credit above the five points awarded to the class.
4. Diagrams from each section of the class count separately.
5. I am the sole judge of the acceptability of diagrams and all other aspects of the administration of this extra credit opportunity, and my decisions are final.
Good luck.
News coverage of these developments are here and here.
Though a formal vote was not take on the floor to amend the stimulus bill by dropping the family planning funding, the outlines of a majority cycle are clear. Indeed, we might conceptualize this as a story about majority rule in two dimensions: stimulus spending on infrastructure and spending on family planning. Imagine three voters, a liberal Democrat (who wants high stimulus spending on infrastructure and family planning), a moderate Democrat (who wants high stimulus spending on infrastructure and some moderate level of funding for family planning), and a Republican (who wants low infrastructure spending and no funding for family planning). We could easily draw our policy space with infrastructure spending on one dimension and family planning spending on the other. We could place our voters in the space based on their preferences, draw indifference curves with respect to the status quo of no stimulus, and find a winset of alternatives including one with spending for both infrastructure and family planning. Then, we could repeat the process, drawing indifference curves with respect to the first bill to defeat the staus quo and identify a winning alternative that includes no spending on family planning.
I am offering 5 points of extra credit on our first exam (2/20/2009) to all students in each of my two sections entire class if any 45 students in a respective section (about 15% of the class) turn in two diagrams showing (1) the original bill (infrasturture plus family planning) defeating the original status quo (no stimulus at all) and (2) the revised bill (only infrastructure spending) defeating the original bill.
Rules:
1. Both diagrams should include two dimensions of spending and the three voters described above along with the relevant indifference curves and win sets. Diagrams without these features or that do not show the correct sequence of events will not count toward the 45 student total.
2. Hard copies of diagrams must be turned in to me or the mailbox in my office by the start of each class this Friday (2/6/2009). Late diagrams will not count toward the total. E-mailed diagrams do not count toward the total.
3. Students who make the diagrams will not receive additional credit above the five points awarded to the class.
4. Diagrams from each section of the class count separately.
5. I am the sole judge of the acceptability of diagrams and all other aspects of the administration of this extra credit opportunity, and my decisions are final.
Good luck.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Conservative to Liberal: The First Dimension of American Politics
The most enduring political debate in the United States revolves around the size and scope of the federal government and its activities to manage the economy and provide public assistance to individuals who cannot or have not done well in the marketplace. This is the conflict between liberals and conservatives, and it is probably the principle political conflict in all large political societies. On this dimension, liberals advocate greater government control of the economy, more public ownership of industry, high levels of social welfare benefits (especially to the unemployed, elderly, infirm, etc.), and higher taxes (i.e. a greater public share of private wealth). Conservatives, in contrast, advocate less government control of the economy, a smaller government role in business, private property rights, small social welfare benefits, and lower taxes. You can see this conflict in the debate over issues like health care, taxes, welfare, and the stimulus plan.
Often, when people talk about liberals and conservatives in American politics, they talk about issues that are outside of this size and scope of government dimension, like abortion, gay rights, and the death penalty. These issues are important, but they are not (yet) a really enduring part of the liberal-conservative conflict. Political scientists sometimes call these kind of issues "second dimension" issues. These types of issues--which don't focus on the role of government in the economy and the relationship between private property and public welfare--come and go as society evolves and our moral and cultural concerns evolve. In the past, second dimension issues have included slavery, prohibition, suffrage, and desegregation. Though these issues are disparate, they tend to revolve around governments role in structuring social society, as opposed to our economic society.
Sometimes, first dimension liberals are on the side of government intervention in private morality (as in the case of antidiscrimination laws) and sometimes it is first dimension conservatives who support state control of morality (as in the case of abortion or drugs). Because of this inconsistency, political scientists are often hesistant to group moral or social issues into the same category as economic issues since there is no hard and fast rule about which side is "liberal" and which is "conservative" when it comes to government control of individual morality.
Often, when people talk about liberals and conservatives in American politics, they talk about issues that are outside of this size and scope of government dimension, like abortion, gay rights, and the death penalty. These issues are important, but they are not (yet) a really enduring part of the liberal-conservative conflict. Political scientists sometimes call these kind of issues "second dimension" issues. These types of issues--which don't focus on the role of government in the economy and the relationship between private property and public welfare--come and go as society evolves and our moral and cultural concerns evolve. In the past, second dimension issues have included slavery, prohibition, suffrage, and desegregation. Though these issues are disparate, they tend to revolve around governments role in structuring social society, as opposed to our economic society.
Sometimes, first dimension liberals are on the side of government intervention in private morality (as in the case of antidiscrimination laws) and sometimes it is first dimension conservatives who support state control of morality (as in the case of abortion or drugs). Because of this inconsistency, political scientists are often hesistant to group moral or social issues into the same category as economic issues since there is no hard and fast rule about which side is "liberal" and which is "conservative" when it comes to government control of individual morality.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Lecture Notes
I will be uploading the slides from lectures here on the class blog from now on. Here are the slides from our first three classes. I will post new slides on a rolling basis.
Lecture 1
Lecture 2
Lecture 3
UPDATE: I have gone through and corrected a typos, etc., in these slides since their presentation in class.
Lecture 1
Lecture 2
Lecture 3
UPDATE: I have gone through and corrected a typos, etc., in these slides since their presentation in class.
Making Social Choices
One of the most basic problems in politics--maybe the basic problem--is how to translate the preferences of a diverse group of people into a single choice for the group as a whole. In other words, the problem is how to aggregate the preferences of each individual person over the set of available choices into a final decision made for the group. This may seem simple at first glance. However, there are many different ways of making social choices and the process can become incredibly complicated very quickly, especially as the number of people, the variety of alternatives considered, and the diversity of opinion in the group increase.
Sometimes, the processes by which decisions are made are quite simple. One very simple mechanism for making social choices is called a "dictatorship." This means that one person makes choices on behalf of the group. Another way to put it is that the social preference order is the same as the individual preference order of the dictator.
Sometimes, the process for making a social choice is quite complicated, as is often the case in the United States. Our national social choices are often made by the federal legislative process which involves--among other things-- electing 435 members of the House of Representatives, 100 Senators, and one president, and an elaborate committee system to translate the preferences of 300 million Americans into single choices over this or that policy.
Whether the process is simple or elaborate, though, the process matters. The rules or institutions that govern the alternatives that groups consider and how preferences over those alternatives are aggregated influence and often determine the outcome of the social choice. In other words, how a social choice gets made often determines which choice is made.
To underscore this point, I am going to ask you to try and read an article by Charles Plott and Michael Levine that was published in 1977 in the Virginia Law Review. The paper (here--you must be using an on-campus network to access) is called "The Flying Club." It is famous because it tells the story of how one author (Levine) conspired with the other (Plott) to lead his airplane club to make a social choice that reflected his personal preferences over which kinds of airplanes to buy. It is important because it explains--in language that is about as clear as any academic paper can be--how parts of making social choices that seem innocent and inconsequential--the order in which alternative are considered, whether alternatives are considered two or three at a time, etc.--can change the outcome of a social choice process.
Sometimes, the processes by which decisions are made are quite simple. One very simple mechanism for making social choices is called a "dictatorship." This means that one person makes choices on behalf of the group. Another way to put it is that the social preference order is the same as the individual preference order of the dictator.
Sometimes, the process for making a social choice is quite complicated, as is often the case in the United States. Our national social choices are often made by the federal legislative process which involves--among other things-- electing 435 members of the House of Representatives, 100 Senators, and one president, and an elaborate committee system to translate the preferences of 300 million Americans into single choices over this or that policy.
Whether the process is simple or elaborate, though, the process matters. The rules or institutions that govern the alternatives that groups consider and how preferences over those alternatives are aggregated influence and often determine the outcome of the social choice. In other words, how a social choice gets made often determines which choice is made.
To underscore this point, I am going to ask you to try and read an article by Charles Plott and Michael Levine that was published in 1977 in the Virginia Law Review. The paper (here--you must be using an on-campus network to access) is called "The Flying Club." It is famous because it tells the story of how one author (Levine) conspired with the other (Plott) to lead his airplane club to make a social choice that reflected his personal preferences over which kinds of airplanes to buy. It is important because it explains--in language that is about as clear as any academic paper can be--how parts of making social choices that seem innocent and inconsequential--the order in which alternative are considered, whether alternatives are considered two or three at a time, etc.--can change the outcome of a social choice process.
Getting to Posts at The New York Times
Some of you are having trouble getting to links at The New York Times' website. That website requires users to register to view some articles. This is free, and should only take you a couple minutes.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Civic Literacy (Not Required)
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute annually publishes a web-based Civic Literacy Quiz, which tests one's knowledge of some basic information about American history, politics, and economics.
This year's quiz is here, and it's worth a few minutes to have a go.
When this test was administered to a random sample of adults, the average score was 49%. College graduates averaged 57%.
This year's quiz is here, and it's worth a few minutes to have a go.
When this test was administered to a random sample of adults, the average score was 49%. College graduates averaged 57%.
Politics
As we will discuss in class, "politics" emerges when people who disagree with one another have to make decisions on behalf of their group. Along these lines, one of the most apt definitions of politics come from David Easton, an American political scientist. He defines politics as "the authoritative allocation of values."
In plain language, Easton identifies politics with groups making binding choices about how to manage their material resources (things of value) and modes of behavior (actions of value or moral values).
So, sometimes a thing is political because a group decides how to dole out its tangible resources. The $700 billion (that's $700,000,000,000 or $7 x 10^11) "troubled asset" bailout that Congress approved last fall is an example of this. Sometimes a thing is political because a group makes decisions about "the good." The current debate over teaching evolution in public schools in Texas is good example of this kind of politics.
Politics of both types are all around us. Anytime a group of people make choices about "values," its political. Husbands and wives creating family budgets, fraternities and sororities deciding on dues, churches deciding whether to perform same-sex marriages and commitment ceremonies, cities making zoning rules, states making criminal laws, and countries setting taxes and making declarations of war are all examples of politics.
In plain language, Easton identifies politics with groups making binding choices about how to manage their material resources (things of value) and modes of behavior (actions of value or moral values).
So, sometimes a thing is political because a group decides how to dole out its tangible resources. The $700 billion (that's $700,000,000,000 or $7 x 10^11) "troubled asset" bailout that Congress approved last fall is an example of this. Sometimes a thing is political because a group makes decisions about "the good." The current debate over teaching evolution in public schools in Texas is good example of this kind of politics.
Politics of both types are all around us. Anytime a group of people make choices about "values," its political. Husbands and wives creating family budgets, fraternities and sororities deciding on dues, churches deciding whether to perform same-sex marriages and commitment ceremonies, cities making zoning rules, states making criminal laws, and countries setting taxes and making declarations of war are all examples of politics.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Syllabus Error: Textbooks
This semester, we will be using the 4th edition of the Logic of American Politics. The syllabus indicates that we will use the 3rd edition, but this is not correct, and I apologize for the error.
The campus bookstore has stocked the correct edition, I believe. So, if you made your purchase there, you should be fine.
The campus bookstore has stocked the correct edition, I believe. So, if you made your purchase there, you should be fine.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
President Obama's Inauguration
As Barack Obama prepared to take office, Iraqis were risking their lives to seek public office, a Russian human rights lawyer was murdered for challenging the release of an Army officer convicted of murdering a woman in Chechnya, and an Australian novelist was being sent to prison in Thailand for criticizing that country's monarch.
Regardless of your political orientation or attitude toward the new president, the peaceful transition of power amidst loyal opposition is a striking feature of the American republic.
Regardless of your political orientation or attitude toward the new president, the peaceful transition of power amidst loyal opposition is a striking feature of the American republic.
Welcome
Welcome to Introduction to American National Government and Politics for Spring 2009.
Sadly, I know that many of you enrolled in the course are not here by choice. Out of roughly 600 students enrolled in the 2 sections of this course I am teaching this spring, less than 10 have declared a major in political science. Most of you are here because the state legislature mandates that universities that receive state funds must require a course of study in political science as part of all bachelors degree programs. As Title 3 of the Texas Code reads, in part:
Still, it is important to remember why this requirement is in place. According the the Census Bureau's most recent data on educational attainment, only about a quarter of the adults in this country hold a college degree. While higher education confers many advantages and benefits to those who pursue it, it also imposes important responsibilities and expectations. Among these, many of you in this course will be called up to assume positions of civic leadership and social responsibility throughout your lives. It is therefore important for you to understand the values that our system of government is designed to protect and promote and to develop an understanding of the mechanics of our political system so that you can competently engage thoughtful citizenship.
These facts have led me to restructure this course in a way to make its content more engaging, interesting, and useful to students from a variety of fields. Specifically, I have updated the course to (1) make materials more accessible, (2) relate ideas and information to current events, and (3) make the course more interactive for students. The most visible part of the new structure is this blog, which I will use as a hub for course readings, information, and announcements.
I will make new blog posts for each class day that will link to external news sources and draw connections between our work in class and real world politics. I will also use the blog to communicate with students and make course announcements. So, please check the blog each day before you come to class for new readings and class information.
Please note, unless I specifically note otherwise, this blog and the items to which it links are required course reading. This means that you may be tested on the information and ideas covered in the blog posts.
In the meantime, good luck with the semester, and please make an effort to contact me if you have any questions about the course, readings, etc. or if you have suggestions about improving the course.
Sadly, I know that many of you enrolled in the course are not here by choice. Out of roughly 600 students enrolled in the 2 sections of this course I am teaching this spring, less than 10 have declared a major in political science. Most of you are here because the state legislature mandates that universities that receive state funds must require a course of study in political science as part of all bachelors degree programs. As Title 3 of the Texas Code reads, in part:
Sec. 51.301. GOVERNMENT OR POLITICAL SCIENCE. (a) Every college and university receiving state support or state aid from public funds shall give a course of instruction in government or political science which includes consideration of the Constitution of the United States... a college or university receiving state support or state aid from public funds may not grant a baccalaureate degree or a lesser degree or academic certificate to any person unless the person has credit for such a course.So, I recognize that many of you would rather be off taking another course or doing something else all together.
Still, it is important to remember why this requirement is in place. According the the Census Bureau's most recent data on educational attainment, only about a quarter of the adults in this country hold a college degree. While higher education confers many advantages and benefits to those who pursue it, it also imposes important responsibilities and expectations. Among these, many of you in this course will be called up to assume positions of civic leadership and social responsibility throughout your lives. It is therefore important for you to understand the values that our system of government is designed to protect and promote and to develop an understanding of the mechanics of our political system so that you can competently engage thoughtful citizenship.
These facts have led me to restructure this course in a way to make its content more engaging, interesting, and useful to students from a variety of fields. Specifically, I have updated the course to (1) make materials more accessible, (2) relate ideas and information to current events, and (3) make the course more interactive for students. The most visible part of the new structure is this blog, which I will use as a hub for course readings, information, and announcements.
I will make new blog posts for each class day that will link to external news sources and draw connections between our work in class and real world politics. I will also use the blog to communicate with students and make course announcements. So, please check the blog each day before you come to class for new readings and class information.
Please note, unless I specifically note otherwise, this blog and the items to which it links are required course reading. This means that you may be tested on the information and ideas covered in the blog posts.
In the meantime, good luck with the semester, and please make an effort to contact me if you have any questions about the course, readings, etc. or if you have suggestions about improving the course.
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