U.S. Government and Politics
Curriculum guideline
Lecture: 4 hrs. per week
In this course, students will engage in a variety of learning activities such as attending lectures, participation in class discussions, debates, individual and group presentations, reflections, in class reading assignments, group assignments and take-home assignments.
Unit One: The Context of American Government and Politics
1.1. Introduction: the internal environment, the changing international role of the U.S., American political culture (individualism, anti-statism, egalitarianism, and populism), American exceptionalism, and religion in American politics and culture.
1.2. The U.S. Constitution: the nature of the original constitutional compromise, the separation of powers, historic constitutional amendments, and constitutional change.
1.3. The federal system: evolutionary development and contemporary state-federal relations.
Unit Two: The Major Institutions of the National Government
2.1. The Presidency: the office and the person, presidential power and constraints, and the evolving character of the presidency.
2.2. The Congress: the structures, roles, and operations of, and relations between, the House of Representatives and Senate; the role of parties in the Congress; the relationship with the Presidency; and the Congressional Budgetary Office.
2.3. The judiciary: the structure of and appointments to the federal judiciary; judicial review; the functioning of the Supreme Court; judicial activism and restraint and civil rights and civil liberties.
2.4. The bureaucracy and policy making: the budgetary process, the role of the presidency, Congress and the bureaucracy, and domestic and foreign policy.
Unit Three: The Process of American Politics
3.1. Interest groups: characteristics of American interest groups; the art of political lobbying; and interest groups and democracy.
3.2. Political parties and elections: the evolution and decline of American political parties; the structure of the electoral system, the role of states in the national electoral system, the national convention, the Electoral College, and campaign financing.
Unit Four: The Enduring Issues of American Politics
4.1. The nature of American democracy: the founding dream; the criticisms of American democracy; evaluating American democracy (e.g., cultural divisions and policy debates).
4.2. Civil rights, race, and gender: the continuing issue of race in American politics; American feminism; and concepts of equality, affirmative action and language issues.
4.3. Civil liberties: freedom of expression; freedom of religion; and political, legal, and property rights.
4.4. The U.S. political economy: the nature of the American economy; government regulation; government subsidization of industry; and poverty in America.
4.5. The U.S. role in international politics: the evolution of U.S. involvement in the international system, and the linkage between domestic and foreign policy determination.
At the conclusion of the course, the successful student will be able to:
1. identify various approaches to the study of American politics;
2. describe American political culture, institutions and processes of the American government: the U.S. constitution, Presidency, judiciary and bureaucracy; federalism; the U.S. electoral and party system; and interest groups;
3. evaluate the strengths and problems associated with American political processes including the electoral system;
4. apply critical thinking to explore current issues in American politics such as cultural divisions and enduring issues such as race;
5. identify the differences between American and Canadian politics and institutions;
6. judge the normative content of American public policy;
7. reflect in writing on an issue in American public policy.
Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy.
There will be at least three separate assessments, which may include a combination of exams, research projects, quizzes, in-class and online written assignments, seminar presentations, group and other creative projects, and class participation.
The value of each assessment and evaluation, expressed as a percentage of the final grade, will be listed in the course outline distributed to students at the beginning of the term. Specific evaluation criteria will vary according to the instructor’s assessment of appropriate evaluation methods.
Students may conduct research as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research
Example evaluation scheme:
Quizzes 10%
Participation 10%
Mid-term exam 25%
Term essay 30%
Final exam 25%
Total: 100%
A list of required textbooks and materials will be provided to students at the beginning of the semester. Textbooks and materials will be selected based on instructor expertise and preference, and in consultation with other members of the department. There are a range of textbooks and materials that can fulfill course objectives. Some examples include:
Ginsberg, B., et al. We The People. McGraw-Hill Ryerson. New York. Current edition.
Lowi, et al., American Government – Power and Purpose. W.W. Norton & Company. New York. Current edition.
McClain, P., and Tauber, S. American Government in Black and White - Diversity and Democracy. Oxford University Press. Current edition.
POLI 1101 or permission of the instructor.