POLITICAL
SCIENCE
1014
Introduction to
Instructor:
Dr. Charles Walcott
528 Major
Williams
Office Hours: MWF 11-12; T 10:30-12
Office Phone:
231-5491
e-mail: cwalcott@vt.edu
Teaching Assistants:
Required Books:
Course Organization:
There will be lectures each Monday and Wednesday, except when there are
exams. Lecture material will
not simply repeat what is in your books, though it will be related.
Both reading and lectures will be covered on all exams, in roughly
equal proportions. Of course, many
important matters will be
covered in both.
Assignments and Grading
Your course grade will consist of three midterm exams, a final exam,
and a
short analytical essay on a topic provided by your
instructor. Each student must write one
analytical essay. If a
student writes more than one, the highest grade will count.
Each midterm exam will be worth 40 points (20% of your grade). The essay will be worth 30 points, and the final exam will be worth 50 points. All exams will consist entirely of multiple-choice questions. Some of the questions on the final will repeat or closely resemble questions from the midterms.
In addition, up to three 4-point extra-credit topics will be
offered
at
different points during the semester. These will be announced
during
lectures. Two-to-three page essays on these topics will be due at
the
beginning of the next class period. There will be no advance
notice of
these extra-credit opportunities, and no make-ups. They may
involve current events in
For the course as a whole, the grading scale will be as
follows:
A = 180 points &
up B =
160-170 C =
140-150 D = 120-130
A- =
176-179
B- = 156-159 C- =
136-139 D- = 116-119
B+ =
171-175
C+ = 151-155 D+ =
131-135 F = 115 &
below
Admonitions:
We expect that you will take all exams at the scheduled time. If
you
cannot, and can present written evidence of a legitimate excuse, a
make-up will
be arranged. Legitimate excuses include illness and
University-sponsored,
extra-curricular activities. They do not include a desire to
attend a
relative’s birthday party or to spend a little more time at
home.
When
in doubt, please ask in advance.
All make-up exams will be short-answer in format and will cover the
same
material as the exam that was missed.
We will make every effort to accommodate students with disabilities. Please see Prof. Walcott if you need to make such arrangements.
The Virginia Tech Honor Code is in effect throughout this course.
Course Outline:
Note: all exams will be in McBryde
100
It is best to do the indicated readings before the lecture, or immediately afterward, so the readings and lectures can reinforce one another.
August 25 - Introduction to the
Course (no reading)
August 27 - Politics, Values
&
Culture (read Lowi, ch. 1; Hardin, "The Tragedy of the Commons" in OR)
Sept. 2-8 - The
Founding and
the Constitution (read Lowi ch. 2; Federalist 10 & 51, Brutus 6 in
OR)
Sept. 10-15 - Federalism (read Lowi,
ch. 3; McCulloch v. Maryland and
Gibbons v. Ogden in OR. Recommended: U.S. v. Morrison)
Sept. 17 - Civil Liberties
(read Lowi, ch. 4; Posner, "Not a Suicide Pact" in OR)
Sept. 22 - Civil Rights
(read Brown v. Board of Education
in OR. Recommended: Plessy v.
Ferguson)
FIRST MIDTERM EXAM SEPTEMBER 24
Sept. 29 -Oct. 1 - The Legislative Branch
(read Lowi, ch. 5; David Mayhew, "Congress: The Electoral Connection"
in OR)
Oct. 6-8 - The Presidency (read Lowi, ch. 6)
Oct. 13-15 - The Executive Bureaucracy (read Lowi, ch. 7
; James Q. Wilson, "Bureaucracies" in OR)
Oct. 20-22 - The Judicial Branch
(read Lowi, ch. 8)
SECOND MIDTERM EXAM OCTOBER 27
Oct. 29-Nov. 3 - Elections
(read Lowi, ch. 10; Donald Green and Alan Gerber, "Get out the Vote!"
in OR)
Nov. 5-10 - Public
Opinion and the Media (read Lowi, ch. 9; Tim Groseclose & Jeffrey
Milyo, "A Measure of Media Bias: in OR)
Nov. 12 - Political Parties (read
Lowi, ch. 11)
SECOND
ANALYTICAL ESSAY DUE
NOVEMBER 12
Nov. 17 - Interest Groups (read Lowi, ch 12)
Nov. 22-30 Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 1 - The Public Policy Process (read Lowi, ch. 13)
Dec. 3 - Welfare and Education (read Jacob S.
Hacker, "The Divided Welfare State" in OR)
Dec. 8 - Economic Policy (read Jasmine Farrier, "Passing
the Buck: Congress, the Budget, and Deficits" In OR)
Dec. 10 National Security Policy (read
Lowi, ch. 14; Daalder & Lindsay, "America Unbound: The Bush
Revolution in Foreign Policy" in OR)
FINAL EXAM December 15, 3:25
p.m.
The final exam will consist of
roughly 20-25 questions from the readings and lectures since the third
midterm. The rest will review earlier
material. Some will be repeats from
prior exams.