Prerequisite: POLS 1101

Civic participation is the life blood of our democracy, and knowledge is key to civic participation. Understanding the Congress is an essential part of any political and civic education. The objectives of this course are to 1) acquire an understanding of the Congress; 2) explore the issues involved in congressional activity from both an analytical and practical viewpoint; 3) promote the value of open-mindedness when confronting these issues; and 4) promote a sense of political efficacy with the practical applications of the knowledge and skills acquired in class.

The substance of this course consists of information from several sources. In class, we will engage in as much discussion and as little lecture as possible. To that end, you need to do the readings before their assigned date. Be familiar enough with them to discuss and answer questions about them. We will also follow current congressional events to get a “real time” view of the Congress. Therefore, you must also stay informed of the progress of these events. We will follow current events as covered in the Yahoo! News/Politics web site.

For other mutual sources of information (so we know what each of us is talking about), I suggest reading the New York Times or the Washington Post; listening to Morning Edition (5-9am) or All Things Considered (4-6:30pm) on National Public Radio (WABE-FM, 90.1 in Atlanta or WNGU-FM, 89.5 in Dahlonega) or watching the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (6-7pm) on PBS (WGTV, Channel 8 in Atlanta), or C-SPAN (when appropriate). Congress also maintains several web sites — for the House, Senate, and for legislative activity. Media sites include CNN’s Politics.com, or FOX News’ Politics sites. For these and other relevant sites, see my  Government and Politics and Elections sites.

In addition to the assigned readings, we will review articles from the Yahoo! News/Politics web site each week. You will present and lead class discussions of the articles. Together, we will select articles from the web that complement class topics*. So in a very real sense, you will help to shape the content of the course! Of course, you all are responsible for all of the assigned articles, text, and any other course materials. In presenting these articles, I would like each class member to assume a particular role (e.g., candidates, party strategists, the press, etc.). This will help us to gain particular insights into the different perspectives on various electoral issues. A list of roles appears in the POLS 4110 Role Page.

For most weeks (see course schedule, below), the class meets Wednesdays only. Online discussion replaces Monday classes: We will begin new topics and readings after each Wednesday class. You are required to post comments on that material to our GeorgiaVIEW discussion site. You are required to post at least one substantive response (1. not just "I liked...", or "I didn't like" or similar words; 2. analytical, not judgmental) to discussion/notes I will post on GeorgiaVIEW each week and at least one substantive original comment. Treat online discussions as required readings – you are responsible for, and may be tested on them. There may be videos to view or other activities assigned as part of these discussions.

There are two ‘mid-term’ exams and a final. Each is 15% of your grade. They consist of three essay questions. A few days before the exam, I will give you a set of five or six essay questions. On the day of the exam, I will select 3 of these questions for you to answer. Please do not miss the exams (you know our schedule now and so can plan your schedule well ahead). I will not give makeups unless you 1) notify me or the department in advance (no exceptions); and 2) verify extreme circumstances in writing. A research project of 12 (typed, double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12-point font or smaller) pages (another 10% of your grade) is due no later than [Date TBA]. The exact format and topics will be discussed in class, but you must discuss them with me before proceeding. To prepare you for the project, an annotated bibliography is due by [Date TBA]. An annotated outline of your project is due by [Date TBA]. Together, the bibliography and proposal/outline are worth 5% of your grade. A revision of your project, worth 10% of your grade, is due in class during the last week (see the schedule for details). Do not turn in late papers! If I accept them (and I may not!), you will lose either 5% or 1 point of your paper grade (whichever is greater) for each day late. Your online posts are worth another 10% of your grade. A presentation of your project during the last two weeks of class is another 10% of your grade. Another 5% consists of your web article presentations. Finally, 5% consists of your participation in and attendance of class.

While I do not grade on a curve (You earn what you earn, and I hope you all earn “A”s!), the typical class average is around a middle or upper “C” (Despite the often inflated nature of grading, a “C” is average — not below average; and a “B” is above average). Simply completing the course requirements will most likely earn a “C” (70-79). A “B” (80-89) requires some demonstration of effort beyond just the requirements. An “A” (90-100) requires extraordinary performance. Two final notes on attendance: 1. While the NGCSU attendance policy (see the NGCSU Student Handbook, or the NGCSU 2011-2012 Bulletin, p. 85-6) applies to this course, and while I will take attendance, I’m only interested in your general attendance. I’m only interested in your general attendance. If you’re only absent once or twice, don’t worry. If you’re absent a lot (NGCSU does not recognize “cuts”), your grade will suffer (note also: late=absent!); 2. Any class announcements are considered sufficient notice. So, one way or the other, attendance matters.

CHEAT = FAIL. Cheating or plagiarizing will result in an automatic zero for the exam or assignment, a zero for participation and attendance, AND forfeiture of all extra credit. At my discretion, it may ALSO result in academic integrity charges and an “F” for the course.

Plagiarism in any form is a violation of NGCSU Academic Integrity policies and will not be tolerated:
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site.

NGCSU Integrity Code: “I will not lie, cheat, steal, plagiarize, evade the truth or tolerate those that do.”
All students in this class are bound by the above Integrity Code. For information on Academic Integrity as defined by NGCSU, see the NGCSU 2010-2011 Undergraduate Bulletin, p. 91. See also the FAQs page on Turnitin.com. See also http://www.plagiarism.org/.

NGCSU Early Intervention required statement:
As part of NGCSU’s Early Intervention commitment to your academic success, I may refer you to university services designed to help you succeed. Please understand that such referrals are not a form of punishment – they are intended to help you. In turn, I expect you to take advantage of the offer.

Information Literacy (IL): Our class project addresses IL Outcomes #1-4. Using turnitin.com meets #5.