Gerry
Berk
Office:
PLC 924
Office
Hours: Monday 1-4
tel:
346-4887
email:
gberk@uoregon.edu
This
course introduces students to U.S. politics by asking how democratic is the
American political system. Do common
people control American government? Or
do business, professional and government elites have undue influence on
government? Your textbook, The Democratic Debate, argues that who should control government—common people
or elites--has been the central problem of American democracy ever since the
founders wrote the Constitution in 1787.
This debate continues to inform the way citizens participate in politics
and the way government officials make decisions. In this course, we will look at how the
democratic debate informs our understanding of a variety of topics in American
politics, from the Constitution and elections to congress, the presidency and
bureaucracy. Students will be asked to
take a position on the democratic debate as we discuss pressing issues in
American politics, such as campaign finance reform, the power of the
presidency, and the influence of the media on elections and public policy.
All required readings come from your textbook or are available on Blackboard. Your textbook,
Miroff,
Seidelman, and Swanstrom, The Democratic
Debate (4th edition), is available for purchase in the university bookstore.
Readings on blackboard are listed under the title of the topic of the
week.
In
addition to readings, the course syllabus, exam study sheets, and all lecture
overhead slides will be posted on blackboard.
Grades will also be posted on grade book in blackboard.
1. 3 Multiple Choice Pop Quizzes. 10%
·
Each
quiz will cover all material after the previous quiz and up to the previous
lecture. Only 2 quizzes count (5 % each); so you can drop your lowest
score.
2.
In-Class Essay on the Constitution or
Public Opinion.
Monday, April 28 25%
·
One
of the two discussion questions will be announced at the exam. You must be prepared to answer both. 7-9 examination book pages.
3. Short Essay/ID Exam. Monday, May 12 25%
· Material from lectures and all readings from April 4 (Democracy, Capitalism and Inequality) to April 23 (Campaigns, Voting and Elections).
· Exam will ask you to define and give examples of key concepts, explain the significance of important events, and provide evidence of important problems.
·
A Study Sheet handed out on and posted on
Blackboard.
4.
Final Examination. Tuesday, June 10, 10:15 40%
·
Material
from all required readings, lectures and discussions from Social Movements to the Future of American Democracy.
·
Part I: Multiple Choice & Short Essay
Identification
· Part II: One of the remaining 4 essay questions on Election Law, Parties, the President or Congress, will be announced at the exam. You must prepare for all 4.
OFFICE HOURS: We
are available for help. If you receive a
C+ or less on your quizzes or exams and you are completing all the
required reading and attending class, please come talk with us. We want to help. Of course, we are also happy to meet with
anyone who just wants to talk or wants help regardless of your grade.
ACADEMIC HONESTY: Cheating and plagiarism will not be
tolerated in this class. All
examinations will be monitored closely.
Students caught with crib sheets, written outlines or essays, or other
aids during examinations will be reported to the Director of Student Judicial
Affairs for appropriate action.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS: All students with documented needs
in note taking, attending lectures and discussions or in taking examinations
will be accommodated. Please be sure to
talk to both your discussion leader and to me early in the quarter.
LECTURE
AND EXAM SCHEDULE WITH READING ASSIGNMENTS
Introduction March 31
Democracy, Capitalism and Inequality
April 2
The Democratic Debate, chapters 1 & 3
The Constitution April 7 & 9
The
Democratic Debate,
chapter 2 and Appendix, A-1 to A-20 (especially Madison, “Federalist No. 10”
and Brutus, “Anti-Federalist Paper, October 18, 1787”)
The Democratic Debate, chapters 4 & 6
On Blackboard
Cass Sunstein, “The Daily We”
Robert McChesney, “The Power of the Producers”
Voting, Campaigns and Elections April 21 & 23
The Democratic Debate, chapters 5 & 8
On
Blackboard
Bradley Smith,
“Free Speech Requires Campaign Money”
Dan Clawson, et
al, “Dollars and Votes”
We will also see the Film “Washington’s
Other Scandal” this week.
IN CLASS ESSAY EXAM: Monday April 28
Essay on the Constitution or Public
Opinion and Media.
April 30: Study Sheet for Short Essay
Exam Distributed
Parties and Interest Groups April 30 & May 5
The Democratic Debate, chapters 7 & 9
On Blackboard
Ross Douthat, “It’s His Party: Bush
Republicanism Is Here to Stay”
Lawrence Goodwyn,
“The Coming Party Realignment”
May 5: Film: Moyers on America, Capitol Crimes
Social Movements May 7
The Democratic Debate, chapter 10
SHORT
ESSAY/ID EXAM: Monday May 12
The Presidency
May 14 & 19
The Democratic Debate, chapter 12
On
Blackboard
John Yoo,
“How the Presidency Regained Its Balance”
Frederick A. O. Schwarz Jr. and Aziz
Huq,”You Go Too Far, Mr. President —The Founders Would Disapprove”
Eric A. Posner, “All Hail . . . King George?”
May 26:
Memorial Day
Congress May 21 & May 28
The Democratic Debate, chapter 11
On
Blackboard
Morris
Fiorina, “The Rise of the Washington Establishment”
William
Connelly & John Pitney, “The House Republicans”
Film: “The Power
Game” on the Iron Triangle
Bureaucracy June 2
The Democratic Debate, chapter 13
On
Blackboard
Chris
Edwards, “Downsizing the Federal Government”
Si Kahn and Elizabeth Minnich, “The Fox in the Henhouse: How
Privatization Threatens Democracy”
Wrap up and Review June 4
Week
1 : Introduction and Open Discussion (Week of March 31)
Are democracy
and corporate capitalism compatible? What is democracy and what are its
goals? What is capitalism and what are
its goals? Why might our political
system and our economic system be in conflict?
In what ways are they compatible?
Are there ways in which we can use government to help make capitalism
and democracy work better together? Or
is it best to keep the two systems as separate as possible?
Week
3: The Constitution (Week of April 14)
Suppose you were a small farmer in
Massachusetts in the 1780s. Would you
have voted to ratify the Constitution? What, if anything, do you like about the
form of government the founders devised at the constitutional convention? What, if anything, do you dislike about
it? On balance, does the form of
government proposed by the Constitution serve your interests and the interests
of people like you? Or would you prefer
another form of government?
Week
4: Public Opinion and the Media (Week of April 21)
What promise does the Internet hold for
revitalizing “the public sphere” in
American democracy? Will it help inform
the public better, link politicians better to voters, and advance informed
debate over important policies? Or is it
more likely to be a tool by which elites manipulate and control public opinion
even more effectively than they have in the past? Be sure to explain what is meant by the term
“public sphere” and to recount the recent challenges to it.
Week 5: Voting and Elections
(Week of April 28)
Do we need
campaign finance reform in order to change “high tech elections”? If no, why not? If yes, why and should Congress close the
loopholes, which allow for free spending of “soft money,” or should we have a system of publicly
financed elections? Be sure to explain
what “high tech elections” are, whether you think they are good or bad (and
why), and why your proposal makes sense in light of your evaluation of high
tech elections.
Are we due for another political party
realignment, in which the Democrats will become the majority party for a
generation? Or does it look Republicans will be the majority party and control
American politics for some time to come?
Be sure to 1) define the term “party realignment,” and 2) compare the
current situation to earlier realignments, such as 1932 or 1896.
Week 8: The Presidency (Week
of May 19)
Do
we have an “imperial presidency?” If so,
what difference does it make for American democracy? If not, how would you describe the office of
the presidency and assess its effects upon American democracy?
Week 9: Congress (Week
of May 26)
Can Congress
serve the public good? Can carry out its
constitutional mandate to legislate (make laws) in the public interest? Or is it doomed to serve the narrow private
interests of the most powerful groups in American society? Take a position on this debate.
Week 10: Final Exam Review
(Week of June 2)