Requirements: Students are required to participate in class discussions, which requires doing the reading prior to class. Grading will be based on  participation in  class discussions, including class debates on current political issues (10%), as well as on two papers of 6-7 pages each (40%), several short assignments and quizzes (25%), and a final exam with essays (25%). Total writing for the course will be at least 24 pages to fulfill the Gordon rule requirement. Special attention will be given to the process of writing, including three sessions throughout the course in which we will discuss writing in class. Unexcused absences will result in a lower grade for the course.

Readings: We will use the text We the People, shorter 3rd edition paperback, by Lowi, Ginsberg, and Weir, hereafter referred to as WTP. Additional required readings are indicated by a *. Some required readings are available on the web, in some cases at lexis-nexis, accessible within the FAU domain. If you are off campus, to use this service you need to create a proxy--your login is your 14-digit student ID, and the password is 'fau'. You will not succeed in class without doing the additional required readings, so be sure to make arrangements to get this material. Additional meetings will be scheduled for screenings of films. Readings should be done prior to the meeting under which the reading is listed.
    The textbook has an accompanying website to which purchasers of the textbook have access. Use of this site is not required for the course. You may wish to consult other Government resources on the web. You should also be in the habit of reading a major national newspaper such as the New York Times, either by subscribing or reading it on the web.

Office Hours: TBA in MHA 113. Additional times can be arranged by phoning 799-8650, or emailing me at tunick@fau.edu.

Students agree to adhere to the honor code, available online at http://www.fau.edu/divdept/honcol/students/honorcode.html

For those interested: Magna Carta  ;  Historic documents/speeches (Project Vote-Smart)

8/28: Politics in a multicultural society. Class debate: Should immigration be restricted?
    Rdg: WTP, chapters 1-2; Eric Schmitt, "Pockets of Protest are Rising against Immigration," New York Times, August 9, 2001: available at lexis-nexis: search news/general news.
    Assignment 1 handed out (on the Constitution)

For those interested:The National Immigration Forum : advocates open immigration; Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) : seeks to restrict immigration; US Immigration and Naturalization Service; League of United Latin American Citizens v. Pete Wilson (voiding Prop 187): available at lexis-nexis: search legal research/get a case/select 'citation' and type in 908 F Supp 755; Atlantic Monthly articles on Immigration  ; U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform: Research Papers  ;  Public Policy Institute of California Study on Mexican Immigrants: finds that many Mexican immigrants don't remain in the U.S. and those that do are the best educated; Immigration Policy: A New Approach : 1981 article by economist defending open immigration; Pam Belluck, "Mixed Welcome as Somalis Settle in a Maine City," New York Times, October 15, 2002, available at lexis-nexis, search news/general news

Week Two: The Constitution
8/30: No Class [Makeup class will be a film screening to be scheduled later in the semester]

9/4: The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution; Amending the Constitution
    Rdg: The Articles of Confederation (WTP , Appendix A6); U.S. Constitution and Amendments (WTP, Appendix A10, A17); and WTP ch.3, pp. 68-75
For those interested: Declaration of Independence (also in WTP, A3)

9/6 The structure and history of the U.S. Constitution; Separation of powers
    Rdg: WTP ch. 3, pp. 75-109
    Assignment 1 due

Week Three: Federalism
9/11: States' rights vs national supremacy; the expansion of the federal government through the commerce clause. First session on writing.
    Rdg: WTP ch. 4
    Assignment 2 handed out (on the commerce clause)

For those interested: Text of the Americans with Disabilities Act; Hammer v. Dagenhart, 247 US 251 (1918); Wickard v. Filburn, 317 US 111 (1942); Heart of Atlanta Motel v. U.S./oral arguments, 379 US 241 (1964); Philadelphia v. New Jersey, 437 US 617 (1978)

9/13: Class debate: may the federal government regulate the possession of guns near local schools, or should this be left to the states?
    Rdg: United States v. Lopez, 514 US 549, 1995: read Rehnquist's opinion, Thomas's concurrence, and the dissents of Breyer, Souter, and Stevens
 

For those interested:Oral Arguments for United States v. Lopez

Week Four: Constitutional Rights
9/18: The Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment. Class debates on the right to bear arms and the 4th Amendment right to privacy
    Rdg: WTP ch. 5, pp. 146-155,169-193
     Assignment 2 due
    Assignment 3 handed out

For those interested:Katz v. United States, 389 US 347 (1967); Is a discount on baseball tickets to churchgoers a violation of atheists' rights? (NYTimes); The Gun Control Debate (NY Times)

9/20: Class debate: Does a University's hate speech code prohibiting racial epithets violate the constitutional protections for free speech?
    Rdg: WTP ch. 5, pp. 155-169; J.S. Mill, from On Liberty, chapter 2, available online; another version
 

Week Five: Equality
9/25: Slavery, Reconstruction, Segregation, Integration; the Equal Protection Clause.
    Rdg: WTP ch. 6, pp. 194-220
     Assignment 3 due

9/27: Civil rights and equal protection today. Class debate on affirmative action. Second session on writing.
    Rdg: WTP ch. 6, pp. 220-234; Shelby Steele, "A Negative Vote on Affirmative Action"*
    Assignment 4 handed out

For those interested:Americans United for Affirmative Action; Atlantic Monthly articles on affirmative action and race; NYT Magazine: Against Affirmative Action (5/2/99)

Part Two: Institutions of Government
Week Six: Congress
10/2: Congressional policy making
    Rdg: WTP ch. 13, pp. 503-529

TBA: Screening and discussion of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in MHC 114

For those interested: How a Bill Becomes Law (Project Vote-Smart); How laws are made (account of the legislative process from the Library of Congress)

10/4: Congress: its purpose and organization. Class debate: should there be term limits?
    Rdg: WTP ch. 13, pp. 480-502; readings on term limits*
    Draft of Assignment 4 Due

For those interested: U.S. Senate web site   ; Atlantic Monthly articles on Congress  ; Congress.org   ;  Congressional Documents/Debates, 1774-1873  ;  U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, 514 US 779 (1995)

Week Seven: The Presidency
10/9: No Class [Makeup class will be a screening of a film, to be scheduled later in the semester]

10/11:  Presidential Powers
    Rdg: WTP ch. 14, pp. 530-544; Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer (Steel Seizure Case), 343 US 579 (1952)*--for those interested, the complete decision is available on the web: LII version;  findlaw version
    Assignment 4 (final draft) due

For those interested: Atlantic Monthly articles on the Presidency   ;  Atlantic Monthly articles on past presidents  ;  The American Presidents (Grolier)    ;   Budget of the U.S. Government    ;   Clinton v. City of New York (524 US 417, 1998)--strikes down the line-item veto;  Office of Management and Budget (OMB);  Presidential Speeches (audio) / FDR's inaugural address, March 4, 1933 ; Presidential Addresses, texts  (and other historic documents); White House web site  ; Morrison v. Olson, 486 U.S. 654, 1988: upholds Congress's independent counsel law; U.S. v. Nixon, 418 US 683 (1974); Research guide on impeachment

Week Eight: Bureaucracy
10/16: The Bureaucracy phenomenon
    Rdg: WTP ch. 15
    Case Study: The FDA's Authority to Regulate Tobacco

Weeks Eight and Nine: The Federal Courts
10/18: The federal court system
    Rdg: WTP ch. 16

10/23: Judicial review and democracy. Class debate: Should unelected Justices have the power to overturn the will of the majority?
    Rdg: Marbury v. Madison, 5 US 137 (1803)*--for those interested, the complete decision is available on the web.

For those interested: Supreme Court 98-99 Term (NYTimes); Supreme Court 99-00 Term (NYTimes); Legal resources   ; Supreme Court's official website

10/25: The Supreme Court and the Abortion debate
    Rdg: Roe v. Wade, 410 US 113 (1973)*--for those interested, the complete decision is available on the web.
    Paper One Due

For those interested: Oral arguments for Roe v. Wade and Griswold v. Connecticut  ; Atlantic Monthly articles and links on abortion

Part Three: Politics
Week Ten: Public Opinion and the Media
10/30: Public Opinion. Third session on writing.

11/1: The media and politics. Class debate: Should elected officials shape or be shaped by public opinion?
    Rdg: WTP ch. 7-8
    Assignment 5  (on the electoral college)

For those interested: The Media and Health Care Policy (U Penn report); Films: Network,Bulworth,A Face in the Crowd

Week Eleven: Political Parties and Elections
11/6 : Elections and the electoral college. Class debate: should there be an electoral college?
    Rdg: WTP ch. 11, pp. 388-399; Michael Lind, "If a Swing State Cares, It's an Issue," New York Times, Oct. 2, 2000, available at lexis-nexis, search news/general news
Assignment 5 due

For those interested: Electoral college calculator  ;   National Archives electoral college site

11/8: Political Parties
    Rdg: WTP ch. 10

For those interested: Democratic Party  ;   Republican Party ;    Ballot Access News  ;   Libertarian Party ;   Reform Party

Week Twelve: Campaigns and Voting
11/13: Election campaigns and campaign finance reform
    Rdg: WTP ch. 11, pp. 399-427; Buckley v. Valeo, 424 US 1 (1976): excerpts on reserve in course packet*; Jack Hitt, "Real Campaign Finance Reform" (NYT Magazine, July 25, 1999)*
Paper Two topics handed out

11/15: Why and how people vote
    Rdg: WTP ch. 11, pp. 427-435

For those interested: Atlantic Monthly articles on political campaigns   ;   Brookings Institute Campaign Finance Reform  ;   Campaign Finance Information Center (includes text of news articles); Center for Responsive Politics (reports who gave money to which candidates); Federal Elections Commission   ;   League of Women Voters  ;  Mother Jones coverage of campaign finance   ;   National Institute on Money in state politics   ;   New York Times coverage of campaign finance reform   ; Project Vote-Smart primer on campaign finance   ;   Washington Post on campaign finance   ;  Project Vote-Smart   ;   Public Disclosure,  Inc. (comprehensive independent campaign finance site)

11/15, 7-10pm: Film, 'Berkeley in the 60s', MHC 114

Week Thirteen: Political Participation and Interest Groups
11/20: Political participation and protest movements
    Rdg: WTP ch. 9; Timothy Egan, "They Give, but They also Take: Voters Muddle States' Finances," New York Times, March 2, 2002 (on voter initiatives): search news/general news at lexis-nexis

11/22 Thanksgiving: No Class

11/27: The influence of interest groups in U.S. politics
    Rdg: WTP ch. 12

Part Four: Policy
Week Fourteen: Public Policy
11/29: Regulation; welfare policy. Class debate: Should government provide assistance to the poor and if so, in what ways and to what extent?
    Rdg: Paul Krugman, "For Richer," New York Times Magazine, Oct. 20, 2002: at lexis-nexis:search news/ general news
    Paper two due

For those interested:"Changes in Welfare Bring Improvements for Families," New York Times, June 1, 2000 (byline: Robert Pear); and Peter Kilborn, "Recession is Stretching the Limit on Welfare Benefits," New York Times, Dec. 9, 2001--at lexis-nexis:search general news; Charles Murray, Losing Ground (1984)--opposing government assistance to the poor ;  Atlantic Monthly articles on the budget   ;   Atlantic Monthly articles on poverty ; Washington Post series on social security policy ; Washington Post series on tax policy

Week Fifteen: Foreign Policy
12/4: Foreign policy: players, issues, instruments. Class debate: may the President initiate a military action without Congress's approval?
    Rdg: Text of War Powers Resolution;  2 New York Times articles: "Unions Deny Stand Over Trade Policy" (byline: Greenhouse), April 24, 2000; and "Orange Juice Tariff Hinders Trade Pact" (byline: DePalma), April 24, 2000. Available on lexis-nexis--search news/general news.

For those interested: Atlantic Monthly articles on foreign policy ; President Clinton's speech on the National Missile Defense, Sept 1. 2000 ; Failsafe (a film, available at library)