Syllabus

This course will examine public opinion and mass political behavior in the United States, with a particular emphasis on environmental issues. Among the topics to be explored are the ways in which ordinary citizens make sense of their political world, the quality and sophistication of public opinion, the interplay between mass attitudes and public policy, and the motivations that underlie political participation and electoral choice.

Course Requirements

Our emphasis throughout the semester will be on critical thinking and the development of strong, analytical writing skills. Graded assignments are designed to evaluate your growth in these areas. Assignments are also designed to give you many opportunities, using different skills, to build a strong grade in this course.

  1. Your attendance and active participation is essential to the effectiveness of this class. It will account for 25% of your final score.
  1. Two essay-based exams will be administered in class, each worth 25% of your final grade. The first will be on Thursday, March 22, and the second on Tuesday, May 1. In addition, I reserve the right to give occasional pop-quizzes if it appears that students are ill-prepared for class.
  1. The remainder of your grade—25%—will be determined by a 10-page research paper on public attitudes toward an issue of your choice (for instance: the environment, the war on terror, immigration, etc.). While this project is due at the end of term—no later than 1:30 PM on Tuesday, May 8—I will expect you to follow your topic throughout the semester and relate it to the broader subjects we discuss in class. Further details will follow shortly in the form of a separate handout.

Required Reading

The following books are required reading for this course:

  • Robert S. Erikson and Kent L. Tedin, American Public Opinion, 9th edition. New York: Routledge (2014).
    ISBN:
    0133862674
  • Herbert Asher, Polling and the Public, 8th edition. Washington, DC: CQ Press (2011).
    ISBN:
    1604266066

All remaining assignments are available through hyperlinks on our class website at: http://www.uvm.edu/~dguber/POLS234/Spring_2018 under the heading “Calendar.”

Occasionally (and for a variety of reasons), I may decide to substitute one reading assignment for another. If that happens, I will make an announcement in class in advance of the day in question and place the new article online in place of the former. When in doubt, our class website will take precedence over the paper copy you receive at the start of term.

Discussion Questions

Discussion questions inspired by the reading assignments are posted on our class website and should be reviewed prior to each class.

Grading Standards

The grades I assign to written work are based on the following criteria:

Excellent (A range): Grades in the “A” range are reserved for work that is superior in quality. “A” essays are lively, interesting, and intellectually sophisticated. The writer develops a clear and creative thesis, and supports their argument with solid and persuasive evidence. The paper itself is polished and beautifully written, free of grammatical and typographical errors. Above all, “A” essays reflect originality. The writer’s own voice and logic are present on the page.

Good (B range): Grades in the “B” range reflect work that is good to very good in quality. The essay completes all of the requirements of the assignment at hand. It may have minor errors and flaws, but the foundation of the work is solid, clear, and reasonably well-organized. “B” essays address topics in a thoughtful way, but offer less insight and originality than “A” essays.

Fair (C range): A “C” essay represents work that is satisfactory in quality. The writer offers a thesis, but it is usually too broad, or too vague. The essay tends to make assertions without offering specific examples or supporting evidence from class lectures, discussions, and reading assignments. The overall impression of the paper is that of a rough draft. More effort at revision is encouraged and spelling and grammatical errors often require correction.

Poor (D range): “D” work is unsatisfactory. It is sloppy, incoherent and poorly written, marred by mechanical faults (e.g., errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling), and/or factual errors. The writer has difficulty developing an idea, and holding a paragraph together. The thesis of the paper—that is, what the paper is arguing—is usually absent or incomplete.

Failing (F): A failing grade is given for work that is exceedingly poor, cannot be understood, or has little relevance to the course.

No Credit (0): A grade of “zero” is given for any work that is not completed in full.

In addition, please note the following regarding assigned work:

In fairness to others, students are not permitted to do “extra credit,” either to compensate for a poor grade or a missed class.

If a student misses an exam for reasons that are both serious and outside of their control, they may make up that work, but only on a set day and time. During the Spring 2018 term, all make-up work must be completed on Wednesday, May 9, between 1:00-2:15 PM.

Finally, I expect all take-home assignments to be submitted in a timely fashion. I will reduce grades on late papers by one-third of one letter grade per day. In other words, a final paper received after 1:30 PM on Tuesday, May 8 will (at most) receive an A-, after that time the following day, a B+, and so on. Please do not be late!

Class Attendance and Participation

Class attendance and participation account for 25% of your final grade in this class. Attendance is recorded by your signature on the sheets passed around in class each day. All students receive two excused absences to cover minor illnesses and family emergencies, but 10 points will be deducted from your attendance grade for every class you miss after the first two. In other words, if you miss class frequently it is possible for your score to fall into negative numbers.

Please note that you may NOT use these excused absences for frivolous events first (e.g., oversleeping, skiing, a shopping trip to Montreal, etc.) and then request more later when serious circumstances develop.

You should also to be aware of the following:

·         You are solely responsible for making sure you sign the attendance sheet before leaving class. If you do not, your name cannot be added at a later point.

·         Any student involved in the forgery of signatures—either on the “giving” or “receiving” end—will receive an automatic zero for that entire portion of their grade, and may in addition be subject to the university’s policy on academic honesty.

Beyond the two described above, I do not grant additional excused absences unless you are observing a religious holiday, you travel out of town as a member of an officially sanctioned UVM sports team, or serious medical or personal circumstances develop. If you are the member of a team, please be sure to forward a copy of your schedule to me in writing as soon as it becomes available so that attendance sheets can be marked accordingly on those days when your team travels out of town.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to be familiar with the UVM “Code of Academic Integrity” and with its standards, in particular. For instance:

  1. Students may not plagiarize. All ideas, arguments, and phrases, submitted without attribution to other sources must be the creative product of the student. Thus, all text passages taken from the works of other authors (published or unpublished) must be properly cited. The same applies to paraphrased text, opinions, data, examples, illustrations, and all other creative work. Violations of this standard constitute plagiarism.
     

  2. Students may not fabricate. All experimental data, observations, interviews, statistical surveys, and other information collected and reported as part of academic work must be authentic. Any alteration, e.g., the removal of statistical outliers, must be clearly documented. Data must not be falsified in any way. Violations of this standard constitute fabrication.
     

  3. Students may work cooperatively, but not collude. Students are encouraged to collaborate on academic work within any limits that may be prescribed by their instructors. Students may only provide, seek or accept information about any academic work that will be submitted for a grade, to or from another student, with the authorization of the instructor. Violations of this standard constitute collusion.
     

  4. Students may not cheat. Students must adhere to the guidelines provided by their instructors for completing academic work. Students may not claim as their own work any portion of academic work that was completed by another student. Students may only use materials approved by their instructor when completing an assignment or exam. Students may not present the same (or substantially the same) work for more than one course or within the same course without obtaining approval from the instructor of each course. Students must adhere to all course reserves regulations. Students may not act dishonestly or convey information that the student knows or should know to be false, by actions such as lying, forging or altering any document or record in order to gain an unfair academic advantage. Violations of this standard constitute cheating.

Offenses against this code are deemed serious and insult the integrity of the entire academic community. Suspected violations will be reported immediately to the Center for Student Ethics & Standards for further investigation and may result in sanctions as serious as an automatic “F” in the course, or even expulsion from the university.

Religious Holidays

Students have the right to practice the religion of their choice. Please submit your documented religious holiday schedule for the semester to me by the end of the second full week of classes. Students who miss work for the purpose of religious observance will be permitted to make up that work.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

In keeping with University policy, any student with a documented disability interested in utilizing accommodations should contact the office of Student Accessibility Services on campus. SAS works with students and faculty in an interactive process to explore reasonable and appropriate accommodations via an accommodation letter to faculty with recommended accommodations as early as possible each semester.

Location:

A170 Living/Learning Center

Telephone:

(802) 656-7753

E-mail:

access@uvm.edu

Website:

http://www.uvm.edu/access

Classroom Protocol

In coordination with the Department of Political Science, I have adopted the following protocol for classroom behavior:

  1. Students are expected to attend and be prepared for all regularly scheduled classes.
     
  2. Students are expected to arrive on time and stay in class until the class period ends. If a students knows in advance that he or she will need to leave early, he or she must notify the instructor before the class period begins.
     
  3. Students are expected to treat faculty and fellow students with respect. For example, students must not disrupt class by leaving and reentering during class, must not distract class by making noise, and must be attentive to comments being made by the instructors and by peers.
     
  4. Students must silence and stow all electronic devices (e.g., laptops, iPads, cell phones, etc.) before class begins. Why don't I allow such devices for taking notes? This post from Buzzfeed says it all: "11 Things You're Actually Doing on Your Laptop During a Lecture."
     
  5. Students may not record, share, or disseminate classroom lectures or discussions in any way (e.g., through capturing audio, video, etc.).

Students in serious violation of any of these rules may be subject to whatever grade penalty I deem appropriate.

Asking for Help

Be sure to ask questions whenever you need to. Here is how:

  • I am generally available to answer quick questions after class.
  • I hold office hours on a first-come, first-serve basis every Tuesdays and Thursday from 1:00-2:30 PM. If those hours are not compatible with your schedule, please do not hesitate to ask for an appointment. My office is located on the 5th floor of Old Mill, room 519.
  • While you can reach me by telephone at (802) 656-4062, e-mail is generally faster. I check e-mail on a regular basis, but please know that I only respond during normal business hours (e.g., not during the evening or on weekends). My e-mail address is:  Deborah.Guber@uvm.edu.

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