| 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.
- Your attendance and active participation is
essential to the
effectiveness of this class. It will account for 25% of your final score.
- 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.
- 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:
-
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.
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.
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.
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.
Classroom Protocol
In coordination with the
Department of Political Science, I have adopted the following protocol for classroom
behavior:
- Students are expected to
attend and be prepared for all regularly scheduled classes.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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."
-
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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