THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM
(POLS 21 – Section A: No. 11794)
Time: Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Place:
Professor Frank Bryan
Tel: 656-0570
Office: Room 540
Office Hours: Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays
Web Page: http://www.uvm.edu/~fbryan
Email: frank.bryan@uvm.edu
Examinations |
Date |
Weight |
|
|
|
First Exam |
Friday, Feb. 20 |
30% |
Second Exam |
Friday, April 2 |
30% |
Final Exam |
Tues. May 11, |
40% |
Texts: Susan Welch, et. al. Understanding American Government, 7th ed.
Allan J. Cigler
and Burdett Loomis American Politics: Classic and Contemporary
CLASSROOM
PROTOCOL
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
student knows in advance that s/he will need to leave early, s/he should 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. Instructors will inform students of any special additions.
*****************************************************************
THE COURSE
A. “There's Still
Time Brother.” The gap between political
and physical science and what it means.
B. The Abortion Debate: A View from Political Science
C. Does the
American Government Work? 18th
Century Architecture, 21st Century Problems
Welch: Chapter 1
Cigler and Loomis 1.1 & 1.3
Part II “Elephants and Roses,” Defining Politics
American Style.
A. “The Model A Ford,” A Systems Framework
for Analyzing American Politics.
B. The Authoritative Allocation of Values
C. Breaking the Definition Down
Welch: Chapter 2
Cigler and Loomis 2.2 & 2.4
Part III Fleshing Out the Definitions with Examples
A. Inputs, Outputs, and Feedback:
Amending the Constitution.
B. Inputs: Socialization,
Recruitment, Articulation, Aggregation
C. Outputs: Rule Making, Rule
Application, Rule Adjudication
Welch: Chapter 3
Cigler and Loomis 3.2 & 3.6
Part IV. Political Socialization
A. “Children Say the Damnedest Things,” The Origin of Political
Value Systems.
B. “The Matt Dillon Syndrome,” Political Values in Adult
C. “What If You Had an Election and Nobody
Came?” Putting Socialization to the Test.
Welch: Chapters 4, 5
Cigler and Loomis 4.1, 5.3, 8.1
Part V. Political Articulation and
Aggregation: Establishing the
Agenda
A. “Who’s Minding the Store?” Interest Group Liberalism Goes Amuck.
B. “Ebb and Flows,” The American Party System in Historical
Perspective.
C. “Real
Republicans Clean Their Paint Brushes,” The American Party System: Realignment or Disalignment.
Welch: Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9
Cigler and Loomis 9.3, 6.1,7.3
Part VI. Rule Making–Adjusting the Agenda: Congress
A. “Erogenous Zones in Congress,” Following the Dance of Lawmaking.
B. “The
C. “Democracy in Deadlock?” A Case Analysis.
Welch: Chapter 10
Cigler and Loomis 10.1 &
10.3
Part VII. Rule
Making–Promoting the Agenda: Presidency
A. “An Imperial Presidency?” The
Growth of the Presidential Office.
B. “10,” Ranking Presidential Greatness.
C. “From Kennedy to
Welch: Chapter 11
Cigler and Loomis 11.3 &
11.4
Part VIII. Rule Making–Applying the Agenda: The Bureaucracy
A. “An Imperial Bureaucracy?” The
Growth of Bureaucratic Power in
B. “You Can’t Get There from Here,” A Structural Map of the
Federal Bureaucracy.
C. “Plato With a Brief Case,” Models of Bureaucratic Behavior.
Welch: Chapter 12
Cigler and Loomis 12.1 &
12.3
Part IX. Rule Making–Interpreting the Agenda: The Courts
A. “There Ain’t No Miller Time,” How the
Court System Operates.
B. “Don’t Just Sit There. Do
Something,” Activism and Restraint at the Court.
C. “Opening a Pandora's Box,” Baker vs. Carr
and Judicial Policy Making.
Welch: Chapter 13
Cigler and Loomis 13.1 & 13.4