Search This Blog

About this Blog

During the semester, I shall post course material and students will comment on it. Students are also free to comment on any aspect of American politics, either current or historical. There are only two major limitations: no coarse language, and no derogatory comments about people at the Claremont Colleges. This blog is on the open Internet, so post nothing that you would not want a potential employer to see. Syllabus: http://gov20h.blogspot.com/2023/08/draft-introduction-to-american-politics.html

Saturday, August 26, 2023

Gov 20H Syllabus 2023

  

Introduction to American Politics 
CMC Government 20 Honors Fall 2023
Tue Thu 1:15-2:30
Roberts North 102
ZOOM: https://cmc-its.zoom.us/j/92228697468

J.J. Pitney
Office: Kravis 232    
E-mail:  jpitney@cmc.edu

Student Hours:
  • Monday and Wednesday, 1-2 PM
  • Tuesday and Thursday, noon-1 PM
  • If these times are inconvenient, just make an appointment for an in-person or Zoom meeting.
General

Daniel Patrick Moynihan observed:  “Some . . .  deny the existence of evil and others the existence of grace.  The art of  politics is to live with the reality of both.”  With this comment in mind, we take a realistic overview of American politics.  This course aims to:
  • Help you understand past and present political events.
  • Lay the groundwork for further study of government.
  • Sharpen your thinking, writing, and speaking.
In addition to providing general background on American politics, this course also emphasizes certain themes.  One is the continuing relevance of the Declaration of Independence.  Since 1776, Americans have argued about its meaning, particularly the phrase "that all men are created equal." We shall examine ways in which the United States has both honored these ideals and fallen short of them. 

Another is the central role of religion in American political life.  Tocqueville said that religion is the first of our political institutions, and we shall ponder what he meant.

A third is the meaning of citizenship and its connection to deliberation and community service. Finally, we will consider the idea of the role of mores and norms, the unwritten practices, habits, and attitudes that guide political activity.

Some of the readings are provocative.  Do not assume that your professor agrees with everything in the readings, or that you need to do so.  Because constructive disagreement sharpens thinking, deepens understanding, and reveals novel insights, I not only encourage it, I expect it. Feel free to challenge anything you read, but back up what you say. Bring light, not heat.

Classes

Classes will include lecture and discussion.  Finish the readings before class because our discussions will involve those readings.  We shall also talk about breaking news, so you must read a good news source such as Axios or Politico.  

Grades

The following will make up your course grade:
  • One 3-page essay 15%
  • One 4-page research paper 20%
  • One 6-page research paper 25%
  • Take-home final    25%
  • Participation and weekly writeups 15%
  • The papers will develop your skills in writing, research, and political analysis.  When grading, I take the quality of writing into account, applying the standards of Strunk and White.  If you object to this approach, do not take this course – or anything else that I teach.
  • The take-home final examination will test your comprehension of the class sessions and readings.
  • In addition to the required readings (below), I may also give you attachments and web links covering current events and basic factual information.  The final will cover this material.
  • Participation includes your activity in class and online.   I will call on students at random, and if you often miss sessions or fail to prepare, your grade will suffer. In addition, you may volunteer comments and questions.  This experience will hone your ability to think on your feet.  By Friday of every week, moreover, you will also email me brief (250 words max) reflections on the readings.
Blog

Our class blog is right here at http://gov20h.blogspot.com.  I shall post videos, graphs, news stories, and other material there.  We shall use some of this material in class, and you may review the rest at your convenience.   You will all receive invitations to post to the blog.  (Please let me know if you do not get such an invitation.)  I encourage you to use the blog in these ways:
  • To post questions or comments about the readings before we discuss them in class;
  • To follow up on class discussions with additional comments or questions.
  • To post relevant news items or videos.
Remember that this blog is on the open Internet. Post nothing that would look bad to a potential employer. If you want more confidentiality, post to the forum on the class Sakai page.

Details
  • The papers will develop your research and writing skills. In grading, I will take account of the quality of your writing, applying the principles of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. If you object, do not take this course, or anything else that I teach.
  • In addition to the required readings (below), I may also give you handouts, emails, and web links covering current events and basic factual information.
  • Check due dates for coursework. Do not plan on extensions.
  • As a courtesy to your fellow students, please arrive on time, and refrain from eating in class.   
  • Except as a documented disability accommodation, please do not use electronic devices (tablets, laptops, smartphones) in class. Take notes the old-fashioned way, by hand, on paper.  Why?  Research suggests that it works better. 
  • Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are not victimless offenses, because they hurt fellow students. Please study our Statement of Academic Integrity, which reads in part: "The faculty of Claremont McKenna College is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. Each faculty member has the responsibility to report cases of academic dishonesty to the Academic Standards Committee."
  • This class welcomes viewpoint diversity. See: https://heterodoxacademy.org/library/advice-on-syllabus-language/
  • Your experience in this class is important to me, and I have a particular interest in disability. If you have set up accommodations with Accessibility Services at CMC, please tell me about your approved accommodations so we can discuss your needs in this course. You can start by forwarding me your accommodation letter. If you have not yet established accommodations but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability (e.g., mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health), please get in touch with Assistant Dean for Academic Success and Accessibility Services, Maude Nazaire, at ccessibilityservices@cmc.edu to ask questions or begin the process. General information and accommodations request information are at the CMC Accessibility Services website.
Required Books
  • Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals (New York: Vintage, 1989).
  • Danielle Allen, Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality (New York: Liveright, 2014).
  • Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, The Federalist Papers (New York: Signet, 2003  [1788]).
  • Kenneth P. Miller, Texas vs. California: A History of Their Struggle for the Future of America (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020).
  • William Strunk and E. B. White, The Elements of Style, 4th ed.  (New York:  Simon and Schuster, 1999).
  • Alexis deTocqueville, Democracy in America, trans. George Lawrence, ed. J.P. Mayer (New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, [1835/40]).  Please use the Lawrence/Mayer edition, which has gone through several printings. Other translations have different wording, which would cause confusion.
  • Ilan Wurman, A Debt Against the Living: An Introduction to Originalism (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2017).
Schedule (Subject to change, with advance notice).

In addition to the readings below, I may also supply you with additional material via the Internet.

August 29, 31:  Introduction

"I have a lot of international friends - to them I ask, do you want to know what America is? It's this video. Where a black man and a band made up of Asian men perform a white woman's song so well that a lady in a hijab takes their card - all in front of an Italian restaurant and a waving American flag. I love this place!"  (See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG8Qo-paJ9M) -- Aseem Chipalkatti `15
NOTE THAT THE AUGUST 31 CLASS WILL BE VIRTUAL.

Sept 5, 7:  Reading and Writing about Politics
    "The Defendant had a right, like every American, to speak publicly about the election and even to claim, falsely, that there had been outcome-determinative fraud during the election and that he had won. He was also entitled to formally challenge the results of the election through lawful and appropriate means ... Shortly after election day, the Defendant also pursued unlawful means of
    discounting legitimate votes and subverting the election results."      - -- Jack Smith
    • Allen,  ch. 5-18.
    Sept 12, 14: Equality, Natural Law, and the Declaration

    "If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people." -- Calvin Coolidge
    FIRST ESSAY ASSIGNED BY SEPTEMBER 12, 
    DUE  IN SAKAI DROPBOX BY SEPTEMBER 22.

    Sept 19, 21: Equality of Condition and American Civic Culture

    “I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers—and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce—and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution—and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”  -- Not Alexis deTocqueville 
    Sept 26, 28: Constitutionalism and Democratic Norms

    ["O]f those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people; commencing demagogues, and ending tyrants." -- Alexander Hamilton

    "So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause." - Padmé Amidala 
    SECOND PAPER ASSIGNED SEPT 28, DUE IN SAKAI DROPBOX BY OCT 13

    Oct 3, 5: Congress and the Executive I

    "I was born in Vietnam after the Vietnam War, and my family and I fled a communist government and were rescued by the US Navy, and were given sanctuary in America. My patriotism is rooted in my gratitude for America's grace and generosity. I love this country. On January 6th, four decades after my family fled a place where political power was seized through violence, I was in the United States Capitol fleeing my fellow Americans." -- Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL)
    Oct 10, 12:  Congress and the Executive II

    "In a president, character is everything. A president doesn't have to be brilliant; Harry Truman wasn't brilliant, and he helped save Western Europe from Stalin. He doesn't have to be clever; you can hire clever. White Houses are always full of quick-witted people with ready advice on how to flip a senator or implement a strategy. You can hire pragmatic, and you can buy and bring in policy wonks. But you can't buy courage and decency, you can't rent a strong moral sense." -- Peggy Noonan
    OCT 17 FALL BREAK

    Oct 19: Law and the Courts

    “What we can decide, we can undecide. But stare decisis teaches that we should exercise that authority sparingly. Cf. S. Lee and S. Ditko, Amazing Fantasy No. 15: ‘Spider-Man,’ p. 13 (1962) (‘[I]n this world, with great power there must also come — great responsibility’)."  -- Justice Elena Kagan
    THIRD PAPER ASSIGNED OCTOBER 19, DUE IN SAKAI DROPBOX BY NOV 3.

    Oct 24, 26:  Citizenship, Civil Liberties, Civil Rights

    "I met my wife in jail after being arrested during a civil rights march." -- Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC)
    Nov 1, 3:  Interest Groups and Parties

    "Mass violence in Congress seemed possible in 1850. Now, 171 years later, it’s in the national mindscape once again. And for good reason. The echoes of 1850 are striking. We’re at a moment of extreme polarization when outcomes matter, sometimes profoundly." -- Joanne Freeman, PO `84
    Nov 7, 9:  Parties and Elections 

    "A congressional campaign is a lot like unmedicated childbirth: it's painful, it's messy, you don't think you can do what's required even as you're doing it, you likely consented to it months ago and now you're questioning your decisions, your likelihood to request drugs increases proportionally as you get closer to the big event, you gained weight, you don't realize you're screaming but everyone around you looks distressed, and your mother doesn't remember what it's like. Also, once you get what you want, you'll never sleep again. I'm sure there are things I'm missing, but I hear hormones make you forget so you'll do it every two years." -- Candace Valenzuela (CMC `06), 2020 candidate for US House, Texas 24.
    Nov 14, 16: Protest and Social Movements

    "What starts out here as a mass movement ends up as a racket, a cult, or a corporation." -- Eric Hoffer
    Nov 21:  Texas v. California 

    "California, the department-store state. The most of everything and the best of nothing." -- Raymond Chandler
    • Miller, ch. 1-5.
    Nov 28, 30: Texas v. California II

    "Texas is a state of mind."  -- John Steinbeck
    • Miller, ch. 6-10.
    Dec 5, 7: Texas v. California III, Wrapup

    "We must never forget that victory to the rebellion meant death to the republic. We must never forget that the loyal soldiers who rest beneath this sod flung themselves between the nation and the nation's destroyers."  -- Frederick Douglass
    • Miller, ch. 11-14.

    TAKE-HOME FINAL DUE AT NOON ON DECEMBER 13.

    "And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is `what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.' It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal. -- Click here to learn who wrote these words.

    Return to homepage
    Posted by at

    No comments:

    Post a Comment

    Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)