Important: Read and Refer Often to the Information in This Syllabus!

Political Science 1113 (31662):

American National Government

University of Central Oklahoma: Syllabus for Summer 2008 (July Block)

INSTRUCTOR:

Dr. Brett S. Sharp, Associate Professor, is the public administration advisor as well as Director of Leadership Studies at UCO. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science with emphases in American government, public administration, and public policy as well as a Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. He also received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science/Public Affairs with a minor in Religious Studies from Oklahoma State University. His current research focuses on administrative reform, leadership theory, religion and politics, public human resources management, public service ethics, music in politics, and academic testing.

            Contact Hours: Mon/Wed/Fri 8:30-9:00 AM and Wed 6:30-7:30 PM (and by appointment)

            Office:             Liberal Arts Bldg 102-J (in Political Science suite)             Email: bsharp@ucok.edu

            Telephone:       (405) 974-5526 (with voice mail)                                         Fax:    (405) 974-3823

            Web Site:         http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/political/faculty/sharp        Classroom: LAR 116

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Introduces the study of the United States national government by exploring the origin, structure, and functions of its unique constitutional arrangement and emphasizing current issues in American politics. The primary objective of this course is to stimulate thinking about the impact of government and politics on our society and on individual citizens, and how citizens and organizations influence their government.

TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING EXPERIENCES:

Students will participate in classroom experiences and attend lectures which will orient them to basic concepts and information concerning the foundations and processes of American national government. Students are responsible, through self-study, readings, research, group work, and writing assignments to learn relevant concepts and applications related to the study of American government. This class is designed for active student participation. Classroom questions and discussion are strongly encouraged. Students are responsible for retaining backup copies of all assignments until final grades are posted. Students should also be aware that some flexibility is retained in the syllabus to accommodate invited speakers, video segments of current political issues, and other learning opportunities. Students should regularly check the professor’s web site for any class announcements.

TEXT

Shea, Daniel M., Green, Joanne Connor, & Smith, Christopher E. (2007). Living Democracy (Brief National Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. [Required]

EVALUATION METHODS AND GRADING

            Instructor will determine course grades                 Grading components include:

            using the following scale:                                                     Constitution Presentation 1     5 points

                            900 -1000    =         A                                             Constitution Presentation 2     5 points

                            800 - 890    =         B                                             Midterm Exam                       20 points

                            700 - 790    =         C                                             Group Music Project              10 points

                            600 - 690    =         D                                             Political Music Essay             20 points

                                0 - 599    =         F                                             Final Exam                             30 points

                                                                                                            Participation                           10 points

Course Schedule - Summer 2008

CLASS ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION

Attendance has its privileges. Class attendance is an important part of succeeding in this class and is expected of all students. Class time provides an opportunity for you to ask questions, clarify issues, and deepen your understanding of the concepts covered in the text. If you are absent, you are responsible for getting any notes, assignments, and schedule changes made on that day. If you come in late, you are responsible for seeing that the attendance record is correct. Above and beyond the expected class attendance, students are required to complete the readings as assigned (see course schedule) prior to the beginning of the class period. Demonstrated mastery of the assigned readings through class discussion is necessary to earn full participation points. Readings as assigned on the course schedule must be completed before the date indicated. Class attendance will earn grade points on specified days during simulations and may earn extra credit points on other days without notice.

GROUP MUSIC PROJECT

Students will break out into 4-6 groups. Using information from your readings, class lectures, audio clips, and video segments each group will prepare a 10-to-15-minute presentation concerning a significant dimension of music and politics. You should have fun with this assignment. It is intended to foster your creativity. Some in-class time may be provided, but significant outside class time is expected for completion of this project. An LCD projector, overhead projector, PC with DVD/VCR/CD player and Internet connection, and a dry erase board will be available for your use in presenting your ideas. Each group will present their project as assigned during the last week of class. A 1-2 page description and outline of your presentation must be turned in to the instructor for grading purposes on the assigned day of presentation. This outline must include the names of all group members. This project will be graded on creativity, demonstrated teamwork, political analysis, content delivery, organization, and overall presentation. Original musical compositions, student-made music videos, performances, PowerPoint presentations, and/or other multi-media presentations would be welcome for this assignment. The presentation should be treated as one coherent project with an overarching theme (as opposed to a series of discrete, unrelated segments).

POLITICAL MUSIC RESEARCH PAPER/ESSAY

Each student will write a 5-6 page, double-spaced research paper/essay for this course. You will choose as your topic some issue that directly relates to popular music and contemporary American politics. While you must cite sufficient references to make your paper convincing, this assignment requires a minimum of three references from outside sources. Students should follow an accepted style convention such as The Chicago Manual of Style or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA style). The research paper is due at the beginning of class, Wednesday, July 30. Papers will be graded on topic selection, format, grammar, writing style, research documentation, research quality, content delivery, and analysis. Please refer to the discussion of plagiarism in the Academic Integrity Statement and the Student Information Sheet attached to this syllabus as well as the UCO Code of Student Conduct.

Note: You may substitute your midterm exam grade for this assignment.

EXAMINATIONS

There will be two exams during the semester. The first exam will be comprised of several multiple choice questions and may include one or two essay/short answer questions. No make-up exams will be given. At the discretion of the instructor, the student may receive credit for a missed exam equal to the grade earned on a completed exam minus 25% of the completed exam grade. In case of school cancellation due to weather or other reasons during the scheduled time for the final exam, university policy will be followed in the assigning of grades, which in the past has included the professor’s best judgment as to what the student has earned up to that point. Therefore, it is in your best interest not to depend upon the final exam to make up for previously poor grades. The final exam is comprehensive and will be comprised of multiple choice items and may also include essay, completion, or listing sections.

EXTRA CREDIT

Extra credit assignments if offered will be announced in class and offered to all students. A maximum amount of 5 points will be allowed for extra credit if offered. That rule notwithstanding, the instructor may on an occasional, extremely infrequent basis, award an entire letter grade to students who demonstrate extraordinary in-class performance.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Cheating = Failure (please refer to the Academic Integrity Statement below and the attached Student Information Sheet and Syllabus Attachment). Cheating is unacceptable conduct and will result in an automatic grade of “F” for the course, and be reported to Academic Affairs. Students are required to do all of the work for this class on their own. Copying answers to exercises or examinations from anyone constitutes cheating. Allowing another student to copy one’s answers will be treated as cheating. Consulting with the instructor about any assignment does not constitute cheating and is encouraged.

The Political Science Department of the University of Central Oklahoma is asking all students taking political science courses to read the following Academic Integrity Statement. Our purpose in doing so is to ensure that all our students are aware of what is improper academic behavior.

Academic Integrity Statement

As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The Political Science Department expects that its students will conduct themselves honestly. This means, above all, that students submit for credit work that is the product of their own efforts. Principles of academic integrity require that all dishonest work be rejected as a basis for academic credit, and that students refrain from any and all forms of dishonorable conduct in the course of their academic work.

The examples and definitions given below are intended to clarify the standards by which academic honesty and integrity is judged. The list is merely illustrative of some of the more common infractions. It is not intended to be exhaustive. Any question a student has about what constitutes inappropriate behavior should be directed towards their instructor. The rule of thumb to follow is: If in doubt, ASK!

Definitions and Examples

Plagiarism - Plagiarism is presenting another person’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism includes not only the exact use of another’s words, word for word, but also the paraphrasing or summarizing of the works of another person without acknowledgment, including the submitting of another student’s work as one’s own. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use of sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly, or creative indebtedness, and the consequences of violating this responsibility. In case of doubt, give a citation of the author you are using. Failure to indicate the extent and nature of one's reliance on other sources is plagiarism. A plagiarized paper will result in a failing grade on the work in question, and perhaps, for the entire course.

Cheating on Examinations - Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination. Examples of unauthorized help include the use of notes, texts, or “crib sheets” during an examination (unless receiving instructor approval), or sharing information with another student either during or after an examination.

Falsification - It is a violation of academic honesty to misrepresent material or to fabricate information in an academic exercise or assignment (e.g. false or misleading citation of sources, the falsification of the results of experiments or of computer data).

Multiple Submissions - It is a violation of academic honesty to submit substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once without the explicit consent of the instructor to whom the material is being submitted the second time.

Turnitin.com Plagiarism Syllabus Statement: UCO subscribes to the Turnitin.com plagiarism prevention service. Students agree that by taking this course, all required assignments may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted assignments will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com restricted access reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such assignments. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com website. Turnitin.com is just one of various plagiarism prevention tools and methods which may be used by your faculty instructor during the terms of the semesters. In the UCO Student Handbook, there is a process for contesting any plagiarism allegations against you.

Republica

Session I

Introduction

Today is July 4, 2043. Back in 2033, the year of the Great Tribulation, China attempted to conquer the U.S.-EEC oil conglomerate in the Middle East, starting a global nuclear war. Project Mayflower had been prepared for such an eventuality, and was a startling success. Ten Interstellar Launch Vehicles, originating from subsurface civil defense facilities in five continents, each carrying 100 passengers, all safely reached their common rendezvous at space station Armageddon, safely in Earth’s orbit at the Lagrange 5 waypoint. Sorrowfully they gazed back upon the smoking sphere that had been their home.

Armageddon has the capacity, using renewable resources technology, to supply the needs of its 1000 inhabitants for one year. Plus through spacewarping technology, it has the ability to travel at over the speed of light. The necessary search for a new inhabitable solar system began at once. During the fourth year of travel a suitable new solar system was located. Its sun, which the Armageddon crew named Solar Nova, is about the same size as the one that provided energy to a once verdant but now radiating earth.

The new planetary system, however, is quite different form the earth’s. Forty-four planets orbit Solar Nova at distances ranging from 32 to 800 million kilometers . At an average distance of 92 million kilometers are ten small planets, each about the same size as the earth's moon. All ten planets travel in their orbits through a massive user-friendly atmospheric band, which circles Solar Nova from a distance of 81 to 122 million kilometers. This band keeps the climates of the ten orbs relatively uniform within each planet, yet varying distances from Solar Nova makes for distinct differences in temperature from one to another.

Now, in 2043, ten years have elapsed since Armageddon sped away from an extinguished earth. Its voyagers have long since dispersed to the ten planets and have established dominion in styles befitting the aspirations of their ancestors. The new community of planets has named itself Republica. It has developed an advanced stellar and interplanetary communications and travel system. Each planet has taken as its name the country of origin of its inhabitants. Each has complete political independence and self-governance. A Republica Coordinating Council, composed of three delegates from each planet, meets in continuous session, but its powers are no greater than those of the 21st century's United Nations.

Two serious problems have arisen within the past year. First a series of economic disagreements have developed into a trade war. New product development and economic expansion are now virtually impossible, due to continuous quarrels among the planets. A special economic report of the Republica Coordinating Council calls for a new national government that it hopes will have the power to lower trade barriers and settle disputes.

The second threat is the virtual certainty of invasion within the next ten months. After settlement of the planets, Armageddon was transformed into a prison. A brilliant and dangerous prisoner, Magnum Quirk, has led a successful internal revolt and has seized control of the space station. Quirk has re-armed Armageddon's missile system and has told his followers he intends to take over first one of the planets and then attack the rest. Quirk and his criminal followers are working toward a series of attacks that will enable them to permanently rule the entire solar system. The Republica Coordinating Council has good reason to believe that if the planets do not act quickly to establish a government that can take strong and immediate action, they may fall prey to Quirk’s attacks one at a time.

In order to save the planets from these two threats, a constitutional convention has been called to consider some form of union of the ten planets.

Each member of this class is assigned to a planet and is a delegate from his or her particular planet to the Republica Constitutional Convention of 2043. Students are to act in the roles of elected representatives from the planets. The objective is to create a new national constitution for Republica. Republica is not the United States, and the constitution to be formed need not resemble the Constitution of the United States. The Convention has been called together by the Republica Coordinating Council. The instructor has been designated by the council as President of the Convention. The convention will proceed in four sessions, and each session requires that several specific activities and tasks be undertaken.

Constitutional Convention

Call to Order

      The President of the Convention (the instructor) colorfully, and with flair, calls the Convention to order. She or he then divides the people in the class into equally sized (if possible) groups, assigning each person to one of the ten planets. Even though the ten planets, have unequal populations, each has equal representation in the Constitutional Convention.

Each planet has an economy, topography, climate, and cultural heritage that resembles a specific country on the earth at the beginning of the 21^st century. The ten planets, each corresponding to and earthly country, are as follows: