Political Science 1 – Introduction to American Government (SPRING 2017)

Dr. Donald K. Douglas (“Dr. D.”)
Office: T2361
Office Hours: M-W 10:05am-11:05am; T-TH 10:20-11:50am
E-mail: ddouglas@lbcc.edu

Course Reading and Examination Schedule:

Introduction to Government:

George C. Edwards III and Martin P. Wattenberg, REVEL for Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy - 2016 Presidential Election -- Access Card, 17th Edition (2018),
chapter 1.
Larry N. Gerston and Terry Christensen, California Politics and Government: A Practical Approach, 
10th ed. (Boston: Wadsworth, 2001), chapter 1. (Available online.)
 
The Constitution:

Edwards and Wattenberg, Government in America, chapter 2.
 
Federalism:

Edwards and Wattenberg, Government in America, chapter 3.


*********** First Midterm Examination –  ************


Civil Liberties:

Edwards and Wattenberg, Government in America, chapter 4.
Nathan Heller, “The Big Uneasy. What's Roiling the Liberal Arts Campus?”, The New Yorker, May 30, 2016. (Available online.)

Civil Rights:

Edwards and Wattenberg, Government in America, chapter 5.
Andrew Moravcsik, "Fathers Who Serve as the Primary Parent: Why I Put My Wife’s Career First," Atlantic Monthly, October 2015. (Available online.) Public Opinion and Political Socialization:

Edwards and Wattenberg, Government in America, chapter 6.
Joel Kotkin, “The Golden State’s War on Itself,” City Journal, Summer 2010. (Available online.)

The Mass Media:

Edwards and Wattenberg, Government in America, chapter 7.


************ Second Midterm Examination – ************


Political Parties and the Party System:

Edwards et al., Government in America, chapter 8.
John Fonte, “Transformers,” Claremont Review of Books, October 19, 2016. (Available online.)

Campaigns and Voting Behavior:

Edwards et al., Government in America, chapter 9.
Victor Davis Hanson, “Trump and the American Divide,” City Journal, Winter 2017. (Available online.)
 
Interest Groups and the Pluralist System:

Edwards et al., Government in America, chapter 10.
Rebecca Traister, “The Future of the Left Is Female,” New York Magazine, January 23, 2017. (Available online.) 

*********** Third Midterm Examination –  ***********


Congress and Congressional Policy-Making:

Edwards et al., Government in America, chapter 11.

The Presidency:

Edwards et al., Government in America, chapter 12.


*********** Fourth Midterm Examination – ***********

Federal Bureaucracy:

Edwards and Wattenberg, Government in America, chapter 14.

The Federal Courts and Judicial Policy-Making:

Edwards and Wattenberg, Government in America, chapter 15.


********** Final Examination – (In Classroom) **********