Dr. Donald K. Douglas (“Dr. D.”)
Office Hours: M-W 10:05am-11:05am; T-TH 10:20-11:50am
E-mail: ddouglas@lbcc.edu
First-Week Syllabus Reading Assignment:
The syllabus is the first day’s assigned reading. Read and study the entire document. Pay attention to the required textbook and readings (including purchase options, etc.), additional readings at the class blog, and all classroom policies. In addition, read two articles from the New York Times, available online at the blog:
• “Quit Social Media. Your Career May Depend on It.”
• “U Can't Talk to Ur Professor Like This.”
Students will be quizzed on the class syllabus and the New York Times articles at the beginning of the second week of classes. (An examination handout will be distributed at that time.)
Course Reading and Examination Schedule:
Course Readings:
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) **********
