Syllabus - Aaron Zack PDF

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Spring 2020 - online class...

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1 General Course Information: PAF 1250- NETB: Citizenship and Public Affairs Instructor: Professor Aaron M. Zack Email: [email protected] Course Description: This course is a critical introduction to American political institutions and behavior. Attention is given to constitutional theory and principles, the constitutional system, political institutions (congress, the presidency, the judiciary, the bureaucracy), political participation (public opinion and elections) and policy issues (terrorism and federal debt.) Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes: Students will develop a thorough understanding of the principles and practices that govern the American political system. Students will also develop the capacity to apply abstract political analysis to illuminate the significance of contemporary political events. Course Protocols and Expectations of Students: The course will be conducted entirely online using Blackboard and email. Students are expected to complete all the readings, listen to the lectures, take the exams, and participate in discussions in a timely manner. Students should expect to access the course at least three times a week. Communicating with the Instructor: Communication will be conducted by email. I will check my email once each weekday (M- F), and attempt to respond to your emails within 2 business days. I will be accessing the course once a day, M- F, to review your posts and general progress in the course. Required Texts: American Government: Open Access Textbook, available on Blackboard and at the following link: https://openstax.org/details/books/american-government The Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States are in the appendix of the textbook. The Federalist Papers are available at the Avalon Project website. Links are provided in the syllabus or on Blackboard in the Course Documents section. In addition, lectures, articles, and web links will be posted directly on the syllabus, or on Blackboard in the Course Documents section. The instructor’s lectures are uploaded on Soundcloud. I will email you at the beginning of each week noting which lectures you must

2 listen to. Clicking on the lecture link in the Course Documents section of Blackboard will automatically pop- up the link on Soundcloud. Students should regularly read political coverage in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Digital access is available free of charge to all Baruch students. Course Discussions Course Discussions are required. I will post an announcement at beginning of each week notifying you of the Course Discussion you must participate in, and the date by which you must complete your posts. Grading and Examinations: Discussion Participation will account for 25% of your course grade. For every 24 hours that a student is late for a post, the grade for that assignment/post will be dropped by one letter grade. The remaining 75% of the course grade will be determined by three timed, multiple choice exams, which will test you on your mastery of the readings, videos, and lectures. Each multiple choice question is worth an equal amount. The total number of points of the three exams will then be added up and your correct percentage calculated. I will announce the grade curve after each exam. Exams will be conducted through Blackboard- the exam link will be posted in the Course Documents section. There will be a 24 hour window to take each exam, beginning at 12:01am EST on the date listed for the exam, and ending that day at 11:59pm EST. Examination 1: Mar. 2 Examination 2: Apr. 1 Examination 3: May 19 Exams will be automatically graded by Blackboard, and you can view your score in the Grade Center. Course Policies: The only acceptable excuse for missing an exam is a documented medical or family emergency. There will be no work given for extra credit. No make up exams will be given, except at the instructor's discretion in the event of a true medical emergency. In that event, you must contact me before the exam, otherwise you will not be allowed to take a make up exam. I will give a grade of INC for the course only under the direst of circumstances, such as a documented medical or family emergency. Since a paper is not being assigned, plagiarism should not be an issue. Nonetheless, students should be familiar with the college's plagiarism policies. Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable academic accommodations if determined eligible by the Office of Accessibility Services. It is the student’s responsibility to

3 initiate contact with the office and follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor. Reading and Topical Schedule Week 1 (Jan 27- Feb.2): Introduction: Sovereignty Listen to Lectures on Sovereignty. Weeks 2- 4 (Feb 3- 23): The American Regime: Natural Right, the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution Reading: American Government Chapter on the Founding American Government Appendix: The Declaration of Independence; The Constitution of the United States. Forrest Nabors, From Oligarchy to Republicanism: The Great Task of Reconstruction (Blackboard) Listen to Lectures. Weeks 5- 6 (Feb 24- Mar 8): Federalism and Separation of Powers American Government Chapter on Federalism Federalist Number 10: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed10.asp Federalist Number 51: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed51.asp Listen to Lectures Week 7 (Mar 9- 15): Civil Liberties and Civil Rights American Government Chapters on Civil Liberties and Rights Constitutional Amendments 1- 10, 13, and 14 Listen to Lectures Weeks 8-9 (Mar 16- 25): The Federal Judiciary American Government Chapter on the Federal Judiciary Federalist Number 78: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed78.asp Listen to Lectures Weeks 9-10 (Mar 26- Apr 5): The Presidency American Government Chapters on the Presidency Film: ’Clouds Over Cuba’: http://cloudsovercuba.com Listen to Lectures Week 11 (Apr 6-7): Congress American Government Chapter on Congress Federalist #62: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed62.asp Robert Caro, Master of the Senate: the Years of Lyndon Johnson (Blackboard)

4 Spring Break: April 8- 19 Week 13 (Apr 20- 26): Elections American Government Chapter on Elections Weeks 14- 15 (Apr 27/29/ May 4): National Security Policy: Political Violence and Terrorism Films: ‘Nuclear Tipping Point’; ‘Provos, Brits, and Loyalists.’ Readings: Chenoweth and Moore, The Politics of Terror (Blackboard); ’Mao Tse- tung and the Search for 21st Century Counterinsurgency’: https://ctc.usma.edu/mao-tse-tung-and-the-searchfor-21st-century-counterinsurgency/; Randall Law, ‘White Supremacy and American Racial Terrorism’ and ‘Ethno- Nationalist Terrorism’ in Terrorism: A History (Blackboard); Muslim Brotherhood: https://www.counterextremism.com/threat/muslim-brotherhood; In New York: https://ctc.usma.edu/nypd-vs-revolution-muslim-inside-story-defeat-local-radicalization-hub/ Authorization for the Use of Force, 2001 (Blackboard) Weeks 15- 16 (May 6/11/13): Economic Policy Film: ‘IOUSA’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_TjBNjc9Bo David Calleo, ‘Twenty First Century Geopolitics and the Decline of the Dollar Order’ in The Future of the Dollar (CUNY Library Ebook.) Listen to Lectures...