Instructor: Tim Cantrell	email: tacant00@uky.edu
Office: Moloney Building room 237  Office Phone: 257-4872 x4149 / Home Phone: 224-3757  Area Coordinator: Dr. Rick Smoot, MB 238, 257-4872 X4155  Division Phone: 257-4872 x4005  Home Page Address: http://www.bluegrass.kctcs.edu/LCC/his	Office Hours: Mon 11:00-1:00  Tues 11:00-12:30 Wed 3:15-3:45 Thurs 3:15-3:45 Fri 11:00-1:00
Test Review 1 2 3 - Final Exam Running for Office pamphlet
Instructional Materials:   Flanigan, WM. H. & Zingale, Nancy H. Political Behavior of the American Electorate, 10th ed.  Riordon, William L., Plunkett of Tammney Hall  Guber, Susan, How to Win Your First Election, 2nd ed.  Subscribe to Newsweek

Course Description: The study of behavior in a political context; the analysis of basic behavioral concepts used in political science such as political roles, group behavior, belief systems, personality, power and decision-making.

Course Objectives: The student should

 
1. be familiar with the everyday workings of the American political system.
2. be able to analyze why and how people behave politically.
3. be able to explain how a presidential campaign is run.
4. know how to design and conduct a public opinion survey.
5. know how to become involved in politics as a voter, worker, or a candidate for public office.
6. form a habit of keeping up with current events.
7. learn how to access information on the World Wide Web.

 Class Procedures: All assignments must be turned in on time. Written assignments will include take home test questions. Late papers will be penalized (5 points per class meeting). All papers and reports will be returned to the student for viewing and then retained by the instructor.

1. Introduction
2. Studying the American Electorate
3. Partisanship
4. The Decline in Political Participation
5. Political Trust
6. Incumbency and Congress
7. The Meaning of Change in American Electoral Behavior
8. Research Methods
9. Plunkitt of Tammany Hall
10. How to Run for Public Office

• Course Requirements:
1. Reading:
• Texts: Assignments will be made on a weekly basis in the texts. Students are expected to come to class prepared.
• Newsweek: Each student will be required to subscribe to NEWSWEEK. Weekly assignments will be made and part of each test will be over NEWSWEEK assignments.
• Other: Special reading assignments may be made from time to time on materials in the library or from some other sources.
2. Oral and Written Work:
•  Public Opinion Survey: Each student will be required to participate in a telephone public opinion survey. This survey will be on various current issues. Any student who fails to attend class when the instructions for the poll are given out will be denied the right to do the assignment. The only opportunity for make-up on this will be to attend another class where the instructions are being given.  No exceptions! No late survey results will be accepted!! Some students will be asked to serve as poll validators (PIA) instead of doing this assignment. Also, some students, on a volunteer basis, may participate in a specific election poll instead of this assignment. Details will be discussed in class. Students who do not do the class survey must do the alternative assignment described on next to the last page of the syllabus. The assignment date will be announced in class.
• Individual Survey: Each student will be required to make up a public opinion survey of at least ten questions on any subject and personally ask these ten questions to twenty-five people. NO PHONE SURVEY. If one chooses to survey students, fifty students must be contacted. This type of survey will determine the selection process for people to contact regarding your own survey. By the 2nd meeting of the 10th week of classes, each student should turn in a copy of the survey; however, individual topics should be discussed with the instructor and approved prior to this. The deadline for completion of your survey is determined by a sign-up sheet passed around in class. Each student will give brief (5 minute or less) oral report on their survey to the class. No written report is required; however, a handout to the class giving the questions & results is required at the time of the report. Students who give a report without the handouts will be penalized 10 points - (No excuses). Students who are not ready to report on the day they are scheduled will be penalized 10 points.
3. Exams: There will be 3 exams counting the final over the material discussed in class. These tests will be essay, identification, and objective questions. A list of possible essay type questions will be passed out one week prior to the exam. For the benefit of those who have not had an essay exam in my class before, the first exam will be in two parts. The first part counts 30 points which will contain one essay and one identification question. This will be given about the third or fourth week of class. The other 70 points will be given a couple of weeks later after the first part has been returned. This way, you should know what to expect without "blowing" a whole exam. Also, each exam will have a Newsweek portion.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Grading Scale:

Unit tests 200 final 100 Survey Assignment #1 (class) 50 Survey Assignment #2 (individual) 50 Frankfort trip (TBA) 50 Attendance 50

NOTE: Alternative  assignment described on  last page. If there is no  Frankfort trip,  this assignment will be canceled and Grading Scale will be adjusted.

With  Frankfort Trip A = 450 = 90%  B = 400 = 80%  C = 350 = 70%  D = 300 = 60%  below 300 = E = below 60%

Without  Frankfort Trip A = 405 = 90%  B = 360 = 80%  C = 315 = 70%  D = 280 = 60%  below 280 = E = below 60%

Final exam: See current class schedule for this semester.

• Drop Policy: Students may drop the class up until and including the last day this class meets with a grade of "W."
• Incomplete Policy: The incomplete grade will be given only in case of emergency or sickness.
• Cheating & Plagiarism: Cheating will result in course failure. Plagiarism will result in an "0" for the assignment.
• Attendance Policy: Any student who misses more than ten MWFclasses or seven TR classes  will be asked to withdraw or receive an "E." Each  absence counts off 8 points. The KCTCS  policy is found in the Student Rights and Responsibilities book. This can be located on the web at: http://www.kctcs.edu/student/code/htm      Roll will be taken. Tardies or leaving early count 1/2 an absence. This is a class which requires a lot of in-class discussion. You can not contribute unless you are here. I also reserve the right to give unannounced extra credit attendance quizzes.

Classroom Behavior:  If you use disrespectful language to the instructor, use inappropriate language for a classroom environment, or any other type of inappropriate behavior (such as walking out and slamming the door), you will be asked to drop the class.  If you refuse to drop, you will receive an "E" at the end of the semester anyway.
    Too many students get up and walk out during class and come back and disrupt class.  Go to the bathroom before class.
•     If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, do not come to class that day!  Also, if you are disruptive, including closing notebooks prior to the instructor ending class, reading non-course material, or studying for another course, you will be asked to leave, counted as absent, and receive a zero for any assignment that day. Do not read your textbook or anything else during class.
• Make-up Tests/Other Work - Make-up exams will be given on Friday, one week prior to the end of classes at 2:00 PM in a room to be announced.   No need in bothering with an excuse.  Just show up at the appointed place and time. No late survey results will be accepted! Late oral reports will be penalized 10 points. No oral reports can be made up after the last day of class. No late work of any kind after the last day of class will be accepted.
• Tobacco Products/Cellular Phone Policy: No tobacco products can be used in the classroom. Violators will be asked to leave the class and be marked absent. No spitting cups allowed. Cellular phones must be turned off.
• Alternate Assignment to Frankfort Trip: Anyone failing to go to Frankfort to the Legislature must write a paper of at least five typed (double spaced) pages on the Kentucky State Legislature. Footnotes and a bibliography from at least five printed sources must be used, and they must be in correct format according to an acceptable standard. Special emphasis must be placed on the issues being considered this session. This assignment is due by one week prior to the last class meeting. (Late papers penalized 2 points per day until the last day of class.  No papers after the last class meeting.)
• Alternate Assignment to Class Poll: Occasionally, I have students who for various personal reasons, do not want to do the Public Opinion Survey. Also, some fail to show up for instructions because of emergencies. For these people, here is an alternative: Do an eight page term paper on some aspect of public opinion. The paper must be typed, double spaced, and written in a format acceptable to the English 102 faculty. It must have footnotes and a bibliography. It must contain references to at least five books and five different periodicals. The specific topic is subject to approval by the instructor. Just doing the paper does not guarantee 50 points. It must be good. The LCC Library may not have enough material to do this assignment, but the main campus library has over a million books and most periodicals in print. This assignment is due by one week prior to the last class meeting.  No late papers accepted.
• Code of Student Conduct: All rules and regulations set forth in the current edition of the LCC Code of Student Conduct will be followed in this course. It is the student's responsibility to obtain a copy of the Student Code from http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Code/
• Reasonable Accommodation: If you have a special need that may require an accommodation or assistance, please inform the instructor of that fact as soon as possible and no later than the end of the second class meeting.

General Education Competencies Taught Across The Curriculum

Strong reading and writing skills are necessary for successful completion of college general education courses. Students are expected to have, and to continue to develop, the ability to learn new ideas, to process them in relation to current knowledge, and to recombine them to form new ideas, products, or processes. They are also expected to become aware of and assume personal responsibility for honest and ethical behavior. Learning experiences which provide the students with opportunities to acquire and develop these basic skills must be addressed in all general education courses through implementation of the following competencies.
1. Writing: To communicate effectively using standard written English. In PS 271 Students will write essay exams and written summaries of NEWSWEEK articles.
2. Reading: To analyze, summarize, and interpret a variety of reading materials. This is done through reading the textbooks and NEWSWEEK.
3. Integrated Learning: To think critically and make connections in learning across the disciplines. This skill is tested through essay exams.
4. Creative Thinking: To elaborate upon knowledge to create new thoughts, processes and/or products. This skill is encouraged both in class participation and on essay exams.
5. Ethics/Values: To demonstrate an awareness of ethical considerations in making value choices. This skill is covered through class discussion. The instructor presents ideas, but students must make the value choices for themselves.
6. Social Interaction: To demonstrate an awareness of self as an individual, as a member of a multicultural society and/or as a member of the world community. This area is covered through class discussion and course material.
These competencies will be evaluated through reading of the textbook, supplemental readings, critical thinking exercises, and required written assignments outlined in the syllabus.

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Posted August 25, 1998; revised July 12, 1999; 1/4/00 ; 7/11/00, 8/02, 8/04
http://www.bluegrass.kctcs.edu/LCC/HIS/271/timsyllabus.html