(All Rights Reserved)
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES SEMESTER 1
2020/2021 ACADEMIC YEAR
COURSE SYLLABUS
POLI 367: Introduction to American Politics
(3-CREDITS)
(Main Campus & City Campus)
Instructors: Dr. Hassan Wahab Email:
hwahab@ug.edu.gh
Office: Pol. Sci. Dept. Room #13
Lecture Period: Thurs 5:30pm - 7:20pm (Main
Campus)
Mons 2:30pm – 4:30pm (City Campus)
Mode of Lectures: Nonsynchronous
Office Hours: By Appointment OR Email:
hwahab@ug.edu.gh
Course Summary and Objectives:
This is an introductory course
designed for those students who have not taken any previous courses in American
government and politics, but who are interested in learning about how the
American political system works. It examines the constitutional foundation of
the system and its development over time.
It analyzes the increasingly important role of campaigns and elections
in contemporary American politics and how civic society and non-governmental
entities, such as political parties, interest groups, and the media, influence
the policy-making process. It studies
how the institutions of the federal government —the Congress, the presidency,
and the courts— operate, both in theory and in practice, and how they interact
with one another. Students are expected to participate actively in the class
discussions throughout the course.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course, I
expect students to be able to:
1. 1.
Gain a better understanding of key structures, functions, concepts and
processes of American government and politics.
2. 2.
Learn to think analytically about American politics and the study of American
government.
3. construct
well organized, clearly written, informatively presented, and effectively
persuasive analytic arguments on issues pertaining to American government;
4. 3.
Improve the ability to engage in oral debate and dialogue concerning issues and
ideas concerning American government
5. 4.
Develop a solid grasp of the key actors and institutions of the American
political system, and
6. share
your knowledge with friends, family and peers.
Academic Honesty:
All University policies
regarding academic honesty will be strictly enforced. Plagiarism, cheating or
academic misconduct in any manner will not be tolerated. While most examples of misconduct are
blatantly obvious (i.e., you may not pay someone to take your final exam for
you!), knowing when and how to acknowledge and appropriately cite sources is
something you may have to learn. For
example, even if you acknowledge the source, you cannot stay too close to the
language of the original source when paraphrasing. If you are not sure about
anything, please do not hesitate to see me, and we can go over it together. I
would encourage you to familiarize yourselves with the University’s policy
regarding academic misconduct. This policy is available at
http://www.ug.edu.gh/aqau/policies-guidelines.
Students with Special Needs:
Students with special needs
should register with the Office of Students with Special Needs, located in the
University of Ghana Computing Services (UGCS) building, next to the Student
Financial Aid Office; Tel: +233-24-457-5177; E-mail: ossnug@gmail.com. Please
contact me as soon as possible so that appropriate accommodation can be
arranged.
Course Materials:
All lectures/notes will be
posted on Sakai
Assessment:
There will be TWO main modes of
assessment in this course: (1) Interim Assessment (IA) and (2) the Final
Exams.
Interim Assessment: Worth a total of 70% of your final grade, the
interim assessment will comprise of three quizzes. Quizzes 1, 2, and 3 will be
worth 20 points, 24 points, and 26 points, respectively. All quizzes SHALL be
submitted on Sakai within 72 hours after posting, WITHOUT
EXCEPTION AND WITHOUT EXCUSES.
Final Exam: Worth 30% of the final grade, the final exam will be
based on the content of the readings, lectures, and discussions covered over
the entire course. Modalities for the final exams will be communicated to you
in due course.
(Note: Please refer to the Undergraduate Handbook for the Grading
Scale)
Disclaimer:
I reserve the right to change
any readings, dates and requirements listed in this syllabus. If this occurs, every effort will be made to
announce the changes well in advance.
You are responsible for any changes made and announced.
Academic Honesty:
All University policies
regarding academic honesty will be strictly enforced. Plagiarism, cheating or
academic misconduct in any manner will not be tolerated. While most examples of misconduct are
blatantly obvious (i.e., you may not pay someone to take your final exam for
you!), knowing when and how to acknowledge and appropriately cite sources is
something you may have to learn.
For example, even if you acknowledge the source,
you cannot stay too close to the language of the original source when
paraphrasing. If you are not sure about anything, please do not hesitate to see
me, and we can go over it together. I encourage you to familiarize yourselves
with the University’s policy regarding academic misconduct.
This policy
is available
at http://www.ug.edu.gh/aqau/policies-guidelines.
Textbook:
Janda, Kenneth,
Jeffrey M. Berry, Jerry Goldman, Deborah Schildkraut, and Paul Mann. The Challenge of Democracy: American
Government in Global Politics. Fifteenth Edition. Boston, MA: Cengage
Learning, 2022. Additional readings may be assigned during the semester.
(Notes: All class readings/notes will be provided to
students as PDFs on Sakai)
Course Readings and Class Schedule:
Week 1 (April 5 - 9): Dilemmas
of Democracy Readings: Freedom,
Order or Equality?
Majoritarian
or Pluralist Democracy?
Week 2 (April 12 – 16)
Foundations of American Government
Readings: The Constitution
Federalism
QUIZE 1
Week 3 (April 19 - 23) Linking
People with Government…
Readings: Public Opinion and
Political Socialization
The
Media
Week 4 (April 26 – 30) … Linking
People with Government…
Readings: Participation and Voting
Political
Parties
QUIZE 2
Week 5 (May 3 – 7) … Linking
People with Government…
Readings: Nominations, Elections, and Campaigns
Interest
Groups
QUIZE 3
Week 6 (May 10 – 14) Institutions
of Government
Readings: Congress
The
Presidency
The
Courts
TEACHING ENDS MAY 14, 2021
REVISION WEEK MAY 17 - 21
FINAL EXAMS MAY 22 – JUNE 6
