Instructor: Joseph J. Braunwarth, Ph.D.
E-mail: joe.braunwarth@gcccd.edu (email me from within Canvas if possible)
"...why am I so interested in politics? If I were to answer you very simply I would say this: why shouldn't I be interested? That is to say, what blindness, what deafness, what density of ideology would have to weigh me down to prevent me from being interested in what is probably the most crucial subject of our existence, that is to say, the society in which we live, the economic relations in which it functions, and the system of power which defines the regular forms and regular permissions and prohibitions of our conduct? The essence of our life consists, after all, of the political functioning of the society in which we find ourselves." (Michel Foucault)
In this course we will examine the political functioning of our society through reference to actual political events occurring as the course progresses. Some of the central questions that will be examined in this process are:
This course will introduce you to the world of politics. Essentially, what you will learn in this course is how to "see politically". Politics is much more than the competition for office or what we see on the news. While these are of course important, they only represent the tip of the political iceberg. While you may find very few advertisements for political scientists in the want ads, the study of political science helps us to understand the deeper forces and structures that shape the world in which we live. This course will help you to make sense of how we arrived at where we are now, and where we might be or even should be going in the future. Indeed, this course assumes that there are alternative ways of looking at and dealing with fundamental sociopolitical issues and problems and will examine contemporary society in this context. Some of the central questions that will be examined in this process are:
After completing this course students will:
This course uses the Canvas online platform for forum, email, quizzes and grades.
You can access the Canvas system at: https://gcccd.instructure.com. Your Canvas user name should be your firstname.lastname and your password should
be your birth date mmddyyyy. Login and check your personal information. An email
for you is listed. Is this the email you want to use? If not, change it as I will
be sending messages and announcements to this email throughout the semester.
This course requires that you keep up with readings and assignments on your own. Each week you are required to read some chapters from the text and complete some combination of quizzes, discussion boards, or essays as noted on the schedule below. Write down in your daily calendar when you will be working on the class; write down due dates. Print out the schedule and check things off. You can expect to spend 3-6 hours per week (1-2 hours per credit unit) on this course outside of class meeting time.
Work ahead so that this is not an issue. Seriously, don't wait until the last minute to turn something in. However, things happen, believe it or not I am a human being and I'm willing to work with you in the event of extenuating circumstances. I will always accept late work for half credit.
Honesty and integrity are values considered fundamental to academic institutions. Plagiarism or cheating on an assignment or exam are violations of these values, and can result in any one of a variety of sanctions. Such penalties may range from an adjusted grade on the particular exam, paper, project, or assignment (all of which may lead to a failing grade in the course) to, under certain conditions, suspension or expulsion from a class, program, or the college. For further clarification and information on these issues, please consult the student affairs statement on academic fraud: https://www.grossmont.edu/student-support/student-affairs/academic-integrity.php You get out of life what you put into it; don’t cheat yourself.
This is a college class. Please use proper English in communications with your instructor, much as you would with an employer, etc. (if you are serious about improving your academic or occupational situation this might be a good time to lose the "studmuffin@gmail.com or onehotmama@yahoo.com" email addresses as well; just saying). If possible, please use the Canvas email to contact me otherwise place your course section number in the subject line and sign your email with your full name as it appears on your college records (your Mom may call you "Pumpkin" but on my roll sheet you're still "Robert").
I will endeavor to respond to all emails within 24 hours during the week and 48 hours on the weekend and I will endeavor to get assignment and test scores back to you in a day or two but life often intervenes. This is the flip side to the "I am a human being" reference above.
Periodic quizzes will be available through the course Canvas site. You will have two opportunities to take these quizzes and only your highest score will be recorded. Once you complete your two attempts, quizzes are no longer available for review. Hint (don't tell anyone): questions on the final will be very similar to the questions on the tests and quizzes so take notes if you want to remember or review a particular question.
Discussion Board assignments can be linked from the course Canvas page. There is no single "right" answer to or minimum page length for your postings; what matters most is a clear understanding and utilization of the materials assigned. Analytic rigor, thoughtfulness, good writing mechanics, and clear, persuasive writing will affect your grade. Above average postings will provide some insight or elaboration in addition to clearly presenting the assigned material. You should be able to complete most of these postings in a few paragraphs, please no more than three (double-spaced) pages.
- I will be looking for direct references to assigned readings (author and page number are sufficient). This is the only way I have of knowing you are reading and learning this valuable information.
- I recommend composing your content in an offline text editor and then copying and pasting in post. That way you will have an offline copy of all of your hard work!
- You are required to reply to your peers in the forums; don't forget to complete this requirement of the activity or you will lose points.
Essay assignments can be linked from the course Canvas page. There is no single "right" answer to or minimum page length for these essays; what matters most is a clear understanding and utilization of the materials assigned. Analytic rigor, thoughtfulness, good writing mechanics, and clear, persuasive writing will affect your grade. This is one of the few opportunities I have to see if you are keeping up with the material so please integrate as many of the assigned readings in your essay as possible (author and page number are sufficient). Please also limit yourself to the material assigned in this course. Above average essays will provide some insight or elaboration in addition to clearly presenting the assigned material. Please include your name on the essay. You should be able to complete most of the short essays in a few paragraphs, please no more than three (double-spaced) pages.
The final exam will consist of a combination of short essay and multiple-choice questions. Questions will cover material from the entire course, both lectures and readings. There is a link to a final review on the Supporting Materials link to the left.
Should you decide to stop attending class, it is your responsibility to officially withdraw from the course via Self-Service. If you do not officially drop the course, then your name will appear on the final grade roster and you will receive an F for the semester. Which is kind of a stupid way to get an F; if you're going to fail a class, you might as well go down in flames.
Your final grade is not curved and will be assigned according to the following table,
including pluses and minuses as appropriate:
A = 90%+ (outstanding work)
B = 80-89% (very good work)
C = 70-79% (average, satisfactory work)
D = 60-69% (below average, marginal work)
F = 0-59% (unsatisfactory work)
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Week |
Novel Approach to Politics Readings |
American Government Examined Readings |
Assignments |
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Week 1 |
Ch. 1 Introducing the Ancient Debate |
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Introduction Discussion Board |
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Week 2 |
Ch. 1: Theories and Ideologies |
Ch. 1 Introduction |
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Week 3 |
Ch. 2: Why Government? |
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Ideology Short Essay Assignment |
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Week 4 |
Ch. 2: Why Government Continued |
Canvas Quiz 1: Chs. 1, 2 |
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Week 5 |
Ch. 2: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" |
We Will Watch One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
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Week 6 |
Ch. 3: Governing Society |
Power v. Freedom Discussion Board (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) |
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Week 7 |
Ch. 3: Governing Society Continued |
Ch. 1 Milgram |
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Week 8 |
Ch. 4: Government's Role in the Economy |
Canvas Quiz 2: Chs. 3, 4 |
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Week 9 |
Ch. 4: Government's Role in the Economy Continued |
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Government and the Economy Discussion Board |
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Week 10 |
Ch. 5: Structures and Institutions and |
Ch. 15 Introduction |
Canvas Quiz 3: Chs. 5, 6 |
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Week 11 |
Ch. 7: The Legislative |
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Milgram, Maslow, Kohlberg, and Mill Short Essay Assignment |
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Week 12 |
Ch. 8: The Bureaucracy |
Ch. 12 Dewhirst Ch. 13 Federalist #78 |
Political Economy Week Political Economy Week Discussion Board |
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Week 13 |
Ch. 9: The Judiciary and Ch. 10: The Democratic Ideal |
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Canvas Quiz 4: Chs. 7, 8 |
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Week 14 |
Political Philosophy: Plato, Thoreau, King |
Ch. 1 Plato
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Canvas Quiz 5: Chs. 9,10 |
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Week 15 |
Ch. 11: Media and Ch. 12: International Politics |
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Political Philosophy Short Essay Assignment |
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Week 16 |
Ch. 13 and Ch. 14: Political Culture and Ch. 15: The Latest Chapter |
Ch. 14 Johnson
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Canvas Quiz 6: Chs. 11,12, 13, 14 |
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Finals Week |
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