This course introduces you to the guiding principles, ideology, culture, and economics of the United States' political system. It will provide an opportunity to evaluate and analyze our political system, and thus become better acquainted with the reasons it operates the way it does. The material and ideas in this course are intended to take us beyond the standard "nuts and bolts" political institutional approach to our government.

Instead, it is designed to instill within each student an ability to appraise critically the role of government in everyday life. We will also examine just what sort of political action is worth taking in the United States.

To these ends, we will re-examine many of the more important, yet often unspoken, assumptions that underlie our political opinions, actions, and inaction. To accomplish this it will be necessary to address fundamental and often disturbing questions about ourselves and our political system. How democratic is the American system of politics? Is the United States a democracy by any definition except its own? How much equality may we hope for when the top 10 percent of households own 94 percent of all business assets? Does economic democracy exist in America? How important is socialization in determining our political behavior?

EXAMINATIONS AND GRADING

There are two examinations in this course - a mid-term and a final. All examinations will be taken in class. Each exam will count as one-third (1/3) of your total course grade. The tests will be essay format and are worth a maximum of 4 points each. If you must miss an exam you MUST contact me BEFORE the test or no make-up will be allowed.

The final one-third of your course grade is based upon participation. This grade is linked to a series of take-home assignments, quizzes and class participation. During the term I will give you quizzes and take-home assignments. Each class participation exercise is worth 4 points maximum. For your participation grade, I will average together your scores from the quizzes, assignments and classroom activities. The averaged participation grade is 4 points maximum, or, equal to one exam.

Each take-home assignment MUST BE TYPED, have your name, assignment number, course name, be double-spaced, and should be no more than 2 typed pages long. Each assignment is due 2 classes after it is given out. Late assignments will not be accepted. (To not be "late" means the assignment must be in my hands before the start of class.) Take-home assignments that do not follow the prescribed format or have excessive writing mistakes will not receive full points.