POLS-1000
Professor I. Knott

Welcome to
Introduction to Politics

Professor I. Knott

• E-Mail: knotti@macomb.edu
• Phone: 586.445.7288
• Office: E-317-2
• Office Hours: 6:45 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., M-T-W-TH.

Understanding American Government, Eighth Edition; Welch, Gruhl, Comer, and Rigdon.

The class is designed to enable the student to:

• Recognize the importance of politics and the role of government in the various aspects of their lives, and therefore the importance of being responsible citizens.

• Analyze political issues critically and rationally. Specifically, separating myths from reality.

• Begin to understand American political institutions and the process of public policy-making.

• Understand the aims of policy making in relation to who gets what, when, how, and why, in a democracy.

• Use political resource material effectively and evaluate our government.

You are enrolled in this course to learn about American politics. There are many ways you can learn: reading your text and other required and suggested reading from the Internet, listening to lectures, discussing current political topics (possibly with a study team) and doing assigned homework. All of these, however, have in common the requirement of your commitment to work.

Class time will generally be divided between lecture and discussion. Whenever appropriate and available, supplemental information may be provided through video programs and other materials. In order to get the most benefit from classroom activities, it is imperative that assigned readings be completed before the assigned topic is scheduled for lecture or discussion.

As a college student, you are expected to make decisions as to the best use of your time, and the many educational resources available to you, in a way that best suits your needs and meets your objectives. To assist you in making informed decisions, the following is a brief description of the policies regarding grades, conduct, and other aspects of this class.

Your grade for this course will be based on your mastery of the subject matter as indicated by your performance on four (4) examinations. Exams will cover material in the text as well as from lecture, discussion, and any other relevant material that has been assigned (such as videos and websites). Each exam will be assigned a letter grade from A+ to E-. Specific examination dates will be announced in advance. All exams must be taken at the announced time, in your own class, unless arrangements are made with me prior to the time of the exam. Failure to take a regular exam will result in a zero (0) for that exam. Failure to take a final exam will result in your final grade being lowered one (1) letter grade, e.g., C to D. Cheating on an exam will result in a zero (0) for that exam and an E for the course. Other specific directions will be provided in writing before the first exam.

All exams will use Scantron evaluation form(s). You must provide these. Scantron Form No. X-101864-PAR-L is required. Additionally, you are required to bring to the exam a number 2 pencil with eraser. These items are available for purchase at the Bookstore(s). Should you fail to bring the required approved pencil and Scantron(s) to an exam, you will not be allowed to take the exam. No makeup exams will be given as a consequence thereof.

Final Average: To determine your final average, each letter grade will be converted to a numerical grade on a 15 point scale with A+ =15, A =14, A– =13, and so on to E– = 1. Then, the average will be calculated by the larger of:

Final Grade: The final average, as calculated from above, will be from 0 to 15. Then, the final letter grade will be assigned according to the following table:

An "I" or "Incomplete" grade is issued only for a limited amount of unfinished work in a course, provided that the work was unfinished because of unavoidable circumstances. The unfinished work must be satisfactorily completed by the end of the next semester. A "W" grade is issued to a student who officially withdraws during the first three-quarters (3/4) of the term. Students may not officially withdraw during the last quarter (1/4) of the term. To officially withdraw you must complete the required form and return it to the Enrollment Office, G-301 (FAX: 586-445-7140). For additional information on the MCC grading system and withdrawal policy see your College Catalog or Schedule of Classes. See your registration receipt for the last date of withdrawal from this class.

As an adult college student you are expected to recognize the importance of regular attendance, for obvious reasons. If you decide some other activity has a higher priority than attendance of a particular class, that is your decision to make. However, you are still responsible for all material covered in class, including announcements about assignments and examination. These materials will not be repeated during office hours. Any handouts will be kept in a designated area in the classroom.

You are expected to be on time, be attentive, and stay for the entire class or other activity.

The policy is simply that once the class is in progress, you are to refrain from interrupting that class. Students are welcome to attend sessions other than their own to make up activities missed or if they wish to hear the material again. If for an emergency reason you are late getting to class, I want you to take one of the seats closest to the door (two will be kept vacant at the start of each class) so as to cause the least disruption to the class. If these seats are taken, you are out of luck. If there is a scheduled reason you need to leave early, please inform me of this before class.

The classroom is a place for learning, and you are expected to conduct yourself accordingly. To provide an atmosphere conducive to learning, there will be no consuming of food or beverages (except water), no sleeping, no chatting, and no beepers, cellular phones, or alarms. Cell phones, pagers, and watch alarms are to be shut off. These items are to be kept out of sight and may not be accessed during class!!

No tape recorders are permitted!

You are enrolled in a class in politics, and topics of controversy are sure to arise. While it is desirable to have an open exchange of ideas, this does not mean that hostile, demeaning, or otherwise offensive expression will be tolerated.

Because of the nature of the class, there will be a good deal of discussion. I encourage you to express your views, so long as you can articulate the reasoning behind it. Please be respectful of other students: raise your hand when you want to speak, don't interrupt other students or me, and do not dominate the discussion. Be thoughtful!

Be prepared for class. Come prepared with questions you have from assigned readings of from the last lecture. It is very helpful to write down these questions as I may from time to time collect these. Again, be thoughtful!

All course policies will be strictly enforced! Violations of policies may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from class.

CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS

THE MASS MEDIA

Note: Lectures are provided in Adobe PDF format. If you do not have the Adobe Reader plug-in installed on your computer, click here to go to Adobe's web site and download it for free.