DVC Political Science 121-Introduction to United States Government

Course Syllabus and Outline

Basic Essay Structure

Grading Rubric for Research Essays

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Ohio State's APA Citation Page

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Annotated Film Bibliography

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Lecture Outlines:

Lecture 1: Politics in a Changing Society

Lecture 2: The Founders and the Constitution

Lecture 3: The Federal System: Structure and Dynamics

Lecture 4: The Congress: Institutions and Processes

Lecture 5: The Executive Branch

Lecture 6: The Federal Judiciary

Lecture 7: US Government Bureaucracies

Lecture 8: Public Opinion and the Mass Media

Lecture 9: American Political Parties

Lecture 10: Voting and Elections

Lecture 11: Political Interest Groups

Lecture 12: The Public Policy Process

Lecture 13: United States Economic Policy

Lecture 14: Civil Liberties / Civil Rights

Lecture 15: United States Foreign Policy

Homework Questionaire - The Political Compass Website - Due: July 15, 2009

Book Review Project Book Review - Due: July 23, 2009

1st Journal Responses - Due: July 9, 2009

  • For Lectures One through Seven, please respond to one of the questions from each lecture from the "Study and Discussion Question" section. Responses should be approximately one page in length (double-spaced)
  • 2nd Journal Responses - Due: July 30, 2009

  • For Lectures Eight through Fifteen, please respond to one of the questions from each lecture from the "Study and Discussion Questions" section. Responses should be approximately one page in length (double-spaced)
  • Final Exam Study Guide

    Other Readings of Interest!

  • What Democracy? The Case for Abolishing the United States Senate
  • Making Every Vote Count: The Case for Proportional Representation
  • "Was the Ohio Election Stolen?" - Kennedy Jr.
  • "Ignoble Liars: Leo Strauss, George Bush, and the Philosophy of Mass Deception" - Shorris
  • "Barack Hoover Obama: The Best and the Brightest Blow It Again" - Baker
  • "The Great American Bubble Machine" - Taibbi
  • "Democracy and a Free Press" - Croteau and Hoynes
  • "Blood and Oil: How the West Will Profit from Iraq's Most Precious Commodity" - The Independent (Britain) 1
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