MVZ237 American Political System

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2014
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Zuzana Ringlerová, Ph.D. (lecturer), prof. PhDr. Petr Kaniok, Ph.D. (deputy)
Mgr. et Mgr. Veronika Velička Zapletalová, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Petr Suchý, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 11:30–13:00 U33
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 17 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives (in Czech)
By the end of this course, you should be able to do the following: • Understand what politics is. • Distinguish the way political scientists approach politics from the way used by journalists and other disciplines. This includes understanding the distinction between empirical and normative claims. • Critically analyze what you hear or read about politics. • Understand some important concepts commonly used in political science (such as separation of powers, interest groups etc.) • Identify major actors in U.S. political system, describe their important characteristics, and understand how they interact. • Describe how the aspects of U.S. political system relate to the United States' role in world politics.
Syllabus (in Czech)
  • WEEK1 Introduction WEEK 2 The basic outlines of the political system: The Constitution and federalism WEEK 3 Civil liberties and civil rights. WEEK 4 Congress WEEK 5 Congress continued WEEK 6 The President and the bureaucracy WEEK 7 The Courts WEEK 8 MIDTERM EXAM WEEK 9 Public opinion WEEK 10 Political Parties WEEK 11 Interest groups WEEK 12 Political participation WEEK 13 Foreign policy EXAMINTATION PERIOD: FINAL EXAM
Literature
  • • Barbour Christine and Gerald C. Wright: Keeping the Republic – Essentials: Power and Citizenship in American Politics, 6th edition, CQ Press, 2014. (Hereafter referred to as textbook) • Online readings and reference material
Teaching methods (in Czech)
In this course, you will be acquiring knowledge in two main ways: in the lectures and by home study (which means by reading the assigned materials and working on Mini-research assignments and homework assignments). Reading the material will give you a base of factual knowledge. It will also introduce you to the main theoretical points. The lectures then will reinforce your understanding of the material. The lectures will also introduce you to concepts and theories that are not covered by the readings. Class sessions will also be a space for discussions.
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Course requirements and grading • Class participation (10% of your grade in the course). You will learn so much if you attend class every day, and I expect you to do so. Students are allowed a maximum of 1 unexcused absence. Absences can be excused only in extenuating circumstances (such as medical emergency). In most cases, you will be required to provide documentation of an emergency. • Homework assignments (5% of your grade in the course). In order to help you develop critical reading skills as well as in order to help you prepare for class meetings, there will be approximately 5 homework assignments. The homework assignments will consist of reading a short text and answering few questions about the text. You will upload your answers to the course website. • 5 reading quizzes (each of them is worth 2% of your grade in the course). I expect to give about 7 quizzes during the semester. Some will be pop up quizzes in class and others will be take home. I will keep your top 5 grades and discard the rest in figuring out your quiz average. • Four Mini-Research Assignments, each of them is worth 5% of your final grade. The assignments will take a form of short papers (2 double spaced pages). • Exams (Midterm exam: 20% of the grade. Final exam: 35% of the grade). Both exams will be a mixture of multiple choice and essay questions. The final exam will be cumulative.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught only once.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2015, Autumn 2017.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2014, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2014/MVZ237