City College of San Francisco is open, fully accredited (renewed in January 2017), and excellent (as always); your credits are fully transferable and financial aid is available. CCSF is tuition-free for San Francisco residents.
POLS 1:
American Govt/Politics
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Dr. Dan Brook (brook @ brook . com)
Office Hours: Mon 1:35 – 2:05 PM in Batmale 666 on class days
Mail: L155, Soc Sci Dept, CCSF, SF, CA 94112
Social Science Dept: Batmale 656, 415-239-3330, www.ccsf.edu/socialsci
CCSF, Fall 2019
My classroom will be, to the best of my ability, a sanctuary classroom (and my office is also a sanctuary), where anyone should feel safe and free to learn and to be a student, regardless of any other reason, identity, classification, or status. I will facilitate and protect that right as much as possible.
Required Texts
(new or used, physical or digital, at retailers and renters online, in the bookstore, on reserve for free in Rosenberg Library (several copies of each), and elsewhere):
1) Gary Wasserman, Basics of American Politics (13th, 14th, or 15th edition)
2) Michael Parenti, Democracy for the Few (8th or 9th edition)
3) Online Reading (both listed below and to be assigned)
and
4) Current Events (some news of which you should be familiar with each week)
Required Course Listserv:
Parallel to our actual class sessions, we will also have a “virtual classroom” consisting of online messages via our course e-mail listserv. It is required that you subscribe to the free listserv for our class. You can do so by e-mailing AmerPol-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and then replying to the confirmation message (if you haven’t already done so, you need to register for a free Yahoo account, though you do not need to have or use a Yahoo e-mail address). Messages sent to AmerPol@yahoogroups.com will be received by everyone who subscribes.
You will be responsible for information posted on this required listserv, where the exam guidelines and questions will be posted. It is encouraged that you post at least one substantive message to the list, whether you initiate a discussion or respond to one.
If you have any trouble subscribing or with the listserv otherwise, check that you’re spelling the address exactly correct, that your spam or junk folder isn’t catching the confirmation message, and then, if necessary, contact someone at a computer center.
Prerequisites:
Willingness to think critically and willingness to participate in class!
Requirements:
The requirements for this course include the assigned readings, successfully taking the midterm and final essay exams, completing the short reflection papers, doing a course project (any one of three options), regular attendance and class participation, actively using an e-mail account, and subscribing to the course listserv. Check the course schedule for other details, including readings, assignments, dates, etc.
Late assignments will be penalized one whole grade per week unless prior approval is given, though better late than never. Minimum word and other requirements for assignments are strictly enforced. Any assignment missed, for any reason, is the responsibility of the student and must be completed. Satisfactory completion of all major requirements is necessary for a passing grade in this course.
Honors:
An Honors Program could involve doing a double project or two projects for this course. Benefits include challenging yourself, honors designation on your transcript, and transfer priority. Sami Kudsi is the Honors Program Coordinator; his office is in Cloud 214 (he’s rarely there, but forms are in envelops).
Miscellaneous:
*** If you have ANY concerns, questions, problems, or issues regarding ANY aspect of the course (or anything else) that isn’t addressed in this syllabus or during class, or isn’t clear enough to you, please make sure to speak to me either in or out of class. ***
Copyright © DB 2019. Although any commercial or for-profit use of this syllabus, website, and/or the course, including their contents, whether oral, written, graphic, mechanical, electronic, or otherwise, is strictly prohibited, any non-profit research, educational, or activist “fair use” of the syllabus and/or the course material is strongly encouraged (17 USC §107). This syllabus is subject to change. All rights reserved.
CCSF Pols 1 