GE 1263-0

Brief

This course aims at introducing students to government and politics of America, including its major elected offices (president, senators, congressmen and state governors), nomination process (caucuses and primaries), political parties and candidates, campaign issues and financing, and the general election. We will also look into the cleavages that divide the American societies and understand how race, ethnicity, gender, religion, region, and sexual orientation affect people’s support for political parties and voting behavior. In addition, there will be discussion on American foreign policy. We are going to use President Barack Obama's book as the basis of our approach as most of his arguments remain valid in the eras of Trump and Biden. There will be questions provided for each chapter to help student to prepare and study so they can make meaningful participation in the class.

Description

American Politics Fall 2023 National Tsing Hua University Chen-shen Yen, Ph.D. Research Fellow Institute of International Relations ysyan@g.nccu.edu.tw 0927-524-237, Line: babayen I. Course Description This course aims at introducing student government and politics of America, including its major elected offices (president, senators, congress persons and state governors), nomination process (caucuses and primaries), political parties and candidates, campaign issues and financing, and the general election. We will also look into the cleavages that divide the American societies and understand how race, ethnicity, gender, religion, region, and sexual orientation affect people’s support for political parties and voting behavior. In addition, there will be discussion on American foreign policy. We are going to use President Barack Obama's book as the basis of our approach. There will be questions provided for each chapter to help student to prepare and study so they can make meaningful participation in the class. II. Text Barack Obama The Audacity of Hope. New York: Vintage Books, 2006. III. Teaching Method This class is comprised of both lecture and discussion. Students are expected toparticipate in class discussion. This is considered an integral part of the learning process and will be weighed in the final grade. A student should try to finish the reading assignment before each class, take notes during the class, and review the materials after the class on his/her own. The medium of communication in this course is English. Texts, lecture, examinations, state report and class discussion will all be conducted or written in English. If you do not feel comfortable with this format, you should re-consider whether this course truly meet your needs. IV. Syllabus 1. Introduction – U.S. Political System 2. Related Constitutional Provisions 3. U.S. Party System 4. U.S. Electoral System 5. Major Domestic Issues 6. Major Foreign Policy Debates V. Evaluation 1. Midterm Examination - 40% 2. Final Examination - 40% 3. Report on State - 10% 4. Class Participation and Attendance - 10% Both objective and short answers will be used in the midterm and final examinations (in English). objective questions include multiple choice, true and false, matching and fill in the blank. In addition, there will be a map test for student to identify the 50 states on a map. You need to pass the map test before earning the final grade. You can take it as many times as needed. VI. State Report 1) Name of the State 2) Year the State is admitted to the Union 3) Name of the State Capital 4) Name of the Governor including date(s) getting elected (after 2022 election) 5) Name of the two Senators including date(s) getting elected (after 2022 election) 6) Name of the U.S. Representatives including their party identification (after 2022 election) 7) Number of the Electoral College vote 8) Change in the Number of House Representatives after 2020 (increase, same, decrease) 9) Party that controls the state senate and state assembly before and after 2022 midterm election 10) Whether the State voted for Republican or Democratic in the presidential election since 1960 and whether the State is blue, red, or purple. The map test requires a student to identify the fifty states of the United States and place them on the map

Timetable

Scores

Average Percentage 76.82

Std. Deviation 17.39

Remarks

本課程為16週課程

Restrictions

Compulsory

Elective

Cross Discipline

First Specialization

Second Specialization