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POLI 4230 Syllabus

Course Syllabus

POLI 4230 - The Presidency

3 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:

This course will examine the evolution, and development of the office of the President. The topics that will be discussed are: (1) The creation of the office, powers, public perceptions, and interaction with the media; (2) Selection of the President; (3) The development of the executive branch; (4) The role of the Presidency in policymaking. 

Course Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students should have completed the following learning goals:

  • The creation of the office, powers, public perceptions, and interaction with the media
  • Selection of the President
  • The development of the executive branch
  • The role of the Presidency in policymaking
Prerequisites & Co-requisites:

None

Course Topics:
1. The Constitutional Convention and the Formation of the Presidency:
  •  Edwards and Wayne, chap. 1
  •  Milkis and Nelson, chaps 1-3        
2.  The Electoral Process:
  • Edwards and Wayne, chaps. 2-3
  • Milkis and Nelson, chaps 4-6
  • Nelson et al, chaps 1-3
 3. Power, Socialization and Public Support:
  • Edwards and Wayne, chap. 4       
4. The President and the News Media:          
  • Edwards and Wayne, chap. 5     
 5. The President and the Executive Branch:                            
  • Edwards and Wayne, chaps. 6,7,9
  • Milkis and Nelson, chaps. 7-9, 16 
  • Nelson et al, chap. 4
6. Personality: The Question of Presidential Type in Decision making.                
  • Edwards and Wayne, chap. 8              
 7. The President and Congress:             
  • Edwards and Wayne, chap. 10
  • Nelson et al, chap. 5 
8. The President as Party Leader:      
  • Nelson et al, chaps. 7-8                       
9. The President and the Economy:
  • Edwards and Wayne, chap. 12-13
  • Milkis and Nelson, chaps. 10-11 
10. The Role of the Presidency in Foreign and Defense Policy            
  •  Edwards and Wayne, chap. 14
  •  Milkis and Nelson, chap. 12-13   
11. The President as Chief Judge:         
  •    Edwards and Wayne, chap. 11
12. Conclusions:              
  •  Edwards and Wayne, chap. 15
  •  Milkis and Nelson, chaps. 14-15  
Specific Course Requirements:

None

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Textbooks:

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course. Move your cursor over the "Books" link in the navigation bar and select "Textbooks & Course Materials." Select your Program, Term, Department, and Course; then select "Submit."

Supplementary Materials:

None

Hardware and Software Requirements:

Minimum hardware requirements can be found here.

Minimum software requirements can be found here.

Common applications you might need:

Web Resources:

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab (for APA, MLA, or Chicago style)

The Writing Center Online Writer's Handbook

Student Resources:
  • Technical support information can be found on the TN eCampus Help Desk page.
  • Smarthinking virtual tutoring is available FREE of charge. to access Smarthinking, visit the course homepage and select Smarthinking under Course Resources. You also view sample sessions to see what Smarthinking offers and how it works.
  • Information on other student issues or concerns can be located on the TN eCampus Student Resources page.

Instructor Information

Please see "Instructor Information" in the Getting Started Module for instructor contact information, virtual office hours, and other communication information. You can expect to receive a response from the instructor within 24-48 hours unless notified of extenuating circumstances.

Participation, Assessments, & Grading

Testing Procedures:

Students are required to have a proctor to take the midterm and final exams. Students should make arrangements for a proctor from their home school as soon as possible. Students may make arrangements at other TBR school testing centers if it is more convenient. Please do remember that appointments should be made well ahead of time and different testing centers have their own rules and regulations.

Grading Procedures:

Essay  and Writing Assignments should be submitted via the assignment Dropbox tool in D2L. They should be submitted in Word or WordPerfect formats. Please DO NOT use Microsoft Works or any other word processing programs. If this is a problem please let the instructor know as soon as possible.     The exams will consist of short answer questions. These are drawn from the required readings and the course notes. The exam will be available for during the period assigned for midterms and finals. Students are required to arrange for a proctor from their home institutions. Students will have two hours to complete the exam from when they first click on the assignment. Late submissions will not be accepted. These are closed book examinations and you should not be using study aids while you are doing the test, this includes web sites. There will also be weekly quizzes given during the semester. These will be given on-line and students will have a limited period of time to take each quiz. A schedule of quizzes is on this syllabus. If there are any problems with scheduling please contact the instructor.     There will be an essay assignment on an issues of the American Presidency. Essay papers should be 6-7 pages typed conforming to the format for writing assignments provided by the instructor.  Topics and additional information will be provided by the instructor. The topics will be centered on the required readings with some outside research required. Topics will be provided at the beginning of the semester. Students are required to use at least three scholarly sources (books, and journal articles) other than the required readings. The ground rules for all writing assignments are as follows. Student should utilize a recognized style format such as MLA or the Chicago Manual of Style. They should be done in a 12 point font, preferably in Arial. All papers must be submitted by the due date or students will receive a failing grade for the assignment. If students are experiencing problems with the assignment they should contact the instructor as soon as possible. Please note Wikipedia, and other online encyclopedias are not considered valid research sources.     

Each week during the semester students are expected to participate in commenting on a discussion question pertaining to that week's readings. Students are required to do participate in all of the weekly discussions. Students will contribute to the discussion asynchronously on-line in a timely manner once the issue has been posted. In order to participate in the discussion students will have to do the required readings. It is hoped that this will stimulate discussion between members of the class and the instructor. Each discussion question carries a value of up to 10 points depending on the quality of participation. Failure to participate in a meaningful way in the discussion will result in no points awarded for that question.  In attention students are also required to comment on other students postings on all of the discussion topics. Each of these are worth twenty points each. Students need to make substantive comments and questions and engage in a dialogue on the issue being discussed in a civil and respectful manner. Simply saying "that is correct" or "I agree" is not enough. Students need to offer some of their own analysis. The Discussion Postings and Responses should be done in the discussion section of D2L in order to track and grade them more effectively. Also discussion and response postings will only be accepted during the weeks there are pertaining to or one to two weeks ahead of schedule. Late discussion and response postings will not be accepted and will be given a zero grade.  All Discussion/Response Due dates are in the syllabus and on the course calendar.     

There will be four smaller writing assignments on a question pertinent to the course. (See course outline for a full schedule of assignment due dates.) This should be a 3-4 page submission via the D2L Dropbox on the question asked. Students are encouraged to critically evaluate the issue and give examples to illustrate their points. Each short assignment is worth up to 55 points. See the course schedule for specific dates. The assignments maybe submitted two days after the due dates with a penalty. Failure to submit the assignment by the end of the grace period will result in no points being awarded. 

Grading Scale:

900-1000 points--A
800-899 points ---B
700-799 points---C
600-699 points --D

Assignments and Projects:

All assignments must be submitted by the date indicated. Failure to hand in assignments on time will result in the assignment being given a failing grade. If students are experiencing problems with meeting deadlines they should contact the instructor as soon as possible before the assignment is due.  Quizzes (12): These consist of matching, short answers, and multiple choice questions. Each should take 10 minutes and should be submitted when indicated on the course schedule. Please note you will only get one chance to do the quiz and than only for the proscribed time limits. So please be sure you will be able to devote your full attention to the quiz for the time allotted before you start. 
Exams (2) Exams consist of short answer questions and will be made available during the examination periods.

Essay Assignment (1) : Questions to be distributed by the instructor.   Writing Assignments (4): Assigned for each module. See course calendar and assignment listing for due dates. Discussion Postings (12)   Assigned for each module. See the course calendar and schedule for a listing for due dates. There are twelve questions but you may skip two.  Quizzes (12): There will be a quiz for each module. Response Postings (12) Students should respond and offer comments on other students, or the instructors, comments on various topics.

Class Participation:

Students are required to participate in the discussion board. Students will contribute to the discussion asynchronously on-line in a timely manner once the issue has been posted. In order to participate in the discussion students will have to do the required readings. It is hoped that this will stimulate discussion between members of the class and the instructor. Each discussion question carries a value of up to 10 points depending on the quality of participation. Failure to participate in a meaningful way in the discussion will result in no points awarded for that question.  In attention students are also required to comment on other students postings on all of the discussion topics. Each of these is worth ten points each. Students need to make substantive comments and questions and engage in a dialogue on the issue being discussed in a civil and respectful manner. Simply saying "that is correct" or "I agree" is not enough. Students need to offer some of their own analysis. The Discussion Postings and Responses should be done in the discussion section of D2L in order to track and grade them more effectively. Also discussion and response postings will only be accepted during the weeks there are pertaining to or one to two weeks ahead of schedule. Late discussion and response postings will not be accepted and will be given a zero grade.  All Discussion/Response Due dates are in the syllabus and on the course calendar. 

Late Policy:

While this course is delivered in an asynchronous environment and students can proceed at their own pace all deadlines must be adhered to. Therefore students should complete at least one module per week in order to keep from falling behind. The instructor will make every effort to grade all quizzes/discussion postings and short assignments within 2-3 days of the end dates. Longer written assignments and exams may take 3-4 days. 

All weekly assignments, discussion postings, and quizzes are due on  the date specified. The weekly assignments will remain open until two days after the due date with a late penalty. All other assignments are due on the dates specified by 11:59 PM US Central Time to be considered for full credit. There will be a grace period of two days in which the weekly writing assignments and essays can be submitted with a late penalty. Once time expires for the assignment it will not be reopened and the student will be given a zero grade. In addition discussion postings, blogs, and quizzes must be submitted by the dates indicated. There is no grace period for these assignments nor will there be a grace period for the exams. Missed Assignments will not be accepted at the end of the course. 

Note: All due dates for major papers/exams, as well as weekly assignments, discussion postings, and quizzes are listed on the course calendar as well as on the assignment itself. If you are unsure about a due date, have a problem with the due date, or have a question about the assignment please contact the instructor as soon as possible before the assignment is due. All assignments should be sent via the D2L assignment tools. These should be sent in files formatted in Word or WordPerfect. 

Course Ground Rules

The following two statements (1., 2.) were derived from the TBR System-wide Student Rules document, released January 2012:

RULES OF THE TENNESSEE BOARD OF REGENTS STATE UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM OF TENNESSEE SYSTEMWIDE STUDENT RULES CHAPTER 0240-02-03 STUDENT CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS

Read the document in its entirety here.

1. Standards of Conduct:

  • Students are required to adhere to the same professional, legal and ethical standards of conduct online as on campus. In addition, students should conform to generally accepted standards of "netiquette" while sending e-mail, posting comments to the discussion board, and while participating in other means of communicating online. Specifically, students should refrain from inappropriate and/or offensive language, comments and actions.

2. Review the TN eCampus Academic Integrity/Academic Honesty Policy:

  • In their academic activities, students are expected to maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. Academic dishonesty is prohibited.

Such conduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • an attempt by one or more students to use unauthorized information in the taking of an exam
  • to submit as one's own work, themes, reports, drawings, laboratory notes, computer programs, or other products prepared by another person,
  • or to knowingly assist another student in obtaining or using unauthorized materials.

Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited.

Students guilty of academic misconduct, either directly or indirectly through participation or assistance, are subject to disciplinary action through the regular procedures of the student’s home institution.  Refer to the student handbook provided by your home institution to review the student conduct policy.

In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed, the instructor has the authority to assign an "F" or zero for an activity or to assign an "F" for the course.

Other Course Rules:

Students are expected to:

  • Participate in all aspects of the course
  • Communicate with other students
  • Learn how to navigate in Brightspace
  • Keep abreast of course announcements
  • Use the assigned course management (Brightspace) email address rather than a personal email address
  • Address technical problems immediately:
  • Observe course netiquette at all times.

Guidelines for Communications

Email:

  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members

Discussions:

  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
  • Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.
  • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
  • Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
  • Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in TN eCampus programs and courses. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading will be included within the course modules. To access the Virtual Library, go to the course homepage and select the Virtual Library link under Course Resources.

Students with Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this syllabus is for general information purposes only. While we endeavor to keep this information up-to-date and accurate, there may be some discrepancies between this syllabus and the one found in your online course. The syllabus of record is the one found in your online course. Please make sure you read the syllabus in your course at the beginning of the semester. Questions regarding course content should be directed to your instructor.


Last Revised on July 12, 2021