POL 3162 Introduction to American Politics

1. POL 3162Introduction to American Politics INTRODUCTION SHANG E. HA SOGANG UNIVERSITY

2. Instructor • Shang E. Ha (하상응) • Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Sogang University • Areas of Interest: political psychology, public opinion, political participation, voting behavior, and quantitative methods • See my CV at http://shangeha.weebly.com • Email: seha@sogang.ac.kr • Teaching Assistant: Bomi Lee , bomipeace@sogang.ac.kr

3. Course Description • Aim to develop a systematic understanding of American (i.e., US) politics that goes beyond mere knowledge of current events • Understand the similarities and differences in terms of political processes and institutions between the US and other countries (particularly Korea)

4. Among the following countries, to which do you feel closest…?

5. Textbook • Bianco, William T., and David T. Canon. 2014. American Politics Today. 4th edition. New York: W. W. Norton (hereafter APT) • Available for purchase at Bandi & Luni’s bookstore (as of September 1, 2015, it has not arrived yet; UPDATE – fail to import hard copies) • May consider purchasing the E-book (downloadable or online; visit: http://books.wwnorton.edu), which is cheaper ($40 or so) • I will upload ppts and other relevant materials on my website • We use the “ESSENTIALS” version (neither “FULL” nor “CORE” version); but content does not vary across versions/editions • On reserve at the main (Loyola) library • May use the 3rd edition

6. Requirement: Attendance • Need to get informed of the FA (failure because of absences) system • Like other courses offered at Sogang University, lack of physical participation in class, tardiness in arrival, and unexcused absences will severely affect the grade • 10% of the final grade

7. Requirement: Exams • Three non-cumulative exams (two mid-terms and one final) • A combination of (1) multiple choice questions, (2) true-false statement questions, and (3) short answer questions (details will be informed later) • Closed-book, in-class exams • 90% of the final grade (30% per exam)

8. Office Hours • 10:00 – 12:00/noon Mon, Wed, & Fri or by appointment • Dasan Hall, Rm 640 • Highly encourage you to drop by my office at least ONCE

9. Course Schedule • Foundations • Constitution (Chapter 2); Federalism (Chapter 3); Civil Liberties (Chapter 4); Civil Rights (Chapter 5) • Politics • Public Opinion and the Media (Chapter 6); Political Parties (Chapter 7); Elections (Chapter 8); Interest Groups (Chapter 9); Congress (Chapter 10); The Presidency (Chapter 11); The Bureaucracy (Chapter 12); The Courts (Chapter 13) • Policy • Domestic Policy (Chapter 14); Foreign Policy (Chapter 15)

10. Overview • APT, Chapter 1 • What is politics? • Why do we have a government? • What are the sources of conflict in American politics?

11. One thing you have to memorize…(Source: Google Image)

12. Legalization of Marijuana

13. Conflict (and Compromise?) • There has been conflict between some of the states and the federal government over the legalization of marijuana. • In Colorado, voters approved a ballot initiative to amend the state constitution to legalize and regulate the recreational use, cultivation, and sale of marijuana to adults (21 and over) as of January 1, 2014, despite the continuing federal ban on legal marijuana use.

14. Why do we have a government?To provide order • Thomas Hobbes “Leviathan (1651)” • Life in the “state of nature” (i.e., without government) would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” • According to the US Constitution, two of the central goals of governments are: • To provide for the common defense (military protection against foreign invasion) • To insure domestic tranquility (law enforcement within the nation)

15. Why do we have a government? To promote the general welfare • There are some problems that people cannot solve on their own (e.g., protecting the environment against pollution) • Government provides public goods (services or actions that, once provided to one person, become available to everyone – e.g., roads, public education) • The market under-produces public goods because of collective action problems

16. Collective action problem • A situation in which the members of a group would benefit by working together to produce some outcome, but each individual is better off refusing to cooperate and reaping benefits from those who do the work • Free riding: the incentive to benefit from others’ work without making a contribution, which leads individuals in a collective action situation to refuse to work together

17. What is politics? • The process that determines what government does • Three features of politics • Politics is conflictual: making government policy involves issues on which people disagree, sometimes strongly, which makes compromise difficult • Political process matters: governmental actions do not happen by accident – they result from conscious choices made by elected officials and bureaucrats • Politics is everywhere

18. Sources of Conflict in American Politics • Economic Interests • The rich vs. the poor • Democrats tend to favor more redistributive tax policies and social spending on programs for the poor • Republicans favor lower taxes and less spending on social policies, being more supportive of the free market

19. Income Inequality

20. Sources of Conflict in American Politics • Cultural Values • Religious vs. secular • Americans disagree on cultural and moral issues such as gay marriage, abortion, stem cell research, school prayer, gun control, the teaching of evolution in public schools, etc • Closely related to partisan division (Republican vs. Democrat) in the contemporary US politics

21. The “Culture War”

22. Sources of Conflict in American Politics • Ideology • A comprehensive set of ideas and beliefs that allows us to organize and evaluate the political world • Liberal: one side of the ideological spectrum defined by support for stronger government programs and more market regulation • Conservative: one side of the ideological spectrum defined by support for lower taxes, a free market, and a more limited government • Libertarians: those who prefer very limited government and therefore tend to be conservative on issues such as welfare policy, environmental policy, and public support for education, but liberal on issues of personal liberty such as free speech, abortion, and the legalization of drugs

23. “Red States, Blue States”(The 2000 Presidential Election, by States)Source: Wikipedia

24. “Red States, Blue States”: A Closer LookSummary Results of 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 Presidential Elections (Source: Wikipedia)

25. Purple America(The 2012 Presidential Election; Popular Vote by County)

26. Sources of Conflict in American Politics: Race and Ethnicity