POL S 351 A: The American Democracy

POL S 351 The American Democracy

Scott Lemieux, slemieux@uw.edu [No campus meetings this quarter]

Virtual Office Hours: By appointment over Skype/Zoom,  available most weekdays 11-6

TA: Tan Zhao, zhaotan@uw.edu

Course objectives: This course will examine both the history and current state of American democracy. We will consider issues including the democratic legitimacy of American political institutions, immigration, voting rights, and equal citizenship, and healthcare. Students will be asked to reflect on what democratic values are and how American politics meets and fails to meet them.

How the remote class will work:

Main Lecture:  The main lecture will be synchronous; that is, there will be a scheduled Zoom lecture during the posted class period Tuesday/Thursday.  The lectures will also automatically be recorded for students unable to attend Zoom meetings. 

There will not be synchronous meetings on April 1 or April 8.

Please feel free to email questions or schedule a virtual meeting at any time! 

General Requirements and Class Policies:

• Online interactions should follow the "netiquette" guidelinesLinks to an external site. of the university. Always treat your peers and instructors respectfully. 
• Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty (Links to an external site.) will result in a grade of “0” for the given exam/assignment, and students will also be subject to the UW’s disciplinary procedures. All material submitted online may be subject to VeriCite or other plagiarism detection software.
• Please inform an instructor if you have a disability that will require accommodation.  You will be provided with any accommodation mandated by the Americans With Disabilities Act, state and local regulations, and university policy.
• Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/)

Exams and grade distribution:

This course will have two, non-cumulative online exams. Each will be worth 50% of the grade.

Grade appeals process: 

1. If you would like to appeal your grade, please wait 24 hours after receiving your assignment. After 24 hours have elapsed, submit a typed and printed appeal and that explains why you deserve a better grade and the graded assignment to the TA. Please note that your entire assignment will be regraded.
2. Once the TA has reviewed your appeal, he or she will set up a virtual "appointment" to discuss your appeal.
3. If you are still unsatisfied with your grade, the TA will take your assignment and appeal to the professor. Please note that the professor will not review your appeal until the TA has made an assessment of your appeal.
4. Note that if you request a re-grade by the professor your grade may be lowered, raised, or left unchanged once you have submitted your grade appeal.
5. All grade appeals must be submitted within one week of the graded assignment being handed back.

Course books:

 The books for the course are available for purchase at the University Bookstore and all major online booksellers"

Jia Lynn Yang, One Mighty and Irresistible Tide

Adam Jentelson, Kill Switch

Jonathan Cohn, The Ten Year War

Class Schedule

3/30 Class Introduction

1. A Crisis of American Democracy?

4/1-4/6: Miriam Seifter, "Countermajoritarian Legislatures." 

No synchronous lecture 4/1

4/8-15 Adam Jentleson: Kill Switch

No synchronous lecture 4/8. Lecture/discussion about Ch. 1-5 4/13, 6-9 4/15

Joe Manchin, "I Will Not Vote to Weaken or Eliminate the Filibuster"

4.20 Sam Rosenfeld, "Two Cheers For Polarization," Boston Review, October 25, 2017 

2. The Supreme Court and the Right to Vote.

4/22-29 Michael Klarman, "The Degradation of American Democracy," Harvard Law Review (134: 2020) 1-66; 178-262

[Reply:] Thomas Griffith, "The Degradation of Civic Charity"  

Ari Berman, "The Lost Promise of the Voting Rights Act," The Atlantic, August 5, 2015

First Midterm Exam Distributed May 4. No synchronous lecture. Exam due Friday, May 7 at 6PM.

3. The Complex Tragedy of Mass Incarceration

5/6-11 Darren Hutchinson, "Who Locked Us Up: Examining the Social Meaning of Black Punitiveness: "Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America," Yale Law Journal (127: 8, 2018)

5/13 Mike Konzcal,"Liberal Punishment"; Margo Schlanger, "No Reason To Blame Liberals (Or, The Unbearable Lightness of Perversity Arguments)."

4. The Politics of Immigration

5/18-25 Jia Lynn Yang, One Mighty and Irresistible Tide

5. The Politics of Healthcare

5/27 Watch movie, "Obama's Deal" No synchronous lecture

6/2-4 Jonatathan Cohn. The Ten Year War

Final exam distributed Friday, June 5. Exam due through Canvas at 6PM on Wednesday, June 9.