POL 1560 - American Government
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section 06, CRN 43229,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
Adam Fuller
Email: afuller@ysu.edu
Course Description
1560. American Government. The foundations of American democratic government with an emphasis on the responsibilities of citizenship, civil rights, and civil liberties, parties and elections, and American political institutions. Students are encouraged to understand and discuss issues of social justice, equality and freedom, and majoritarianism. Topics include the civil rights movement, campaign finance reform, federalism, and affirmative action. 3 s.h.
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required | Declaration of Independence | ||
| Required | U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights | ||
| Required | Federalist #10, #51, #63, #68, and #78 | Publius | |
| Required | Letter to James Madison on the Constitution | Thomas Jefferson | |
| Required | Second Treatise of Government (selections) | John Locke | |
| Required | The Wealth of Nations (selection) | Adam Smith | |
| Required | Democracy in America (selections) | Alexis de Tocqueville | |
| Required | Dred Scott Speech in Springfield | Abraham Lincoln | |
| Required | “A Declaration of Sentiments”: Speech at Seneca Falls | Elizabeth Cady Stanton | |
| Required | “The New Nationalism”: Speech at Osawatomie | Theodore Roosevelt | |
| Required | “The Myth of Rugged American Individualism” | Charles Beard | |
| Required | “Experiments in Government and the Essentials of the Constitution” | Elihu Root | |
| Fireside Chat #3: “On the National Recovery Administration” | Franklin D. Roosevelt | ||
| “Let America Be America Again” | Langston Hughes | ||
| Required | “Extremism in the Defense of Liberty”: Speech at 1964 Republican National Convention | Barry Goldwater | |
| Required | “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” | Martin Luther King | |
| Required | "I Have a Dream" speech | Martin Luther King | |
| Required | “What’s Wrong with Equal Rights for Women?" | Phyllis Schlafley | |
| Required | "Program for Economic Recovery”: 1981 Address Before Joint Session of Congress | Ronald Reagan | |
| Required | “A Time for Choosing”: Keynote Address at 1964 Republican National Convention | Ronald Reagan | |
| Required | “The Constitution’s Bicentennial: Commemorating the Wrong Document?” | Thurgood Marshall | |
| Required | "Why the Rich Get Richer and the Poor, Poorer" (from "The Work of Nations") | Robert Reich | |
| Required | “The Laffer Curve: Past, Present, and Future” | Art Laffer | |
| Required | “Constitutional Interpretation the Old-Fashioned Way” | Antonin Scalia | |
| Required | Corporate Greed”: 2010 Filibuster in the US Senate (selection) | Bernie Sanders | |
| Required | “The Buffet Rule”: 2012 State of the Union Address | Barack Obama | |
| Required | “Back in the Center of the American Heartland”: 2017 Rally Speech in Youngstown | Donald Trump |
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Assignments/Assessments
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Schedule of Topics and Assignments
| Week of | Reading(s) | Proposed Topic | Due/To Prepare for Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8/24 | Syllabus and Curriculum Outline | Defining concepts: What is “government”? What are “politics”? | Assignments |
| 8/31 | Declaration of Independence Federalists #10 Federalists #51 John Locke, “Second Treatise of Government” (selection) |
The American Founding: Theoretical Principles of Freedom and Democracy | Assignments |
| 9/7 | Same as week 8/31 | Same subject continued from week 8/31 | Assignments |
| 9/14 | The U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights Alexis de Tocqueville, “On the Federal System” |
The Constitution, Federalism, and the Bill of Rights: State’s Rights and Civil Liberties | Assignments |
| 9/21 | Same as week 9/14 | Same subject continued from week 9/14 | Assignments |
| 9/28 | Abraham Lincoln Theodore Roosevelt Charles Beard Elihu Root |
Debating the Founding: Conserve It or Reform It? |
Exam 1 Assignments |
| 10/5 | Same as week 9/28 | Same subject continued from week 9/28 | Assignments |
| 10/12 | Alexis de Tocqueville, “On Voting,” Langston Hughes Elizabeth Cady Stanton Phyllis Shlafley Martin Luther King (both pieces) |
Voting, Political Participation, and Representation | Assignments |
| 10/19 | Alexis de Tocqueville, selections on the presidency Federalists #63 Federalists #68 |
American Institutions: Congress and the President | Assignments |
| 10/26 | Same readings as week 10/19 | Same subject continued from 10/28 | Assignments Exam 2 |
| 11/2 | Federalist #78 Alexis de Tocqueville, selections on the judiciary Thurgood Marshall Antonin Scalia |
American Institutions: The Judiciary | Assignments |
| 11/9 | Same as week 11/2 | Same subject continued from week 11/9 | Assignments |
| 11/16 | Adam Smith Franklin Roosevelt Barry Goldwater Ronald Reagan (both pieces) Robert Reich Art Laffer Bernie Sanders Barack Obama Donald Trump |
Public Policy & Decision-Making | Assignments |
| 11/23 | Same readings as week 11/16 | Same subject continued from week 11/16 | Assignments |
| 11/30 | Same readings as week 11/16 | Same subject continued from week 11/16 | Assignments |
| 12/7 | No reading | Final Exam Week | Exam 3 |
The course schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better learning.