This is an active learning class. You and your classmates will take part in a full term legislative simulation (click here for more information about the simulation website). This is not a civics course where you will learn how to be ideal citizens or lawmakers. The goal is to develop an appreciation of politics. For example, one of the first subjects we will consider are legislators' goals. A civics perspective would highlight making good public policy and representing the interests of citizens. The framers of the Constitution, on the other hand, appreciated that men (and women) do not always behave like angels. Behaving like angels may also not be the best way to represent or advance one's policy goals. In this class, we want you to figure out how to be effective legislators. No one expects you to be a legislative expert coming into this class. However, we do expect you to put your own ideas about politics to the test. You have ideas about how politics works. Can you make those ideas work for you? Everyone will make mistakes. A unique advantage of this class is that there is time to learn from our mistakes and successes! Master challenge The class begins with a master challenge - become an effective legislator. At the end of the class, you will submit an essay that reflects on your legislative accomplishments and lays out an argument for why you should be reelected. In between, you will complete a series of smaller defined challenges that are designed to build your legislative skills. However, it is up to you to put those skills to work. In this respect, what students learn in this class depends on what students put into it. Teamwork Effective legislating requires working with others. You will be involved in group activities throughout this course. Yes, other people are not always reasonable but figuring out how to keep the ball rolling in light of differences in an important life skill. Learning, then Doing This class assumes that students are familiar with the basics of the American political system. The early part of the course will be devoted to learning about the legislative process and legislative politics - a legislative boot camp of sort. At the same time, you will be organizing your legislature to do business. When things are organized and there is legislation to consider, the ball is in your court. The class will proceed (roughly) as follows:
| **Important information about assignments** This is a political science course. We expect students to connect what they have learned in lectures and readings to their simulation activities. When we grade assignments, we are looking for these connections. For example, to be an effective representative requires an awareness of what representation is, and the variables that influence whether a member of Congress is reelected. An assignment that asks you to talk about your goals as a representative (for example) needs to first establish that you know what scholars have said about the subject. This includes citing specific sections of assigned readings. Only then should you process to discuss your own objectives (and how they relate to what you have learned). We have created a general rubric to give you a better sense of what distinguishes better responses. |
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