Wikipedia:United States Education Program/Courses/ POLITICS 3: Introduction to American Politics/Course description

Course description
This course will serve as an introduction to the American political system - its historical and constitutional foundations, its institutions, its inputs (mediating institutions like elections, parties, the media, etc) and its outputs (public policy). Major themes explored include: the political consequences of federalism and fragmented power; the degree to which political institutions are *truly* democratically representative; the motivations and behavior of political actors; and the involvement of the public and the media in shaping political outcomes. In addition, because it is an election year, we will spend a lot of time learning about and paying attention to the Presidential election campaign.

Wikipedia Assignment Overview
Students will work in groups of four to five (depending on class size) to research and write a Wikipedia encyclopedia entry from a list of topics prepared by Prof. Hollis-Brusky. Groups can also select a topic not on the list but must discuss it and have it approved first. Outside topics must not already have a well-developed entry in Wikipedia. We will be meeting with research librarians at the beginning of the semester, who will introduce you to the resources you’ll need to research and complete your report and will shepherd you through the process. Completed reports will include the entry itself (complete with endnotes and proper citation) and a separate Bibliography For Further Reading. Groups will also present an oral report on their topics the final week(s) of classes. Groups should view this as an opportunity to teach the class (and Prof. Brusky) about their topics. The list of approved topics as well as more detailed information about the Research Reports will be given in a separate hand-out.

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