Democracy and (in) Conflict

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Critically analyze claims, arguments, artifacts or information.
• Construct coherent, evidence-based arguments.
• Evaluate key concepts, principles, arguments, and contexts in founding documents of the American republic, including the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and a representative selection of the Federalist Papers; and,
• Evaluate key milestones in progress and challenges in the effort to form a more perfect Union, including the arguments and contexts surrounding the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Letter from Birmingham Jail, as well as other texts that reflect the breadth of American experiences.
• Analyze the role of social conflict in the continual process of defining American democracy;
• Develop critically informed arguments about the destructive and constructive aspects of political conflict and polarization in contemporary American political life.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Periodic Quizzes (5 x 5 points each, SLOs 1-5)	25 points
Two 5-page papers 10 pts. each (SLO 1-5, primarily 2 & 3)	20 points
Group Presentation on American Polarization (SLOs 1-6, primarily 4)	15 pts
Annotated Check-ups on Primary Texts (SLOs 1-6, primarily 1)	15 pts
Final thesis-driven Persuasive essay (5-7-pages, primarily 5 & 6)	10 pts
REGULAR Packback posting/class participation (SLOs 1-6, primarily 5)	15 pts

Grading Scale:

Percentage	Letter Grade
94-100	A
90-93	A-
87-89	B+
84-86	B
80-83	B-
77-79	C+
74-76	C
70-73	C-
67-69	D+
64-66	D
61-63	D-
60-0	F

Attendance/Participation:

Attendance is required and your engagement in class a significant portion of the final course grade. Regular class attendance is a responsibility and a privilege of university education and NOT voluntary. It is fundamental to the orderly acquisition of knowledge and knowledge application. Students should recognize the advantages of regular class attendance, accept it as a personal responsibility, and apprise themselves of the consequences of poor attendance.

Upon the 5th absence from our regularly scheduled class a student’s finale grade will be lowered ½ of a letter grade (5 points out of 100-point scale). For each additional 2 absences after these first 5 absences, an additional ½ a letter grade (an additional 5 points out of 100-point scale) will be deducted from the final grade. To be clear, upon your 7th absence your final grade will drop one full letter grade! Be sure to be in class on-time and complete readings and assignments prior to each class session. Failure to attend makes active and thoughtful participation impossible and impacts your classmates as this is a discussion-based class.

Student-athletes must make prior arrangements in advance for any conflicts with their schedule and due dates for this course. Excuses for missing class are only given for extreme circumstances, please ask only when truly needed and I DO NOT need a doctor’s note.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

• Walter, Barbara F. How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them (New York: Crown, 2023). ISBN: 9780593137802.
• Lederach, John Paul. The Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War: Surprising ideas from everyday people who shifted the cycles of violence. ISBN: 9798340118257.
• Stanley, Jason. How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them (New York: Random House, 2020). ISBN: 9780525511854.