Welcome

Greetings! Welcome to Political Science. This is an exciting time to learn about government and politics with changes in global events and the 2008 Presidential Election.

Please allow me to tell you a little about myself. Don’t let the long last name frighten you. Try to pronounce it like “CHEWn-LA-MOON-TREE.” That was simple, right? I was born in Laos (bust out a world map now). As a result of the aftermath of the Viet-Nam War, my family came to the US in 1981 with less than $20. I grew up in Southern California cheering for the Angels and Clippers. I became fascinated with Political Science at UCLA and have been hooked ever since. I completed my Master's Degree at USC.

I hope to share some of my excitement for the political process with you. I truly want you to do well in the class and to develop an appreciation and an understanding of politics and government.  I am truly committed to helping you. Here are some pointers to doing well in the class: Communicate, Participate, Persevere, and Volunteer. This could be our official Political Science Cheer!

1) Communicate with me. The best way is to email me directly from your regular email account.  I usually check it once a day on the weekdays. Always enclose your message with your full name, email address and phone number (sometimes it is easier to talk). Call me during office hours. Please follow up just in case your correspondence if it should be inadvertently overlooked. Please give feedback to improving the class and help you or just chat. Instructors generally have a wealth of information to share.

2) Participate discussions online. Keep the information from class fresh and try to apply concepts and theories to your lives.

3) Persevere and be patient with the course materials and the ETUDES-NG web management system. The class is about you and how you learn! I will try my best to adapt my teaching to your learning styles, but it requires your inputs. The students who finished the course appreciate the method. They will be happy to talk to you about the course.

4) Volunteer in the community and get involved—for some classes, students can earn up to one whole grade improvement for the course. We’ll discuss other ways of improving your grades in the ASSIGNMENTS AREA.

Political Science 1 Student Learning Outcomes

1. Describe the powers, roles, functions, and limitations of the duties of federal, state, and local governments and the impact on individuals.

2. Analyze current American domestic and foreign policies and be able to put them into a historical perspective

3. Differentiate initiatives, referendums and recalls in California Constitution and laws.