Syllabus+-+Spring+2012+Mini+3-+GOVT+2301


 * Note: This is subject to revision prior to the start of class**


 * Government 2301**
 * Kevin Jefferies**
 * Office: D-257**
 * Office Phone: 281-756-3736**
 * email:** kjefferies@alvincollege.edu. -- though I'd like you to use the email on blackboard for classroom issues.
 * class blog:** [|http://theweakerparty.blogspot.com]

//Spring 2012 Mini 3// //GOVT 2301 M3// //May 15 - May 30//


 * This is the official information about the class from the ACC catalog:** American National & State Governments I (3 credits): This course surveys the origin and development of the federal system and includes an analysis of the federal constitution and various state constitutions, particularly the Texas constitution. The course focuses on federal, state and interstate relations, Texas state government, and citizenship in a modern democratic society. (3 lecture hours per week). Prerequisites: READ 0310 and ENGL 0310.

Please note the prerequisites. By taking this class it is assumed that you have the basic ability to read and write at the college level. You will be expected to perform at that level in all written assignments and communications.


 * Introduction: Why is This Course Offered?** We live in a democratic republic. In such a system the people are sovereign, meaning that ultimate political authority rests with the people. This isn't necessarily good news. Overall levels of knowledge about government are quite low. The founding generation recognized this and created a governing system that placed a significant number of barriers between the people and the law. This was to ensure that the "instability, injustice, and confusion" common in democracies would not lead the new country to an early demise. Nevertheless it was understood that participation would expand and an educated population would be required to ensure that the country would survive. Public education and democratic government therefore go hand in hand. This class is not only offered, but required, in order to ensure that you become a knowledgeable participant in the American governing system. I might be prejudiced, but I happen to think that this is the most important class you will take in college, and I treat it as such.


 * Learning Objectives: What Do I Plan to Accomplish?** The purpose of GOVT 2301 is to become familiar the basic terminology of government and politics, the Constitutions of Texas and the United States, and the political institutions that help determine what policies are enacted into law. We begin with a simple overview of the terms "government" and "politics" and all the additional terms related to them. We then proceed to the evolution of the concept of natural rights and how it is embodied in the Declaration of Independence. Then we have a series of sections devoted to, first, an overview of the constitutions of the United States and Texas, and then the various principles embedded within it (republicanism, separated powers, federalism, individual liberty). This allows us to dig into the Federalist Papers and various pertinent sections of the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights. We then shift to a discussion of Civil Rights and the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. Being a democracy, elections are central to our political and governing process, as are political parties, which are the principal institutions that contest in elections and structure governing institutions once elected. We conclude with an overview of public opinion, the media, and interest groups. Together these three factors reflect our collective right to participate politically.


 * Methods for Accomplishing Course Objectives** Below (under "Calendars") you will see a series of links which take you to pages I have put together on class subject matter. You will be expected to read not only the material I have assembled for you, but additional material pulled from various sources online. You'll see a lot of links, but you aren't expected to know everything I link you to. The class is designed to introduce you to the large number of additional sources of information which exist online. Your understanding of the assigned material will be assessed in two ways. The first is based on your ability to answer short answer questions while the second will be based on answering multiple choice and other similar questions. The first is subjective and is meant to force you to think critically about the subject matter while the latter tests your factual understanding of the material.


 * My Teaching Style** Over the course of two decades of teaching government, I've come to the conclusion that the Constitution is simply establishes a way to make decisions publicly, of non-violently reconciling the different points of view -- or interests -- that exist in society. James Madison says as much in Federalist #10: //The regulation of these various and interfering interests forms the principal task of modern legislation, and involves the spirit of party and faction in the necessary and ordinary operations of the government.// Conflict is part of the process. I see my job as helping you understand how the constitutional system structures that conflict. While it is common for people to consider the political and governing process as hopelessly complex and confusing, it isn't. Once you properly understand the framework of the overall, while you still might get lost in the specifics, the general process make sense.


 * BlackBoard:** Much of this class (both online and lecture) will be run in Blackboard. Obviously this is no big deal for online students, but lecture students will also take their quizzes (Blackboard calls them "assessments" so that is the term I will use) and submit their written work through this site. This means that there will be no assessments in class, though my lecture students will have two in class tests, a midterm and the final (multiple choice). As you will note below, every week we will have both a 25 (or so) question multiple choice assessment and a 150 word (at minimum) short answer question. The assessments are designed to do just that, assess how well you know the material, the short answer questions are designed to force you to apply that material to current issues and debates.

If you do not already have a blackboard account, get one. Click here to get started: []

Please note that we will have weekly assessments beginning the first week of class, so it is your responsibility to do this promptly.


 * Readings:** Although all of the readings in this class are available online in the pages you are linked to below, you may wish to use a traditional textbook. If so, the following two are available in the bookstore:

//Lowi, Theodore, Benjamin Ginsberg and Kenneth Shepsle. American Government. 11th Edition. New York: W.W. Norton.// //Brown, Lyle et al. Practicing Texas Politics. 13th Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.//


 * About those Power Points:** The bulk of the information I provide to you is through power point slides. I find these convenient ways to manage access to class information. You will see that I have lots of them, this is because I treat them as book chapters. It also keep me from writing on the board. If you are a lecture students you will soon find out that this is a good thing. The slides are laden with links to different sources of additional information. In reality, this is the most important part of the class. I want you to become familiar with the wealth of information that is available to you online. More than anything else - really - that's what I want you to get out of this class (in addition to the basic info about the structure of the government). Please make sure that the links open for you as quickly as you can. I use an older version of power point so that it will work on most - hopefully all - computers. Let me know if you are having problems. Some students need to right click in order to open them. I also keep them very simple (and black and white) so you can print them out if you choose and not blow your printer cartridges. I suggest taking notes from the slides, but do whatever works for you.


 * About the blog - The Weaker Party:** You will notice that I also maintain a blog -- [|http://theweakerparty.blogspot.com] -- where I post items, usually on a daily basis, that pertain to the subject matter of the class. Everyday we will spend time discussing how current events illustrate the principles we cover in class. The blog features a large number of links to the various institutions we will come to understand in this class. In order to better communicate, I want you to go to the page and subscribe to it, you will notice a subscription widget on the right of the page. By subscribing, you will receive daily information regarding not only what we will cover in the class, but also various other notices such as whether class will be cancelled.


 * What's with the Wikipedia Links?** You will also notice that I often link to Wikipedia pages, the open-sourced web based encyclopedia. Wikipedia is often criticized as being unreliable and subject to manipulation. In some cases entries are edited by people who wish to bias the information contained in the article for self interested reasons, but the site has become increasingly reliable, especially with relatively non-controversial or historical topics. I have found the range of articles available to be impressive. There is easily accessible information available there, that simply cannot be found elsewhere. I have found it to be very useful for my purposes. Perhaps its best feature is that it records all edits and allows for discussions of controversies associated with how subjects are discussed.

Here are some links that touch on controversies associated with Wikipedia:

- [|Dean's World]. - [|EDUCAUSE]. - [|Reliability of Wikipedia, from Wikipedia itself]


 * Grading**: A = 89.5 - 100; B = 79.5 - 89.5; C = 69.5 - 79.5; D = 59.5 - 69.5; F 59.5 - 0

Y//our grade will be based on how well you perform in the following://


 * 1 - Assessments (25% of your grade)**: You will be expected to take an assessment for each section in class. I want you to take them all, but will drop the lowest two - again provided you took them. The purpose is to ensure that you have familiarity with the subject matter we cover in class. These assessments will be given through BlackBoard, so once again, please get an account immediately. The assessments are intended to reinforce the principle points made in each section and assess - objectively - your retention of those points. You can use the power points available on each wiki page while answering the questions, so yes they are open note. Check below for the days and times each assessment will be opened.


 * 2 - Written Assignments (25% of your grade**): There will be a small written assignment to accompany each section. This is intended to encourage you to think critically about that week's material. They will generally ask you about a current event that illustrates some aspect of that week's readings. The questions will be written out in the blog, but you are to send your responses through BlackBoard. I'd prefer you to use the submissions box, but note that you will be timed out if you take too long to compose it there. I'd recommend writing answers out in a word processor then pasting them into the box. The assignments will be posted at the beginning of each week and you will have a full week to write at least 150 words (you should consider this to be a bare minimum) and be analytical in nature, based on the specific facts related to the subject. If you plagiarize your answer you will receive a 0, and this grade will not be replaced. I will accept late work, but all work is to be turned in by noon May 30th. You are required to turn all of these in, and I will not drop any of these grades.


 * 3 - A Written Report (25% of your grade**): After much haggling, the Texas 2012 primary elections are set for May 29th, the day before this semester ends. There will be little doubt abut the presidential race, but everything else is largely up for grabs. I want you to focus attention on one of the races to be the Democratic or Republican candidate in the November election for the Texas House of Representatives or Senate. I want you to research the candidates, the district they seek to represent and what makes the race contentious. Since I want it to be a contested race, so you'll need to do a little research to figure out which races are worth looking at. I'll have a few blog posts with additional information on the subject, but here are some sites that can get you started.

- The [|Texas Secretary of States' Election Division]. - [|The list of Republican candidates]. - [|The list of Democratic candidates]. - Texas Tribune: [|2012 Legislative Elections]. - Texas Tribune: [|Republican Candidates, Side by Side].

I want everyone to focus on a different race, so I will have an early weekly assignment that will ask you to make a selection. This is a formal essay and I want it done well. Include any relevant citations.[| Use MLA format throughout]. Part of the grade for the essay will be based on grammar and how well it is written. This is to be at least 1000 words long. Send it to me by May 30th, noon, through BlackBoard. You will find a place to do so under "assignments." If you plagiarize, you will receive a 0 for this assignment.


 * 4 - A Cumulative Final (25% of your grade**): On May 30th, I will give you a cumulative final. It will be composed of 100 multiple choice questions drawn from the subject matter covered the entire term.


 * Regarding Student Behavior:** You are adults and will be expected to act accordingly. For online students this means that I expect you to do your own work. You will not ask anyone else to write papers for you, or you will not simply copy text from various sources and tell me you did it. Turnitin, and other techniques will be used to determine if you have plagiarized. Among the Founders, proper behavior was considered to be a necessary mark of a civilized person and a requirement for political participation. Read through Washington's [|Rules for Civility and Decent Behavior]. It is a great example. Consider adopting a few.


 * //Please Note: If you have any disabilities or other special needs that will affect your ability to learn in this class, please inform me. Appropriate steps will be taken to make reasonable accommodations and assistance with your needs.//**

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT - ACC complies with ADA and 504 Federal guidelines by affording equal access to individuals who are seeking an education. Students who have a disability and would like classroom accommodations must register with the Office of Disability Services, A 136, (281)756-3533. Instructors are not able to provide accommodations until the proper process has been followed.

Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) – Letting someone know - The Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) at Alvin Community College is committed to improving community safety through a proactive, collaborative, coordinated, objective and thoughtful approach to the prevention, identification, assessment, intervention and management of situations that pose, or may reasonably pose, a threat to the safety and well-being to the campus community. College faculty, staff, students and community members may communicate concerns to the BIT by email, BIT@alvincollege.edu, or through an electronic reporting option located on the BIT page of the college website, [|www.alvincollege.edu/bit.


 * Scholastic Dishonesty:** If you cheat in any way in this class and are caught, you will fail the course. Do not download items from the internet and pass them off as your own. If you do so, you will receive a zero for that paper or assignment and that grade will be final. If you do it a second time, you risk failing the course, or receiving a sanction for your actions.


 * Incompletes:** I do allow students to take incompletes provided unusual circumstances have arisen that prevent you from finishing the class in a timely manner. Unless there is an overwhelmingly good reason to take the incomplete -- such as a prolonged hospital stay -- the grading scale is will be adjusted as follows: B = 85.5 - 100; C = 69.5 - 85.5; D = 59.5 - 69.5; F 59.5 - 0. This is done to be fair to the students who were able to complete the class on time, but could have performed better if they had also been given extra time.


 * Calendar and Links**

Note: In order to ensure that you are comfortable with the class, and have an understanding of class material, I want you to take an open-ended assessment on the content of the syllabus, and send me a quick hello from the assignment section. You will note both on blackboard.

Class Starts: May 15

May 15 - Welcome to class - Have You Read the Syllabus? (You can take this multiple times until you get a 100) Assessments open from noon May 15 - 8am May 21 Written Assignment Due: 8am May 21
 * -** Introduction

May 16 - Natural Rights and the Declaration of Independence. Assessment open from noon May 16 - 8am May 21 Written Assignment Due: 8am May 21

May 17 Assessment open from noon May 17 - 8am May 21 Written Assignment Due: 8am May 21
 * -** The United States Constitution.

May 18 - The Texas Constitution Assessment Open from noon May 18 - 8am May 21 Written Assignment Due: 8am May 21

May 21 //-// Federalist 10 and the Republic Assessments open from noon May 21 - 8am May 29 Written Assignment Due: 8am May 29 . May 22 - Federalist 45 and Federalism. Assessments open from 4pm May 22 - 8am May 29 Written Assignment Due: 8am May 29
 * -** Federalist 51 and the Separation of Powers
 * -** Federalist 84, Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights

May 23 Assessment open from noon May 23 - 8am May 29 Written Assignment Due: 8am May 29 . May 24 Assessment open from noon May 24 - 8am May 29 Written Assignment Due: 8am May 29
 * -** Civil Rights and The Equal Protection Clause.
 * -** Elections.

May 25 Assessment open from noon May 25 - 8am May 29 Written Assignment Due: 8am May 29
 * -** Political Parties

May 28 Memorial Day Holiday Assessments open from noon May 25 - 8am May 30 No written assignment

May 29 Wrap up and review No assessments on the following, but expect some final exam questions on these three: - The Freedom of Speech and Public Opinion. - The Freedom of the Press and the Media. - The Freedom to Peacefully Assemble and to Petition Government for a Redress of Grievances and Interests Groups

Wednesday, May 30 - Papers Due - Final