syllabus+-+GOVT+2301+-+fall+2009+mini+2

Kevin Jefferies Office: D-225 Office Phone: 281-756-3736 email:** **kjefferies@alvincollege.edu**
 * Government 2301
 * class blog:** [|**http://theweakerparty.blogspot.com/**]


 * GOVT 2301 - Mini 2**


 * //Note://** //Though textbooks are available at the bookstore (see below) all readings are available online. This requires you to have a reliable internet connection. Talk to me if this poses problems for you. Also be sure to let me know if links no longer work.


 * Also Note:** I do not use Blackboard. All your correspondence, including paper submissions, will be through my email address above.//


 * Course Description:** This is the first of two required courses designed to familiarize students with the nature of national, state, and local government. I focus principally on the factors which led to the development of the Constitution (both U.S. and Texas), and the nature of the institutions which have evolved in the Constitution’s wake. This will involve an analysis of the basic terminology of government and politics, readings of the founding documents (The Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, The U.S. and Texas Constitutions, and the Federalist Papers). We will also pay serious attention to documents and developments dating from British and Roman history, since so much of our constitutional system (like the concepts of separated powers and individual liberty) is based on concepts dating back to those eras.

We will analyze the evolving realtionship between the national, state, and local governments -- federalism -- including lingering controversies concerning which level of government should be responsible for what policies. Each level claims to be sovereign, but this invites conflict. We will come to grips with how these conflicts have been worked out through our history, and what conflicts exist currently. This also allows us to begin to understand the specific relationship that exists between Texas and local government (the greater Houston area) and the national government. It also allows us to approach the evolution of government from a historical standpoint.

We will adopt a similar overview of the evolving electoral process, as well as the party system in the nation and state. Elections are vitally important in democratic systems, without elections there is no democracy. But the process has changed dramatically, especially if we consider how attitudes towards democracy, as well as the nature of democracy, has changed over time. We will see that governing system had strong elite components early on, but mass participation has increased substantively over our history. The organization of parties and the strength of individuals candidates has also evolved.

Perhaps the most important concept in American government is the idea that it is based on individual freedom. While the Constitution establishes a system that allows the government sufficient strength to provide the security and economic foundation upon which a nation can be built, checks have been introduced in order to protect individuals (or attempt to protect individuals) from the arbitrary and capricious use of governmental power. The very reason these limits exist is due to the idea expressed in the Declaration of Independence that the very purpose of government is to secure the unalienable rights of the people. This is the heart of the concept of civil liberties, freedoms that individuals possess and are protected by the systems of separated powers and by the Bill of Rights. We will analyze both the US and Texas Bills of Rights and see how each has changed over time, and the controversies over how these liberties are defined.

Three specific protections established in the Bill of Rights have led to the development of three key outside influences on government: public opinion, interest groups and the media. These are relate respectively to the freedoms of speech, press and peacefull assembly to petition government for a redress of grievances. We explore the impact each has on the governing process as well as the constitutional controversies associated with each.

We will also discuss civil rights, and pay special attention to the Fourteenth Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause. Whereas civil liberties concern the freedoms people have from government, civil rights concerns the obligations that government have in order to ensure (1) that people have a basic level of freedoms and (2) are treated equally before the law. During most of human history, governing systems have included some class system that grants privileges to one group and restricts them from others. The establishement of the United States itself can be considered to be a step in the process by which these privileges have been removed, but the process has been, and continues to be, contentious. We will discuss controversies associated with the expansion of equality across different groups and issues associeted with what in fact it means to be equal and how equality is best obtained.


 * Readings**: All of the readings in this class are available online. Look at the calendar below and you will notice a variety of subjects listed next to dates. Click on the appropriate subject and you will be taken to a separate page that will contain some basic text, plus a variety of links taking you to additional information about the subject matter. You will also see a variety of study guide questions and the appropriate assignments, which will vary depending on whether you are a lecture or online student.

You'll 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. In some cases this is true, but the site has become increasingly reliable, especially with relatively non-controversial or hisltorical 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 controveries 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].

Though I primarily use this wiki for class readings, there are two very good traditional textbooks that **I recommend you purchase**, and use to supplement your readings:

//Lowi, Theodore, Benjamin Ginsberg and Kenneth Shepsle. American Government. 10th Edition. New York: W.W. Norton. Brown, Lyle et al. Practicing Texas Politics. 13th Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.//

From time to time I may use powerpoints slides from these books as lecture material.

You will notice that [|I also maintain a blog where I post], more or less, daily items pertaining to the subject matter of the class. want you to go to the page and subscribe to it (you will see a button on the right hand side of the page that allows you to do so). That way you will be able to receive information regarding not only what we will cover in the class, but also notices about the class 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

Your grade will be based on the following:

Paper #1: Political Autobiography (15%) Paper #2: (15%)**
 * Weekly Quizes and/or Written Assignments (70%)


 * Weekly Quizes and/or Written Assignments**: Each week you are responsible for turning in six short answer questions of at least 150 words. By clicking on the links below, you will find the reading material for the course as well as the written assignments. Near the top of each page is a list of four written questions. My 16 week students are to answer all four, you are to select any three. Since you are required to cover two readings each week (except week eight) you must select a total of six. These are due by midnight each Sunday, you will see the precise dates below.


 * Paper #1: Political Autobiography:** I want you to investigate your own political opinions and explain why you have them. Describe what factors have led to your political affiliations, attachment or repulsion to certain political figures, and positions on various policy issues. Even if you are not that interested in politics, explain why that is the case as well. Think about the impact of your family, your peers, the schools you have attended and the various events that have happened over the course of your life that have had an impact on you. I want you to write at least 1000 words on this subject and email it to me by midnight November 8.

- [|Congress.org - Current Legislation]. - [|OpenCongress.org - Bills]. - [|OpenCRS.org]. - [|OpenSecrets.org]. I want you to write at least 1000 words on this subject and email it to me by midnight December 4.
 * Paper #2: Interest Group Activity:** One of the more problematic aspects of American government is the fact that public policy is not always driven by the preferences of the majority, but instead by the interests of a concentrated minority. When we lecture on Federalist #10 and interest groups in general we will discuss this further. For now it will suffice to say that concentrated cohesive interests are more likely to offer the benefits necessary to persuade people to overcome the tendency of people to freeride, to not work for group benefits of they think that they work will get done without them. In this assignment I want you to determine which interest groups are working behind the scenes for or against legislation in Congress and how they are attempting to have their interests heard. Begin by selecting legislation working its way through Congress, and review readily available news news stories about it. Try to determine which groups are aligned on either side of the bill, where their interests lie and what mechanisms they are using to persuade members of Congress to vote their way. Here are some useful sites:


 * Regarding Student Behavior:** You are adults and will be expected to act accordingly. This is true whether you are in my lecture or online classes. Lecture students, do not sleep or engage in idle chatter in the classroom. Unruly students will be asked to leave. I encourage active discussion, so be prepared to state your opinions and justify them. I also expect you to come to class prepared to discuss the material at hand. Be ready to be called on at any moment to answer questions about the subject matter.

Online students, I expect you to do your own work. This means that 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.

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] are a great example. Consider adopting a few.

//Please Not: If you have any disabilities or other special needs that will affect your ability to learn in this class, please inform me of them. Appropriate steps will be taken to make reasonable accomodations and assiist you with your needs.//


 * 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.

Calendar:

Classes begin October 14th.


 * Please note: The readings you will be directed to are also used by my 16 week classes. They are required to answer four questions for each week. Since you have less time, you are to answer any three of these questions -- as clearly stated below. You are also to select these questions from the "Fall 2009" questions. This of course is the fall of 2009. This means that each week you are send me six 150 answers to which ever questions you select to answer. If you need me to make these instructions even simpler, please let me know. **

Week One (October 14 - 18) - Introduction. (select any three short answer questions) - Natural Rights and the Declaration of Independence. (select any three short answer questions) //Written work must be sent to me by midnight October 18.//

Week Two (October 19 - 25) - The United States Constitution. (select any three short answer questions) - The Texas Constitution. (select any three short answer questions) //Written work must be sent to me by midnight October 25.//

Week Three (October 26 - November 1) - Federalist #10 and the Violence of Factions. (select any three short answer questions) - Federalist #51 and the Separation of Powers. (select any three short answer questions) //Written work must be sent to me by midnight November 1.//

Week Four (November 2 - 8) - Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights. (select any two short answer questions) - Federalism. (select any two short answer questions) //Online Student's Written Work must be sent to me by midnight November 8. Paper #1 due.//

Week Five (November 9 - 15) - Local Governments. No questions due from this section. - The Electoral System. (select any three short answer questions) //Written work must be sent to me by midnight November 15.//

Week Six (November 16 - 22) - The Development of Political Parties. (select any three short answer questions) - The Freedom of Speech and Public Opinion. (select any three short answer questions) //Written work must be sent to me by midnight November 22.//

Week Seven (November 23- 29) - The Freedom of the Press and the Media. (select any three short answer questions) - The Freedom to Peacefully Assemble and to Petition Government for a Redress of Grivances and Interests Groups. (select any three short answer questions) //Written work must be sent to me by midnight November 29.//

Week Eight (November 30 - December 4) - Civil Rights and the Equal Protection Clause. (answer all four questions) //Written work must be sent to me by midnight December 4. Paper #2 due midnight December 4.//