Syllabus+-+Spring+2012+-+GOVT+2302


 * Government 2302**
 * Kevin Jefferies**
 * Office: D-225**
 * Office Phone: 281-756-3736**
 * email:** kjefferies@alvincollege.edu. -- though I'd like you to start using the email on blackboard for classroom issues.
 * class blog:** [|http://theweakerparty.blogspot.com]

//Spring 2012//

//GOVT 2302 - 01 MW 8am - 9:15am// //GOVT 2302 - 02 MW 11am - 12:15am// //GOVT 2302 - INB//

//January 17 - May 4//


 * This is the official information about the class from the ACC catalog**: Government 2302:American National and State Governments II (3 credits): The primary focus of this course is the federal system. Particular emphasis is placed on national issues and the executive, judicial and legislative branches of the federal government. The course also surveys the functions and services of the federal system and those of the various state governments, including the Texas state government. 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 governmental 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?** GOVT 2302 takes explores the institutions of American government on the national, state, and local level. Broadly this means that we will look at the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, and their relative components, powers and personnel. We will begin by exploring the organic evolution of these institutions over the course of British history, and how that history helped determine how each branch was designed in the United States and Texas Constitutions. We will devote a good amount of time to reading through the relevant articles in each constitution. We will then analyze how each branch has evolved since the Constitution was written and the state of their designs today, including an understanding of the people who occupy those positions currently. We will also use this information to help make sense of the current controversies that each institution is dealing with. We will conclude with a look at some of the current, topical public policy disputes: health care, financial regulations, and energy. Hopefully our discussion of the governing institutions will help us understand how policy is shaped.


 * 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 a means of making 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

Your grade will be based on how well you perform in the following:


 * 1 - Weekly Quizzes (25%):** You will be expected to take assessments each week for each of the sections covered that week. 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 - Weekly Written Assignments (25%):** Each week I will also post a question designed 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. These will also be presented to you in BlackBoard and you are to send your responses through BlackBoard as well. 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. I will accept late work, but all work is to be turned in by noon May 4th.


 * 3 - A Written Report (25%):** One of the defining themes of the American governing system is the separated powers and the checks and balances that are intended to keep them separate. During periods of divided government - when the two parties control different branches (notably the legislative and executive) - conflict between the two heats up, sometimes in very creative ways. This years this conflict will be further exacerbated by the fact that this is an election year and each side may be more interested in scoring political points than in making sound decisions on policy matters. That's the price of democracy, and it leads some to wonder if our governing system is now broke. But perhaps this fear is unfounded. Over the course of the semester I want you to monitor the relationship between the legislative and executive branches (with the occasional look at the judiciary) and describe it in a report of at least 1000 words. Do you see evidence that the checks and balances (and electoral politics) are making governing impossible? Or are proper decisions being made despite all the fuss? Send me your report by May 4th, noon. Send it to me through BlackBoard. You will find a place to do so under "assignments." Make it interesting.


 * 4 - A Cumulative Final (25%):** Final week will be May 7 - 12. Lecture students check online for the precise day and time of your final. Online students will take their final online. It will be open from noon May 10 - noon May 12. Each will be composed of 100 multiple choice questions.


 * 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**

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.

Classes Start: January 17

Week One: January 17 - 22 - Introduction to GOVT 2302. Assessment Open from 4pm January 19 - 8am January 23 Written Assignment Due: 8am January 23

Week Two: January 23 - 29 - The Legislature: Definition and Historical Background. Assessment Open from 4pm January 26 - 8am January 30 Written Assignment Due: 8am January 30

Week Three: January 30 - February 5 - The Legislature - United States Constitutional Design - The Legislature - Texas Constitutional Design Assessment Open from 4pm February 2 - 8am February 6 Written Assignment Due: 8am February 6

Week Four: February 6 - 12 - The Legislature: US Evolution and Current Organization. - The Legislature: Texas Evolution and Current Organization. Assessment Open from 4pm February 9 - 8am February 13 Written Assignment Due: 8am February 13

Week Five: February 13 - 19 - The Legislature: US Contemporary Issues - The Legislature: Texas Contemporary Issues Assessment Open from 4pm February 16 - 8am February 20 Written Assignment Due: 8am February 20

Week Six: February 20 - 26 - The Executive: Definition and Historical Background Assessment Open from 4pm February 23 - 8am February 27 Written Assignment Due: 8am February 27

Week Seven: February 27 - March 4 - The Executive: US Constitutional Design - The Executive: Texas Constitutional Design Assessment Open from 4pm March 1 - 8am March 5 Written Assignment Due: 8am March 5

Week Eight: March 5 - 11 - The Executive: US Evolution and Current Organization - The Executive: Texas Evolution and Current Organization Assessment Open from 4pm March 8 - 8am March 12 Written Assignment Due: 8am March 12

Spring Break: March 12 - 16

Week Nine: March 19 - 25 - The Executive: US Contemporary Issues - The Executive: Texas Contemporary Issues Assessment Open from 4pm March 22 - 8am March 26 Written Assignment Due: 8am March 26

Week Ten: March 26 - April 1 - The Judiciary: Definition and Historical Background. Assessment Open from 4pm March 29 - 8am April 2 Written Assignment Due: 8am April 2

Week Eleven: April 2 - 8 - The Judiciary: Constitutional Design. Assessment Open from 4pm April 6 - 8am April 9 Written Assignment Due: 8am April 9

Week Twelve: April 9 - 15 - The Judiciary - Judicial Review and the Current Court Assessment Open from 4pm April 12 - 8am April 16 Written Assignment Due: 8am April 16

Week Thirteen: April 16 - 22 - The Judiciary: Contemporary Issues Assessment Open from 4pm April 19 - 8am April 23 Written Assignment Due: 8am April 23

Week Fourteen: April 23 - 29 - Public Policy and Sub-Governments Assessment Open from 4pm April 26 - 8am April 30 Written Assignment Due: 8am April 30

Week Fifteen: April 30 - May 4 - Review

Last Day to turn in written work May 4

Finals Week: May 7 - 12