syllabus+-+GOVT+2301+-+spring+2010


 * This should be more or less complete, but please contact me if anything is confusing or amiss.

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

GOVT 2301 - 03 GOVT 2301 - 05 GOVT 2301 - INB
 * GOVT 2301 - 01

//Note://** //This course is designed to be used by both lecture students and internet students. 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.

Special Note for Online Students: Plagiarism has been rampant recently and will not be tolerated. If you can't recall what plagialrism is, please refer to the following sites://

[|//Plagiarism.org//]//.// [|//Wikipedia: Plagiarism//]//.

As you will see in my written assignments, I want all students to include a statement on each written assignment that they did not plagiarize the work they turned in and that they understand that they are subject to disciplinary sanctions if they did.//


 * Course Description**: This is the first of two courses designed to introduce students to the nature of government in the United States. We begin by discussing the factors which led to the ideas embedded in our Constitution, as well as the Constitution itself. While we save a thorough discussion of the three institutions established in the Constitution (the legislative, executive and judicial branches) to 2302, we cover most everything else in this class. This includes the republican nature of the system, the system of separated powers, federalism and civil liberties. We also discuss the nature of elections in the United States, political parties and the participatory rights of speech, press, assembly and petition. We conclude with an overview of the controversies associated with civil rights and the equal protection clause.


 * 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, 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 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].

Most of the material you are required to read in this class is either in this wiki, or in a link I direct you to. I also have two available textbooks that you may wish to purchase in order to fill any gaps I might have in these pages. It is your choice whether you purchase these. They may be helpful, they may not be, that will be your choice. These are:

//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 PowerPoint 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. I 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.

Cumulative Final (20%) Paper #1: Political Autobiography (10%) Paper #2: Forecasting the 2010 Elections (10%)**
 * Grading:**
 * Weekly Quizzes and/or Written Assignments (60%)

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


 * Grading and Assignments:**

Your grade will be based on your performance in the following areas:


 * Weekly Quizzes and/or Written Assignments (60%):** Lecture students will have a quiz, almost always a series of multiple choice questions, every Monday or Tuesday on the material covered the previous week. **You must come to these classes with a scantron and a pencil**. I will not provide them to you. If you are an internet student, each week you are assigned four short answer questions. The due dates for each are listed below. Please email me the answers at kjefferies@alvincollege.edu. These quizzes and written assignments are meant not only to evaluate your understanding of the material but to give me an idea about how well I am communicating it.


 * Makeup policy for my lecture students**: I understand that from time to time you may have to miss a quiz. If you let me know before it happens or within a reasonable amount of time afterwards (for example later that same day), you may makeup the quiz by taking the questions assigned to the internet students for that week. You may only do this for a maximum of 4 quizzes.


 * Cumulative** **Final (20%):** On the last day of class I will give my lecture students a cumulative exam which will cover the range of material we covered in the previous lectures. My online students will have a series of cumulative questions that will require them to review material covered over the course of the semester. This will be posted about two weeks prior to finals week.


 * Paper #1: Political Autobiography (10%):** 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 Sunday, January 31st**.


 * Paper #2: Forecasting the 2010 Elections (10%).** Every two years, elections are held in the United States and Texas. This is established in their respective constitutions. Regularly scheduled elections are considered to be a hallmark of democracy since they are far less easy to manipulate than irregular elections. Elections always loom over the horizon and hopefully keep officeholders fixed on the preferences of their constituents. As we will see in later lectures, each of the separated institutions of government has its own unique connection to the electorate and a distinct term of office. As a result, each institution -- The House of Representatives, the Senate, the Chief Executive, and the Courts -- is expected to be more or less connected to the immediate preferences of the population. The entire electoral system is far more complex and intricate than we might realize. Part of the goal of this class is to understand that system so that we can better understand the stakes in each election. That is the purpose of this paper. I want you to come to terms with the driving forces beneath the upcoming election and based on the electoral design of each institution, find out what changes are likely to occur and not occur. What are the stakes in the upcoming elections, both on the national and state levels? Based on the current nature of public opinion, what electoral results should we expect?

This link takes you a page which will contain a growing list of stories and references which should help you do well on the paper.


 * I want you to write at least 1000 words and email this to me by Midnight, Sunday April 25th.**


 * A note on grading papers**: I don't grade papers that hard. It is not difficult too get a passing grade or a B. A's are a bit tougher, of course, as they should be. The most important thing to be mindful of is word length. You cannot get a passing grade if you do not give me at least 1000 words. 1000 should also be considered to be a minimum. The longer and more comprehensive the work, the better the grade. Also be mindful of grammar, spelling and basic style. Make sure the logic of your argument flows readily. The easier -- or even fun -- it is to read your work, the easier it is for me to justify giving it a good grade. Remember also that paragraphs are your friend. They make papers much easier to read.


 * 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]. 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.//


 * 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 hat grade will be final. If you do it a second time, you risk failing the course, or receiving a sanction for you actions.


 * Calendar:**

//Please note: the readings for each week will be made available when they are ready.//

- We will introduce the nature of the class and take a pretest. We will also begin lecturing on the basic concepts and terminology of government. This includes a discussion of the very purpose of the class itself. //Lecture Student's Quiz: January 20 or 21. Online Student's Written Work due: January 17//
 * Week One: January 11 - 15:** **Introduction****.**

- This week we discuss the concept of a natural right, or an unalienable right as it is described in the Declaration of Independence. We will contrast it with the idea of the divine right of kings and come to an understanding of the unique nature of the relationship this establishes between the people of the United States and their government. The concept is clearly defined and articulated in the text of Declaration of Independence, which we will read through closely. //Lecture Student's Quiz: January 25 or 26. Online Student's Written Work due: January 24//
 * Week Two: January 18 (the 18th is a holiday) - 22:** **Natural Rights and the Declaration of Independence.**

- We discuss the nature of constitutions and then proceed to a basic overview of the United States and Texas Constitutions. A Constitution is the basic law of the land. Constitutions establish the basic structure of governing institutions, as well as their functions. They determine what relationships exist between those institutions and the relationships between the government and the people. But they can do so with varying degrees of specificity. The more vague the language and design of a Constitution, the more subject it is to changing interpretations. It is just as important to understand the way that constitutional language is interpreted, or more properly the disputes associated with that interpretation, as it is to know the language of the Constitution itself. As we will see, the Texas Constitution is far more specific than the United States Constitution. This implies that despite similarily in overall structure, there are crucial distinctions between the two documents in the governing theory underlying each. //Lecture Student's Quiz: February 1 or 2 Online Student's Written Work due: January 31//
 * Week Three: January 25 - 29: The United States and Texas Constitutions.**

- This week we begin to cover the debate surrounding the ratification of the Constitution with special attention paid to Federalist #10 which discusses the problem of tyranny of the majority, that is the danger majorities pose for minorities within a democracy. We will see how James Madison argues how the structure of the United States Constitution, its republican design, provides an effective way to minimize this danger. This provides us an opportunity to dig deeply into the concept of democracy and assess its pros and cons. Madison takes the deficiencies of human nature seriously and incorporates out worst tendencies into the design of the Constitution. //Lecture Student's Quiz: February 8 or 9 Online Student's Written Work due: February 7//
 * Week Four: February 1 - 5: Federalist #10 and the Republican Nature of American Government.**

- We continue covering the debate over the ratification of the Constitution, this time by reading through Federalist #51 which details how the separated powers are to be kept separate. As with the previous weeks readings, we will see how Madison views human nature and how he then incorporates it into the Constitution's design. The key problem, we will see, is the problem of ambition. Leaders tend to be ambitious people and will use that ambition to expand their power, even if that leads the leaders of one branch of government to attempt to control the other branches. We will see how the intricate design of the American electoral system is a key mechanism for establishing the independence of each institution. The different terms of office and mechanisms for electing people to different positions will begin to take on a new light. We will pay special attention to how the powers granted to each institution takes human nature into account. This will allow us to fully understand the impotance of the checks and balances. //Lecture Student's Quiz: February 15 or 16 Online Student's Written Work due: February 14//
 * Week Five: February 8 - 12: Federalist 51 and the Separation of Powers .**

- One of the key features of the American system is its commitment to individual freedom, but establishing individual freedom is easier said than done. Every act of governing, in some sense, compromises individual freedom though it does so in pursuit of the greater good of society (however that may be defined). Bills of Rights, which in some form or another date back to Henry the First's Charter of Liberties, place specific limits on the powers of each branch of government. Some are substantive -- refering to the subject matter of legislation -- and some are procedural -- refering to the manner in which criminal suspects are searched and tried in courts. These liberties are established in the Bill of Rights. Both Texas and the United States have Bills of Rights. We will explore both, as well as the general concept of individual rights and the controversies associated with how they are defined and enforced. //Lecture Student's Quiz: February 22 or 23 Online Student's Written Work due: February 21//
 * Week Six: February 15 - 19: Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights.**

- Another key feature of American government is its division into several layers. At its simplest, this means that it is separated into national and state levels, each argued to be best able to perform certain functions. The Constitution delegates some, military and commercial powers specifically, to the national government and reserves the rest, the regulation of health, safety, welfare and morals, to the states. But there are two constitutional phrases, the "necessary and proper" and "commerce" clauses, which have been argued to imply that the national government has additional powers beyond what is clearly stated in the Constitution. We will explote the controversies associated with this expansion of national power. In a more complicated sense, the entire federal system includes local governments which have a legal connection to the states, but financial relationships with the national government. Local governments are considered more broadly below. //Lecture Student's Quiz: March 1 or 2 Online Student's Written Work due: February 28//
 * Week Seven: February 22 - 26: Federalism .**

**//Note to both lecture and online students: Let's take a mental health break and cancel Week Eight. No quizes or questions will be due for this week. Lecture students, we will begin discussingthe electoral system and the right to vote on Monday March 8th.//**

//**Week Eight: March 1 - 5: Local Governments.** - Though local governments are often ignored, they provide the bulk of the services that we deal with on a daily basis. They provide the best opportunity for people to become involved politically and have a significant impact on their community. They are also the oldest forms of government in the United States. The earliest settlements were small towns which had to form governments in order to function properly. Local governments are complex. Some have multiple functions -- cities and counties for example -- and some have one simple function, such as an independent school district, port authority or a navigation district. Some are largely independent, such as the government of cities, some serve as administrative arms of the state, such as a county. Many of the problems that the country faces hit cities especially hard, so we will spend time on how cities face up to the various challenges they face. Lecture Student's Quiz: March 8 or 9 Online Student's Written Work due: March 7//

- Elections are central to democracies. They are the glue that binds the actions of government to the preferences of the general population. Without elections, there is little reason to believe that governmental actions would benefit anyone other than those already in government. Unfortunately, elections in a majoritarian democracy can also make a government subject to tyranny of the majority. Elections are also not always the best ways for popular preferences to be expressed since people can be manipulated by political leaders, not everyone votes, and since money plays such a large role in campaigns. The United States has a unique electoral system that has led to the development of two strong political parties. Knowing this shoudl help us make sense of what otherwise seems like a confusing, chaotic political world. We will also investigate the nature of the right to vote, the degree to which people use their right to vote by turning out to vote, and the impact that campaigning has on individual decisions about who to vote for. //Lecture Student's Quiz: March 22 or 23 Online Student's Written Work due: March 21//
 * Week Nine: March 8 - 12: The Electoral System and the Right to Vote.**


 * Spring Break: March 15 - 19**

- Though not mentioned in the Constitution, political parties have evolved as some of our strongest political organizations. They are effective ways to both organize the electorate and the governing institutions. As we will see, political parties developed early in Congress as ways to organize members who were either supportive or opposed to the proposals of the prresident. To this day, parties continue to serve this function. Witness the respective roles that the two parties currently play in Congress. Parties have also been at the forefront of expanding the right to vote. As a sonsequence, some argue that democracy would not have evolved in the United States without the existence of political parties. Because of the nature of the electoral system, which we discuss above, there are inevitably two large political parties in the United States. Since 1856 these have been the Democratic and Republican Parties. In order to maximize votes, each must reach out to a variety of groups, some of which oppose each other on key issues. This means that the internal conflict within parties can be as interesting as the conflict between parties. We will come to terms with the current status of the two major parties, including who their supporters are, what positions they take on current issues, and how each strategizes for eah election. We will also touch on questions concerning the health of each party, and the party system in general. //Lecture Student's Quiz: March 29 or 30 Online Student's Written March 28//
 * Week Ten: March 22 - 26: Political Parties.**

- Democracies, or free societies in general, would not exist without the ability to speak freely, especially about political issues. In many parts of the world, free speech does not exist. But societies suffer when people are not able to develop ideas and enter them into public debate. Repressive societies become stale and poor since they are not subject to the changes that vigorous public debate promotes. //Since April 5th is a holiday, all my lecture classes will quized April 12 or 13 on Week's Eleven and Twelve. Online Student's Written April 4//
 * Week Eleven: March 29 - April 2: The Freedom of Speech and Public Opinion.**

- Closely tied to the concept of free speech is a free press. A free press provides opportunities for people to receive information about ongoing events as well as read commentary about those events. It also allows people to expand the dialogue they can participate in about public issues. //Lecture Student's Quiz: April 12 or 13 Online Student's Written April 11//
 * Week Twelve: April 5 - 9: The Freedom of the Press and the Media.**

- The right of people to both peacefull assemble and take a grievance to a public official were hard fought. The latter specifically. The right to assemble has led to the right of people to form interest groups and political parties. These are the principle mechanisms through which people can in fact petition for a grievance sucessfully //Lecture Student's Quiz: April 19 or 20 Online Student's Written April 18//
 * Week Thirteen: April 12 - 16:The Freedom to Peacefully Assemble and to Petition Government for a Redress of Grivances and Interests Groups.**

- We conclude by exploring the concept of civil rights and its origin in the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. As with individual freedom, equality, at least equal treatment before the law, is a fundamental feature of American government. We will explore the various controveries associated with the concept //Lecture Student's Quiz: April 26 or 27 Online Student's Written April 25//
 * Week Fourteen (April 19 - 23): Civil Rights and the Equal Protection Clause.**

- Summary and Review //Final Exam Schedule will be posted prior to this week//
 * Week Fifteen: April 26 - 30**

Finals Week: May 3 - 7 Grades Due: May 10, 9am**
 * Classes End April 30