syllabus+-+govt+2301+-+spring+2009

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

This syllabus works for the following classes:

GOVT 2301-01 GOVT 2301-03 GOVT 2301-05 GOVT 2301-IN2

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), civil liberties and civil rights, an outline the election system and the evolution and design of political parties, and the impact of public opinion, interest groups and the media on politics.

//This course is designed to be used by both lecture students and internet students. All assignments--weekly--are listed below and contain some for my lecture students and some for my internet students.//

Readings: All of the readings in this class are available online. If you wish to use a traditional textbook, the following two are available in the bookstore:

//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.//

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. That way you will be able to recive 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:

60% - Weekly quiz averages. 10% - Political Autobiography (see below for description) 10% - A Petition for a Grievance 20% - Final

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, yoru 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. Write at least 1000 words. Due by Friday February 6th. Email this to me (either using microsoft word, or pasted into an email) at the address above.

A Petition for a Grievance: Build off the previous paper and focus on an issue that is important to you, something that you beleive needs to be changed through the governmental process. The point of this class, after all, should be to familiarize you with the workings of government so that you can be an effective participant within it. I want you to tell me why a specific issue is important, and what you would like to see changed, and more importantly, I want you to outline how you can best do this. In essence you will be behaving as an interest group enganged in lobbying for change. I want you to be prepared to discuss this over the course of the class. Write at least 1000 words. Due by Friday May 1st. Email this to me (either using microsoft word, or pasted into an email) at the address above.

Regarding Student Behavior: You are adults and will be expected to act accordingly. 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 questiosn about the suibject matter.

Among the Founders, proper behavior around others 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.

//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.

The links below will take you to the readings and assignments for each week.

Week 1 (January 14 - 16) Introduction and Pre Test (For Lecture Classes Only) Week 2 (January 19 - 23) Citizenship and the Keeping of the Republic. Week 3 (January 26 - 30) Natural Rights and the Declaration of Independence. Week 4 (February 2 - 6) Federalist #10 and the Violence of Factions. Week 5 (February 9 - 13) Federalist #51 and the Separation of Powers. Week 6 (February 16 - 20) The United States and Texas Constitutions. Week 7 (February 23 - 27) The 10th Amendment and Federalism. Week 8 (March 2 - 6) Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights. Week 9 (March 9 - 13) Civil Rights and the Equal Protection Clause. Spring Break: March 16 - 20 Week 10 (March 23 - 27) Local Government. Week 11 (March 30 - April 3) The Electoral System. Week 12 (April 6 - 10) The Development of Political Parties. Week 13 (April 13 - 17) Public Opinion and the Media. Week 14 (April 20 - 24) Interest Groups. Week 15 (April 27 - May 1) Tying it all together, review, discussion of papers.

Now that we are getting towards the end of the semester I can give you a bit more lcarity regarding the final exam.

Lecture Students: please refer to the ACC online schedule for the final exam schedule and be prepared to take two separate tests that day. One will be the post test, which is the same test you took at the beginning of the semester as a pre test. The other will be a cummulative exam which will be composed of (roughly) 50 questions drawn from those answered over the semester. The point of the final is to help you retain the information already presented, not present new infomration.

Internet Students: I want you to answer the questions below fully. I expect you will have to answer in at least 200 words to do a good job. The point of these questions is to see if you can use the information given to you over the semester to address current topics. If you need clarification let me know.

You can find links to helpful sites on my blog.

1. Investigate one of the cases which have been argued before the Supreme Court concerning civil liberties and outline it. Explain the constitutional questions at stake.

2. Address the issue in question 1 again, but this time for a case involving civil rights.

3. Using current news sources for information, investigate, outline and evaluate a current conflict involving the national and state governments. Detail the Constitutional questions involved in the dispute.

4. Again, using current news sources for information, look at the current state of the two major political parties and assess their relative health. How might each fare in the 2010 elections? Back up your answer.

5. Critically evaluate the manner in which the media has covered the news over the semester. Has it adequately covered national or international events? What is the basis for your assessment?

These are due by midnight Friday May 8th.