GOVT 2306
TEXAS STATE
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
ROY EDWARD
CASAGRANDA
Associate Professor of Government
SUMMER 2011
Section:
29393-036
Time:
MTWTh 12:15 - 2:10 pm
Location:
Pinnacle
Room:
403
Session:
June 30 - August 8
Office Hours: MTWTh 9:40-10:00, 11:55-12:15,
& 2:05-2:45
or by appointment
Email:
rcasagra@austincc.edu
Office:
PIN 407
Website: http://gov.casagranda.com
Textbook: Texas
Politics Today,
Fourteenth Edition, 2009
ISBN
978-0495570257
Sam Houston (1793-1863)
Washington
is the only lunatic asylum in the world run by its own immates.
Governor and US Senator W. Lee "Pappy"
O'Daniel
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND
DESCRIPTION
The purpose of the course is to acquaint the student with Texas state
and local government. The student will be introduced to: (a) a
framework for analyzing Texas politics and government; (b) the
constitutional basis for Texas government; (c) the processes of Texas
politics and government; (d) the institutions of Texas politics and
government; and (e) policies of Texas government. Specific behavioral
objectives will accompany each unit of instruction.
Additionally it is hoped that students will gain: an understanding of
federalism; an awareness of the ways in which government affects/is
affected by its citizens; political thinkning as part of the process of
becoming a more effective citizen; critical thinking skills; and a
better understanding of the theoretical nature of government.
The course is divided up into four parts. Part 1 will provide an
overview of Texas history, the Texas Constitution, and federalism.
In Part 2 we will look at institutional elements of policy
generation and implementation as well as elections and parties.
Finally, in Part 3 we will look at the institutions of the Texas
government, namely the Congress, the Governor, and the Judiciary.
While this is primarily a lecture course, the class may also include
videos, transparencies, role-playing simulations, internet activities,
writing assignments, and classroom discussions. Students must
attend and participate regularly.
The
American dream is not dead. It is gasping for breath, but it is not
dead.
Barbara Jordan
CLASS POLICIES
OFFICE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented
physical or psychological disabilities. Students with
disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office
for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take
the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this
three weeks before the start of the semester.
MESSAGING
Do NOT ever message or text the professor using Facebook or his
personal cell phone for questions related to the class. You
should view Facebook and the personal cell as means of contacting the
professor for Twelfth Revolution club business, personal, or political
activism only.
POLICY ON ATTENDANCE AND WITHDRAWAL
Each student is expected to attend and participate in each class
meeting and to complete the assigned reading PRIOR to each class.
Although class attendance is not a direct component of the final grade,
absences do limit the student’s opportunity to participate fully in
class activities and will almost certainly impact the student’s final
grade. Should it be necessary to miss a class a student should
contact other class members for copies of the notes amd materials
covered in that class. Attendance is required on test days and on
oral presentation days. Should you miss a test day there will be
no make up exams, instead your final grade will be based on the tests
taken. Should you miss two or more exams you should consider
dropping the course rather than suffering a failing grade.
Cell phones and text-messaging devices must be turned off and should
not be in evidence in the classroom unless you have prior approval from
the instructor. Late arrivals and early departures are disruptive
so please be on time and plan to stay the entire period unless you have
previously spoken to the instructor. Excessive tardiness or failure to
follow class policies on cell phones may result in the student being
dropped from the course. Do NOT get up during class to throw
something away.
The professor reserves the right to withdraw (drop) anyone from the
class for any reason. This does not mean that you will
automatically be withdrawn if you are failing or if you are not
attending class. If you wish to drop the course please make sure
to do so yourself. The instructor will not do it for you.
If, for any reason, you decide to withdraw from the course you must
complete the required forms in the Admissions and Records office.
INCOMPLETES
No imcompletes will be given for any reason or circumstance. Plan on
finishing the class and all class assignments on time. All late
assignments will receive an 'F.' If it becomes clear that you will not
be able to complete the course please consider dropping the course by
the drop deadline. Failure to complete the required coursework
will likely result in an F grade.
We
enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.
I hope to bring some of that discomfort of thought to the American
people.
John Anderson
SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY
Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered
include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on
an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with
another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by
students shall be the result of their thought, research, or
self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to
tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper, projects,
either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework.
If a student commits any of these actions, I will seek disciplinary
action in the form of an academic penalty, which will likely include a
course grade of ‘F’.
Look, I take this very seriously and it has a real simple
solution. If you want to include text from someone else feel free
to cite the original author. It will strengthen your argument and
suggest that you have done research on the subject. Otherwise, I
am ruthless and will show no mercy when it comes to plagiarism.
Failure to comply with this rule is almost certain to cause you to fail
the course.
I am
delighted to be here with you this evening, because after listening to
George Bush all these years, I figured you needed to know what a real
Texas accent sounds like.
Governor Ann Richards
1988 Democratic National Convention keynote address
CLASS PARTICIPATION AND ACADEMIC FREEDOM
Just as each student is expected to attend class, each student is also
expected to participate in the class discussion. This not only
includes preparing for class and listening in class, but also includes
asking questions, answering questions, providing examples, and
expressing opinions. This class will be much more educational (as
well as interesting) in an atmosphere of active participation and
lively exchange of ideas. There will be numerous opportunities
throughout the semester to use current events to explore and expand
upon our understanding of the concepts we are studying. As a
result I also expect students to keep up with current events. If
you are not normally in the habit of doing, then so you must plan to
begin looking at a reliable news source. The BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ and Reuters
http://today.reuters.com/news/home.aspx are two examples of the sort.
In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical
thinking, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints. These
differences enhance the learning experience and create an atmosphere
where students and instructors alike will be encouraged to think and
learn. On sensitive and volatile topics, students may sometimes
disagree not only with each other but also with the instructor.
It is expected that faculty and students will respect the views of
others when expressed in classroom situations.
Each person has the right to express his or her opinion. Our Bill
of Rights not only guarantees us the right to express our opinions but
also provides us the opportunity to learn from our fellow citizens as
they express their opinions.
All
our beliefs are being challenged now, and rightfully so – they're
stupid.
Bill Hicks
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND SCHEDULE
EVALUATION
Three exams will be given during this semester as noted on the Course
Schedule. In addition to this your grade will include a
participation component and miscellaneous activities. The exams
will include both objective and essay questions. Essays may be
conducted as take-home exams due by the following class period or as
in-class exams according to the professor's whim.
There are NO make-up exams. Should you miss an exam I will
calculate your grade as if you took the 2nd and Final Exams, regardless
of which exam that you missed. In other words if you miss an exam
the highest grade that you can receive for the class will be 880 points
(an 88%). If you miss two exams the highest grade that you can
receive for the class will be a 64%. Sometimes things come up in
life that we cannot control. The first exam can serve as a sort
of insurance policy, so that you will not be completely lost should you
miss a test.
Arrangements can be made to take the first and second exam in the
Testing Center if the professor is informed of a need to miss the
regularly scheduled exam prior to the exam date. NO arrangement
can take place on or after the date of the test. Due to Testing
Center policy and since I generate a new exam every semester, NO such
arrangement can be made for the Final Exam.
It should also be noted that there seems to be a high learning curve on
my exams. It has been my experience that people tend to do poorly
on the first exam even if they ultimately earn an ‘A’ in the
class. The first exam should be regarded as a lesson in learning
how to take my exams.
Writing assignments will be turned into turnitin.com
(http://www.turnitin.com). Papers handed to the professor should
be assumed lost and NO credit will be received for them. Never
treat a written assignment as a summarization. You are to ask and
answer some question of political significance. Be creative, but
also make sure to support your thesis and any claims made around
it. The class ID and enrollment passwords are listed
below:
| class ID: |
4098416 |
| enrollment password: |
houston |
EVALUATION
POINTS TOWARDS
REQUIREMENT
FINAL GRADE
| EXAM 1 |
100
|
EXAM 2
|
250
|
FINAL EXAM
|
400
|
AUXILLARY ASSIGNMENTS
|
0-200
|
| PARTICIPATION
_ |
_150 |
MAXIMUM
|
1100
|
LETTER GRADE ASSIGNMENT
Final letter grades will be assigned after determining total points
earned, as follows:
Final Grade Scale
Letter
Grade
900 –
1100
A
800 –
899
B
700 –
799
C
600 –
699
D
0 – 599
F
CLASSROOM PARTICIPATION
Classroom participation is worth 150 points (one and a half letter
grades). There is no formal attendance grade, however, it will be
difficult to participate in classroom discussions if you are not in
attendance. The best way to earn a high participation grade is to
ask questions, answer questions, and contribute insights when
appropriate. This is NOT a license to be obnoxious.
EXAMS
The test may be conducted as an in class test or with an in class
multiple-choice test with a take-home essay. If an essay is
assigned as take-home, that portion of the exam must be turned into
turnitin.com (see above).
AUXILLIARY ASSIGNMENTS
There are five ways to make these maximum of 200 points (2 letter
grades).
1) Speaking Events: You can attend
Austin Philosophy Forum, Pinnacle Student Political Science Conference,
or Twelfth Revolution speaking events. You cannot get credit for
Twelfth Revolution business meetings. If you go to these event to
get credit you must bring back proof that you attended. (15
poinnts each).
Note: these are very rare in the Summer and may not happen at
all. Your professor will make every means to provide you with
such opportunities if they arise and he becomes aware of them.
2) 60 Minutes: You can write an
600-900 word essay about a political topic from a single story from 60
Minutes http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml.
The exact episode and story from that episode is up to you.
However, since this essay MUST be political you will want to avoid
writing about topics like Penelope Cruz as fun as that might be.
(30 points)
3) Frontline: You can write a
600-900 word essay about a political topic from a single story from
Frontline http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/.
The exact episode and story from that episode is up to you.
However, since this essay MUST be political you will want to avoid
writing about topics like Penelope Cruz as fun as that might be.
(30 points)
4) Fourth Annual Constitution Day
Contest (60 points each)
5) Movie Reveiews: You can
write 450 word film review for one of the following movies: (10-25
points each)
Last Man Standing: Politics, Texas Style (10)
Monsters (2010) (10)
Fog of War (10)
Incident at Oglala (10)
Blade Runner (10)
Flags of Our Fathers (10)
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (10)
Lone Star (10)
Lawrence of Arabia (10)
No Country for Old Men (10)
There Will Be Blood (10)
Botany of Desire (10)
America Before Columbus (Nat Geo) (10)
Agora (15)
Baraka (15)
Smartest Guys in the Room (15)
Eyes on the Prize (1987) (25)
For options 2-5 you mst turn in your work to turnitin.com (see
instructions above).
HOW TO BEST COMPLETE THIS COURSE
1. Attend all class sessions; if you miss a class get copies of the
handouts/notes from a classmate.
2. Do not miss tests. It may be tempting to miss the first exam,
but don’t.
3. Read the assigned material prior to each class session.
4. Study the materials; prepare for and take each exam as scheduled.
5. Complete and turn in all assignments as assigned and on time.
NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR ANY REASON AFTER CLASS BEGINS
ON THE DUE DATE.
6. Contact the instructor if, at any time, you feel your performance is
not up to your standards.
FUNDAMENTAL ACADEMIC FORCES (STRONGEST TO WEAKEST)
1. Writing Ability
2. Reading Ability
3. Critical Thinking and Analytical Sills
4. Memorization
If you can master these four forces, then you can succeed in
academia. To the extent possible this class will attempt to
assist in developing all four skills further. However, it should
be obvious that English classes are generally where the above skills
(especailly the first two) are formally taught. It is assumed
that you have had English classes and that you will apply that skill
set to all writing assignements.
COURSE SCHEDULE
| DATE |
TOPIC |
EXAM |
TEXT |
The Republic of Texas
|
6/30
|
Introduction |
|
|
7/5
|
What Came before
|
|
Chapter 1 |
7/6, 7/7
|
An Overview of Texas History
|
|
Chapter 1
|
| 7/11 |
Constitution |
|
Chapter 2 |
| 7/12 |
Federalism |
|
Chapter 2
|
7/13
|
|
FIRST
EXAM |
|
|
Successful politicians are insecure and intimidated men. They advance
politically only as they placate, appease, bribe, seduce, bamboozle or
otherwise manage to manipulate the demanding and threatening elements
in their constituencies.
Walter Lippmann
|
The Façade
|
7/14, 7/18
|
Elections
|
|
Chapter 3
|
7/19
|
Parties
|
|
Chapter 4
|
7/20
|
The Bureaucracy |
|
Chapter 9
|
7/21, 7/25, 726
|
Public Policy
|
|
Chapters 12 and 13
|
7/27
|
|
SECOND
EXAM |
|
If these observations be just, our government ought to secure the
permanent interests of the country against innovation. Landholders
ought to have a share in the government, to support these invaluable
interests, and to balance and check the other. They ought to be so
constituted as to protect the minority of the opulent against the
majority.
James Madison
|
| The Machine |
7/28
|
The Legislature |
|
Chapter 6
|
8/1
|
The Legislative Process |
|
Chapter 7 |
8/2
|
The Governor |
|
Chapter 8
|
8/3
|
The Judiciary |
|
Chapter 10 |
8/4
|
Local Government
|
|
Chapter 14 |
8/8
|
|
FINAL
EXAM
|
|
I
call him Governor
Bush because that's the only
political office he's ever held legally.
George Carlin
Barbara Jordan (1936-1996)
The instructor reserves the right to modify any portion of the syllabus
at any time. The Course Schedule is meant as a guide; treat the
rest as law. Be sure to save your work often. In the event that your
connection to the Internet "times out," your work will NOT
automatically be saved. Copyright © 2011 Yahoo! Inc. All rights
reserved
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