GOVERNMENT 2302
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: NATIONAL STATE AND LOCAL II
CRN 79357—TTh 2:00-4:00
SPRING SEMESTER 2012
James O. Ellis, Instructor
E-mail: James.Ellis@hccs.edu
TEXTBOOK:
HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM
Telephone 713-718-5700 (campus)
281-852-3052 (home)
Karen J. O’Conner and Larry J. Sabato. American Government: Roots and Reform, 2011
Texas Edition (Boston, Longman, 2011)
TESTS:
Five tests will be given, each of which will be made up of thirty objective questions and a
ten point essay. The final examination is NOT comprehensive.
PROJECT:
Each student will also complete a written project in addition to other reading
assignments. Additional information on this project accompanies. The grade for the is
project counts as two test grades.
GRADE:
The course grade is an average of six items: five tests, total points on the quizzes, and the
project counted twice. The grading scale for the Houston Community College System is
as follows:
A = 90 – 100
D = 60 – 69
B = 80 - 89
F = 0 – 59
C = 70 - 79
ATTENDANCE: Students are expected to attend class regularly. Students are responsible for material
covered during their absences, and it is the student’s responsibility to consult with
instructors for makeup work. Class attendance will be checked at every meeting.
Although it is the responsibility of the student to drop a course for nonattendance, the
instructor has full authority to drop a student after four absences anytime before
Thursday, May 10.
INDIVIDUAL HELP: Please feel free to ask me for extra help outside of class. I am available before and
after class and otherwise by appointment. You are encouraged to e-mail me or to call me
at any of the numbers listed and leave a message if I am not there.
STUDENT DISCIPLINE: Adult behavior is expected. Disruptive behavior or activities which interfere
with teaching or learning may result in an administrative withdrawal without refund.
SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY: If you are caught cheating in any way on a test or project, you will
receive a zero for that test or project. Please see me if you are having trouble of any
kind. The small advantage you may receive from cheating is vastly outweighed by
the risk you take.
DISABILITIES: Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision,
hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the
Disability Service Office (Nancy Russell at 713-718-5708) at the beginning of each
semester. Faculty are authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the
Disability Services Office.
DEPARTMENT WEBSITE: Our department maintains a website that contains information about
ways to do research, to communicate with elected officials, and to learn about internships
and the Northwest Political Science Club. It is a good place to start learning more about
our discipline and the department. The address is http://nwc.hccs.cc.tx.us/govt/index.html
GOVERNMENT 2302 COURSE CALENDAR
Unit I – Legislative Branch
Thursday, February 16
Thursday,, February 23
Tuesday, February 28
QUIZ, chapter 7
QUIZ, chapter 23
TEST I
Unit II – Executive Branch
Thursday, March 1
Tuesday, March 6
Thursday, March 8
Tuesday, March 20
QUIZ, chapter 8
QUIZ, chapter 9
QUIZ, chapter24
TEST II
Unit III – Judicial Branch
Thursday, March 22
Tuesday, March 27
Thursday, March 29
Tuesday, April 3
QUIZ, chapter 10
PROJECT DUE
QUIZ, chapter 25
TEST III
Unit IV – Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Tuesday, April 10
Tuesday, April 17
Thursday, April 19
QUIZ, chapter 5
QUIZ, chapter 6
TEST IV
Unit V – Economic, Foreign, and Defense Policy
Tuesday, April 24
Thursday, April 26
Tuesday, May 1
Thursday, May 3
Thursday, May 10
QUIZ, chapter 17
QUIZ, chapter 18
QUIZ, chapter 19
QUIZ, chapter 27
TEST V
RESEARCH REPORT
This semester each student is required to prepare a written research report on one of the following topics:
Are members of Congress Underpaid?
The Rise and Fall of the Equal Rights Amendment
The Changing Role of the Vice President
Strategic Defense Initiative – Pros and Cons
Is the Texas Prison System Cruel and Unusual?
Is the Energy Crisis Over?
Is the United Nations Irrelevant?
Is the Cold War Over?
The Animal Rights Movement
Immigration Reform
Abortion: Freedom of Choice or Right to Life?
Cloning – A New Legal Issue
AIDS, Public Health, and Civil Liberties
Politics and the Space Program
Evolution and Creation Science in the Classroom
The Prayer in Schools Controversy
Should the President Have One Six-Year Term?
Should Texas Judges Be Appointed?
Bilingual Education
Zoning in Houston – Pro and Con
The American Civil Liberties Union – Defending the Constitution or the Criminals?
Should the President Have a Line-Item Veto?
Is the Volunteer Army a Success?
The War on Drugs
Gun Control – Liberty vs. Order
Homelessness – Does Public Policy Help or Hurt?
Affirmative Action or Reverse Discrimination?
The Death Penalty and Crime
“Victimless” Crimes
Welfare Reform
The report should be 1,000 to 1,500 words long. Please include a bibliography of all sources consulted, and use end
notes whenever appropriate (for direct quotes, data, the ideas of others, etc.). A good way to do this project is to follow
these steps:
1.
Choose a topic. Pick something that interests you. No more than one student may work on the same
topic.
2.
Research the topic. Use at least three sources, not including general encyclopedias. You may use the
library here at the campus, the downtown public library, University of Houston library, or Rice
University library. Try the card catalog for books. Look in the Social Sciences Index for journal
citations. You may also want to try the Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature. The New York Times
Index will give you citations for Times newspaper articles. Internet sources are accepted with proper
documentation. Another good source of information is the personal interview. Remember this is a
research paper. I will look for at least three sources and want more than your opinion.
3.
Study the information you have gathered. Think about what you have learned.
4.
Write down the major points you want to discuss in your report. Then use those to make an outline.
5.
Write a rough draft of your paper. Then go over it, checking for mistakes. Do not be afraid to rewrite
all or part of it.
6.
Type the final draft. If you cannot get it typed, write it out legibly on good paper.
Your paper will be graded on the basis of the following criteria: 1) manner of presentation – grammar, spelling,
sentence construction, neatness, etc.; 2) quality of research; 3) quality of analysis; 4) originality of thought.
CORE CURRICULUM
Social sciences comprise at least 15 semester hours of each student’s core curriculum. Essential to the
learning process in the social sciences disciplines are at least six basic intellectual competencies. These
include
READING at the college level, meaning having the ability to analyze and interpret a variety of printed
materials – books, articles, and documents.
WRITING at the college level, meaning having the ability to produce clear, correct, and coherent prose,
adapted to purpose, occasion, and audience. This includes not only grammar, spelling, and punctuation, but
the writing process itself.
SPEAKING effectively, meaning oral communication in clear, coherent, and persuasive language
appropriate to purpose, occasion, and audience.
LISTENING at the college level, meaning the ability to analyze and interpret various forms of spoken
communication.
CRITICAL THINKING, embracing methods for applying both qualitative and quantitative skills
analytically and creatively to the subject matter in order to evaluate arguments, solve problems, and
construct alternative strategies.
COMPUTER LITERACY, meaning having the ability to use computer-based technology in
communicating, solving problems, and acquiring information. Students should also be able to evaluate the
limits, problems, and possibilities associated with the use of present and future technologies.
Following are the Houston Community College System’s stated exemplary educational objectives for its
social sciences core:
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To employ the appropriate methods, technologies, and data that social and behavioral scientists use to
investigate the human condition.
To examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods, social structures, and
cultures.
To use and critique alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues.
To develop and communicate alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues.
To analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on the
subject of study.
To comprehend the origins and evolution of the U. S. and Texas political systems, with a focus on the
growth of political institutions, the constitutions of the U. S. and Texas, federalism, civil liberties, and
human rights.
To understand the evolution and current role of the U. S. in the world.
To differentiate and analyze historical evidence (documentary and statistical) and differing points of
view.
To recognize and apply reasonable criteria for the acceptability of historical evidence and social
research.
To analyze, critically assess, and develop creative solutions to public policy problems.
To recognize and assume one’s responsibility as a citizen in a democratic society by learning to think
for oneself, by engaging in public discourse, and by obtaining information through the news media and
other appropriate information sources about politics and public policy.
To identify and understand differences and commonalties with diverse cultures.