Government 2301
Professor: Linda Webb
Office Hours: By Appointment
Spring 2009
Government 2301 will focus on constitutions, public opinion, political participation, interest groups, political parties, and elections
at the national, state, and local level. It is one semester of a two semester curriculum designed to help you understand how our
political system works.
Note to GOV 2301 students:
1.
2.
3.
The Blackboard Vista Learning Management System will be used for ALL class email,
test reviews, outside reading assignments, and distribution of most of assignments.
You will also be able to monitor your grade throughout the semester.
When you enrolled in this class, you were automatically enrolled in Blackboard, Go
to hccs.blackboard.com and follow the directions to access this class.
Should you ever have problems with the Blackboard program, HCC is providing a
24/7 toll-free phone service (1-866-588-5281)
4.
5.
This is a web-enhanced class. There will be traditional interactive lectures AND a few
times when students will do original political research. If you are absent when an
assignment is handed out you may request a copy via Blackboard mail. Points will be
automatically deducted for any assignments turned in late.
Suggestions for success in this class:
a.
Put your name and the TIME of your class on all tests, projects, webenhanced assignments, extra credit and any other paper turned in for a
grade or extra credit. You AUTOMATICALLY lose one point if your name
OR class time are missing.
b.
You will also automatically lose one point if you turn in any projects, extra
credit, etc. which are not typed, unless I give approval for them to be
handwritten.
c.
Attendance will be taken every day. If you come in late, you must sign-in
at the designated place, or you will be counted absent. If an earlier class
is causing you to be late for this class, I will be happy to try to resolve that
problem for you.
d.
Extra credit may be offered periodically throughout the semester. Take
advantage of these opportunities, whenever possible.
e.
Outside readings for each segment of the course are located in folders
labeled by test content in Blackboard. The readings (in Word documents)
will enhance class discussion and textbook assignments. There will be
open-note essay questions on these readings. It is IMPORTANT to read the
articles prior to the test AND bring them to class for use during the test.
f.
You will need to print over 100 pages this semester, so you might consider
buying a print card for the computer lab, if you hesitate to do this much
printing at home.
g.
There are computer labs for students in this building and the Scarcella
Building next door.
h.
I DO NOT drop any tests or assignments, so please take every portion of
the course seriously.
i.
You can earn 3 extra credit points by sending me an e-mail on
Blackboard Vista which tells me a bit about yourself, no later than 9 pm,
January 30.
Thank you for enrolling in this class. It will be a positive learning experience for all of us!
ATTENDANCE:
Although I hope you will attend class every day, the reality is that there may be circumstances which will
require you to miss a class or test. Should you miss a test you will be allowed to make up ONE test at the end
of the semester. A zero will be given for any other missed work. HCCS attendance policy for this class is
detailed in the HCCS 2008/09 catalog. Briefly, you are expected to attend classes on a regular basis and
attendance will be taken each class period. HCC encourages you to miss no more than six hours of
classroom instruction. I do not normally drop students during the semester. Should you choose to
withdraw from this class, it is your responsibility to fill out the appropriate paperwork. HCC policy
states that all students enrolled in a class after the drop date of Thursday, April 9 4:30 pm. will receive
the grade that is earned. The state of Texas is formulating policies that will penalize you for excessive W’s
or multiple-repeats of courses while enrolled in a public college or university, so please take all your college
classes seriously!
Make every effort to arrive on time. It is disruptive to the entire class to have late arrivals, and it is my
experience that students who are perpetually late to class frequently miss material critical to understanding the
major themes of this course. If you are tardy, you must sign the designated sheet, or you will be counted as
absent.
GRADING:
Your grade will be computed on the basis of four tests, two web-enhanced assignments, a major
project, and various extra credit opportunities. Each test will have a multiple choice and an essay component.
Essay questions are based only on the designated online readings, and any other information specified by the
instructor. You will be able to refer to print copies or notes of the online articles when answering the essay
questions. The multiple choice section is closed book and based on the assigned textbook chapters and lecture
information. Good class notes will definitely help you in studying for the test. .
You will have an opportunity to earn 400 points in this class:
First test
100 points
Second test
100 points
Third test
100 points
Fourth test
50 points
Research Projects
50 points
+various extra credit opportunities during the semester
Final grades in this course will be awarded as follows:
A
90% (minimum of 360 points)
B
80% (minimum of 320 points)
C
70% (minimum of 280 points)
D
60% (minimum of 240 points)
F
less than 60%
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:
Neal Tannahill, American and Texas Government: Policy and Politics, 9th edition (New York:
Longman, 2008)
ISBN 13: 978-0-205-57307-3
Additional readings which may be downloaded from Blackboard Vista
The textbook can be purchased from local college bookstores. There is also an e-book version available
from coursesmart.com……………….$40 for a 180 day period.
TEXTBOOK IS USED IN BOTH GOV 2301 AND GOV 2302
TESTS
FIRST TEST: U.S.CONSTITUTION AND FEDERALISM
Approximate date: week of February 18
Intro, Chapters 1, 2, 3, and pp. 604-612
Additional readings in Blackboard folder entitled U.S. Constitution
SECOND TEST: POLITICAL PARTIES/ INTEREST GROUPS/ PUBLIC OPINION
Approximate date: week of March 30
Chapters 4,7, 24 and pp.194-208
Additional readings in Blackboard folder entitled Political Parties & Interest Group
THIRD TEST: ELECTIONS/ MEDIA/ POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
Approximate date: week of April 20
Chapters 5,6, and 9
Additional readings in Blackboard folder entitled Elections & Political Participation
FOURTH TEST: TEXAS CONSTITUTION/ LOCAL GOVERNMENT12:30 class
Wednesday, May 13 NOON
2:00 class
Wednesday, May 13 2:00
Chapters 20, 29, and 30
Additional readings in Blackboard folder entitled Texas Constitution & Local Govt.
Last Day of Instruction
Presidents Day
Spring Break
HCC Drop Date
Wednesday, May 6 You do not need to attend class after this date, EXCEPT
to take the fourth test (which is scheduled during the final exam period).
Monday, February 16
March 16-20
Campus Closed
Campus Closed
Thursday, April 9 4:30 p.m.
OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE YOUR GRADE:
1. Take advantage of extra credit opportunities offered throughout the semester.
2. At the end of the semester (May 6), you may earn up to 10 extra credit points by taking a small miniquiz on classroom lecture/discussion material.,,,,,,,,UNLESS you need to make-up an earlier test. Extra
credit points will only be given to those who earn 70% or better on the quiz.
3. It IS important that you attend class and take good notes. A large portion of your grade is based on
understanding the material presented in class. I will be happy to look over your notes at the conclusion
of each class period.
4. There are sample multiple choice questions for each chapter at the end of the textbook. I suggest
that you use them while studying for the test.
5. You are encouraged to use HCC’s online tutoring system for help with written assignments, when
necessary. Tutors are on duty 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Be specific when you ask questions.
Registering for online tutoring is easy. Go to www.hccs.askonline.net. Select a user name and password that
you will remember. Use any e-mail address, and add your student ID number (W number). It will probably
take five minutes to set up your askonline account. After that, you can submit questions in seconds. Tutor
responses are not e-mailed to you. To see the answers, log back in to the system and click the bright yellow
NEW button. (There is also a link to the online tutoring system from Blackboard Vista).
RESEARCH PROJECT
Where do you live?? What property taxes do you pay?
Step 1 and Step 2 Due: Wed, 2/11 (12 pts)
30 points TOTAL
Step 3 and Step 4 + Steps 1 & 2 Due: Mon. 4/13 (18 pts)
This project gives you an opportunity to explore the various entities of local government that affect your life. This will be
original and unique research utilizing a variety of sources including some as basic as the telephone book, the internet and
library. No two people will have the same results unless you live in the same house or apartment.
Every person in this class lives in the United States and in the State of Texas. If you work, you have
federal income taxes deducted from your paycheck (usually). If you purchase items you pay sales tax to
the State of Texas, and frequently to the city in which the item was purchased. Taxes are also collected
from individuals based on the value their home, apartment, etc. If you own the home you pay the taxes
directly. If you are a renter, you are indirectly paying the taxes through your landlord
The focus of this project will be to discover the property taxing entities you live in and research the
activities of one of those taxing entities.
Skim Chapters 29 and 30 in the textbook prior to starting this project.
STEP 1
Based on your home address, print out the taxing entities you live in and their various property
tax rates. This information can be found on the internet. If you live in Harris county, go to
www.hcad.org If you live in Fort Bend, check www.fbcad.org Include a printout of the taxing
information for your property--feel free to white-out the appraised value of your property. NOTE: If
you live in an apartment you will have to check the business section of the appropriate web site. If
you are totally unable to find your information, please check with me.
Caution:
In some cases your school district will not be included in your initial research.
EVERYONE lives in a school district, so you may need to check further.
Caution: If you live in Fort Bend County, you may need to do additional research to find out tax
rates. Tax rates are readily available on the Fort Bend Tax Assessor Collector website.
STEP 2
Assume your house is valued at EXACTLY $100,000. Figure the various taxes you pay and total
them up (make the further assumption that there are no tax exemptions). Type on a separate sheet the
name of the taxing entity, the tax rate, taxes paid to the entity and the TOTAL property taxes paid.
STEP 3
Write a two to three page typewritten analysis of a current (no earlier than 5/01/08) political
problem or political issue facing ONE of the units of government that you live in.. Most of this
information is readily available in local newspapers (Harris County residents should check with Houston
Chronicle and Houston Press + neighborhood papers; Fort Bend County residents should check the Fort
Bend Star, Fort Bend Herald .and Houston Chronicle). All newspapers are online, but you must use
your HCCS library card in order to access the Houston Chronicle database without paying a fee. This
analysis should include all appropriate citations including footnotes/endnotes AND a bibliography of
at least three different articles or sources. Citations may use any standard format. (Additional
information is available on the HCC library website). In other words, this is a small research paper.
OR
Attend THREE meetings of the governing bodies of the local entities YOU LIVE IN. County
Commissioners Court, City Councils, and School Boards meet on a frequent basis.. Write
descriptive essays of each of your visits including your personal opinion as well as factual events.
Your report should include copies of the agenda for each meeting.
STEP 4
Write a typewritten descriptive essay about HOW you conducted the research for this project.
Include a cover sheet and include Steps 1-4 n the order listed above on the final due date!!!
Mini-research project  Political Socialization
Mini-research project  Media
10 points
10 points
assigned during semester
assigned during semester
EXTRA CREDIT:
"Interview an Elected Official" 5 points DUE: no later than Wednesday, May 6 If you choose this assignment you must
interview an ELECTED public official such as a school board member, county government official, etc.
INTERVIEW:
Consider asking some of the following questions, but you are obviously not limited to only these, since you will want to tailor questions that are appropriate
for the particular official you are interviewing.

Is this your first elective office? Was it a difficult office to campaign for?

What constituency do you serve?

How much money did you raise and spend in your campaign?

Who was your campaign treasurer?

Did you accept money from PACs?

What campaign techniques did you use to get elected?

Why did you decide to seek this office?

How many hours a week do you spend on the job?

What sources of revenue fund this office (Please be specific-property tax,etc.)?

How does the political office interact with other levels of government?

Does the unit of government receive federal grant money? If so, have there been changes in the level of funding in recent years?

Does the officeholder foresee the need to raise taxes?

Would you ever consider running for another office? Why or why not?

What single thing do you like most about your position in government?
These questions are merely guidelines. Be selective in the questions you ask, and don't hesitate to ask follow-up questions if appropriate. When
the interview is complete you must write a narrative including not only the items discussed, but your impressions of the officeholder and his(her)
responsibilities. BE SURE TO THANK THE OFFICIAL FOR THE TIME GIVEN TO YOU!
Part III Thank you note
Please send a thank you not as soon as possible after the interview. Xerox a copy to include with your narrative of the interview.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited by college policy and the rules of this class.
Plagiarism involves using the ideas or words of another person (either in whole or in part) without crediting the source.
Cheating involves fraud and deception for the purpose of violating testing or research project rules. Cheating will result in
an immediate zero for the particular project or test.
HCCS CORE CURRICULUM
Government 2301 is one of the required classes to complete the Social and Behavioral Sciences portion of the HCCS Core
Curriculum. There are several basic intellectual competencies in all HCCS Core Curriculum classes including:

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Listening

Critical Thinking

Computer Literacy
The objective of courses in the Social and Behavioral Sciences is to increase students= knowledge of how social and
behavioral scientists discover, describe, and explain the behaviors and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions,
events, and ideas. Such knowledge will better equip students to understand themselves and the roles they play in addressing
the issues facing humanity. For a more detailed explanation of the basic intellectual competencies of the Core Curriculum
and exemplary educational objectives of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, please see the 2005-06 HCCS Catalog.
DISABILTY
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange
reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Services Office at 713/718-7910 at the beginning of each
semester. Faculty are authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office.
HCC POLICY BANNING RECORDING DEVICES
"Use of recording devices, including camera phones and tape recorders, is prohibited in classrooms, laboratories, faculty
offices, and other locations where instruction, tutoring, or testing occurs. Students with disabilities who need to use a
recording device as a reasonable accommodation should contact the Office for Students with Disabilities for information
regarding reasonable accommodations."
STATE OF TEXAS POLICY ON REPEATING A COURSE
NOTICE: Students who repeat a course three or more times will face significant tuition/fee increases at HCC and
other Texas public colleges and universities. Please ask your instructor/counselor about opportunities for
tutoring/other assistance prior to considering course withdrawal, or if you are not receiving passing grades.