PA 312: Management of State Government Fall 2013
Where and When: Online
Professor: Kelley Crockett PhD.
Office: East Faculty Bldg Calexico Campus 109/ E-Mail: kcrockett@mail.sdsu.edu
Office hours: M 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 pm online by appointment using BB Collaborate
Course Description and Purpose
This course introduces how management, human and organizational issues affect policy development
and implementation in state government. Students will examine how the political system in California is
impacted by the use of the initiative, the referendum and the recall. Analysis beyond the interplay
between local, state and federal government roles will include how interest groups, media exposure and a
burgeoning and diverse population contribute to the lack of consensus that affects the political climate.
Course Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course students will have:
1. Applied collaborative techniques to discern multiple viewpoints on California policy making
2. Evaluated literature on the historical development of local, state, and federal influence on how the
legislature, judiciary and executive functions in California
3. Analyzed different sides to specific issues facing California voters
4. Role-played effective decision making techniques in the state election system
5. Utilized critical thinking skills expressed through writing and discussion
Texts
There is one required text.
Anagnoson, J. Theodore, Bonetto, Gerald, Buck, J. Vincent, Deleon, Richard, Emrey, Jolly, Kelleher,
James and Koch, Nadine, Governing California in the Twenty-First Century, 4th Edition, Norton
Publications, 2013.
Course Grading
Mini Quizzes (8@5 points each)
Individual Presentation of Critical-Thinking Question
Lobbyist Blog
Discussions on Individual Presentations (3@5 points each)
Final Paper
40%
15%
15%
15%
15%
**Grades are calculated by Blackboard on a 100 scale adjusting for the above noted percentage weights
with final determination by the instructor
Accommodations
Students who need accommodations of their disabilities should contact me privately to discuss specific
accommodations for which they have received authorization. If you have a disability please contact me
after you have contacted the Student Disability Services at 760.768.5509.
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DISTANCE LEARNING PREREQUISITES
Please take the ‘readiness survey’ at
https://sunspot.sdsu.edu/pls/webapp/survey.hybrid_learning.main and, if this is the right course
for you, please prepare your computer for the course.

Please download necessary software, including: Adobe’s Acrobat Reader and Flash Player,
QuickTime Player, Java, and Microsoft Word Viewer (if you do not already have Word installed).
o If this sounds intimidating, please do not panic! Information about all of these tools and
links enabling you to install them are kept under the ‘Technical Support’ button on our
Blackboard Website. Remember you can always use the computers at the university.

OPTIONAL: Please procure a headset with a microphone if you would like individualized
conferences with the professor using Blackboard Collaborate Sessions. Please note that you can
still use Blackboard Collaborate without a headset but will be limited to only communicating via
the chat box. Remember you can always use email to communicate with the professor.

Please learn how to use Blackboard. You must be able to move around in the modules and to
use the Discussion Board and other course tools. You must be able to receive e-mail from
Blackboard. For an orientation to Blackboard or for Blackboard help, go to:
http://its.sdsu.edu/blackboard/student/.
Course Requirements
Student preparation and participation is mandatory. Students are expected to have read the chapter
reading assignments and viewed the PowerPoint lectures posted by the instructor before taking any
quizzes. Any assignments posted late could lose an entire letter grade per day late or not be
accepted late at all depending on the assignment and the instructor’s discretion.
There is NO midterm or final exam. Instead there are 8 mini-quizzes (each consisting of 5 multiple choice,
true/false questions), a response and discussion to chapter 1’s critical thinking questions along with an
individual presentation in a discussion thread on your own assigned critical-thinking question, an
individual blog on lobbyists, 3 reflective comments on 3 different critical-thinking question presentations
and a final 5-6 page paper. We will not be meeting online at any specific time but quizzes are due by
midnight of the Sunday night date noted in the syllabus. Other assignments have due dates as noted
on the schedule below.
Quizzes: Topics are presented in sequential modules which means once you take the quiz on that topic
you will not be quizzed again on it. Quizzes for each module disappear once the due date has passed so
keeping up with the class schedule is vital. Generally you will have one to two weeks to work through a
module. Completion of a module usually requires that the student reads a chapter in the text, views a
PowerPoint lecture by the instructor, occasionally reads a short news article pertaining to that module’s
topic then takes a short quiz.
The quizzes are all open book with a 20 minute time frame to answer 5 questions. The questions are not
meant to be tricky but would be difficult to answer if the student had not read the assigned reading
material first. The questions can come out of the PowerPoint lecture, the posted news article or the book.
The PowerPoint lectures are meant to help you focus and to supplement the information provided by your
textbook. They do not to replace your own reading of the book.
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Individual Presentation: You will be assigned to read a “critical-thinking question” in one of the
textbook’s chapters and then analyze/answer it in a three to four paragraph response. The title of the
question you are assigned to has its own discussion thread under “Discussions” in Blackboard. Each one
has a different due date.
a. Part 1: Type up the question then give some background from the chapter that helps to
paint a picture of the problem or issue being discussed.
b. Part 2: Answer the question
c. Part 3: Find a news article that addresses this issue or topic and discuss it briefly. Include
the URL (online location) of the news article. Articles can be from any major outlet like the
San Diego Union-Tribune, the LA times, the Sacramento Bee or you can check online
sources like www.rtumble.com or www.politico.com etc.
Discussion Participation: All students will be assigned to respond to a critical thinking question that is at
the end of one of the chapters. That is their individual presentation. The discussion participation part is
when you make comments on what others have written. For the first module everyone is going to
respond to the critical thinking questions (Q1 and Q2) then discuss or comment on someone else’s
comment for each question. Once the individual presentation of these question responses begin (chapter
2 onwards) students are expected to pick out three different presentations over the semester and write a
thoughtful but concise (a short paragraph) commentary on each one of the three (not on your own
presentation please). Comments should reflect an understanding of the issues presented based on the
readings and not just be random opinions. Students may choose whatever 3 critical-thinking
presentations they wish but must wait to comment until after the individual assigned to the question has
posted their response. Due by December 1st.
Individual Blog: Each student will identify, investigate and report on a California interest group or an
employer of lobbyists. You may use the information in chapter 3 of your textbook or The Lobbying
Directory at http://www.sos.ca.gov/prd/Lobbying_Directory.pdf to find your target group. A blog can either
be a single entry or multiple entries over time which gives you a bit of flexibility to add information as the
semester progresses. If you do multiple entries please label them Entry #1, Entry #2 etc. It is always a
good idea to have a copy of your information as a backup as you work online. Better grades will be given
for more complete and well analyzed work. The due date is September 29th. Please incorporate the
answers to the following questions in your blog:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Is this a professional organization (for hire), a nonprofit organization, a citizen lobbyist?
What legislation has it worked on?
What is listed on its website?
How long has it existed?
Is there a clear alignment of message or cause with any particular legislation or legislator?
Can you tell where it is located?
How influential do you think it is?
Any clue as to where their funding comes from?
How did chapter 3 of your textbook help you to understand your group?
Give a summary statement about how your research has influenced your opinion about lobbying
in general.
Final Paper: Students will be responsible for a five to six page paper (including cover page and reference
page) that discusses a topic pertinent to California Government. Use APA style, double space with one
inch margins and a size 12 font. Cite references at the end of the sentence like (Anagnoson et al 2013 p
217). Be sure to cite every quote and be careful not to overuse quoted material. This is not a summary of
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a chapter in the book or some article but a research paper that addresses some topic of California
Government you find interesting. You do not have to use a peer reviewed journal article but can use any
news article (s) to support your points.
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Course Outline and Reading Schedule
Module
1
2
3
Title
Intro: Calif. Govern &
Federalism
Read Chap 1 in Gov Cal
Calif. Constitution
Initiative, Referendum, Recall
Read Chap 2 in Gov Cal
Interest Groups and Media
Read Chap 3 in Gov Cal
Date
Aug 26-Sept 8
Quiz
No
9/8
Everyone will respond
to the first two critical
thinking questions in
Chapter 1 and then
make one comment
response to someone
else’s comment in both
discussions
Sept 9-15
1
Sept 16-Sept 29
No
4
Elections in California
Read Chap 4 in Gov Cal
Sept 30-Oct 6
2
5
California Legislature
Read Chap 5 in Gov Cal
Oct 7-Oct 13
3
6
The Governor and the
Executive Branch
Read Chap 6 in Gov Cal
The California Judiciary
Read Chap 7 in Gov Cal
Oct 14-Oct 27
4
Oct 28- Nov 3
5
8
The State Budget Process
Read Chap 8 in Gov Cal
Nov 4- Nov 10
6
9
Local Government
Read Chap 9 in Gov Cal
Nov 12- Nov 24
7
10
Public Policy in California
Read Chap 10 in Gov Cal
Nov 25- Dec 8
8
7
Also Due
5
9/15
Assigned Critical ?’s
Analysis Chap 2
9/29
Assigned Critical ?’s
Analysis Chap3
Blog Due Everyone
10/06
Assigned Critical ?’s
Analysis Chap 4
10/13
Assigned Critical ?’s
Analysis Chap 5
10/27
Assigned Critical ?’s
Analysis Chap 6
11/03
Assigned Critical ?’s
Analysis Chap 7
11/10
Assigned Critical ?’s
Analysis Chap 8
11/24
Assigned Critical ?’s
Analysis Chap 9
12/01
Assigned Critical ?’s
Analysis Chap 10
12/01
3 Critical thinking
Comments
12/08 Final Paper Due