Texas Government
GOVT2306
South Texas College
Political Science Department
Spring2016
MTWRF1:33 p.m. – 2:18p.m.
Bldg. 200, Room 206
Ruben G. Flores, MPA
Sharyland ISD Govt Dual Enrollment Instructor
STC Adjunct Faculty – Political Science Department
Office:SHS Bldg. 200, Room 206
Office phone:(956) 580-5300 ext. 1392
Email:
Office hours:Tuesday 9:30 a.m. – 12:44p.m.
Thursday 9:30 a.m. – 12:44p.m.
Course Description
Origin and development of the Texas Constitution, structure and powers of state and local government, federalism and inter-governmental relations, political participation, the election process, public policy, and the political culture of Texas.
Student Learning Outcomes
The students will explain the origin and development of the Texas constitution.
The students will demonstrate an understanding of state and local political systems
and their relationship with the federal government.
The students will describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both
theory and practice in Texas.
The students will demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial
branches of Texas government.
The students will evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political
parties in Texas.
The students will analyze the state and local election process.
The students will describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
The students will analyze issues, policies, and political culture of Texas.
Class Policies
Please refer to the “Government DE Classroom Procedures” PowerPoint posted on
my webpage on the Sharyland ISD website.
Course Requirements
- Attend class.
- Participate in class discussions.
- Read assigned materials by due dates.
- Completion of three (3) exams, ten (10) short quizzes and a cumulative final examination (see schedule below).
- Completion of written paper on chosen political topic.
- Additional guidelines and procedures will be disseminated in class.
The four (4) scheduled exams assigned in the syllabus are 60% of the final grade. The ten (10) short quizzes will be unannounced, will focus on current course reading assignments and will be 10% of the final grade. If you miss a quiz, exam or assignment it is your responsibility to arrange for a make-up with me. The cumulative final examination is 20% of the final grade. The written paper will be 10% of the final grade. The course grading scale is:
A90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F 59 and below
As mentioned above there will be short objective quizzes consisting of short answer and multiple-choice questions. The quizzes will be for the purpose of testing you on your reading assignments.
There will be four exams comprised of objective, multiple-choice, short-answer and essay questions. The final exam will be cumulative in nature, in other words, it will test you on all the material that we will have covered in the semester.
There will be an assigned political activity where you will have the option to choose researching the platform of a political candidate running this season, some referendum on a ballot or some salient political issue. You will be expected to write a paper on your findings.
The South Texas College website warns that it is a violation of the STC Student Code of Conduct to plagiarize. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and be penalized if you are found to have plagiarized in any of the material that you submit for this class. Please refer to the site at .
Plagiarism is when you takes someone else’s language, ideas, or thought and present them as your own without proper acknowledgement. It includes taking someone else’s work or a portion of their work and submitting it as your own. It can also include submitting a work that does not contain sufficient citation or the misuse of source material.
It is also wrong to submit a paper that you have written for another class as your fulfillment of an assignment in another class unless you have discussed it with the professor and have obtained prior permission from the professor to submit the paper.
It is also improper to list an author, title or page reference as the source for obtained material, when the material came from another source or from another location. This includes the use of fictitious material and passing it off as a real source.
The following are some guidelines:
You may only use two quotations in the paper. When you do use quotations those quotes must be identified as quotations by either surrounding it with quotation marks or by being clearly indented, and the complete source must be cited either in the text or in the references page.
Any material that is summarized, restated, or reworked must be cited as such, whether it is used in written or oral form. Even if you cite the work from which you took the idea you must properly paraphrase it and not use the exact wording in your source or just change a few words. You must write it completely in your own words. It is best to put the original source aside and write the material in your paper in your own words without referring to the original source so that it is your words and wording from the original source does not creep in to your final submission.
All sources that are cited in-text must be cited in the references page of the paper.
For some more direction on plagiarism and examples of how the proper use of quotations and paraphrasing please refer to .
Students with an excused absence from school (including off-campus suspension) will have the opportunity to make up missed work at the rate of one day for one day missed, with a maximum of five days. Students who are absent but had prior notice of a major or minor assignment must complete the assignment on the first day back to school. Students will receive a zero for any major or minor assignment not made up within the allotted time. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements to take any missed assignments not the teacher’s nor the counselor’s responsibility.
Students with an unexcused absence may not make up missed work; however, if the unexcused absence is determined to be caused by an extenuating circumstance, makeup work may be allowed, but the grade for the makeup work will be no higher than a grade of 70. This policy only applies to Sharyland High School grades and is not applicable to South Texas College grades.
Students will be given up to three additional school days to redo a failing major assignment, which in this course is one of the four exams, but the grade will be no higher than a grade of 70. This policy only applies to Sharyland High School grades and is not applicable to South Texas College grades. The initial grade that is earned by the student will be the grade submitted for the student to South Texas College.
Students will be given 3 additional days to make up a major assignment, which in this course is one of the four exams, but the grade will be no higher than a grade of 70. This policy only applies to Sharyland High School grades and is not applicable to South Texas College grades. The initial grade that is earned by the student will be the grade submitted for the student to South Texas College.
If 50% or more of students in a class fail a major assignment, which in this course is one of the four exams, the entire class will receive reteaching of the content using a different instructional strategy from the original presentation. All students will be given an alternative major assignment. The students will receive the higher of the two grades earned. This policy only applies to Sharyland High School grades and is not applicable to South Texas College grades. The initial grade that is earned by the student will be the grade submitted for the student to South Texas College.
Since Sharyland High School requires a minimum of two grades per week and that exceeds the number of South Texas College assignments there will be more Sharyland High School grades than South Texas College grades issued for the course.
The will be no extra credit assignment offered for either the high school grades or the South Texas College grades.
Students are responsible to submit assignments in a timely manner. Should you not be able to submit your work in a timely manner it will be your responsibility to contact the instructor to notify the instructor why you will not be able to submit the work in a timely manner. If the instructor approves a late paper then fifteen points will be deducted for the assignment.
Student Responsibilities
- Come to class on time, and refrain from packing up belongings before class ends.
- Turn off all electronic devices that might create a disruption in class.
- Be quiet and give full respectful attention while either instructor or another student is speaking.
- When speaking, use courteous, respectful language and keep comments and questions relevant to the topic at hand.
Instructor Responsibilities
- Treat all students with courtesy and respect.
- Be open to constructive input from students in the course.
- Ensure that opportunities to participate are enjoyed equally by all students in the course.
Required Textbook
Texas Government, 11th Edition by Neil Tannahill
Course Outline
(All dates are tentative and subject to change)
Class DateDayClass TopicAssignment/Due Date
Jan. 07RClass Guidelines and ProceduresN/AN/A
Research project and Plagiarism
8FClass Guidelines and ProceduresN/AN/A
Research project and Plagiarism
11MClass Guidelines and ProceduresN/AN/A
Research project and Plagiarism
12TThe People, Economy and PoliticalChapter 101/12
Culture of Texas
13WThe People, Eco and Political (cont’d)Chapter 101/12
14RThe People, Eco and Political (cont’d)Chapter 101/12
15FThe People, Eco and Political (cont’d)Chapter 101/12
18MThe Texas ConstitutionChapter 201/18
19TThe Texas Constitution (cont’d)Chapter 201/18
20WThe Texas Constitution (cont’d)Chapter 201/18
21RThe Texas Constitution (cont’d)Chapter 201/18
22FTexas and Federalism Chapter 301/22
25MTexas and Federalism (cont’d)Chapter 301/22
26TTexas and Federalism (cont’d)Chapter 301/22
27WTexas and Federalism (cont’d)Chapter 301/22
27W******Research Paper Topic and Outline Due ********
28RExam Review01/28
29FExam#1, Chapters 1-3(Objective Portion)01/29
Feb.01MExam #1, Chapters 1-3 (Subjective Portion)01/30
02TTexas LegislatureChapter 802/02
03WTexas Legislature (continued)Chapter 802/02
04RTexas Legislature (continued)Chapter 802/02
05FTexas Legislature (continued)Chapter 802/02
08MTexas Executive BranchChapter 902/08
09TTexas Executive Branch(continued)Chapter 902/08
10WTexas Executive Branch(continued)Chapter 902/08
11RTexas Executive Branch(continued)Chapter 902/08
12FTexas Courts Chapter 1002/12
15MBad Weather Day02/15
16TTexas Courts (continued)Chapter 1002/12
17WTexas Courts (continued)Chapter 1002/12
18RExam Review02/18
19FExam Review/Early Release02/19
22MExam#2, Chapters8-10 (Objective Portion)02/22
23TExam#2, Chapters 8-10 (Subjective Portion)02/23
24WPolitical ParticipationChapter 402/24
25RPolitical Participation (continued)Chapter 402/24
26FPolitical Participation (continued)Chapter 402/24
29MPolitical Participation (continued)Chapter 402/24
Mar.01TInterest GroupsChapter 503/01
02WInterest Groups (cont’d)Chapter 503/01
Class DateDayClass TopicAssignment/Due Date
03RInterest Groups (cont’d)Chapter 503/01
04FInterest Groups (cont’d)Chapter 503/01
07MPolitical PartiesChapter 603/07
08TPolitical Parties (cont’d)Chapter 603/07
09WPolitical Parties (cont’d)Chapter 603/07
10RPolitical Parties (cont’d)Chapter 603/07
11FElections Chapter 703/11
*********************Spring Break March 14-18, 2016 ******************************
21MElections (cont’d)Chapter 703/11
22TElections (cont’d)Chapter 703/11
23WElections (cont’d)Chapter 703/11
24RResearch Paper Due/Exam Review03/24
25FSTUDENT HOLIDAY03/25
28MExam #3, Chapter 4-7 (Objective Portion)03/28
29TExam #3, Chapter 4-7 (Subjective Portion)03/29
30WCity Government Chapter 1103/30
31RCity Government (cont’d)Chapter 1103/30
Apr.01FCity Government (cont’d)Chapter 1103/30
04MCity Government (cont’d)Chapter 1103/30
05TCounties, School and Special DistrictsChapter 1204/05
06WCounties, School and Special DistrictsChapter 1204/05
07RCounties, School and Special DistrictsChapter 1204/05
08FSTUDENT HOLIDAY04/08
11MState Budget Policy Chapter 1304/11
12TState Budget Policy (cont’d)Chapter 1304/11
13WState Budget Policy (cont’d)Chapter 1304/11
14RState Budget Policy (cont’d)Chapter 1304/11
15FCriminal Justice/Early ReleaseChapters 1404/15
18MCriminal Justice (cont’d)Chapters 1404/15
19TCriminal Justice (cont’d)Chapters 1404/15
20WCriminal Justice (cont’d)Chapters 1404/15
21RPolitical Science Film04/21
22FPolitical Science Film04/22
25MPolitical Science Film04/25
26TPolitical Science Film04/26
27WExam Review04/27
28RExam #4 Chps 11-14 (Objective Portion)04/28
29FExam #4 Chps 11-14 (Subjective Portion)04/29
May02MFinal Exam Review05/02
03TFinal Exam Review05/03
04WFinal Exam Review05/04
05RFinal Exam Review05/05
06FFinal Exam Review05/06
09MComprehensive Final Exam05/09
Program Learning Outcomes
This class contributes to the following program learning outcome within the Political Science major:
-Students will identify the topics studied with regards to state and local government and the tools used to study those topics.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
-Explain the origin and development of the Texas constitution;
-Demonstrate an understanding of state and local political systems and their relationship with the federal government;
-Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice in Texas;
-Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of Texas government;
-Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in Texas;
-Analyze the state and local election process;
-Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens;
-Analyze issues, policies, and political culture of Texas.
Core Objectives
In completing this course, the students will demonstrate the following core objectives:
-Critical Thinking Skills - to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information;
-Communication Skills - to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication;
Title IX Statement
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects individuals from discrimination based on sex in any educational program or activity operated by recipients of federal financial assistance. Sexual harassment, which includes acts of sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX. More information on Title IX policy and procedures can be found at Questions regarding Title IX or concerns about accommodations, including complaints of sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual violence, or other sexual misconduct should be directed to our Conflict Resolution Center at 956-872-2180 or .
Pregnant Parenting Students
South Texas College does not discriminate against any student on the basis of pregnancy, parenting or related conditions. Pregnant or parenting students seeking accommodations should contact the Conflict Resolution Center immediately at 956-872-2180 or .
Developmental Studies Policy Statement
The College’s Developmental Education Plan requires TSI Liable students who have not met the college readiness or exemption standards in reading, writing, and/or mathematics to enroll in Developmental Studies courses including College Success. Failure to attend these required classes may result in the student's withdrawal from ALL college courses.
Statement of Equal Opportunity
No person shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity sponsored or conducted by South Texas College on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, gender, disability, genetic information, or veteran status.
Alternative Format Statement
This document is available in an alternative format upon request by calling 872-2536.
ADA Statement
Individuals with disabilities requiring assistance or access to receive services should contact disABILITY Support Services at (956) 872-2173.