POLS 2310-01
State and Federal Government I
Fall 2006
Hardy Hall 123
T/R 9:30-10:50
Dr. Janet Adamski Office: 138 Hardy Hall
Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 8-11 & 1-3 AND Phone: 295-4549
by appointment on Fridays Email:
Course Purpose and Objectives:
As the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Mission Statement notes, here we all are engaged in a process that seeks to “provide a quality higher education for qualified students from diverse geographic, ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds as they prepare for careers and community service (2006-7 Undergraduate Catalogue p. 8).” As the Mission Statement outlines, one way to we can reach this broad goal is by “assist[ing] students in preparation for their roles in a rapidly changing world (p. 8).” As faculty, we can help you to discover your direction in this changeable environment, develop appropriate methods of communication and thought, refine your ability to make fine-grained judgments and increase personal and professional effectiveness.
This course contributes to the overall institutional goals in a number of ways. By exposing you to the way that the national and state governments function, you will be better prepared to work toward your own and larger community goals as an active and informed participant in the political system, at whatever level you choose. Further, by understanding where our government came from, and how it has changed over time, you will have additional tools to anticipate and react to the inevitable changes in government in the future.
Additionally, by looking at some of the eternal tensions in any governmental system you will be able to approach these issues thoughtfully. We will examine what it means to be a constitutional state, what influenced the Framers of the Constitution, how the document has been incorporated nationally and with regard to the states. As well, we will examine the evolution of the rights and powers promised in the Constitution. In this class, we will pay special attention to the balancing of the rights of individuals and those of society. We will grapple with the difficulties in line drawing that all society face -- where do the rights of the individual end and those of the state begin? How do we balance the rights of the diverse individuals who make up the community?
We will consider such issues in relation to the national government as well as the government of the state of Texas. Gaining insight into the documents, thinking and precedents that guide our government and shape its actions is crucial to meaningful citizenship.
By the end of this course, you will have reviewed/learned about:
- historical and philosophical influences on the Framers of the US Constitution
- the US Constitutionand its amendments
- the embedded tensions in our system of government, including division of power between the states and national government (federalism), the government and the people (civil liberties) and among and between different groups of citizens (civil rights)
- the historical, economic and cultural factors that continue to affect Texas politics today
- the origins, and reasons for replacement, of the Texas constitutions
- the current Texas Constitution and its amendments
Teaching Philosophy:
You, the student, are responsible for your own learning -- the best materials, discussions and assignments will not enhance your knowledge if you are unwilling to give the project your time, effort and thought. To take advantage of our in-class time, you must come to class prepared to learn mentally and physically: rested, awake and thinking, concentrating only on the class discussion and prepared to understand and to contribute by having completed required assignments. All of this is under your sole control. My role is to help to guide you in the learning process by offering information, explanation, encouragement and periodic evaluations. Ultimately, however, your grade reflects how well you have met course expectations.
If you feel that you are falling behind or having other difficulties, please make an appointment to meet as soon as possible so that we can work on remedies. I am here to help you as you take responsibility for your own learning. Please take advantage of my office hours to meet to review any graded assignment or further to discuss topics from reading, lecture or class discussion. Given that, frequently, several students may want meet with me prior to an assignment’s due date or after the return of an assignment, I encourage you to set appointments, even during office hours, so that you will not have to wait. On occasion, because of meetings or appointments beyond my control, I will not be in my office during posted hours. I always will try to let you know in advance of such a situation. By scheduling appointments, we can ensure that we do not miss each other. Equally, if you cannot make an appointment that you have set, you are responsible for letting me know as early as possible, so I can free that time for another student.
Required Readings:
As you enhance your knowledge of national and state government, you will find that daily reading of a good newspaper is essential. Therefore, a first reading requirement is perusal of (at the least) the national news section of a good, broad coverage daily paper, such as the New York Times, Washington Post (all available free, on-line) and the state news section of a major Texas daily (Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Austin American Statesman, e.g.,). We often will use current events in our discussions -- keeping up will augment your learning as current, concrete examples will help you to understand and apply abstract concepts.
In addition, we will use:
We the People: An Introduction to American Politics 5th edition (Texas version) by Benjamin Ginsberg,et al, (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2005)
Course Policies:
Academic Decorum
Both in the classroom and elsewhere, our interactions are enhanced if conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect and decorum. By thinking before speaking or acting about whether you will educate other class members or take away from the class, you contribute to the best atmosphere for our joint project. Personal behaviors that are disruptive, disrespectful or waste our very limited time together, do not contribute to the educational endeavor and rob us all. They are not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Please think carefully about your conduct and act to support the learning process. Failure to do so could lead to my asking you to leave the class or removing you from a project, with appropriate grade penalties. It certainly will result in a lower participation grade. For more information, consult the Undergraduate Catalogue.
Please note that coming to class late, leaving early, or leaving and returning during the session, is disrespectful to the process of learning and will be penalized. If you have an unavoidable conflict and must leave early, check with me before class, and we will seat you near the door so you can leave with minimum disruption for the other students. If you are so ill that you cannot sit through an entire class without leaving to use the facilities, then you are exposing your classmates and yourself to an unacceptable health risk by being present and you should not be there.
Sadly, basic standards of common courtesy seem to be failing, even, occasionally, here at Mary Harding-Baylor. Just as I will learn and use your name, I expect you to learn mine and to use it when you address me (“hey you,” “lady” and “miss” are not appropriate forms of address for any of your professors). Further, I make use of such courtesy words as “please” and “thank you,” and anticipate the same from each of you. You will find that using simple courtesies consistently not only makes life more pleasant, but also will make you a more effective participant in it.
Please note that no recording of the class is allowed without my specific permission.
Attendance
Attendance is vital both to your own and to others’ success. Class meetings offer you an opportunity to build and deepen your understanding and appreciation of course materials. In class sessions we cover materials outside of reading assignments, deepen our understanding of terms, concepts and events the readings cover, and work to apply these ideas, gaining a meaningful understanding of their nuances. Each of you contributes to this from your unique perspective and life experience.
At times in everyone’s life, unavoidable conflicts arise, however, and college students are no exception. Acknowledging the importance of our in-class work and balancing that with the likelihood of unavoidable emergencies, during the semester, each student may have up to six (6)absences in this course. If your total number of absences reaches seven (7), you fail the course, regardless of other grades earned in the class. This generous number of absencesincludesall University-excused absences. Please note that this is NOT an invitation to miss the maximum allowed class sessions. Even missing less than the maximum will hurt your participation grade, as you will not be available to contribute to the class.
Some of you have decided to participate in University-sponsored, extracurricular academic and athletic activities. Congratulations! I hope that choice leads to great personal satisfaction and growth. Please remember, however, that your main role here is as a student. By choosing to devote a large portion of your time to a commitment outside of your classes, youespecially should be aware of the time constraints you are taking on for the semester. Remember that missing class for a game or for travel counts -- if you “spend” an absence, it is gone.
You would be wise to think of allowed absences as you would car insurance -- not something that you want to use, but something that is there for true need. Thus, you should “budget” your absences for those genuine crises when you cannot avoid missing class -- i.e., a death in your family, your own serious illness, or a mandatory team event. Please note that as I enter attendance on My Campus, all absences are marked ‘unexcused’. This is because I simply record the number of missed classes, without making distinctions about why a student decided to be absent. Instead, I leave it up to you, as an adult, to make your own decisions about how to ‘spend’ allowed absences, following your calculations of your needs and reflecting your choices.
Please do not ask me if it is “all right” for you to miss class. I cannot calculate how much you value what you gain from attendance versus some other option -- only you know your priorities. Part of being responsible for your own learning is making your own decisions about how you will operate within the class rules.
In earning your participation grade, please ensure that you are present, on time and remain until the end of class. If you are not in your assigned seat when we take roll, I will mark you absent for that day unless you notify me at the end of that class. Remember that this is your responsibility. I will not amend the attendance record after that. Additionally, note that it is your responsibility to track your absences over the course of the semester, which you can do through My Campus.
If you do miss class, it is your responsibility to catch up on the material that we covered. I’d suggest that you take advantage of the class contact sheet that I make available and meet people in the class, so you will have colleagues you can ask for the notes. After you have read and thought through your classmate(s)’ notes (it is always better to get two sets), if you have remaining questions, I would be happy to schedule an appointment with you to go over them. Please note, however, that this is not a chance to have a repeat lecture. It will be a time for you to show how you have taken responsibility for your own learning and for me to help you to fill any gaps in that knowledge.
While surely no one means to be offensive, it is frequent that students who have missed a class ask if the class “did anything important” on that day. This is a question that you should not ask in ANY class; further, by getting your classmates’ notes, you can know what precisely you have missed.
Finally, coming to class late, leaving the session before it is over, or leaving and returning to the classroom, violate UMHB’s required standards of academic decorum. These actions are disruptive and therefore disrespectful. Please do not engage in such behavior. If you are not in class for the full time, you will not get credit for attending that class. I will use the ‘Tardy’ label on My Campus to denote such infractions. Two ‘tardies’ will count as one ‘absence’.
N.B. Be aware that showing up for class, alone will NOT earn a passing participation grade. Nor does attendance equal taking up space in the classroom while text messaging, reading materials for other classes, chatting with a friend, or resting/sleeping. Engaging in any of these activities will result in you being counted absent for the day and may lead to you being asked to leave the class. When you are in class, the best strategy for your success and the achievement of our joint enterprise is to focus on the materials and discussion related to this subject.
Class Contact List/Study Groups
In order to foster a learning community among you and your colleagues, I will create a class contact sheet and an email list for all class members. If you would prefer not to take part in this, which gives all class members access to your name, phone number and email address, please let me know as soon as possible so I can exclude your information.
Course Dossier
Please note that you are responsible both for maintaining copies of all the work that you turn in and for holding all returned work, for the semester. This dossier of your work provides a resource that you should use to track your progress. Also, you should bring it with you if you come in for an appointment to discuss your progress. We can draw upon it when working on developing your personal strategies for success in the class. Finally, if necessary, it ensures that all materials are available in case of any questions.
Electronic Communication
During the semester, I make frequent use of email, to send announcements, reminders and the like. Please get in the habit of checking your UMHB email daily. When I send notices by email, my assumption is that you have received and read it, so be sure to contact Information Technology at 295-4658 to resolve any problems as soon as possible. If you prefer to use another email, you can forward your UMHB email to that account. Please check with IT about setting up that mechanism.
During the semester, I will post the syllabus and other handouts on My Campus. If you are not in the habit of checking your classes on LMS/My Campus, please learn how to do so (I’ll give you the IT handout on the system) and get in the practice of using it.
Extra Credit
Please do not request extra credit on an individual basis. If appropriate opportunities arise during the semester, I will announce them to the class as whole.
FERPA
Under US law passed to protect your privacy, your professors may not post grades nor may we give out grades or other individual student information over the telephone or by email. Please do not ask me to violate federal law by requesting that I do any of these things.
Intellectual Honesty
In any intellectual activity, we all rely on and build upon the discoveries and insights of others. Your duty, as an academic and as a representative of the University, is to acknowledge the sources that led you to your findings. In all of the sciences, including the social sciences, discoveries have little power unless others can replicate them following the same experimental steps or reasoning that led the finder to their detection. Therefore, proper citation is a requirement of this discipline, as well as of this class. Naturally, on exams and other individual assignments, you may not use any source other than your own knowledge unless I authorize it specifically.
Most often, I have found that cases of dishonesty correlate directly to problems of time management. Therefore, I urge you to be aware of all of your responsibilities and all upcoming assignments in your courses and to budget enough time to complete them honestly. Ignoring this warning about academic rigor and ethical behavior could lead to failure of the class. If in doubt, please refer to the Undergraduate Catalogue or ask!
Missed Assignments
Unless otherwise noted, all assignments are due no later than the beginning of the class session on the scheduled due date. In some cases, students must miss class for an official, University-related reason. If this is your situation, please turn in your assignment early, or arrange to have your work turned in to the class, on time.
Class Preparation: If you have not done the reading assignments ahead of time, you will be limited in what you can contribute and what you will gain from that lecture/class discussion. Further, you will have failed to meet your responsibilities as a UMHB student. While you can (and should) read and think through missed materials as soon as possible, by waiting until after class, you have lost the opportunity to consider that information interactively within the scope of our discussion. Further, you will have forfeited an occasion to participate meaningfully. Failing to prepare for class also jeopardizes your participation grade. As you juggle the many competing responsibilities and deadlines throughout the semester, I encourage you to work hard to find the balance that makes your education as valuable and as rich as it can be.