POLS 207: State and Local GovernmentTexas A&M UniversityFall 2013Section 504 - TR 12:45pm-2:00pm BLOC 102Section 505 - TR 2:20pm-3:35pm BLOC 102Section 511 - TR 5:30pm-6:45pm HALB 101Section 512 - TR 7:05pm-8:20pm BLOC 102Professor: Jason M. SmithOffice: Allen 2126Email: [email protected] Hours: MTR 4:00pm-5:00pmThe best way to contact me is through e-mail. However, please note that I am unlikely to check mye-mail after 8:00 PM. Therefore, you should assume that I will not read my e-mail until the followingmorning if you contact me after this time. It is also important that you have activated andconsistently check your TAMU e-mail account. This is the best way for me to contact theclass concerning course materials.Course DescriptionAccording to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), this course should ex-amine the origin and development of the Texas Constitution, structure and powers of state andlocal government, federalism and inter-governmental relations, political participation, the electionprocess, public policy, and the political culture of Texas.Course ObjectivesAccording to the THECB, upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:• Explain the origin and development of the Texas constitution.• Demonstrate an understanding of state and local political systems and their relationship withthe 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 govern-ment.• 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.To define, understand, and use conceptsand terms relevant to the study of state and local government in the United States.Required TextsThe following text is available at local bookstores (as well as through online sources).• Benson, Paul, David Clinkscale, and Anthony Giardino. 2013. Lone Star Politics, 2nd edition.Pearson. ISBN: 0205971229 (with MyPoliSciLab)GradesAttendance at lectures is not mandatory and the visual content from lectures will be availableonline; however, this does not account for the content of the in-class lectures. Ideal answers toquestions on the examinations will express clear knowledge of both the assigned reading materialsand the content of the lectures. In addition, the lectures will be used to deliver important classinformation.Your grade in this course will be based on four exams (each worth 25% of your grade). Theexams (see schedule below) will contain multiple choice questions about topics covered in thatparticular section of the course (meaning the exams are not cumulative). There will be a reviewsheet disseminated about a week before the exam. These exams will be completed using an 812by11 gray Scantron form. Further instructions and materials concerning these exams willbe available on eCampus and announced in class.A = 89.5-100 B = 79.5-89.4 C = 69.5-79.4 D = 59.5-69.4 F = Less Than 59.5Please note that the grading scale already rounds up your final grade. After grades are calculatedfollowing the fourth exam, your grades are final. This grading scale is what you have earned notwhat you might think you ”deserve” in the course. Every semester professors are inundated withe-mails asking them to “bump” or “curve” students’ grades. I will not change a grade unless there isa miscalculation. I respectfully ask that you do not e-mail me asking for “special consideration” toraise your grade. Your grades are final. Any request to change your grade, unless thereis a miscalculation, is a violation of the Aggie Honor Code and will not be tolerated.Make-Up ExamsNote that you are eligible to take a makeup exam only if the following conditions are met:1) you must have a documented University recognized excused absence, and2) you must make arrangements for the makeup prior to the exam or by the next class period.In case of a university excused absence, students should arrange a makeup through an electronic,e-mailed request to me. It must be a university excused absence with supporting doc-umentation. This includes the University Explanatory Statement for Absence fromClass form available at http://attendance.tamu.edu. I WILL NOT accept copies of medicalexcuses; you must provide original documentation. If you do not have an excused absence you willreceive a zero for the exam. No Exceptions. You have 48 hours to contact the professorconcerning the make-up. Failure to do so will result in a zero for the exam. This is NOT a2retake of an exam. Make-up exams will be in essay format. Students can take a maximum oftwo make-ups only and they have to be taken on the same day. You will be the allocated the sametime for class (75 minutes). Please drop the course if you miss 3 exams. Make-up exams will beadministered on the following date:• Thursday, December 5th at 3:30pm in Allen 2115Extra CreditI do NOT offer extra credit. Please do not offer to do “extra” assignments to boostyour grade. This is a violation of the Aggie Honor Code.Students with DisabilitiesThe Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that providescomprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legisla-tion requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that providesfor reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiringan accommodation, please contact Disability Services, in Cain Hall, Room B118, or call 845-1637.Please call the counseling center at 979 845-4427 if you are experiencing coping difficulties oranxieties. For additional information visit http://disability.tamu.edu.Course Materials/Copyright StatementThe handouts used in this course are copyrighted. By “handouts,” I mean all materials generatedfor this class, which include but are not limited to syllabi, quizzes, exams, lab problems, in-classmaterials, review sheets, and additional problem sets. Because these are copyrighted, you do nothave the right to copy the handouts, unless I expressly grant permission.Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism StatementAs commonly defined, plagiarism consists of passing off as one’s own the ideas, words, writings,etc.,