Government 2301 American Government, Organization Social Sciences Division Division of Arts and Sciences South Plains College Fall 2011 Daniel MooreDaniel Moore, Government Instructor Phone 266 5505 Email : [email protected] Government 2301 General Objectives and Purposes : This class as taught at South Plains College is a reading intensive course that studies the structure and operations of the U.S. government , it’s agencies ,and the development of the modern civic culture. This course meets the statutory requirements set by the State of Texas. TEXT: Politics In America ( Texas Edition) 8th..Edition-Thomas Dye Grading and Course Requirements: The class will be divided into units . The units will correspond to chapters in Dye. Each unit will have two grades. One grade will be a short three page essay over an outside reading. There will also be an objective exam over each unit. All grades will count equally, and there will be a Final cumulative exam that will count 1/7th. Of your final grade. The average of these grades together will give your final grade. Course Objectives: The student will know and explain the philosophical principles of Democracy. Students will analyze the difference between the Articles of Confederation and the Federal Representative Democratic Constitution of 1789. In the framing of the Constitution they must distinguish between the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia plan. Students must identify the major components in the first three articles of the Constitution. They must also explain the major components in the Bill of Rights. Students must list the differences within Congress; the House of Representatives and the Senate. Students must be able to identify and explain the powers of the office of President. Students must be able to list the weaknesses of the Texas Constitution and also identify the formal structure of both houses in the Texas legislature. Grading Scale : 90—100 = A 80------89 =B 70------79= C 60------79 =D below 60 = FAttendance Policy (Read Carefully) Revisit the school’s attendance policy in your school catalog. In this class there will only be three absences. The third absence will result in a failure of the class. There will be a class role with an attendance register to be signed by each student present each class period. Failure to sign that roster will amount to an absence. Signing the roster is the student’s responsibility. Course Outline: Unit I: Foundations of American Government A. The Nature of government and politics ( Chapters 1& 2 ) 1. Definitions 2. Genres 3. Theories B. The philosophical principles of Democracy C. American Democracy ( Chapters 2 & 5 ) 1. Beliefs and ideas 2. Ideologies 3. Civic Culture 4. Theories & Paradoxes D. The American Constitution (Chapter 3 ) 1. The historical development 2. Basic principles of the Constitution 3. The structure of the Constitution E. Federalism (Chapter 4 ) 1. The Historical development 2. The modern structure of Federalism 3. State-federal relations Exam I Unit II : American Governmental Institutions A. The Legislature ( Chapter 10,7,9) 1. Its Powers 2. Its make up 3. Current Issues B. The Executive (Chapters11,8,&12 ) 1. Requirements and Election 2. Structure and function of the office 3. The BureaucracyC. The Judiciary ( Chapter13,14 ,&15 ) 1. Its make up 2. Its powers 3. Issues of law & Democracy Exam II Unit III: Participation (Chapters 5,6,7,8,&9) A. The political culture B. The Media- agenda setting C. Political Parties / Elections D. Interest Groups Exam III Unit IV: Policy (Chapters 16,17,18) A. Domestic policy 1. Economics in a mixed economy 2. Business regulation 3. Financial regulation 4. Poverty, Unemployment,& Health Care B. Foreign Policy 1. National Defense & Security 2. Trade relations 3. Diplomacy in a world of transition a. Oil, Israel, & Islam b. China, Hong Kong, Taiwan , & North Korea c. The United Nations & The Third World d. Latin America: Free Trade or economic decline Exam IV Unit V : Structure of Texas Government: ( Chapters 19,20,-25 ) A. The Texas Constitution B. State Governmental Institutions C. Local Governments ….Final