Course Information:

Course Number: GOVT 2306

Course Title: Texas Government (Texas Constitution and Topics)
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
Note: Students transferring a government course from out-of-state must enroll in this course to
complete the Texas legislative requirement.
Course Credit Hours: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

Placement Assessments: Meet TSI college-readiness standard for English; or equivalent.

Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Explain the origin and development of the Texas constitution.
2. Describe state and local political systems and their relationship with the federal government.
3. Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice in Texas.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of Texas
government.
5. Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in Texas.
6. Analyze the state and local election process.
7. Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens
8. Analyze issues, policies and political culture of Texas.
Collin College Withdrawal Policy: Students may drop classes any time prior to the census date
at the beginning of every term without a W appearing on their transcripts. After the census
date, students who withdraw will receive a W on their transcript; Texas college students are
limited to a total of 6 withdrawals over the course of their college careers (exceptions are made
for extenuating circumstances necessitating withdrawal from all courses). Students who wish to
withdraw must initiate withdrawal procedures themselves. The last day to withdraw from a
course is March 20th 2015.
Attendance Policy: Students are encouraged to attend every class as it is only once a week.
Attendance will be taken every class. In class quizzes, assignments and participation are crucial
to the learning process and consequently to student grades. If a student is unable to attend class,
he or she must send an email notification prior to that class in order to make up any missed
assignments. If a student does not adhere to this policy, then he or she cannot make up missed
assignments. Please see Method of Evaluation for further information.

Email Policy: Students may only use their Cougarmail account in order to correspond with
classmates and instructors. If a student is facing issues with their Cougarmail account, he or she
must contact IT to resolve such issues. It is also pertinent for students to notify the instructor if
these issues intervene with course work. It is permissible for students to e-mail assignments and
term papers, given that they follow up about the reception of their work with the instructor.
Lecture Policy: Lectures outlines will be posted on Blackboard, it is students responsibility to
read course material on time. Students may only record lectures upon receiving written
permission from Access Office.
Late Policy: Students must submit all work on time. Late work is subjected to lowering a letter
grade for every 24 hour increments that it is late. For example: if a student paper is worth an A,
and it is late by one day it will automatically be graded as an A-. All student work is expected to
be submitted before 11:59 PM CT (Central Time) of the given due date.
Americans with Disabilities Act Statement: Collin College will adhere to all applicable
federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable
accommodations as required to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the students
responsibility to contact the ACCESS office, SCC-D140 or 972.881.5898 (V/TTD:
972.881.5950) to arrange for appropriate accommodations. See the current Collin Student
Handbook for additional information.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:

Instructors Name: Syeda K. Ali

Office Number: K-237
Office Hours: Wednesday: 6 -7pm.
E-mail: SKAli@collin.edu
CLASS INFORMATION:
Class Information: GOVT 2306
Section Number: S71
Meeting Times: Tuesday at 7:00 pm - 9:45 pm
Meeting Location: Spring Creek Campus K213
Course Resources: Champagne and Harpham (2013). Governing Texas. Norton.

Grading Scale:
A+: 100-97%
A: 96%-93%
A-: 92-90%
B+: 89-87%
B: 86%-83%
B-: 82%-80%

C+: 79%-77%
C: 76-73%
C-: 72%-70%
D+: 69%-67%
D: 66-60%
F: 59% and below.

Method of Evaluation: Grading will be determined as follows:

Final Examination:
Term Paper 1:
Term Paper 2:
Class Assignments & Quizzes:
Attendance:

30%
20%
20%
25%
5%

Final Examination:
The Exam will consist of Short Answer Essay Questions. The Exam is cumulative and will be
based on the required readings from class. The Exam date is TBD. All students must arrive in
class on time, there will be no extra time provided, and there are no make-up exams.
Term Papers:
Term papers will be discussed in depth in class, a grading rubric will be provided for students.
Term papers must use either Chicago, APA or MLA Format, which includes Font Size 12 in
Times New Roman. Each term paper is limited from 5 to 8 pages. Students must use citations in
their research papers when using any text and must include all cited work in their Works Cited
page (which does not count towards the 5 pages). Students must only cite Scholarly sources,
these sources must include some or all of the following: (a) primary source materials or
government or other documents; (b) scholarly books; (c) scholarly journals. The paper must
include a minimum of 3 sources.
Term Paper 1:
Students can choose the following topics for their papers:
1. Has the evolving relationship between the federal government and the states changed
for the better or for the worse? Why?
2. Should a majority of voters in a state be allowed to pass statutes or constitutional
amendments that may violate the rights of minority groups? Why or why not?
3. Do you think the Democratic Party will ever come back to the prominence it once held
in Texas politics? Why or Why not?
4. Why are interest groups so influential in Texas politics? What sorts of institutional
reforms could we enact to reduce the influence of interest groups? What sort of
demographic or cultural changes might reduce the influence of interest groups
naturally?
However, Paper topics are open to students, if students decide to work on an independent
topic they MUST receive approval before beginning work on their papers. Students
3

should submit topic proposals as soon as possible. Students can choose specific paper
topics utilizing their textbooks, however they must not solely rely on the class materials
in their research papers. Term Paper 1 is due on March 3rd.
Term Paper 2:
Paper topic will be announced in class, after discussion and evaluation of the first term
paper. Paper topics will be discussed on March 3rd. Term Paper 2 is due on April 14th.
If students wish to revise their papers for a better grade, they can submit their papers two
weeks before the due date.
In-Class Assignments & Quizzes:
Assignments will be distributed in class. Students are expected to work on class assignments
during class, these assignments are intended to enhance class discussion and group based
learning. A quiz reminder will be posted on blackboard. Quizzes will be distributed in the
beginning of class. Punctuality is important, students cannot make up quizzes.
Attendance:
Student attendance and class participation are pertinent in the learning process. Students are
encouraged to contribute to class discussion and attend every class. Regular class participation
counts towards 5% of each students grade.

COURSE CALENDAR:
January 20

Ch.1: The Political Culture, People and Economy of Texas

January 27

Ch. 2: Texas the Nation & Ch. 3: The Texas Constitution

February 2

Spring Census Date

February 3

Ch. 3: The Texas Constitution (contd)

February 10

Ch. 4: Political Parties in Texas

February 17

Ch. 5: Elections in Texas

February 24

Ch. 6: Interest Groups and Lobbying

March 3

Term Paper 1 Due/ Term Paper 2 Discussion/ Ch. 7: The Texas Legislature

March 10

Spring Break (No Classes)

March 17

Ch. 8: The Texas Executive Branch

March 20

Spring Last Day to Withdraw

March 24

Ch. 8: The Texas Executive Branch (Contd)

March 31

Ch. 9: The Texas Judiciary

April 7

Ch. 10: Crime and Corrections Policy

April 14

Term Paper 2 Due/ Ch. 11: Public Finance in Texas

April 21

Ch. 12: Public Policy in Texas

April 28

Ch. 13: Local Government in Texas

May 5

Review Class

May TBD

Final Exam

May 15

Collin 2014-2015 Commencement @ 7:00 p.m

Academic Ethics: Every member of the Collin College community is expected to maintain the
highest standards of academic integrity. Collin College may initiate disciplinary proceedings
against a student accused of scholastic dishonesty.
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts, or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as ones own work
material that is not ones own. Scholastic dishonesty may involve, but is not limited to, one or
more of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion, use of annotated texts or teachers
editions, use of information about exams posted on the Internet or electronic medium, and/or
falsifying academic records. While specific examples are listed below, this is not an exhaustive
list and scholastic dishonesty may encompass other conduct, including any conduct through
electronic or computerized means:
Plagiarism is the use of an authors words or ideas as if they were ones own without giving
credit to the source, including, but not limited to, failure to acknowledge a direct quotation.
Cheating is the willful giving or receiving of information in an unauthorized manner during an
examination; collaborating with another student during an examination without authority; using,
buying, selling, soliciting, stealing, or otherwise obtaining course assignments and/or
examination questions in advance; copying computer or Internet files; using someone elses
work for assignments as if it were ones own; or any other dishonest means of attempting to
fulfill the requirements of a course.
Collusion is intentionally or unintentionally aiding or attempting to aid another in an act of
scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to, failing to secure academic work; providing a
paper or project to another student; providing an inappropriate level of assistance;
communicating answers to a classmate about an examination or any other course assignment;
removing tests or answer sheets from a test site; and allowing a classmate to copy answers.
In cases where an incident report has been filed for alleged violation of scholastic dishonesty,
faculty are requested to delay posting a grade, for the academic work in question, until the Dean
of Students Office renders an administrative decision of the case. Students found responsible
for scholastic dishonesty offenses will receive an authorized disciplinary penalty from the Dean
of Students Office. The student may also receive an academic penalty in the course where the
scholastic dishonesty took place. The professor will determine the appropriate academic penalty.

I reserve the right to revise the syllabus at any time. I will announce any changes ahead of
time in class. Students are free to ask any questions about the syllabus whether in class, or
through e-mail.

Heres to a great semester!