GOVT 2302.

001
Course
Political Institutions in the U.S. and Texas
Professor Curt Childress
Term Spring 2009
Class Time MWF 10:30AM-11:20AM in classroom SOM 2.904

Professor’s Contact Information

Office Phone 972-883-6416
Other Phone None
Office Location GR 3.314
Email Address cac022000@utdallas.edu
Office Hours F 12:30PM-2:30PM and by appointment
I strongly discourage students from using WebCT email. Contacting me
Other Information
via my UTD Email is preferred to other forms of communication.

General Course Information

Pre-requisites, Co-
requisites, & other None
restrictions
This course introduces the student to the primary institutions of the
United States and Texas governments. We will study the historical
Course Description influences shaping the Constitution and governmental institutions. We
will also study how individual and group participation shape government
and government institutions.
1. Define the constitutional foundations of our government.
2. Identify the major institutional characteristics of Federal and State
governmental institutions
Learning Outcomes
3. Explain the role of collective action in politics and government.
4. Describe how individual and group participation influences
government institutions
Kernall, Samuel, Gary C. Jacobson, and Thad Kousser. (2009) The Logic
of American Politics. 4th ed. Washington D.C.: CQ Press. (Hereafter:
TLOP)

Canon, David T., John J. Coleman, and Kenneth R. Mayer, eds. (2008)
The Enduring Debate. 5th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Required Texts & (Hereafter: TED)
Materials
Texas Politics Multimedia Online Textbook:
http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/
(Hereafter: TPOT)

Other brief readings will be assigned by the instructor during the

semester.
Collier, Ken & Steven Galatas & Julie Harrelson-Stephens. (2008) Lone
Suggested Texts,
Star Politics: Tradition and Transformation in Texas. 1st ed. Washington
Readings, &
Materials D.C: CQ Press.
 Recommended articles and books might be suggested during class
lectures for students who wish to read on a particular topic in more
depth.

Assignments & Academic Calendar

January 12 Introduction to the Course
Introduction to Collective Action and American Political Culture
January 14 and 16 January 14th Readings: TLOP Ch 1 (Passim) & TED Ch 1 (1); January 16th
Readings: TED Ch 1(2,3)
The United States Constitution
January 21 and 23 Quiz 1
January 21st Readings: TLOP Ch 2; January 23rd: TED Ch 2 (9, 10)
Texas Constitution & Individual Political Participation
January 26, 28, 30 January 26th Readings: TPOT (Passim); January 30th Readings: TLOP Ch 11 &
TED Ch 10 (47 & 49)
Interest Groups, Political Parties and Review
Quiz 2
February 2, 4, 6
February 2nd Readings: TLOP Ch 13; February 6th Readings: TLOP Ch 14,
Federalist 10
First Exam and American Political Life
February 9, 11, 13
February 13th Readings: TED Ch 11 (56, 57)
US Congress and Texas State Legislature
February 16, 18, 20 February 16th Readings: TLOP Ch 6; February 20th Readings: TED Ch 5 (21,
22)
Texas State Legislature and the Presidency
February 23, 25, 27 Quiz 3
February 23 Readings: TPOT; February 27: TLOP Ch 7
United States Presidency and Texas Governor
March 2, 4, 6
March 2nd Readings: TED Ch 6 (27, 28); March 6th Readings: TPOT
March 9, 11, 13 Review and Second Exam
March 16, 18, 20 Spring Break
The Bureaucracy
March 23, 25, 27 Quiz 4
March 23rd Readings: TLOP Ch 8; March 27th Readings: TED Ch 7 (31, 32)
The Bureaucracy & Federal Judiciary
March 30, April 1, 3
March 30th Readings: TPOT; April 3rd Readings: TLOP Ch 9
Federal & Texas Judiciary
April 6, 8, 10
April 6th Readings: TED Ch 8 (37, 39, 40); April 10th Readings: TPOT
Federalism & Local Government
Quiz 5
April 13, 15, 17
April 13th Readings: TLOP Ch 3; April 13th Readings: TED 3(12); April 17th
Readings: TPOT
TBD
April 20, 22, 24 Quiz 6
Readings: TBD
April 27, 29, May 1 Review and Third Exam
May 4 Review Day for Optional Final Exam
Exam Dates February 9 & 11, March 11 & 13, April 29 & May 1, May 8th at 8:00AM
*Reading assignments are due on date listed on the syllabus

Course Policies
Grading 1. Attendance and Participation—Classroom attendance and participation
(credit) is necessary to succeed in this course and I want you to have classroom
Criteria success. I will reward your classroom attendance and participation. Being
excessively late or absent will negatively impact your final course grade.

2. Reaction Papers—The political environment does not occur in a

vacuum, and a strong understanding of current events is required to
understand American politics and government. To better analyze current
events using classroom lectures and book material, students will write two
reactions papers examining current event reporting from the news media in
light of what the student has learned in class. The reaction papers should be
two to three pages in length (12 pt Times New Roman font, 1” margins).
You should use media reports and textbook material to frame your paper,
but please cite appropriately!

3. Quizzes—Short take-home quizzes will be posted periodically to

WebCT. Each quiz will be announced the class day before the quiz is given,
and the instructor will also inform students of the material that will be
covered on the quiz. Quizzes will be open book and notes, but you can not
consult with anyone else while taking the quiz. Academic integrity will be
essential when taking these take-home quizzes and any scholastic dishonesty
will be subject to discipline as set forth by university policy. I will assign at
least one other outside assignment/activity to count as a quiz grade.

4. Exams—There will be three in-class exams covering the readings and

lectures. Each exam will consist of either multiple choice or short answer
and essay questions, and all three exams will be non-comprehensive. Since
the class period is so short, each exam will be spread over two days.

5. Optional Final Exam—There will be one optional final exam on May 8th
at 8:00AM. This optional final exam will replace one other exam grade.
The final exam will be comprehensive. Please think very carefully before
committing yourself to take the optional final exam.

Reaction Papers—10%
Attendance and Participation—10%
Quizzes—15%
Exam 1—20%
Exam 2—20%
Exam 3—20%

Grade 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: 66-63 D-: 62-60
F: 59 or below

Contacting Me About Grades:

Federal privacy law prohibits me from discussing grades over the phone or
through email. To discuss your grades with me, please contact me in person
during my office hours.

General Notice about Quizzes and Exams

Please write your quizzes and exams legibly and neatly. If an assignment is
 illegible, I may reduce your grade by at least 5%. If your assignment is
unreadable, I will return it ungraded.
Challenging Grades:

1. Submit a letter stating the reasons why you are challenging your grade.
You should declare which question or part of the assignment or exam you
are challenging and include evidence such as a quote from the textbook or
other relevant material to support your arguments. Please attach the original
copy of the assignment to the letter. I would prefer that you hand the letter
and assignment to me in person.

2. I will examine the letter and assignment, and I will make an initial
assessment on whether to sustain the challenge or not.

3. I will meet with the student to discuss the assignment and my initial
assessment with them. At the end of the meeting, I will make a final
decision on whether to sustain the challenge or not.

4. Please do not challenge a grade until 48 hours after the return of an

assignment. I will accept grade challenges for up to two weeks after an
assignment has been returned.

Re-Grades:

1. If a student is still unsatisfied after challenging their grade, a student may

request that I re-grade their entire assignment or exam. I will honor such
requests, but I may either raise or lower your score upon re-grading your
assignment.
If you plan to miss an exam, you should contact me as soon as possible and
before the exam day. If I have not heard from you by 12:30PM on an
exam day, I will assign a grade of zero unless you provide me with an
extraordinary reason for why you were not able to contact me before the
Make-up exam was given. I will allow a makeup exam if a student provides a
Exams reasonable excuse for missing an exam. Reasonable excuses could include
medical illnesses, religious holidays, car trouble on exam day, and
unavoidable business travel. Being unprepared for the exam is not a
valid excuse! I may request supporting documentation in order to determine
the validity of an absence.
I will provide extra credit activities and assignments throughout the
Extra Credit
semester.
Late work will be accepted for outside assignments excluding quizzes. To
encourage students to turn assignment in on the due date, I will accept late
assignments with a ten percent (10%) penalty per day. Late work will not be
Late Work
accepted after five days after the due date. Turning in late assignments due
to illnesses or other reasonable excuses will be accepted without penalty
subject to the discretion of the instructor.
Special
None
Assignments
Class
Class attendance is strongly encouraged and will be rewarded!
Attendance
1. Class begins promptly at 10:30AM. Please make plans to be in class on
time as being late is disruptive to the classroom environment.
Classroom
Citizenship 2. Please show respect to other students in class. Classroom environments
can become polluted if students do not respect each other and their opinions.
 3. WebCT will be heavily utilized during the semester to communicate class
related notices, post assignments and notes, and for chat-based review
sessions before each exam. I expect all of you to check WebCT regularly
for notices and assignments. If you cannot check WebCT regularly, please
inform me early so alternative arrangements can be made.

4. Please contact me if you are having any trouble with the course
material. I will help any student having difficulty in this course. I
would rather help resolve problems than have students drop from the
course.

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject

to state law and University policies and procedures regarding travel and
Field Trip
risk-related activities. Information regarding these rules and regulations
Policies
may be found at the website address
Off-Campus
http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm.
Instruction &
Additional information is available from the office of the school dean.
Course
Below is a description of any travel and/or risk-related activity associated
Activities
with this course.

If you experience any problems with your UTD account you may send an
Technical
email to: assist@utdallas.edu or call the UTD Computer Helpdesk at 972-
Support
883-2911.

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have
rules and regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business.
It is the responsibility of each student and each student organization to be
knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student
conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and
discipline is contained in the UTD printed publication, A to Z Guide, which
is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the

procedures of recognized and established due process. Procedures are
defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Series 50000, Board of
Student Regents, The University of Texas System, and in Title V, Rules on Student
Conduct and Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating
Discipline Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students
in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to
assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-
6391) and online at
http://www.utdallas.edu/judicialaffairs/UTDJudicialAffairs-HOPV.html

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the
responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state,
and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and
administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the
standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or
whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and
Academic academic honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon
Integrity the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is
imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in
his or her scholastic work.
 Scholastic Dishonesty, any student who commits an act of scholastic
dishonesty is subject to discipline. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not
limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any
work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person,
taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair
advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other
classes, and from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with
under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details).
This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web
for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code)
governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted
materials, including music and software. Copying, displaying, reproducing,
or distributing copyrighted works may infringe the copyright owner’s rights
Copyright and such infringement is subject to appropriate disciplinary action as well as
Notice criminal penalties provided by federal law. Usage of such material is only
appropriate when that usage constitutes “fair use” under the Copyright Act.
As a UT Dallas student, you are required to follow the institution’s
copyright policy (Policy Memorandum 84-I.3-46). For more information
about the fair use exemption, see
http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of

communication between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail.
At the same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the
identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages
all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T.
Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students
Email Use
official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the
university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all
individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information.
UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in all
communication with university personnel. The Department of Information
Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T.
Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any
college-level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's
Withdrawal course catalog. Administration procedures must be followed. It is the
from Class student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In
other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper
paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course
if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student

Services and Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating
Student Procedures.
Grievance
Procedures In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations,
or other fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the
student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor,
supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates
 (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain
primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter
cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing
to the respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter
is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the
student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is
not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written
appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal
will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the
Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals
process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office
of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students
in interpreting the rules and regulations.

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work
unavoidably missed at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course
Incomplete work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within
Grades eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the
required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is
not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed
automatically to a grade of F.

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities

educational opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers.
Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office
hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)
disabilityservice@utdallas.edu
Disability
Services If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course,
please meet with the Coordinator of Disability Services. The Coordinator is
available to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If
you determine that formal, disability-related accommodations are
necessary, it is very important that you be registered with Disability
Services to notify them of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations.
Disability Services can then plan how best to coordinate your
accommodations.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for
such an accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters
to present to faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and
needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation
should contact the professor after class or during office hours.
The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other
Religious Holy
required activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for
Days
a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property tax under
 Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon

as possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment.
The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the
assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the
length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies
the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be
penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or
assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that
exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e.,

for the purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar
disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable time to
complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the
instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the
institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee
must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the
student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive
officer or designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.