State and Local Government
"What is government itself, but the greatest of
all reflections on human nature? "
-James Madison
Fall 2009
State and Local Government
Tentative Course Outline
Instructor: Amanda Bigelow
Office: D307
Office Phone: 815-224-0203
Email: amanda_bigelow@ivcc.edu
Web Page: http://www.ivcc.edu/bigelow
Office Hours: M & W: 1-3, T:
8:45-9:30 and 10:45-11, Th: 8:45-9:30, 10:45-11 and 12:15-1:45, or by
appointment
Health Update: I reserve the right to ask students to leave class if I believe they have an active illness that may threaten the health or safety of other students in the class or if the illness is a distraction to the class environment.
Required Texts and Materials:
Saffell and Basehart,
State and Local Government: Politics and Public Policies, 9th edition (can be purchased in the IVCC
bookstore in person or online at http://www.ivccbookstore.com).
Chicago Tribune (can be accessed
online through Access World News at
www.ivcc.edu/library)
Local Newspaper (can be accessed
online through Access World News at
www.ivcc.edu/library)
BLACKBOARD ACCESS
I will be
using Blackboard for the purposes of group email and for grading. You will
be enrolled as a Blackboard user by me.
To access Blackboard go to the Blackboard webpage (ivcc.blackboard.com) and
click the login button. You will then be able to login by providing your
username and password. Your username consists of the first 3 letters of your
last name and last 4 digits of your Social Security Number (see the example
below). Your password is the first three digits of your SSN. Once you have
successfully logged in to the system for the first time, you should use the
Change Password option in the Personal Information section of the Tool box
(located on the left-hand side of the Blackboard welcome screen. If you have
difficulty accessing the system, you should email me for assistance.
Example: Jane Doeber (Social
Security Number 123-00-4567)
Her username for Blackboard would be: doe4567
Her password for Blackboard would be: 123
However, if you registered as a new student on/after August
10th, then you password will be your student i.d., which is the 7 digits to the
left of the last two digits on the right of your Student i.d. card.
Course
Objectives:
To prepare the student to become a functioning citizen by becoming more aware of
the state and local systems of government, their strengths and limitations.
To
illustrate the inequalities that exist in society, analyze how the state and
local system of government may perpetuate these inequalities, and look for solutions
to the problems of inequalities in society.
To
give the student an understanding of the nature and scope of political science
both theoretically and historically.
To
make the student aware of her/his social and cultural biases in order to learn
critical analysis skills
To
assist students in demonstrating a competent understanding of state and local government in the following ways:
*Ability
to describe and analyze the social and political issues besetting state and
local governments in the 20th Century.
*Ability
to describe and analyze contemporary state and local governmental institutions.
* Encourage participation in politics at the state and local level.
Grading:
Class Participation – 20%
Class attendance
is required and students should come to class prepared to discuss the materials
assigned for that week and to discuss any news items on the United States
government they come across that should be raised for discussion. I hope that
students will come to class with insightful questions and/or comments about the
assigned readings and news stories, and I will also be calling on students at random to answer
some questions of my own. Answers to
my questions should show that the student has read and understands the class
materials and that they have the ability to apply critical thinking skills to
those materials. The quality of your
contributions is more important than the quantity, but both are expected.
Below
are some guidelines that may help you to understand my expectations and how you
will be graded on this portion of your grade.
Excellent
contributor (A): The student attends class on a regular basis and comes prepared with
insightful comments and questions about the course materials.
The student also shows a high level of critical thinking in evaluating
course materials. The class as a
whole benefits highly from this student’s contributions.
Good
contributor (B): The student attends class on a regular basis and often comes prepared with
insightful comments and questions about the course material.
The student also shows some critical thinking in evaluating course
materials. The class as a whole
generally benefits from this student’s contributions.
Fair
contributor (C): The student attends class more often than not and sometimes comes to class
with questions or comments that reflect some insight into the course materials.
The student shows some critical thinking in evaluating course materials
but often struggles to see beyond personal biases.
The class sometimes benefits from this student’s contributions.
Unsatisfactory
contributor (D): The student comes to class but is unprepared.
Comments are not insightful, are extremely bias or do not benefit the
class.
Non-contributor
(F): The student
either does not maintain regular attendance or attends but does not contribute
to class discussions.
State and Local Updates – 30%
For the first 13 weeks of the course, each of you will be required to keep a journal of state and local politics. The journal will include 2 newspaper clippings per week that discuss a pertinent issue (the articles should be on different issues) in Illinois state or local politics. The newspaper clippings should be dated the week (Sunday-Saturday) of the class for which they will be discussed. You should write a brief reaction to one of these articles each week and keep them in the journal alongside the original article. For 6 of the 13 weeks (you can select the weeks yourself) you will be required to turn in one of the reactions for a grade and to discuss it in class. I will take volunteers for discussion on Tuesday and the remaining students will then present on Thursday. You will be graded both on the article you select (was it timely and important?), your overall presentation, and your understanding of the issues presented in the article. The final journal must also be turned in on December 3rd for a grade.
To summarize, the State and local updates will make up 30% of your grade based on the following components:
1) Your once a week (13 weeks), type written reaction of one of two articles in your journal. The reaction papers should be typed in 12 point font, Times New Roman, double-spaced with standard 1 inch margins, and should be no more than 1 page in length. The reaction paper should not be a summary of the article, but should reflect your understanding of the issue, and how you feel it is/should be handled based on research (you must cite your sources and wikis/blogs are not permitted) and what you have learned in the class. As such, I expect the papers will get better as we go throughout the semester, and your grades will reflect this expectation.
2) Your presentation of those articles, including a discussion of your reaction, 6 times throughout the semester.
3) Your final journal, which should include 2 articles per week and one written summary per week.
If you have any questions, please see me.
Exams - 40%
There will be two exams covering the materials in the first half of the
semester.
The dates and topic materials are listed in the syllabus.
You must bring a blue book with you to class on exam day.
Blue books can be purchased in the bookstore for a nominal fee.
Exams will consist of short answer questions. Exams will be
open note (not open book). Please
come prepared on exam day meaning that you have a thorough understanding of the
materials presented in the notes, readings, class discussions and study
questions. Make-up exams will only
be granted to students who have a valid excuse that can be documented in writing
and when I have approved the absence ahead of time.
Speakers and Meetings - 10%
For the final 3 weeks of the semester we will be participating in the
governmental process directly by attending local city council/board meetings and
hearing from elected officials (some of the officials will speak earlier in the
semester - guest lecturers). Your grade for this portion of the class will
come from your attendance at these events, and discussions to be held after the
events.
Academic dishonesty:
Plagiarism or cheating in any form will not be tolerated. All words or
ideas that are not your own must be cited in all of the work that is submitted
for this course. Anyone caught cheating or plagiarizing may receive a
failing grade for the entire course. Additionally, a report of the
transgression will be filed with the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following examples:
1) Answering questions in your homework based on materials you obtained from
another source without giving credit to that source. Even if you
paraphrase from another source, you must give credit. When using the exact
words of someone else, you must use quotations and cite. However, you
should very rarely do this since you will not learn as well if you don't put
things in your own words. 2) Putting any material on an exam that is not in your
own words. Even if you put something in your homework that is not in your
own words, on an exam it MUST BE IN YOUR OWN WORDS. 3) Using websites or
other sources other than your notes or the text to take your exam. 4)
Turning in any work that is not your own or having someone else do the work for
you.
Final grades:
The grading scale for this course will be as follows:
90-100%=4.0
80-89%=3.0
70-79%=2.0
60-69%=1.0
I round grades up at .5 and down at .4 so every point counts in this class. Also, please be aware that the final grade is not based on total points, rather on weighted grades. The weighting is as follows: 30% for Class Attendance, 50% for exams, 20% for study questions. The final weighted grade in Blackboard is the correct grade.
SPECIAL NEEDS
If you are a student with a cognitive, physical or psychiatric disability you
may be eligible for academic support services such as extended test time, texts
on tape, note-taking services, etc. If you are interested in receiving
academic support services, please contact the Special Populations Office at
224-0284 or stop by office B204. You can also visit their website at
www.ivcc.edu/disability. You
are also encouraged to discuss your individual needs with the instructor so that
your educational experience is a productive one.
COURSE WITHDRAWAL
In the event that you must withdraw
from this course, you are expected to follow established college procedures
outlined in the college catalog. The final date to withdraw from this
course is Friday November 6th, however, I must receive your request by Thursday
November 5th at 11:59 p.m. in order to process the request on time.
A Few Rules:
1. Please turn off all cell phones and
pagers before coming to class.
2. Please leave all electronic devices at
home or turned off in your backpacks.
3. Do not sleep in the classroom.
4. Do not talk while I or others in the
class are talking.
5. Do not pack up your things or rustle
papers until I have dismissed you from class.
6. Failure to obey these rules will result
in a student being asked to leave the class. Habitual offenders will be
asked to leave the class for the entire semester and will receive a failing
grade at the discretion of the instructor.
A Note About Respect:
IVCC is an academic
institution where all sincere viewpoints are welcomed, however, this does not
give you license to verbally attack or intentionally offend your fellow
classmates or professor. If you disagree with a person’s point of view,
please do so respectfully and by using critical thinking, not by issuing
personal attacks, sarcasm, or insults. Any student who
violates these class policies will be removed from class
at the discretion of the instructor and will receive a failing grade for the
semester.
Class Assignment
Schedule
August 18th
Class procedures and policies. Reading Assignment –
Critical
Thinking and
Cognitive Dissonance
August 20th
Lecture: Critical Thinking and Cognitive Dissonance
Reading Assignment:
The
U.S. Constitution
August 25th
Discussion: The U.S. Constitution
Reading Assignment: The
Illinois Constitution and
Summary
August 27th
Lecture:
The Illinois Constitution
September 1st
Lecture: The Illinois Constitution continued.
September 3rd
Lecture: Why Federalism?
Reading Assignment: Chapter 1: The Setting of State and Local Government
September 8th
Lecture:
Understanding the Power of the States
September 10th
Lecture: The
Myth of a Polarized America
Reading Assignment: Chapter 5: State and Local Legislatures
September 15th
Lecture:
State Legislatures
September 17th
Lecture: Term Limits
September 22nd
Lecture: The
Illinois Legislature
Reading Assignment: Chapter 6: Governors, Bureaucrats and Mayors
September 24th
Guest Lecture
No Presentations
September 29th
Guest Lecture
No Presentations
October 1st
Guest Lecture
No Presentations
October 6th
Lecture: The Executive in State and Local Politics
Reading Assignment: Chapter 7: Courts, Police and Corrections
October 29
Lecture: State Courts, Police and Corrections
November 3
Lecture: Police and Corrections Continued
Reading Assignment: Chapter 3: Political Parties and Interest Groups
November 5th
Lecture: Political Parties and Interest Groups
Reading Assignment: Political Participation and Elections
November 10
Lecture: Elections and Political Participation
Reading Assignment: Chapter 9: Financing State and Local Government
November 12
Lecture:
Taxes
and Budgets
Reading Assignment: Chapter 10: State and Local Policy Making
November 17
Lecture: Taxes and Budgets continued
NEW and FINAL UPDATES
November 19
Lecture: Education, Social
Welfare, Economic Development and Environmental Protection
November 23rd
Peru City Council Meeting 7:30 p.m. (Note this is a Monday night)
November 24
Lecture: Economic Development
November 26th
NO CLASS - Thanksgiving Break
December 1st
Ottawa City Council Meeting 7:00 p.m.
December 3rd
Lecture: Taxes
and Budget
Journals due in class
December 8th
Lecture: Education and Social
Welfare
Exam II: Online December 8th-10th
December 10th
Online Exams must be finished by 11:55 p.m.