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Fall 2023 Course Syllabus
Course: GOVT-2306 (Section: 71, CRN: 92540) Texas Government |
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| Instructor Information | |||||||||
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| Instructor | Dr. Tina Capeles | ||||||||
| capelestl@lamarpa.edu | |||||||||
| Phone | (409) 984-6378 | ||||||||
| Office | Student Center - Room: 401 | ||||||||
| Office Hours | MW 10:00-11:30 TR 11:00-1:00 Friday 10:00-1:00 By appointment. |
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| Additional Contact Information | |||||||||
| Course Information | |||||||||
| 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. | ||||||||
| Required Textbooks |
Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: All students need to look at their tuition statement. The classes are set up as Sea Hawk Bundle for first-day access for the Pearson Revel Textbook. That means you have already been charged for the e-text. A link is provided in the course menu to access the e-text. Otherwise, if a student opts out of the Sea Hawk Bundle, you are required to purchase the access code for the e-text at the publisher price. See information below about the ISBN#. All students purchasing the e-text rather than using the Sea Hawk Bundle Program will have 14 days of free access but will need to purchase before expiration. Students can go to Pearson- Revel to purchase or the online Bookstore. Title: Government and Politics in the Lone Star State Publisher: Pearson Publishing: ISBN: to be announced in SeaHawk Bundle- Revel E-Text Only Gibson-Robinson-Green |
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| Additional Materials/Resources | None. | ||||||||
| Corequisites/Prerequisites | Competency in reading and writing skills required. | ||||||||
| Learning Outcomes |
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
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| Core Objectives |
Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and visual communication. Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions. Social Responsibility: Students will demonstrate intercultural competency and civic knowledge by engaging effectively in local, regional, national and/or global communities. Personal Responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making. |
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| Lecture Topics Outline |
The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the coursework or dates if necessary. See coursework information in the course menu. Lectures and topics on the course menu. The chapters are organized pertaining to the lectures and exams. Students are advised to pay attention to the chapter titles as applied with the readings for each exam period. Students are responsible for all material covered in the course.
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| Major Assignments Schedule |
The organization of chapters varies with editions of the textbook. Students need to pay attention to the titles of the chapters as they coincide with the readings for each exam period. Students are responsible for all material covered in the course. Topics of discussion and class lecture will include the material as follows and current issues as it applies in the political environment. Week 1: The Social and Economic Milieu of Texas Politics Week 2: The Texas Constitution and Texas Government and Politics in the Federal System Week 3: Local Governments in Texas Week 4: Contemporary Public Policy Issues in Texas Week 5: Exam 1 Week 6:Constitution/Federalism Week 7: Exam 2- Begin Interest Groups and Political Power in Texas Week 8: The Mass Media in Texas Politics Week 9: The Party System in Texas Week 10: Elections, Campaigns, and Elections, Campaigns, and Political Socialization, Behavior, Opinion Week 11: Exam 3 Week 12: The Legislature Week 13: The Texas Executive Week 14: The Texas Bureaucracy and Policy Implementation Week 15: Texas Judiciary Week 16: Final Exam 4 Refer to the course menu for exams, assignments, and discussion assignments. I do not use the Blackboard calendar for the course. Exam weeks above reflect the readings to be included for the course. Make-up exams are at the discretion of the instructor. See instructor policies that apply. There is no make-up exam available for the final exam. Any make-up exam will be administered in my office by appointment and must be done within 5 days of the exam. Written assignments are required to reflect, analyze, and understand the relevance of the Constitution, and Federalism, economy, political theory, and freedoms in the social environment as the topics of concern as it applies to Texas during the course. Discussion post assignments addressing the economy, energy industry, law and civil society, US border issues, and American culture and citizenry. Completion of grading will be posted for assignments, discussions, and exams between the due dates of each occurrence. |
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| Final Exam Date | December 8, 2023 - 8:0 AM Through December 8, 2023 - 11:0 PM | ||||||||
| Grading Scale | Total Points-1000 900-1000- A 800-899- B 700-799- C 600-699- D Below 600- F | ||||||||
| Determination of Final Grade |
Exams (4)- 0-100 points each Discussion Assignments (5) - 0-60 points each Written Assignment - 0-300 points Completion of grading will be posted for assignments, discussions, and exams between the due dates of each occurrence. |
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| Course Policies | |||||||||
| Instructor Policies |
The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the coursework and exams including dates if necessary. Students will be notified in advance. I do not accept late work. I do not reopen assignments or discussion posts. Students have ample time to complete. Make-up exams are given at the discretion of the instructor. All make-up exams will be administered in my office by appointment within 5 days of the exam date. Students are responsible for all material covered in the course, lectures, videos, any additional material, chapter readings, exams, discussion assignments, and written assignments. I do not use the Blackboard calendar for the course. Exams: There will only be makeup exams in cases of emergencies and with proper approval by the instructor. In case of emergency, the instructor must be notified at least one day in advance by email as to the reason for missing the exam. Excused reasons are hospitalization, sickness, or death. Students need proper documentation from a doctor or hospital for the sickness properly signed by the doctor. Proper documentation is required in the death of a family member. A grade of 0 will apply for an exam missed without proper documentation. All exams will be administered on campus or online. There will not be any make-up exams available for the final exam. The Exam information for dates and times are listed on the course menu. Work schedules and doctor appointments are not considered acceptable for missing class or exams. After five unexcused absences for the semester, a student may be dropped from the course or penalties apply to the final grade. Exam dates are announced on the course menu. Written Assignments: Late assignments will not be accepted. Do not email an assignment, it will not be accepted. Students have ample time to complete by the due dates. Students should take into consideration any problems that could arise with technology, and/or other issues that may arise, therefore, it is recommended that students submit assignments accordingly. See the Written Assignment dates in the course menu. Discussion Post Assignments: Late assignments will not be accepted. Do not email a discussion post, it will not be accepted. Students have ample time to complete by the due date. Students should take into consideration any problems that could arise with technology, and/or other issues that may arise, therefore, it is recommended that students submit assignments accordingly. See the Discussion Assignment dates in the course menu. Academic Ethics: Applicable to all coursework. It is expected that all students will engage in ethical conduct and will not engage in copying work or the production of other research papers, other written assignments, or any other assignments and discussion posts. This also includes students previous coursework or current assignments of other courses. Such violation of ethical standards will result in an automatic grade of "0" on the work in question with no opportunity to make up the work. This expectation also extends to proper citations and credit for works used in the assignments. Read all directives for the Assignments and Discussion Posts on the course menu. Only the material provided is to be used for the assignments, discussion posts, or any other coursework. Any violation will result in a 0 for the grade. Academic integrity is essential, whether in class or online learning, and I take it very seriously. Academic dishonesty will not be accepted in this class. Students are to submit their work, not the work of others or any outside source, including as stated above, a students' work from past or present courses. If you submit other's work as your own or use resources not allowed, you will receive a 0 for the grade and possible F for the course based upon the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, all student submissions are checked for plagiarism, and the use of any materials not authorized for use is prohibited. It is also expected that students are not accessing other material questionable to the assignment. Submitting an auto-generated paper does not qualify as original work. A grade of 0 will be issued. If plagiarism is found in any one assignment, the instructor has the right to regrade any and all previous assignments. Any suspicion of academic dishonesty will result in an additional review of the assignment or assignments in question as well as the discussion posts or any other coursework. The instructor also retains the right to review any prior work during the course of the semester. Students will be required to explain the work in question in the instructor's office. Students enrolled in both federal government 2305 and Texas 2306, or who have previously taken any government courses, it is required that you write separate assignment papers for each course. You may not use the same information. Students may not use assignments from other government courses or any other coursework. Different topics and sources are required. If you have any questions, contact me. Also, the same applies to Discussion Posts. Any duplicated work will result in a 0 for the grade. My class policy is that if any academic dishonesty is discovered, the student will receive a 0 for the assignment in question and a possible F for the class. You will not just receive a 0 on the individual assignment - whether it be the written assignment or other assignments - you risk receiving an F for the course. See the Lamar State College-Port Arthur guidelines for academic dishonesty below. Lamar State College-Port Arthur Academic Dishonesty Policy: Lamar State College-Port Arthur considers academic dishonesty, including collusion, cheating, and plagiarism as defined in the Student Handbook, to be a serious academic offense. Students guilty of such behavior will be subject to the following penalties: First offense: Students will receive a failing grade on the exam or assignment with no possibility for make-up. If the offense is flagrant, the student may receive an F in the course. The student's name and the documented offense will be forwarded to the proper college officials. Second offense: Students will receive an F in the course with no possibility for make-up. The student's name and the documented offense will be forwarded to the proper university officials. All accused students will be given written notice of the offense, the penalty assessed, and the right of appeal to the department chair/advisory committee. |
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| Attendance Policy |
Students enrolled in campus classes are required to attend the class. Consistency is important for success and students are required to maintain the coursework, readings, lectures, participation, and other material presented This is not a self-paced course whether on-campus or online. Keeping pace is important. Students must maintain the readings, lectures, and all other material presented in class during class periods. In case of emergency, the instructor must be notified at least one day in advance by email as to the reason for missing class. Excused reasons are hospitalization, sickness, or death. Students need proper documentation as to the absence from a doctor or hospital. Also, in the case of a family death documentation is required. A grade of 0 will apply for an exam missed without proper documentation, and the absence will be counted. Make-up exams are given at the discretion of the instruction. All make-up exams will be administered in my office by appointment within 5 days of the exam date. There are no make-up exams for the final exam. Assignments and discussion posts are required by the due dates. There is ample time to complete. It is the student's responsibility to take factors into consideration for the completion of assignments. Routine doctor appointments or work schedules are not considered acceptable for missing class, or exams. After (5) unexcused absences the instructor reserves the right to drop the student from the class or may apply a penalty for the final grade. This notice applies to on-campus and online classes. Student Conduct: Student incivility will not be tolerated. This notice applies to on-campus and online classes. Student incivility includes behavior such as rudeness, whether verbal or physical attacks of a personal nature or inappropriate language displaying aggression or harassment. Any student engaging in disruptive or disrespectful activities on campus and/or online classes will be required to cease such behavior or leave the classroom. If the behavior continues after the first warning, the instructor will notify the Department Chair. Further behavior deemed as a violation will result in a review of disciplinary action (refer to the Student Handbook). |
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| Additional Information | I will not discuss your grades over the phone or by email. If you want to discuss your grades, you must come to my office, in person. | ||||||||
| Institutional Policies | |||||||||
| MyLSCPA | Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA. | ||||||||
| Academic Honesty | Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty. | ||||||||
| ADA Considerations | The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the the Office for Disability Services Coordinator, Room 231, in the Madison Monroe Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241. | ||||||||
| COVID 19 Information | The Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA) Student Code of Conduct COVID 19 Policy requires students who have been diagnosed with COVID 19 to report their condition directly to their local health department. Students should also contact their course faculty to report their quarantine status. In addition, this policy requires all students to wear face coverings when directly exposed to COVID 19 in compliance with the criteria included in the policy. For more information please refer to the COVID 19 link on the LSCPA website. | ||||||||
| Facility Policies | No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited. | ||||||||
| HB 2504 | This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504. | ||||||||
| Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect | As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual. | ||||||||
| Title IX and Sexual Misconduct | LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website. | ||||||||
| Clery Act Crime Reporting |
For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website. |
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| Grievance / Complaint / Concern | If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair. | ||||||||
| Department Information |
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