Texas Government 2.0

OER Commons

https://oercommons.org/courseware/8453

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to

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. Identify the rights and responsibilities of citizens.

8. Analyze issues, policies and political culture of Texas.

Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria:

Exams.........................................40%

Unit Assignments.......................20%

Semester Project/Paper.............20%

Quizzes.......................................20%

Make-up work and exams are given at the discretion of the Instructor. In cases of personal illness or emergency, with proper documentation, the instructor will allow make-up work, provided the student requests one immediately upon return to class. 

Students must be on time and in their seat at the start of class to be counted present. Students arriving after the roll is called will be counted absent for that class period. Students who arrive tardy on exam days will not be permitted to enter the class or take the exam with the rest of the class and must contact the instructor for a make-up exam. 

Late work is not accepted in this course, unless due to verifiable personal illness or emergency and always at the discretion of the instructor.

Activities that are disruptive to class will not be tolerated. Arriving late for class, reading newspapers, watching streaming services or playing video games, speaking while others are speaking, packing prior to the end of class and cell phones are highly disruptive. Cell phones,  ear pods and other similar devices must be turned off during class, unless previously approved by the instructor. Any student engaging in disruptive behavior will be asked to leave the classroom.

Eating and smoking are not allowed in class. This includes the use of e-cigarettes or other forms of vaping. Only students enrolled in the class are allowed inside the classroom.

Laptops may be used for note taking only. Use of laptops for purposes other than note taking will result in the banning of all laptops from the classroom. 

In this course we will frequently discuss current events, and at times, some students may find these topics controversial. It is important to keep in mind that different students may come from a different background and therefore may have different experiences and points of view. Students may disagree on these points of view. Disagreements lead to critical thinking, scholarly debates and learning but only when students disagree respectfully. Disrespect towards any person or group of people, whether inside this classroom or out, will not be tolerated. Students may not denigrate or attack any person or single out any person based on race, gender, religion, age, ethnicity, nationality, abilities, appearance, or sexual orientation. Any student behaving disrespectfully will be asked to leave the classroom, reported to the Dean of Student Services and other appropriate administrative officials, and will be forced to apologize to the class before they can return.

The instructor will grade and return all submitted work ASAP, but never longer than 7 days after the assignment is due, without notice. Any submitted assignment that is found to have used AI or that is the result of cheating or plagiarism will receive an automatic zero for the assignment and possibly for the course grade.

Students should attend every class and attendance will be taken every day at the beginning of every class. As there are valid reasons that students might need to miss class, each student will be allowed three automatically excused absences for the semester. Students who need to miss more than three class days during the semester will have additional absences excused on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the instructor. Any absence not excused by the instructor, after the first 3, will each result in 5 points taken from the student’s final grade for the course. If a student leaves class and returns or leaves class before class is dismissed, the student MAY be counted absent for that class. If a student is not present when the roll is called that student MAY be marked absent for that class day.