Name of Department: Government Department

Course Subject Area, Number, Title, and Section Number: GOVT 2306-80F

Instructor Name: Mr. Richard Derwin Lindsey

Building/Office Number: LSCO Academic Building, Room 105.1

Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:30--3:30 PM

Virtual Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays, 1:30--3:30 PM

Sundays, 7:00--10:00 PM

Office Telephone: (409) 882-3322

Email Address: rdlindsey@lsco.edu

Origin and development of the Texas constitution, structure and powers of state and local government, federalism, and intergovernmental relations, political participation, the election process, public policy, and the political culture of Texas

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(1)  Lone Star Politics: Tradition and Transformation in Texas, Ninth Edition

by Ken Collier, Steven Galatas, Julie Harrelson-Stephens, & Matthew Newton

ISBN: 9781071934364

(2) Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right: What America Can Learn from the Strange Genius of Texas

by Erica Grieder

ISBN: 9781610393751

Upon registration, LSCO students are automatically charged $25 per semester credit hour for access to all required textbooks, lab manuals, access codes, and e-books through the Gator Book Pack program. Physical materials may be picked up in Beaumont or shipped for an additional fee. Information and FAQs are available on the LSCO Gator Book Pack webpage. Students have until the second class day of the semester to opt out of the program.

Students are expected to have access to all required materials during the first week of class and are responsible for completing all assigned coursework. Students who do not have access to their materials during the first week should notify the instructor immediately for guidance.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will acquire the following course learning outcomes:

Course Level Learning Outcomes (ACGM or WECM)Core Objectives  Associated Course Activities/Assignments/Projects

·     Explain the origin and development of the Texas constitution.

·     Describe state and local political systems and their relationship with the federal government.

·     Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice in Texas.

·     Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of Texas government.

·     Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in Texas.

·     Analyze the state and local election process.

·     Identify the rights and responsibilities of citizens.

·     Analyze issues, policies, and the political culture of Texas.

Major Assignment Schedule

The exams, quizzes, and other assignments for this course are described below:

Exams: There are four exams, comprising 45% of your overall grade in this course, which must be completed over the course of the semester. Exams will be accessible via the Exams and BHCR Quizzes module (via the Course Modules folder). See the Course Schedule for the dates on which exams are available and by which date each must be completed.

Exam Format. Exams may feature multiple choice, true/false, or short answer/fill-in-the-blank questions and consist almost entirely of material from the Lone Star Politics text. (For any exam questions that may come from other sources, such as PowerPoints, instructions regarding where to access this information will be included in the exam reviews.) Note that short answer/fill-in-the-blank questions should be completed using the terminology and formatting for the answer that is included in the textbook or study materials. Notes may be used on the exams; however, the exams are timed, so it is important to have studied and be well-prepared for them. You are allotted around one minute per question; thus, for example, you are given sixty minutes to complete a sixty-question exam, etc. Exams must be submitted within the allotted time limit. 

Additional information regarding the content, requirements, etc., for each exam will be included in the Unit Overview file available at the beginning of each unit. Review material (Reviews for Exams files) and PowerPoints covering the textbook chapters, which may be used as study aids, will be posted to and available in Blackboard. (Reviews will be available at least four days before the opening date of an exam.) The reviews and PowerPoints are contained in modules that are accessible via the Course Modules folder in Blackboard; they are available from the Reviews for Exams and Unit Power Points and Other Resources modules, respectively. However, it should be emphasized that it is necessary to read and study the material in the textbook chapters in order to be familiar with all material covered on the exams.

BHCR Quizzes. Six quizzes will be given over the course of this class, covering material in the Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right: What America Can Learn from the Strange Genius of Texas book. Overall, these comprise 18% of your overall grade, or 3% per quiz. BHCR quizzes will be accessible from the Exams and BHCR Quizzes module (via the Course Modules folder. See your Course Schedule for the quiz availability and due dates.

Quiz Format. BHCR Quizzes consist of multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank questions covering material from this book. You are allotted around one minute per question; thus, for example, you are given ten minutes to complete a ten-question quiz. Quizzes must be submitted within the allotted time limit. Additional information regarding the content, requirements, etc., for each quiz will be included in the Unit Overview files, available at the beginning of each unit. Study questions (BHCR Quiz Study Questions files) will be available prior to upcoming quizzes; they are accessible from the Reviews for Exams and BHCR Quiz Study Questions module (via the Course Modules folder). 

Material covered on the BHCR Quizzes will be distributed as follows:

BHCR Quiz #1: Introduction—Chapter 2 (pp. 1—33)

BHCR Quiz #2: Chapter 3—Chapter 5 (pp. 35—85)

BHCR Quiz #3: Chapter 6—Chapter 8 (pp. 87—129)

BHCR Quiz #4: Chapters 9 & 10 (pp. 131—158)

BHCR Quiz #5: Chapter 11—Chapter 13 (pp. 159—200)

BHCR Quiz #6: Chapter 14—Chapter 16 (pp. 201—234)

Texas Government Current Event Article Analysis Assignment (Signature Assignment): During this course, you must complete an assignment that requires you to choose a news article related to Texas government/politics and assess several aspects of it. 

The Texas Government Current Event Article Analysis Assignment should be completed according to the full assignment instructions posted to the Texas Government Current Event Article Analysis Assignment module. It includes four required sections and should include a title page, along with reference entries (which are included in Section 1 for this assignment) and in-text citations for all sources consulted when completing it, completed in APA Style. You are required to consider and discuss several aspects of the article, including how what is discussed in it relates to state/local government/politics and a topic or topics discussed in this class. You are also asked to provide your own opinion/analysis of the event covered in the article and to consider the credibility of article, author, and source of the article you are assessing. The Texas Government Current Event Article Analysis Assignment is worth 12 percent of your overall grade in the course. 

More information regarding this assignment, including complete instructions for it, resources to assist with its completion, and a submission folder for it, are available, once the assignment has been posted, from the Texas Government Current Event Article Analysis Assignment module in Blackboard; this module is accessible from the Course Modules folder. See the full instructions document for explanations of each required section and component of the assignment and the amount each component counts toward the overall grade for the assignment.

Texas Government Assignments: Over the course of the semester, you are required to complete six Texas Government assignments. (These assignments are each worth 4% of your overall grade; combined, these are worth 24% of your overall average in the course.) These assignments concern various topics in Texas government and correspond with material in the Lone Star Politics text, in terms of the order in which they are covered. Essentially, these assignments focus on topics we cover in this class and involve answering questions (or, potentially, completing tasks) concerning the topic. You will generally be provided with readings/page numbers from the textbook or other online-accessible resources to aid in completing these assignments; you should refer to the provided resources when answering the questions. When completing these assignments, be sure to check your spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc., to ensure that your answer properly complete the sentences for which you are “filling in the blanks”’ a portion of your grade for these assignments is based on the clarity, punctuation, etc., of your answers. 

Texas Government Assignments can be accessed via the Texas Government Assignments module, available via the Course Modules folder. Assignments will be available to complete for at least five days. See the Course Schedule for the availability dates for these assignments. 

Course Schedule: **(See the separate Course Schedule document, available via the Course Information (Start Here!) folder in Blackboard.)**

Final Exam Date: The final exam will be available from Wednesday, October 14th through Friday, October 16th at 11:59 PM.

Faculty who suspect violation of academic honesty, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, or abuse of resource materials may assign an academic penalty. Students must be notified of their right to appeal before the academic penalty is imposed.

Students subject to penalty due to academic honesty have the right to appeal the decision. Refer to the current LSCO Catalog for details on the appeal process.

LSCO students are required to use their LSCO email account (Office 365 / Microsoft Outlook) for all electronic communication. In order to ensure the privacy and identity of the student communicating via electronic methods, LSCO faculty will direct students to use their LSCO email accounts rather than personal accounts. If a student has trouble accessing their LSCO email account, they should contact the LSCO Help Desk at (409) 882-3033 or helpdesk@lsco.edu.

Federal regulations require students who receive financial aid to have begun “attending” and participate substantially in each course for which they are enrolled on or before the official census reporting date outlined on the LSCO Academic Calendar. Students documented as “not attending” a course upon the census date are assumed (for financial aid purposes) to have not begun attendance for that course This negatively affects their financial aid eligibility and disbursement and requires the student to repay any financial aid funds that have already been disbursed . Attendance in an ONLINE course is verified by substantial participation in the course on or before the census date published in the LSCO Academic Calendar. Substantial participation in this online course is defined as logging in and completing/participating in at least one requirement of the course. Note: Simply logging in to your online course does not constitute attendance. For this course, you will be required to complete the Introductory Discussion Post assignment before the census date to be marked as “attending” for purposes of financial aid.

The submission of late work is strongly discouraged but may be accepted if I am informed, preferably in advance of the due date, regarding the situation causing the assignment to be submitted or completed late. Arrangements for making up missed assignments should be made within 24 hours of the missed deadline. Adjusted deadlines will be given for any make-up assignments; these deadlines must be met in order to avoid a penalty. Penalties will be assessed on any accepted late work for which arrangements for an extension were not made within the 24-hour period following the missed deadline at a rate of 10% for the next 24 hours and 25% for the remainder of the week. If arrangements to complete a missed assignment are not made within a week (seven days) of its due date, the assignment may not be made up. Try to work ahead, rather than waiting until the last minute/hour, as unexpected events can always come up. It may be helpful to set up a schedule for completing various readings and assignments and try to keep to that schedule.

• Online - Since face-to-face meetings in the classroom may be replaced by online meetings through discussion boards, emails, and/or Blackboard Collaborate, students are expected to follow the rules of netiquette in these forums.

There are four exams in this course. They will be available to complete during the periods specified in the Course Schedule.

Students should use AI technology responsibly and ethically. This includes refraining from using AI to engage in harmful or unethical activities, such as generating false information, spreading misinformation, or engaging in malicious behaviors. The use of AI should align with the principles of academic integrity, honesty, and respect for others. Students are responsible for adhering to LSCO's Academic Honesty policy found in the Catalog. LSCO's full AI policy can be found at AI Policy | Lamar State College Orange (lsco.edu)

For every hour in class (or unit of credit), students should expect to spend at least two to three hours per week studying and completing assignments. For a 3-credit-hour class, students should prepare to allocate approximately six to nine hours per week outside of class in a 16-week session OR approximately twelve to eighteen hours in an 8-week session. All Online/Hybrid students should expect to spend at least as much time in this course as you would in the traditional, face-to-face class.

Your average score on the four exams accounts for 45% of your final grade; thus, each exam, individually, accounts for 11.25% of your overall grade. The rest of your average comes from your completion of six Texas Government assignments (24%, or 4% each), the average of your scores on the six BHCR Quizzes (18%, or 3% each), and your grade on the Texas Government Current Event Article Analysis Assignment (12%). Finally, the Introductory Discussion Post assignment accounts for the remaining 1% of your final grade.

Grades are distributed by the scale:

A = 89.5 - 100%

B = 79.5 – 89.49

C = 69.5 – 79.49

D = 59.5 – 69.49

F = below 59.5

The instructor will respond to emails within 24 hours, excluding weekends and holidays. On weekends and holidays, the instructor will respond to emails from students within 24 hours of the first business day following the weekend or holiday.

Weekly participation and engagement in the courses are critical for student success. Assignments should be completed by the due date. Students should also refer to the instructor’s attendance policy for additional information. (See LSCO Catalog, Class Attendance.)

If a student has an issue with his or her grade, the instructor must be contacted no later than three (3) days after receiving the grade.

This syllabus contains information, policies, and procedures for a specific course. By enrolling, the student agrees to read, understand, and abide by the rules, policies, regulations, and ethical standards of Lamar State College Orange as those contained in the current LSCO Catalog and schedule of classes.

The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus if deemed necessary. All changes will be provided to the students orally or in writing before the implementation of the change.

TimelyCare is a virtual health and well-being platform that is available 24/7 for all non-dual credit enrolled LSCO students. There is no cost to eligible students for this service. TimelyCare providers offer emotional support, mental health counseling, health coaching, psychiatry, and basic needs support. Non-Dual Credit students enrolled in classes can log in to the TimelyCare website or app available at timelycare.com/LSCO.

Any student who faces challenges securing their food, housing, transportation, or childcare for minor dependents and believes this may affect their performance in the course is encouraged to contact the student care office (studentcare@lsco.edu)for guidance on how to access possible resources. Please notify the instructor of your circumstance if you are comfortable doing so.

Lamar State College Orange (LSCO) is an equal opportunity educational institution and does not discriminate against any person regardless of race, sex, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status, in admissions, educational programs, student activities or employment. For further information about this policy, contact the Director of Student Care and Accessibility at studentcare@lsco.edu.

LSCO prohibits discrimination, including sexual harassment and retaliation, against any student on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability, or any other basis prohibited by law. Any student who believes that he or she has experienced prohibited conduct or believes that another student has experienced prohibited conduct should immediately report the alleged acts to the Title IX Coordinator, Rebecca Gentry rebecca.gentry@lsco.edu.

LSCO students will access Blackboard through the MyGator portal. Login credentials will use the following format: NetID@my.lsco.edu/Password. For help in identifying your NetID/Password, visit https://www2.lsco.edu/sspr/userinfo1.asp.

Students needing help learning how to navigate Blackboard are encouraged to reach out to LearningTechnology@lsco.edu. Blackboard student resource videos and help-sites are available at https://www.lsco.edu/distanceed/blackboard-student.asp.

Lamar State College Orange provides career advising services to all students and alumni through Career Coach, an online career planning tool. Career Coach assists students through all phases of developing, initiating, and implementing career plans.

Information regarding employment opportunities and career options are provided along with access to live local job postings. Full-time and part-time employment opportunities, as well as internships, are available through Career Coach. Access https://www.lsco.edu/advising/career-planning.asp for more details on how to use LSCO’s Career Coach to plan for and learn more about your future career.

Lamar State College Orange provides currently enrolled students support for daycare and/or transportation costs on a first come first serve basis as funding allows.

Access https://www.lsco.edu/advising/gator-assistance.asp for details on assistance services.

Students needing course content or study skills support are encouraged to make an appointment or walk in to receive tutoring and academic support services. Our series of student success seminars, named Lifesavers, are available Face-to-face, online, and self-paced throughout the semester. Reach out to OASIS@lsco.edu for more information on how students can receive academic support. Visit https://www.lsco.edu/student-life/library/lifesavers.php for more information about Lifesavers.

Students are encouraged to visit library.lsco.edu to find the library’s current operating hours, access the catalog to locate print materials, and access GatorSearch to explore the vast electronic collection. The library provides over 77 electronic database collections that include eBooks, newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and streaming video. The physical library contains a specialized collection of research materials specifically chosen to support the degrees and courses offered. Additionally, Students with research questions or questions about library services are encouraged visit the library in person, call 409-882-3352, access the chat on the library webpage, or to email their question to lscolibrary@lsco.edu.

Under the Texas State System, Lamar State College Orange complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, pertaining to the provision of reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids for students with disability. We strive to provide reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids to students who request and require them.

Students who believe they have a disability requiring an academic adjustment/auxiliary aid are encouraged to contact the Director of Student Care & Accessibility at studentcare@lsco.edu. Students are encouraged to apply before the start of the semester when at all possible. The Accommodation Request Form and details regarding the appropriate documentation needed can be found here: https://www.lsco.edu/advising/disability.asp. Once approved, the signed accommodation form provided by the Director of Student Care & Accessibility must be submitted to the instructor at least two business days in advance of need.

Lamar State College Orange provides currently enrolled students with access to online tutoring through a partnership with Upswing, an online tutoring platform. Tutors are available 24/7 online in almost every subject.

Access https://www.lsco.edu/tutoring/online-tutoring.asp for details on how to log-in to the FREE services.

In the event of an emergency campus closure in excess of three class days, Lamar State College Orange’s classes will continue via the use of Blackboard. In such an instance, the college website, www.lsco.edu, will have information concerning the event and anticipated re-opening plans.

Please be considerate of other classmates’ feelings, ethnic background, cultural differences, situations, and level of maturity. Students will be asked to leave the course if disruptive or inappropriate behavior is exhibited in any of the course requirements. If your instructor feels that you have not contributed appropriately to course requirements, your final course grade may be reduced accordingly.

The instructor reserves the right to manage a positive learning environment and will not tolerate inappropriate conduct in the course. Rude correspondence (discourteous or impolite, especially in a deliberate way) in e-mails, telephone calls, in person, or comments made to other class members, the instructor, or the office staff.

Students should develop a backup plan should their computer system or their Internet provider fail. Computer or internet connectivity issues are not valid excuses for missing a deadline. The College provides many opportunities for using computer equipment, as do many public libraries. Refer to the LSCO website for operational hours of the Library and OASIS.

Students should check in advance with the institution to which they plan to transfer credit to confirm transferability.

LSCO awards some certificates and degrees in which a criminal history MAY disqualify candidates from becoming licensed, certified, and/or employed upon degree/certificate completion. Students with a criminal background enrolling in courses leading to a degree/certificate in Criminal Justice, Barber, Cosmetology, Emergency Medical Technology, HVAC, Electrician, Plumbing, Massage Therapy, Medical Assisting, Vocational Nursing (VN), Registered Nursing (RN), Pharmacy Technician, Real Estate, or Teacher Preparation program are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to discuss the certification and/or licensing regulations of the program with the program director listed in order to learn more about the current guidelines related to criminal history as well as the right of individuals to request a criminal history evaluation letter.

Never attending or ceasing to attend classes DOES NOT constitute a drop or withdrawal. You remain registered until you request a drop from the instructor. Failure to act in a timely manner will result in an "F" grade for the course. It is the student's responsibility to follow up with the LSCO advising office to ensure that all drops/withdrawals are processed as desired.

The grade of "I" may be given when any requirement of the course, including the final examination, is not completed. Students seeking an incomplete should have completed 75% of the course requirements and be passing the course at the time of the request. Arrangements to complete deficiencies in a course should be made in advance of the end of the semester with the instructor. The instructor will process the Incomplete form online, and a confirmation will be sent to the student’s LSCO email.

Incomplete work must be finished during the next long semester. If not, the Office of Admission and Records must change the "I" grade to the grade of "F." The course must then be repeated if credit is desired. An "I" grade also automatically becomes an "F" if the student registers for the course prior to removing the deficiencies and receiving a grade change. The instructor may record the grade of "F" for a student who is absent from the final examination and is not passing the course.

Grade determination and awarding of grades in a course are the responsibility of the instructor and should be calculated according to college policy, procedures, and written details provided in the course syllabus. NOTE: Final grades are available to students within 48 hours of the instructor posting the grade in Banner. Students may view final grades by logging into MyGator and then accessing Gator Self-Service.

An academic appeal process is afforded to students who desire to dispute a grade or any decision that affects the student’s ability to complete and earn a grade for the course provided it is not related to a violation outlined in the LSCO Student Code of Conduct. If an informal conference with the faculty member regarding an academic complaint fails to reach the outcome requested by the student, the student may initiate the formal process. Even after initiating the formal complaint process, students are encouraged to seek informal resolution of their concerns. A student whose concerns are resolved may withdraw a formal complaint at any time.

Refer to the current catalog or for details on the formal grade appeal process.

Lamar State College Orange has identified seven educational goals to specify the knowledge and skills that students should gain from completing academic and technical programs with the College. These goals are:

• Critical thinking (General Education, Technical) – Students will be able to demonstrate creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information.

• Communication (General Education, Technical) – Students will be able to effectively develop, interpret and express ideas through written, oral and visual communication.

• Empirical and quantitative skills (General Education, Technical) – Students will be able to manipulate and analyze numerical data or observable facts and create informed conclusions.

• Teamwork (General Education, Technical) – Students will be able to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal.

• Social responsibility (General Education, Technical) – Students will be able to recognize and acquire a sense of intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national and global communities.

• Personal responsibility (General Education, Technical) – Students will be able to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making.

• Professional competency (Technical) – Students will be able to recognize or demonstrate skills that depict professional values and employability. If the career has licensure or certification requirements, students may prepare for the licensure and certification in a capstone course and sit for the licensure or certificate at the end of the program.

Current students will access many LSCO applications through the MyGator portal. Login credentials will use the following format: NetID@my.lsco.edu/Password.

Students can set a password here: https://www2.lsco.edu/sspr/

IMPORTANT: It is a violation of College policy, state laws, and federal laws for anyone to gain or help others gain unauthorized access to MyGator or any LSCO application or service. All accounts shall be for use by a single individual – the person for whom the account was approved or assigned. This includes Blackboard accounts as well as any application within MyGator. Sharing or loaning accounts is strictly prohibited, can be construed as a form of cheating, and violates College policy, state laws, and federal laws.

LSCO adheres to the policies and procedures established in the Texas Education Code, Texas State University System Rules and Regulations, LSCO Faculty Handbook, and LSCO Catalog.

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. It is inappropriate for minor children to be on campus due to the potential liability to the College, the risk of harm to the children, and decreased employee productivity due to distractions and disruptions.

LSCO believes that all matters involving a staff member (non-instructor) OR an instructor are best resolved directly with the employee. Should it not be resolved at that level, access and complete the Student Complaint Intake form within five (5) business days from the date of the offense. The Student Complaint Intake Form can be found in any of these locations: 

• LSCO Website (Current Students) 
• LSCO Catalog (Student Services, Complaints) 
• MyGator Card 
• Blackboard (Student Resources, Student Services, Student Resources) 

After a student completes the Student Complaint Intake Form, they will be contacted by an LSCO employee unrelated to the offense and provided guidance on how to proceed with the Complaint process. 

Refer to the LSCO Catalog (Student Services, Complaints) for details on the complaint process. 

Student-Staff and Student-Instructor Complaint Process involving Safety, Harassment, or Title IX: 

Students who have experienced a safety, harassment, or title IX event should access and complete the Title IX/Clery: Anonymous Reporting Form found in any of these locations: 

• LSCO Website (Sexual Misconduct & Title IX)
• LSCO Catalog (Student Services, Complaints)
• MyGator Card 
• Blackboard (Student Resources, Student Services, Student Resources)

After a student completes the intake form, they will be contacted by an LSCO employee and provided guidance on how to proceed. 

Refer to the LSCO Catalog (Student Services, Complaints) for details on the complaint process. 

The privacy of all students, including Distance Education students, is protected through strict adherence to the rules of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. LSCO’s statement regarding the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act can be found in LSCO’s Catalog. Additional information regarding privacy for Distance Education students can be found in the Distance Education Handbook, appendix D.