Texas Government and Politics Spring 2018 POLS L POLS L

Transcription

1 Texas Government and Politics Spring 2018 POLS L POLS L Jenny Bryson Clark As they say around the Texas Legislature, if you can't drink their whiskey, screw their women, take their money, and vote against 'em anyway, you don't belong in office. - Molly Ivins Contact Information: Jennifer.clark@utrgv.edu or bryson06@gmail.com Office Phone: Textbook: Lone Star Politics: Tradition and Transformation in Texas Ken Collier, Steven Galatas and Julie Harrelson-Stephens

2 Course Description and Prerequisites This could not be a more exciting, or scary time to be studying government in general and Texas politics in particular. The 85th Texas Legislature ended its session with the passage of numerous controversial bills and hotly debated topics including border security, (building another wall), bathroom battles (limiting transgender people s rights), immigration reform (sanctuary cities and campuses), gun rights, voter ID barriers, labor issues and of course, women s health and the abortion issue. In the previous session the legislature passed the campus carry law that led to the cocks not glocks protests at UT Austin. During the semester we will cover the foundations of Texas Government including the origin and development of the Texas Constitution, the structure of state government, federalism and intergovernmental relations, political participation, public policy, and the political culture of Texas (textbook material). At the same time, in the hopes of making the class interesting, we will explore real world issues, including some of the issues that sparked protests at the State Capital during the last session. While the textbook is required, keeping up on current events is just as important. As this is an online class you will find supplementary reading materials, You-Tube videos, and documentaries, PowerPoint slides in the modules to enhance the chapters in the textbook. Class Policies Check into the course at least twice a week. Course Outline (The professor reserves the right to modify any portion of the syllabus at any time. The course schedule is meant as a guide, as many things can happen during the semester. Supplemental reading assignments are subject to change) Introduction: The Political and Economic Culture of Texas 1. Six Flags over Texas brief historical analysis 2. The Political Culture of the Lone Star State 3. Demographics 4. Racial and Ethnic Groups Latinos, African Americans and Native Americans 5. The Political Economy of Texas income distribution The Texas Constitution and Federalism 1. One too many constitutions 2. The main aspects of the constitution a comparison with the US Constitution 3. The impact of federalism on the states 4. States rights, good or bad? Abbott s Plan to take control. 5. Texas versus the Feds on abortion and women s health 6. Sanctuary cities and campuses 7. The battle with the Affordable Care Act 8. Clean air? Not for Texas: Texas versus the EPA The Bifurcated Courts The Good Ol Boys 1. The structure of the Texas court system 2. Pros and cons of elected judges 3. The Supremely Supreme Court 4. Frivolous lawsuits and Tort reform in Texas (watch Hot Coffee) 5. The criminal justice system a comparison with Norway 6. Private for profit prisons a contradiction of terms?

3 The Texas Legislature: The Best that Money Can Buy 1. The legislative framework: A comparison with the national legislature 2. Pros and cons of a part-time legislature 3. Gender and the legislatures sexist secrets 4. Redistricting games and the subsequent ramifications 5. Gun legislation and campus carry The Plural Executive 1. Powers of the Governor 2. The Plural Executive: The powers of the governor compared to the President 3. Leadership styles of Texas governors the governor who would not leave Civil Rights and Liberties 1. A small town called Tulia injustice and racism (watch documentary) 2. Edcouch-Elsa school walkouts and the Pharr riots. 3. A comparison with the walkouts in east L.A. 4. The battle in the fields Raymondville Onion strike 5. H2-A Visas and exploitation Immigration Policy 1. The Border Wall 2. The unaccompanied minor crisis and migration 3. The Dream Act: DACA and DAPA 4. Revisiting sanctuary cities and campuses in Texas Political Participation: Campaigns and Elections 1. The gutting of the Voting Rights Act 2. Voting rights, voter I.D. laws and minority representation Political Parties and Special Interests 1. Political Parties in Texas - How Texas became Republican 2. The rise and fall of the Raza Unida in Texas 3. Interest groups in the political process 4. Texas power groups special interests how interest groups get what they want 5. The Senate race - Ted Cruz versus Beto O Rourke Social and Economic Policy The Texas Miracle 1. Health Care how Texas fares with other states 2. Poverty in the Rio Grande Valley Colonias 3. At will state, right to work - the suppression of unions in Texas 4. Wage Theft in Texas and the RGV 5. Business regulation in Texas 6. The plight of construction workers (read report on Bb) 7. The budgetary Process the Texas Miracle education cuts and state standardized testing Human Trafficking Policy 1. Human trafficking an overview 2. Types of human trafficking in Texas 3. The Texas Attorney General s Office and the Human Trafficking Taskforce 4. Texas Score card a comparison with other states

4 5. Migration, trafficking and organized crime along the US Mexico border. Course Requirements and Grading: The final grade will be determined by the following: News Article 1 10% Legislative bill Article 2 15% Content Essay 1 10% Content Essay 2 10% Research Paper or Multimedia Presentation 25% Political Policy Platform 10% Content Essay 3 10% Content Essay 4 10% University Assessment There will be a short exam in addition to the final exam that students are required to take. Because this is a University requirement students will not receive a grade for this course unless the short exam is completed at the end of the semester. Current Event/News Article Students are responsible for submitting a summary and analysis on a chosen current event news article pertinent to Texas Government (Current meaning no more than a month old) from the links provided on the home page. Legislative News Article Students will choose a bill that became law in the last legislative session. Students will summarize the bill/law and discuss the implications of its passage Content Essays 1-4 These essays are to test your knowledge of the lecture material, course content and assigned readings. Political Policy Platform Students will run for office by creating their own platform. Research/Policy Paper Students will submit either a 6-8-page traditional research paper or submit a multimedia presentation on a pertinent issue in Texas. The issue ought to be summarized, analyzed and solutions provided. This assignment is designed for you to demonstrate your more in-depth knowledge of a particular issue/policy in Texas. Topic suggestions can be found under the assignment submission tab. SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression. Plagiarism and the unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing your work violate college policy and are taken seriously. Extra Credit There are extra credit assignments at the end of the course outline and they consist of books or films that you can watch or read and write a reaction paper. For the books, write a 3-4-page reaction paper, graded on a 4-point scale. For the films, a two page paper graded on a 2-point scale. Points will be added to the numerical final grade. There will be other opportunities for extra credit during the semester including attending a human trafficking conference at South Texas College Cooper Center (23-25 April). More information will be given during the semester. Useful Web-Sites:

5 Learning Objectives/Outcomes for the Course The course is designed to develop and document content knowledge in 5 areas: 1. To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the separation of powers as described in the Texas constitution; 2. To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the Texas legislature and its institutions; 3. To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the Texas governorship and the workings of Texas state agencies; and, 4. To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the Texas judicial system; and, 5. To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the processes by which Texas fiscal, social welfare, and education policy are made and executed. Learning Objectives for Core Curriculum Requirements This course fulfills a core area requirement in Government/Political Science: (i) Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. (ii) Courses in this area involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations. (iii) The following four core objectives must be addressed in each course approved to fulfill this category requirement: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Personal Responsibility, and Social Responsibility. The core objectives are defined as: Critical Thinking Students will demonstrate comprehension of a variety of written texts and other information sources by analyzing and evaluating the logic, validity, and relevance of the information in them to solve challenging problems, to arrive at well-reasoned conclusions, and to develop and explore new questions. Communication Skills Students will demonstrate the ability to adapt their communications to a particular context, audience, and purpose using language, genre conventions, and sources appropriate to a specific discipline and/or communication task. Personal Responsibility Students will demonstrate an awareness of the range of human values and beliefs that they draw upon to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making. Social Responsibility Students will recognize and describe cultural diversity, the role of civic engagement in society, and the link between ethics and behavior.

6 Extra Credit Books and Films Books: Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town, Nate Blakeslee The 1910 Slocum Massacre: An Act of Genocide in East Texas, E.R. Bills Road, River, and Ol' Boy Politics: A Texas County's Path from Farm to Supersuburb, Linda Scarborough No Mexicans, Women and Dogs Allowed, Cynthia Orozco Quixotes Soldiers: A Local history of the Chicano Movement , David Montejano Borderlands: La Frontera, Gloria Anzaldua The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail, Oscar Martinez A History of Violence: Living and Dying in Central America, Oscar Martinez Bloodlines: The True Story of a Drug Cartel, the FBI and the Battle for a Horse, Melissa del Bosque Films Lone Star No Country for Old Men There will be Blood Incident at Oglata