Course Syllabus

University of Texas at Dallas

GOVT 2302.081 Summer, 2006
MW 1:00-4:00 pm Green Hall 2.302

Instructor: Billy Monroe

Office: GR 3.220 ext. 6415
Office hrs: MW 12:00-1:00, by appointment
email: bwm01100@utdallas.edu

Course Description:

Alexander Hamilton argued during the Constitutional Convention that men are attached to their
governments for what he considered five reasons: self-interest, opinion, habit, force of law or arms, and
honor. With this in mind, what would you say is the cause of most Americans’ attachment to their
government? Is it merely opinion imprinted through education; is it simply habit; or is the American model
of government, as the American founders believed, the best guarantor of freedom and liberty yet devised by
human beings? Or, are the principles of the Constitution an eloquent deception so that the wealthy and
“elite” can rule? What is your attachment? Do you know the basic underlying principles, institutions and
functions of American government and politics? The purpose of this course is to discuss questions such as
these and to give you a broad overview of the foundation and purpose of American and Texas
governmental institutions and politics. The focus of this course will be twofold. The first part of this
course should help you should gain an appreciation for American and Texas governmental institutions and
law, in which we will explore the Congress, the Executive, the bureaucracy and the Judiciary (and their
State of Texas equivalents.) During the second half of this course we will explore civil rights/civil liberties
and public policy, to include social, economic and foreign policy. By the end of the semester, you should
have the intellectual foundation to understand, analyze and discuss American and Texas government and
politics as they pertain to contemporary American political life.

Textbooks:

O’Connor, Karen and Larry Sabato. American Government: Continuity and Change, 2006 Texas Edition.
Pearson Longman Publishing.

Hamilton, Madison, Jay. Federalist Papers

These papers may be found at: http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/federalist/

Requirements, Grading, and Participation:

Each student will be required to follow current events (you may use whatever newspapers, magazines,
internet sites—please ensure the source is considered “legitimate” as defined by common journalistic and
political standards). You will see current events questions on the exams and quizzes. There will be four
exams for this course and several reading quizzes. Grades are determined at the discretion of the instructor
and there will be no extra credit for this course. Thus, your final grade will be determined as follows:

Three exams 20% each

Comprehensive final 30%
Quizzes/participation 10%
Total 100%

Grading Scale:
A+ (97-100) B+ (87-89) C+ (77-79) D+ (67-69) F below 60
A (94-96) B (84-86) C (74-76) D (64-66)
A- (90-93) B- (80-83) C- (70-73) D- (60-63)
Good Sources for Current Events (all can be found online)
Washington Post: www.washingtonpost.com
Washington Times: www.washingtontimes.com
New York Times: www.newyorktimes.com
Wall Street Journal: www.wallstreetjournal.com
CNN: www.cnn.com
Fox News: www.foxnews.com
You should look at the headlines in the national news, politics, law, economics/business and international
sections.

Attendance is expected and required. Failure of 3 quizzes will cause the loss of 5% of your final grade;
failure of 5 quizzes will result in the loss of 10% of your grade (one full-letter grade.) Should you miss a
quiz due to an absence or tardy, a grade of “F” will be assigned and will stand; the only exception will be
for a previously determined excused absence. You may use handwritten outlines of your reading when
taking a quiz. Exams are closed book, closed notes. There are no make-up exams or quizzes. Attendance
will also be taken randomly. When challenging a grade, it is the responsibility of the student to produce the
requisite materials.
Cell phones, pagers, palm pilots and any other electronic device that rings, beeps, clicks, whirrs, etc.; turn
them off.—should a student need to be reminded more than once, it is possible that he or she could lose his
class participation grade.

DO NOT BRING CELL PHONES INTO EXAMS. ANYONE CAUGHT WITH A CELL PHONE
OR ANY OTHER ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE WILL IMMEDIATELY
RECEIVE A 0 (F) FOR THAT EXAM.

Class Rules and Other Key Information:

1. email: You must put your full name on all email correspondence. Emails sent without a name will not
be answered. We will NOT send exam, quiz, assignment and final grades via email. You may
receive your grades when exams, etc., are returned during or after class, or you may drop by my office
hours to receive your grades and other pertinent material.

2. In order for you to receive an excused absence, you must notify me prior to class; or you must have a
documented medical emergency or school sponsored activity; otherwise, all absences and tardies will
be considered unexcused.

3. All grades are final (unless there is a mistake when determining a grade).
The time to be concerned with a grade is during the semester, not after. Grades will not be curved.

4. WEBCT will be utilized to post grades and for communication between me and the class. Students are
responsible for all announcements made in class or any changes in schedule. The instructor will not hand out
class notes under any circumstances. Students are also welcome to use WEBCT as a discussion forum – just
keep everything civil and treat everyone with respect.

5. Exams will consist of short answer, essay, multiple choice, or a combination thereof, depending on course
enrollment. If multiple choice is used, Scantron form 1712 (pink form) will be required and is available at both
campus bookstores. Exams will be closed notes and closed book.

University Policy on Scholastic Dishonesty:

It is the policy of the University of Texas at Dallas that cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated under
any circumstances. Violations will result in immediate disciplinary action to the fullest extent of the
policy. A plagiarism tutorial is available at http://www.ctlw.duke.edu while more information regarding
UTD policies and procedures is available at http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/chapter49.html. Please
feel free to see the instructor for any further questions.
University Policy on Disability Services and Accommodations:

Please let the instructor know of any need for special accommodations, as I will do everything possible to
facilitate learning.

Course outline and reading:

The Declaration of Independence, and the Articles and Amendments of the U.S. Constitution may be
found in the appendix of American Government or online.

May 31 – Introduction
June 5 – Declaration of Independence American Democratic Theory
Federalist Papers 1, 6, 10, 51, 45-46
June 7 – Articles 1, 4-7 (U.S. Constitution) American Democratic Theory
Federalist Papers 57, 62 House/Senate (Intro. To Congress)
June 12 – American Government 237-273 Congress
American Government 813-845 Texas Constitution/Legislature
Exam Review
June 14 –Exam 1
Article 2 of U.S. Constitution Intro. To Executive
June 19 – Federalist 68-69 Presidency/Electoral College
American Government 277-309
American Government 849-864 Texas Governor
June 21 – American Government 313-339 Federal bureaucracy
American Government 865-885 Texas bureaucracy
Exam Review
June 26 – Exam 2
Article 3 of U.S. Constitution Intro. To Judiciary
June 28 – Federalist 78 Federal Judiciary
American Government 343-381
July 3 – American Government 889-913 Texas Judiciary
American Government 157-192, Bill of Rights Civil liberties/Civil Rights
Exam Review
July 5 – Exam 3
American Government 612-623 Intro. to Public Policy
July 10 – American Government 624-644 Social Welfare Policy
July 12 – American Government 651-682 Economic Policy
July 17 – Federalist 7-8 Foreign and Military Policy
American Government 689-726
Exam Review/Class Wrap-up
July 19 – Final Exam