Political Science 1203 (32625): State and Local Government

Summer 2005 (July Block): Monday through Thursday 8:00-10:45 AM

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Dr. Brett S. Sharp, Assistant Professor, has considerable professional and administrative experience in both state and local government. He received his Ph.D. and Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science/Public Affairs with a minor in Religious Studies from Oklahoma State University. He is currently the Associate Director of the Oklahoma Policy Research Center at UCO conducting policy analysis and other research on state and local issues in Oklahoma. He is the immediate past president of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

            Office Hours:  Monday through Thursday 10:45-11:00 AM (and by appointment)

            Office:            LA 102-J (in Political Science suite)                                      Email: bsharp@ucok.edu

            Telephone:      (405) 974-5526                                                                   Fax:    (405) 974-3823

            Web Site:        http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/political/faculty/sharp                 Classroom: LAR 120

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course introduces the structure and process of state and local government in the United States with an emphasis on Oklahoma. The focus will be on current issues and emerging trends facing state and local governments and how they respond to various public policy challenges. The roles played by elected leaders, policy makers, administrators, interest groups, and citizens in the political process will also be explored. Through a series of real-life case studies, we will analyze how people actually operate within a political framework to impact public policy.

TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING EXPERIENCES:

This course is designed for active student participation and includes several case studies, presentations of readings, videos, and other in-class simulations. Classroom questions and discussion are strongly encouraged. Students will attend lectures which will orient them to basic concepts and information concerning state and local government. Students are responsible, through self-study and reading assignments, for learning relevant concepts and practices of state and local government. Each student will also present an article review. The student is responsible for retaining backup copies of all homework assignments. Students should be aware that some flexibility is retained in the syllabus to accommodate invited speakers and other learning opportunities. Students should regularly check the professor’s web site for any class announcements.

TEXTS

Bowman, Ann O’M and Kearney, Richard C. (2005). State and Local Government (6th Ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. [Required]

Markwood, Christopher L. and Sharp, Brett S. (Eds.). (2005). Oklahoma Government & Politics: An Introduction (3nd Ed). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing. [Required]

Ehrenhalt, Alan. (Ed.). (2005). Governing: Issues and Applications from the Front Lines of Government. Washington, DC: CQ Press.

Course Schedule - Summer 2005

ADA STATEMENT

The University of Central Oklahoma complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need special accommodations should make their requests by contacting the coordinator of Disability Support Services at 974-2459. Their office is located in the Administration Building, Room 211. Students should immediately notify the instructor of any special accommodations needs.

EVALUATION METHODS AND GRADING

            Instructor will determine course grades                 Grading components include:

            using the following scale:                                                     Participation                                                10%

                            90 -100        =         A                                             Quizzes                                                      10%

                            80 - 89        =         B                                             Case Study/Article Review                           20%

                            70 - 79        =         C                                             Mid-Term Exam                                          20%

                            60 - 69        =         D                                             Final Exam                                                  40%

                              0 - 59        =         F 

CLASS ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION

Class attendance is an important part of succeeding in this class and is expected of all students. Class time provides an opportunity for you to ask questions, clarify issues, and deepen your understanding of the concepts covered in the text. If you are absent, you are responsible for getting any notes, assignments, and schedule changes made on that day. If you come in late, you are responsible for seeing that the attendance record is correct. Class attendance may affect marginal grades and will be considered when assigning participation points. Above and beyond the expected class attendance, students are required to complete the readings as assigned (see course schedule) prior to the beginning of the class period. Demonstrated mastery of the assigned readings through class discussion is necessary to earn full participation points.

QUIZZES AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

Readings as assigned on the course schedule must be completed before the date indicated. To encourage faithful and current reading of the text, quizzes will be occasionally administered during class time. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped and the others will be averaged together. No makeups on quizzes will be offered.

REQUIREMENTS FOR CASE STUDY/ARTICLE REVIEW

Each student will an article from the supplementary textbook, Governing: Issues and Applications from the Front Lines of Government. The student will then prepare a 2-3 page analytical response to the contents. The student may (but is not required to) draw upon outside readings in preparing their analytical response. Each article review will be presented to the rest of the class according to the schedule as arranged with the instructor. Students should briefly summarize the facts, highlight the key issues, and present their analysis. The article review should also include 2-3 thought provoking questions to be posed to the rest of the class in order to stimulate class discussion. Students will be allowed up to twenty minutes for their presentation and subsequent class discussion. This assignment will be graded on quality of presentation, summary of relevant points, analysis, questions, and resulting class discussion. Discussion for related articles may be combined by the instructor.

EXAMINATIONS

There will be two examinations during the semester. Both exams may be comprised of essay, short answer, and/or multiple choice questions. The final exam will be comprehensive. Make up examinations will not be offered except for documented emergencies. Even then, an alternate form of the examination will likely be substituted. In case of school cancellation due to weather or other reasons during the scheduled time for the final exam, university policy will be followed in the assigning of grades, which in the past has included the professor’s best judgment to what the student has earned up until that point. Therefore, it is in your best interest not to depend upon the final exam to make up for previously poor grades.

OUTSIDE WORK

Based upon the Oklahoma Regents’ Statement on Course Workload and Homework [OSRHE II-2-34], a college student should expect to spend 2-3 hours, on average, on outside work for each hour spent in class. The message the Oklahoma Regents are trying to communicate is that if you have a full time job (30-40 hours) you should not simultaneously expect to maintain a full-time academic schedule. If you expect to do well, expect to put in the time!

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Cheating = Failure (please refer to attached Academic Integrity Statement). Cheating is unacceptable conduct and will result in an automatic grade of “F” for the course, and be reported to Academic Affairs. Students are required to do all of the work for this class on their own. Copying answers to exercises or examinations from anyone constitutes cheating. Allowing another student to copy one’s answers will be treated as cheating. Consulting with the instructor about any assignment does not constitute cheating and is encouraged.

The Political Science Department of the University of Central Oklahoma is asking all students taking political science courses to read the following Academic Integrity Statement. Our purpose in doing so is to ensure that all our students are aware of what is improper academic behavior.

Academic Integrity Statement

As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The Political Science Department expects that its students will conduct themselves honestly. This means, above all, that students submit for credit work that is the product of their own efforts. Principles of academic integrity require that all dishonest work be rejected as a basis for academic credit, and that students refrain from any and all forms of dishonorable conduct in the course of their academic work.

The examples and definitions given below are intended to clarify the standards by which academic honesty and integrity is judged. The list is merely illustrative of some of the more common infractions. It is not intended to be exhaustive. Any question a student has about what constitutes inappropriate behavior should be directed towards their instructor. The rule of thumb to follow is: If in doubt, ASK!

Definitions and Examples

Plagiarism - Plagiarism is presenting another person’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism includes not only the exact use of another’s words, word for word, but also the paraphrasing or summarizing of the works of another person without acknowledgment, including the submitting of another student’s work as one’s own. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use of sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly, or creative indebtedness, and the consequences of violating this responsibility. In case of doubt, give a citation of the author you are using. Failure to indicate the extent and nature of one's reliance on other sources is plagiarism. A plagiarized paper will result in a failing grade on the work in question, and perhaps, for the entire course.

Cheating on Examinations - Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination. Examples of unauthorized help include the use of notes, texts, or “crib sheets” during an examination (unless receiving instructor approval), or sharing information with another student either during or after an examination.

Falsification - It is a violation of academic honesty to misrepresent material or to fabricate information in an academic exercise or assignment (e.g. false or misleading citation of sources, the falsification of the results of experiments or of computer data).

Multiple Submissions - It is a violation of academic honesty to submit substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once without the explicit consent of the instructor to whom the material is being submitted the second time.

Article Review Schedule - Summer 2005

Previous Syllabi:

    Fall 2002

    Summer 2002