This class is a survey course designed to acquaint students with the institutions, politics, and policies of state governments. It offers a comparative perspective of the 50 American states, and regular references will be made to Utah politics and government. In a federal system like the United States, state governments have major independent roles in making public policy. Recent national trends have increased that role even more. 

A basic assumption of this course is that individual citizens have an indispensable role in government, and that conveys important privileges and obligations upon each of us. Consequently, a range of ideological positions is introduced including ones that will offend those who are attached to a rigid set of opinions. You should be prepared to entertain both negative and positive positions on a wide range of current, controversial issues.

Orientation (modems)
Orientation (faster connections)

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Course objectives

The following key learning and behavioral objectives are addressed in the class:

• State governments are examined within the framework of the federal system, from the context of the U.S. Constitution, and based on the state constitutional patterns that have developed in the United States.
  
• Political organizations within states and their relationship with one another and state governmental institutions are explored, particularly political parties and interest groups.
  
• The key institutions of state government are examined in detail: the legislature, governor, the bureaucracy and the courts.
  
• The class focuses on specific public policy issues facing state governments such as growth, changing demographics, economic development, taxing, spending, education, infrastructure, and social policy.
  
• The course seeks to increase your understanding of public policy in terms of current events and public policy issues that affect your life each day. The majority of assignments will test your ability to find real policy issues confronting state and governments, with particular focus on Utah.
  
• A primary objective of the course is to encourage the empowerment of each student as a citizen of your state and nation, and to enhance your political decision-making skills.
  
• You will be expected to be informed about current political issues in Utah and other states. Assignments will incorporate familiarity with current events, and you will be expected to relate what is going on to topics being examined in the class.
  
• This course aims to improve your critical thinking and writing skills in understanding state politics. You will be expected to write and discuss your ideas on public policy, and to improve your research skills to prepare you for today's workplace and as a citizen of your state and nation.

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Textbooks:

You are required to obtain the following textbooks for the course:

Politics in States and Communities, 10^th Edition, by Thomas R. Dye, Prentice Hall, 2000.

Politics in the American States: A Comparative Analysis, 7^th Edition, edited by Virginia Gray, Russell Hanson, and Herbert Jacob, CQ Press, 1999.

You will also be expected to read articles from local newspapers, or to watch a local TV newscast. If you do not subscribe to a major Utah newspaper, you may read the online version. Supplemental information from the Internet will also be used in the course.

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Class Schedule

This class is designed to be completed during the 15 week Spring Term. It is divided into units that are one or two weeks in length. Reading assignments, unit analyses, and portfolio and team assignments are scheduled for each of the sections. You must complete the assignments and participate in online chats by the last date indicated for a particular unit, in order to effectively participate in the class and to earn all available points. It is possible that adjustments may be made in the schedule, so be sure to check the schedule each week before you begin working on a particular section. 

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Course Requirements:

To successfully pass this course, you must complete the following:

(1) 2 Major Examinations, each worth 75 points.  These examinations are scheduled February 13-16 and April 11-13. Reading assignments for units 1-4 will be covered in Major Exam 1, and assignments for units 5-9 will be included in Major Exam 2. You may take major examinations online, using chi-tester, but only during the dates specified.

(2)  Comprehensive final examination, worth 150 points. This examination must be taken during the week of finals, April 28 through May 3: 

A) at a testing center on the WSU Ogden Campus Student Services Building (2nd floor, SW corner) or at WSU-Davis, OR 

B) if your home is more than 50 miles from the closest Weber State campus, you may arrange to have a proctor administer the test. You should identify a proctor and have them approved early in the term.  The person must have access to a computer connected to the Internet, and may not be a relative or close personal friend. Proctors are often school officials, computer lab managers, librarians, education officers, hospital educators, etc. Print out a copy of our Proctor Approval Form, have your proctor read and sign it, and FAX or send it to the address listed on the form. The Distance Learning Office will provide your proctor with a password and other information for the exam. When it is time to take the final examination, submit a Request-a-Test form. Request the test two weeks before the final examination .

(3) 12 unit analyses, each of which is worth 10 points.  You will submit responses to me as you complete reading assignments and other material included in each section. I will review these responses, and will award points based on your completion of the responses.  You will receive the maximum points possible if you provide complete and substantive responses in each section, by the end of the last day scheduled for the section.

(4) Online Chat Participation.  You will be expected to originate comments or questions and respond to the comments and questions of other class members.  To receive online chat points, you must originate a comment and respond to at least one other student's comment during each unit.

(5) 3 portfolio assignments will each be worth 33 points. These assignments will require you to do independent research and analysis, and to submit a brief report (typically 2 to 3 pages in length).  The points you receive will be based on the quality and timely submittal of your work.

(6) 2 team assignments will each be worth 50 points. You will work collaboratively with several other members of the class on these assignments.  You will receive points for team assignments based on the overall quality of the team report, other team members' assessment of your contribution to the work, and submittal of the completed report by the required due date.

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Grading

Points will be assigned to examinations, online chat participation, and assignments, as follows:

Based on the percentage of points you receive for each activity, your grade for the course will be determined as follows:

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