WSJ.com - Opinion: Justice Requires 12 Angry Men*
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Spring 2009
Assignments for classroom discussions
and the portfolio will be announced in class and will be posted here. Please
keep a portfolio of the designated assignments.
For
the January 21class meeting:
*
We begin today.
* Visit the SCC Honors Institute office (next to the bookstore) and
check out the Honors student study area and computer facilities. I expect to see
you there often. It is a great place to study and work.
For
the January 26 class meeting:
*
See the film Frost/Nixon
currently playing in local theatres. Write a summary of important points for the
portfolio.
(This assignment is due in your portfolio two
weeks before Exam 2.)
* Bring to class and place in your
portfolio a list of five book titles
on American/Texas politics of interest to you
(especially GOVT 2302 topics) that you might choose one to read this semester. Browse a bookstore such
as Barnes & Noble or Borders, and the SCC library New Books section. Rank order your choices. Topics to
look under include current affairs, law, government, political
science, media, etc. sections.
Visit a local bookstore and make a list of 5 current books on American politics
* Begin reading the textbook readings especially the federal courts chapter
and Marbury v. Madison. See syllabus.
*
|
For
the January 28 class meeting: * Read the federal courts chapter with special attention to the U. S. Supreme Court, and Chief Justice John Marshall's opinion in Marbury v. Madison. And Joel B. Grossman,
* Video in class: Marbury v. Madison & class
discussion What is stare decisis?
|
For
the February 4 class meeting:
*Attendance at Community
College Day at the Texas Legislature, February 4, 2009 and write at least three
pages about your experience including the names, party affiliation, etc. of the
Collin County legislative delegation for
portfolio. (For those unable to attend, an alternative assignment is late
in the semester.)
*Attend one session of the
Collin College Town Meeting (January 29 - March 12) & place notes in
your portfolio. Offer legitimate
excuse if unable to attend.
* Take the
"Supreme Court Quiz" at the Washington
Post. Print out your results
for the portfolio.
* Read these articles, write a one
paragraph to one page summary and include the citation and link for
portfolio.
**Excerpt from New York Times Article:
To Nudge, Shift or Shove the Supreme Court Left
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/weekinreview/01liptak.html
WASHINGTON — Justice John Paul Stevens, the leader of the Supreme Court’s
liberal wing, likes to say that he has not moved to the left since he was
appointed to the court by President Gerald R. Ford in 1975. It is the court,
Justice Stevens says, that has moved to the right.
** Excerpt from New York Times Article:
A Life Term for Rape at 13: Cruel and Unusual?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/us/03bar.html
WASHINGTON — In 1989, someone raped a 72-year-old woman in Pensacola, Fla. Joe
Sullivan was 13 at the time, and he admitted that he and two older friends had
burglarized the woman’s home earlier that day. But he denied that he had
returned to commit the rape.
** Nova, PBS, Feb. 3, 2009 The Spy Factory, Watch on tv tonight or later for
exam 2 in streaming video.
Who are the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court? How are they chosen
and by whom?
Begin to become familiar with C-SPAN
& C-SPAN2 and particularly "America
& the Courts."
* Visit the United States Court of
Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Contrast your court of appeals with the
controversial 9th Circuit.
* Bring an editorial cartoon or opinion article (preferably about
current judicial/civil liberties-rights topics such as Roe v. Wade) to share with the
class. See the Cartoonists section of the Mass Media page on this web
site for some cartoon sources. Summarize the point of the cartoon in writing
on the copy of the cartoon for your portfolio.
For
the February 9 class meeting:
* Read about the Texas judicial system in the text.
* Take a look at the "Justice for Sale"
web site
particularly the Texas aspects. Read the interview with Tom
Phillips. Take the
quiz and print your quiz results for your portfolio.
We will watch the
video in class.
* Read these articles, write a one
paragraph to one page summary and include the citation and link for
portfolio.
**Excerpt from New York Times Article:
To Nudge, Shift or Shove the Supreme Court Left
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/weekinreview/01liptak.html
WASHINGTON — Justice John Paul Stevens, the leader of the Supreme Court’s
liberal wing, likes to say that he has not moved to the left since he was
appointed to the court by President Gerald R. Ford in 1975. It is the court,
Justice Stevens says, that has moved to the right.
for portfolio.
** Excerpt from New York Times Article:
A Life Term for Rape at 13: Cruel and Unusual?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/us/03bar.html
WASHINGTON — In 1989, someone raped a 72-year-old woman in Pensacola, Fla. Joe
Sullivan was 13 at the time, and he admitted that he and two older friends had
burglarized the woman’s home earlier that day. But he denied that he had
returned to commit the rape. for
portfolio.
*
WASHINGTON
| January 31,
2009
Justices Step Closer to Repeal of Evidence Ruling
By ADAM
LIPTAK
Chief Justice John G.
Roberts Jr. took a big step toward repealing the principle that evidence
obtained by police misconduct cannot be used against a defendant.
Read and write a one paragraph-one page summary
for portfolio.
Excerpt from New York Times Article:
Questions of Justice
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/opinion/15questions.html
Eric Holder, President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee for attorney general, is
scheduled to appear today at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary
Committee. The Op-Ed page asked five legal experts to pose the questions they
would like to hear the nominee answer.
Read and write a one paragraph-one page summary
for portfolio.
| Click the following to access the sent link: | ||||||
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Read and write a one paragraph-one page summary
for portfolio.
For
the February 11class meeting:
* Begin reading the civil liberties &
civil rights chapters.
* Read Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg current news stories.
*
Supreme
Court Watch, PBS Newshour. Note the justices of the Supreme Court. In
one page for your portfolio list them, their political party affiliation,
and the President who appointed them.
* The
Power of One: Sandra Day O'Connor Read (view or listen) this PBS
Newshour report on Justice O'Connor. Write a one paragraph to one page
summary of the story for the portfolio.
* What are the various modes of constitutional interpretation? See
here. And
theories of
constitutional interpretation.
See the
Cult of
Scalia. And
originalism.
And "the
living constitution." Note
Laurence
Tribe and
Robert Bork.
Write a one paragraph to one page summary of each mode for the
portfolio.
For the February 13 Special Class
Meeting:
For portfolio: Watch on tv or
online and write a one page response. FRONTLINE
For
the February 16 class meeting:
* Read the civil liberties chapter particularly regarding the First
Amendment and freedom of speech. What is due process of law and particularly
its relationship to the Bill of Rights?
What is the incorporation doctrine? Total v. selective?
Task 1
& reaction paper due in
portfolio
* Take
"Freedom of Speech Quiz."
and record your score for your
portfolio.
Take the Freedom of Religion Quiz
and print your test results and comment for your
portfolio.
*On this Day Feb.
5, 1937.
* Choose a
Nat Hentoff column Hentoff writes often writes about civil liberties/rights issues.
You might want to read one of his books on civil liberties for book
analysis. Write a summary paragraph with article citation for the
portfolio.
February 17 television broadcast:
- This Week: "Inside the Meltdown" (60 minutes), Feb.17th at 9pm on PBS (Check local listings)
Watch this week's FRONTLINE episode and you might come away asking some unsettling questions:
How close did the American economy really come to total collapse this past fall? Why were some big banks and financial institutions bailed out, but not others? And what could policymakers have done differently during a historic weekend last September that may have helped slow the speed of the crash?
In "Inside the Meltdown," airing this Tuesday night (check local listings), veteran FRONTLINE producer Michael Kirk goes behind closed doors in Washington and on Wall Street to investigate how the economy went so bad so fast, and why emergency actions--taken by then Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and others--failed to prevent the worst economic crisis in some 70 years.
"I'm sure that Paulson is sitting there....everybody was sitting there saying, 'My god, we may be presiding over the second Great Depression,'" Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman tells FRONTLINE. "This is the utter nightmare of an economic policy maker. You're sitting there and you may have just made the decision that destroyed the world."
"The politics of the situation on September 15th is, 'Let [the big financial institutions] fail,'" says former federal regulator Michael Greenberger of the critical policy shift made by the Bush economic team this past fall. "Within 24 hours, they had to throw their principles out the door and save the economy."
You can watch excerpts from "Inside the Meltdown" right now at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meltdown/ , and also take a behind-the-scenes look at the film with producer Michael Kirk at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/story/2009/02/the-making-of.htmlWe hope you'll join us on air this Tuesday night. Afterward, visit our Web site, where you can watch the program again online, read extended interviews with Wall Street and Washington insiders, and explore a timeline of the end of Wall Street as we know it.
Ken Dornstein
Senior Editor
For
the February 18 class meeting:
* Review the
ACLU
including the
Texas branch
and the
ACLJ
web
sites and include a copy of each home page for the
portfolio.
"*Participate in this judicial simulation. “Following the Trail of
the ‘Last Resort’”
Read the case and then make a decision.
For
your portfolio copy and paste
the case title. If you make the correct decision, copy the
notice and explanation into your paper.
If you choose the wrong answer, copy and paste the notice and
explanation in your paper.
After you have done all twelve cases, make a
grand total of the number of cases you decided correctly and the number you
decided incorrectly.
* What are class action lawsuits? Note
Congress' role vis-a-vis the courts. Gail R. Chaddick,
"Congress
crosses partisan divide on some issues," Christian Science
Monitor, February 7, 2005.
* Dare you burn the
flag?
The Flag Burning Page
For
the February 23 class meeting:
* Please note very interesting writing with links at
Supreme
Court Dispatches from
Slate.com's archive of recent Supreme Court cases, oral arguments, etc.
*
America & the Courts, C-SPAN
*
Oral Argument -- Listen
to an oral argument at the Supreme Court. Choose a civil liberties or civil
rights case and listen at Oyez.
It is suggested that you search for a case by topic and find the
transcript of the oral argument to follow while listening. Some oral
arguments are accompanied by a scrolling transcript. Write one page for your
portfolio. (Some oral arguments are found on LRC Reserve
on audio cassettes/CD with written transcripts. They include the May It
Please the Court series about Landmark Cases, First Amendment,
Courts, Kids & the Constitution, Arguments on Abortion, and The
Supreme Court's Greatest Hits (CD).)
* Excerpt from New York Times Article:
Is the Supreme Court About to Kill Off the Exclusionary Rule?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/opinion/16mon4.html
In 1957, the Cleveland police showed up at Dollree Mapp’s home looking for a
bombing suspect. Ms. Mapp would not let them in without a search warrant, but
they entered anyway. The police did not find the bomber, but they came across a
trunk containing “lewd and lascivious” books and pictures.
For
the February 25 class meeting:
The New Republic Online: Example of a scholarly review
* Find "Your Court Date!" Learn how
your views align with those of the members of the highest court in the land.
You will be asked to consider civil liberties questions from recent Supreme
Court cases, then see which of the nine Supreme Court Justices voted with
you on a specific case. Find your "Justice Match" and learn more about the
vital issues the Court faces each term
--ACLU Justice Match.
Print or summarize your results for the portfolio.
*
See h the video tape "Justice for
Sale" available in the LRC. Here is its
web site.
* Take the Freedom of Religion Quiz
and print your test results for portfolio.
* What is the "Lemon Test"?
for portfolio.
* Visit the Liberty Legal Institute
and the
American Center
for Law and Justice and the
Interfaith Alliance and the Pew Forum on
Religion & Public Life.
* Order
Pizza.
* Public Forum: League of
Women Voters Forum:
How Does the
Current Financial Crisis Affect YOUR City and County
Budgets? Saturday,
Feb. 28, 2009, 10:30 a.m,
Haggard Library,
2501 Coit Road, Plano, TX (place notes in your
portfolio) Email your excuse if you are unable to attend.
15 Bonus points for attendance. OR
March 2 class meeting:
* Please look at the
Justice Learning web site. I highly recommend for studying the course
material the following: Voting Rights (although most of this material is
treated in GOVT 2301); Civil Liberties in War (for civil liberties and for
the second exam the presidential power aspects); Race & Education,
Womens' Rights, & Affirmative Action (for civil rights exam one); Death
Penalty, Religion in Schools, Free Speech and Web Censorship
(for civil liberties exam one). I especially suggest testing yourself with
the news survey for each topic. Print your result page for each test for
your portfolio.
*
Watch the one hour videotape "Judge
Justice." Write one page for your portfolio about what you think are
the most important ideas of the video. The tape topics will be a major part
of the first exam essay. A
copy of the video is on
two hour reserve in the library and you may borrow a copy from Dr. Garrison.
*
Roe v. Wade
at Supreme Court
Abortion
Law: Background?
* Sodomy
& Affirmative Action, Supreme Court Watch, PBS Online Newshour
with Jim Lehrer
* Joanna Grossman, "The
Consequences of Lawrence v. Texas," Findlaw.com, July 8, 2003
* National
Right to Life Committee
* NARAL
Pro Choice America
* "A
Deadly Distinction," Houston Chronicle. A special report on
the death penalty as practiced in Texas with many death penalty links
* "The Death Penalty: Pro & Con," Angel on Death Row, PBS
Frontline. Write one page for your portfolio on the death penalty. Do you
agree with Justice Blackmun or Justice Scalia?
*
Gregory M. Lamb, "Right
to Stay Alive: Who Decides?" Christian Science Monitor,
February 28, 2005.
* Gay
Marriage, PBS Newshour, Feb. 24, 2004. Write one page for your
portfolio.
March 4 class meeting:
Excerpt from New York Times Article:
The Right to DNA Evidence
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/opinion/02mon2.html
Alaska is one of six states that do not have laws giving prisoners’ access
to DNA evidence that could establish their innocence. The Supreme Court
hears arguments on Monday in a case brought by an inmate who argues that he
has a constitutional right to test crime-scene DNA that could help him
overturn his rape conviction. A federal appeals court ruled in his favor.
The Supreme Court should affirm that ruling.
One paragraph to one page summary
for portfolio.
*
Less Freedom, Less Speech By George F. Will In some recess of David
Irving's reptile brain, he knows that his indefensible imprisonment is
helping his side. His side consists of all the enemies of open societies.
Read and comment for your portfolio.
* Mike Ward, "U.S.
Supreme Court Strikes Down Death Penalty for Juvenile Offenders," Austin
American-Statesman, March 1, 2005.
Include in the portfolio page how the ruling
affects Texas.
* Highly recommended -- Article URL:
http://slate.msn.com/id/2114192/
Teenage Death Penalty
* Robert Weisberg,
"Cruel
& Unusual Jurisprudence," New York Times, March 4, 2005.
* George Will,
"Wrong
On All Counts," Washington Post, March 6, 2005.
Drake Bennett, "Traps at Every Turn:
Rethinking freedom of speech on the Internet,"
Dallas Morning News, March 1, 2009, P1. Write one paragraph -one page
summary for portfolio.
|
gdg [dgarrison@ccccd.edu]
has sent you an article from dallasnews.com.
Story: Drive to choose Texas judges on merit intensifies Write one paragraph -one page summary for portfolio. |
A friend thought that you would enjoy this link.
Check out http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/law/supreme_court/index.html
Either click on or cut and paste the link above into your browser to view
*Read Anthony Lewis,
"The
Whirlwinds of Revolt," Review of Taylor Branch, At Canaan's Edge:
America in the King Years, 1965-68,' New York Times Book Review,
February 5, 2005.
* What is ERA? What is TX ERA?
* Take the Jim Crow Quiz
.Print your test results. for portfolio.
* At "The Rise & Fall of Jim Crow: Interactive
Maps" click on Go to the
Maps. Then click on the topics (Jim Crow Laws, Colleges &
Universities, Population & Migration, Lynching & Riots and the state map. Note
Texas in particular.
* Civil
Rights Act of 1964
*
Hopwood
v. Texas
"In order to get beyond racism, we must first take account
of race. There is no other way." --
Justice
Harry Blackmun or Nat Hentoff, "How
Much Diversity Is Enough?" The Village Voice.com, March 21, 2003.
Write one page about affirmative action
for portfolio.
*Sweatt v. Painter
No challenge to Roe foreseen in Texas
Foes are content to chip away, let other states wage
costly, risky fight
HoustonChronicle.com - No challenge to Roe foreseen in Texas
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Austin
Bureau
LEGAL COMMENTARY:
Freedom Of Religion
WHY THE SUPREME COURT HELD THERE'S A RIGHT TO USE
HALLUCINOGENIC TEA
FindLaw Columnist Michael Dorf
FindLaw columnist and Columbia law professor Michael
Dorf clarifies the complex legal background of the
Supreme Court's recent, unanimous decision
recognizing a right to use hallucinogenic tea in
religious services -- despite the fact that the tea
contains a drug banned by federal law. Dorf explains
how the Court's cases interpreting the First
Amendment's protection of the free exercise of
religion have evolved over the years, and solves the
seeming conundrum of why the Court protected the
religious use of hoasca here, yet sixteen years ago,
refused to grant an exemption from federal drug law
for the religious use of peyote.
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dorf/20060227.html
March 11 class meeting:
Exam 1in class
*Excerpt from New York Times Article:
Justices, 5-4, Set Limit on Sweep of Voting Law
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/washington/10votes.html
WASHINGTON — Only election districts in which minorities make up at least half
of the voting-age population are entitled to the protections of a part of the
Voting Rights Act that seeks to ensure and preserve minority voting power, the
Supreme Court ruled on Monday.
Title: WSJ.com
-
Ruling Limits Scope of Voting Act
This article will be available to non-subscribers of the Online Journal for up to seven days after it is e-mailed.
Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to access the sent link:
http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMailToID=1856686600&pt=Y
| Saturday, March 14, 2009 CSPAN BOOKTV Portfolio Assignment Write a summary for the portfolio. | |||||
|
Time (ET) |
Duration (approx.) |
Program Author(s) |
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| 8:00 AM |
51 min |
The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure
in Iraq, 2006-2008 Author: Thomas Ricks
|
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March 16-22:
Spring Break, no class
meetings
* Begin reading the chapters for Exam 2. See the
syllabus. Concentrate especially on the Presidency and foreign policy.
* Keep up with current affairs particularly regarding the presidency,
foreign and defense policy as well as economic policy.
* Laura D'Andrea Tyson, "In Defense of Obamanomics ," Wall Street Journal, March 9, 2009. portfolio
* Fred Kaplan, Obama to America: The Iraq War Is Over Now we have to hope the Iraqis can hold things together. Slate, Posted Friday, Feb. 27, 2009, at 7:35 PM ET
March 23 class meeting
* For class discussion and your portfolio:
CSPAN 2009 Historians Presidential Leadership Survey and
"Hail to the
Chief," Scholars Rank the Presidents, A survey by the Federalist
Society, WSJ.com Opinion Journal.
Take the Presidential Quiz and print your results for the portfolio.
Write one page for your portfolio and give your personal ranking of the top
five presidents.
*
Take the
Machiavelli Personality Test and read
"One Mean Renaissance Man".
Write at least one page for
the portfolio
including: What was your score? High mach personalities have
what traits? Who was Machiavelli? What is he known for? Why are we considering
him in this course?
* Read this article and write a summary paragraph with article citation for the portfolio.
March 25 class meeting
*
Read and write one summary paragraph/page
for portfolio: "Necon Quiz" Are You a Neoconservative? Take the Christian
Science Monitor's quiz. Print your result page/write a result page and a
summary paragraph for your portfolio including What is a
neoconservative?
*
Read
"Global Opinion: The Spread
of Anti-Americanism:
A review of Pew Global
Attitudes Project findings
Released: January 24, 2005
http://people-press.org/commentary/display.php3?AnalysisID=104
* See the Eugene Jarecki film
"Why We
Fight" and utilize the information at the
film's web
site in writing a review for your portfolio.
WSJ.com - Opinion: Iran's Axis of Nuclear Evil*
This article will be available to non-subscribers of the
Online Journal for up to seven days after it is e-mailed.
WSJ.com - Opinion: Now Is No Time to Give Up on Markets*
This article will be available to non-subscribers of the
Online Journal for up to seven days after it is e-mailed.
|
||||
March 30 class meeting
”Excerpts: Bush’s National Security Strategy,” New York Times,
September 20, 2002 at
EReserves. What is Bush's national security strategy? Write
one page
for the portfolio.
* What is James David Barber's
presidential
character analysis? And also see
here. Include in your portfolio.
*See Rethink Afghanistan
Part I More Troops +
Afghanistan = Catastrophe & (Part
2): Pakistan, the "Most Dangerous Country in the World"
of Robert Greenwald's new film
segments as they are posted online at
YouTube,
Twitter, and the web site:
www.rethinkafghanistan.com Write a one
page summary for your
portfolio.
April 1 class meeting:
* See the documentary film "No
End in Sight". Include the
New York Times review of the film in your writing and
fully utilize the film web site information and
No End
in Sight, NOW, April 20, 2007; Stephen Hunter,
"'No End in Sight,' A Direct Hit on Iraq War Makers,"
Washington Post, July 27, 2007, C04; Charles Ferguson, "On
the Dismantling of the Iraqi Army," Letter to the
Editor, New York Times; Write a one page summary for your
portfolio.
The Honors Scholar in Residence
Adrian McIntyre
visits the class. Send five
questions you might pose to our guest during the class discussion with him in
advance to dgarrison@cccccd.edu
* Honors Government special class meeting at 6:30 today
in the Conference Center to hear the Honors Scholar Address to the College. All
Honors students are expected to attend.
(Send excuses for your absence by email.)
*Listen to Justice Antonin
Scalia
on torture and include a one paragraph-one page
commentary in your portfolio.
4. Listen to this NPR News
interview and read the chapter from Thomas Rick's The Gamble:
Gamble Author: Iraq War Only Halfway Over : NPR.
and include a one paragraph-one
page commentary in your portfolio.
* US Torture: Voices from the Black Sites
By Mark Danner
On the confidential ICRC Report on the Treatment of Fourteen "High Value
Detainees" in CIA Custody, submitted to CIA Acting General Counsel John
Rizzo by the International Committee of the Red Cross in February 2007.
April 6 class meeting
Here is
the new line item veto proposal: Summarize the proposal
for your
portfolio.
*
"Firmness, common sense, and
most of all, honesty, an honesty above all suspicion of personal interest,
are the qualities which the country chiefly needs in its first magistrate." --
Find on the web & read
Lord Bryce's famous commentary and write one page for your
portfolio:
"Why Great Men Are
Not Chosen Presidents," TomPaine.com,
July 25, 2000.
* What are the four theories of the
Presidency & presidential power?
* Executive Decisions: Read
How
Executive Decisions Works
at
EReserves. Choose two executive decisions from the list
of
issues.
Read the memos for each decision and then make a decision. Write up your
decisions with a one paragraph rationale to include with your portfolio. You
are not required to post your decision to Atlantic Monthly Online.
*
Michiko Kutani, review of
Fukuyama, America at the Crossroads, EReserves, "
Ethnic Tensions," Dallas
Morning News, October 18, 2003 at
EReserves;
Joseph S. Nye, Jr.,
"Limits
of American Power," Political Science Quarterly, Volume 117, No.
4 Winter 2002-2003
Monday, May 4 -- Written
book report due in class.
May 11-17 Final Exam Week - -
Final
Exam ( See Final Exam schedule for your test day)
The portfolio is due at the final exam.
April 8 class meeting
* What is the "Imperial Presidency"? See
Dante Chinni,
"The Imperial
Presidency Is Back - But Who's Watching," Christian Science Monitor,
March 11, 2003.
* Read several recent columns of
Thomas Friedman, New York Times
opinion column regarding foreign policy and international affairs. Write one
page summary for portfolio.
* Read George F. Kennan's famous Mr. X article
The Sources of Soviet Conduct and
his essay on
Morality and Foreign Policy. Should American foreign policy be moral or adhere to 'real politick"? What
is the Council of Foreign Relations? Who is Henry Kissinger? Who is Zbigniew
Brzezinski? -- for your portfolio.
April
13 class meeting
Bonus Op: Television program/Streaming video: PBS Bill
Moyers Journal: Abraham Lincoln, Ch. 13 Friday, April 10 ( 15 pts. write 3
pages, due within one week) Shortcut to:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/lincoln/watch.html.
April
15 class meeting
Exam 2 in
Testing Center Wednesday, April 15 - Monday, April 20 class.
Take Home Essay is posted.
April 20 class meeting
*
The
Texas Politics Speaker Series
* Begin reading the newspaper coverage of the Texas legislative
session in the
Dallas
Morning News and the
Austin American-Statesman
and the "News Clips" at
The Quorum Report. Here is the
Houston Chronicle too. The policy
issues and legislative behavior is likely the subject of the Final Exam
essay.
April
22 class meeting
*
Texas editorial cartoon. Find a current cartoon regarding Texas issues for
your portfolio such as. Ben Sargent at the Austin American Statesman
(statesman.com) .
* Class video: "Hat Dance,"
Vote for Me: Politics in America,
The Center for New American Media, 1996. "a look at the wide open Texas
legislature where ex-legislators-turned lobbyists jockey for position"
* Class video: "The Born Politician,"
Vote for Me: Politics in
America, The Center for New American Media, 1996. "An in-your-face
portrait of a strong-willed, back-slapping Texas State Senator as he twists
arms, kisses hands, and threatens his way to legislative victory"
* Watch the videotape: "The Best Little Statehouse in Texas"
available on Reserve Reading and from the professor.
*Earth Day. Write one page for your portfolio about
Earth Day,
environment
interest
groups, and the federal
EPA
and the
TCEQ.
April
27 class meeting:
* Your Representatives
for portfolio
a. Who are the FIVE
legislators that represent you -- your U. S.
Congressperson, your two
your Texas
State Representative and
your Texas State Senator?
What are their
political party affiliations?
Do they hold
leadership
positions/roles?
The Almanac of American Politics 2006 or 2008 at LRC
reference
and
EReserves
is strongly recommended for the Congressional delegation and the
U. S. Congress Votes
Database. What is their position on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars?
b. How many Democrats and Republicans are currently serving in the Texas legislature? in the Congress?
c.
Regarding
the Texas legislature: Who are the
Texas state representatives for Collin County? What is their
party affiliation? What part of
Collin County do
they represent?
What is the issue regarding the Texas
Speaker of the House and his authority? How was/is Rep. Brian McCall involved regarding the speakership?
Has your
current
Texas State Representative/Senator been ranked as one of
the
“best or worst” Texas
legislators byTexas
Monthly magazine from
1999 to
2007?
What do the
articles say about your
representatives?
According to Texas
Monthly what are the
traits of a “best” legislator? (EReserves
and online to Texas
Monthly subscribers.)
d.
Fill out Collin County
Senator Shapiro's
State Issues Survey at
www.ShapiroSurvey.com
and Representative
Jerry Madden's
constituent survey and compare your answers to the
constituent results and attach your
response pages to your paper.
e. Find the Fiscal Responsibility Index ratings for: the Texas Legislature, the House and Senate Democrats & Republicans, and the Collin County legislative delegation (state senators & state representatives). What is the group Texans for Fiscal Responsibility?
*Legislative
Redistricting
for portfolio
a. Play the Redistricting Game found
here. Include your results
in your paper and write a page/s about the major ideas and issues you learned in
playing the game.
April 29 class meeting
a. The sales tax for portfolio
How much is the total
sales tax levied in
your Texas city? What is the state's portion? the city's portion? For what
purposes does the city spend its sales tax? Is your city a member of DART? How
is DART financed? How much is the sales tax in each state? Where do the Texas
sales taxes rank among the states?
b.
Your local property taxes calculation
for portfolio
Calculate your 2008 local property taxes
as if you were a homeowner. Follow
these instructions carefully. Attach the one page of calculations to
your paper. (You may submit your calculations to the professor in advance by
email for checking and have a chance to correct any incorrect calculations.)
Answer these questions regarding the property tax:
What is a property tax abatement? What is the "Robin Hood effect? What
Collin County school districts are property wealthy? How much money do they have
to share and how do they share? Does Collin County have a hospital district
and property tax? How much money does Collin County owe Parkland hospital?
See among other information:
ISDs web sites
Laurie Fox, "High
costs, flat funding strain school districts' budgets,"
Dallas Morning News, June 29, 2008.
Ed Housewright, "Collin
County commissioners approve homestead exemption on property taxes,"
Dallas Morning News, June 28, 2008.
Kate Alexander, "Capitol
stirring again with calls for bigger sales tax," Austin
American-Statesman, June 24, 2008
Ed Housewright, "Collin
is top hospital debtor," Dallas Morning News, October 6, 2007, 1B,
7B.
Editorial, "It
ain't over yet,"
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, December 31, 2006
Katherine Cromer Brock, "Districts'
payments smaller, but not much," Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
December 29, 2006.
Robin Hood Texas at Google
History of Robin
Hood School Finance System Plano ISD
Why Texans Won't
Kill Robin Hood
Newsroom,
Equity Center
Texas Education Agency, School Finance
End Robin Hood Now.
* Put a sample ballot of your local government May 9 election in your
portfolio.
* Class video: "I'm Just a Bill," America Rock, 1995.
* Your Pyramid
for your portfolio:
http://www.mypyramid.gov/.
May 4
class meeting
* Read Edmund Burke's Speech to the Electors of Bristol. Include it in
your portfolio.
*The Filibuster:
The Rules of the Senate
What they are,
why they matter, and how they'll
figure in the filibuster fight. posted April 20, 2005 Chris Cillizza
Update the filibuster information with how Obama and the Democrats will avoid
the filibuster on health care. Place in
portfolio.
* For portfolio: What is the current partisan makeup of the Texas
Legislature and the Congress of the United States?
Story:
Texas' 'top 10 percent' rule for college admissions stirs brain drain fears
Write one paragraph/page for
portfolio.
May 6 class meeting
*
An Income Tax for
Texas? Check out the web site
Texas
Tax Relief.com and calculate the property taxes you pay now to the state
education income tax. Include the results
in your portfolio.
* "Environmental
Scorecard" Enter
your zip code at
http://www.scorecard.org/
and find out about environmental problems in your neighborhood. Print the results
for your portfolio. Do the same for the
Texas Environmental Scorecard.
* Visit the websites of the EPA & the TCEQ. Print one page for your
portfolio.
* Calculate your Social Security benefits at the SSA website. Include in
your portfolio.
* Visit the AARP website regarding Social Security. Print one
page for your portfolio.
* Visit the Texas Coordinating Board web site. Print one page for your
portfolio.
* Visit the "Fed" website and print one page for your
portfolio.
* What is Keynesian economic theory? What is Milton Friedman's monetarist
theory? Who is John Kenneth Galbraith and what is his economic theory? What
is supply side economics? All for your portfolio.
* For
portfolio: What are maquiladoras, aquifers, colonias
in Texas government and politics.
May 11-16: FINAL EXAMS
*Final Exam in class 1-3 p. m.
Wednesday, May 13; Take Home Final Exam Essay due in class.
*
Portfolio and all bonus opportunities are due.
Below this point is subject to editing: changes, additions, deletions, etc.