POLI 101: State and Local Government in the United States

Course Overview and Objectives

As you will discover as you proceed in this course, state and local governments have changed a great deal in recent history. Once written off by many people as unnecessary at best, states have made a comeback. Although state and local governments face difficult problems, their capability to govern has increased substantially. Today, many political observers feel that the action is not in Washington, DC, but in localities and state capitals.

One reason to study this topic is because the politics of state and local government is undergoing such massive change. Another reason is the large role these governments play in policies that affect us in our daily lives. For example, states and localities are responsible for almost all of the spending in the United States on elementary and secondary education; states and localities are also responsible for most of the highway spending in the nation. These levels of government have the primary responsibility for public safety. As an indicator of their importance, approximately one in five workers in the United States works for a state or local government.

A major objective of this course is for you to better understand state and local politics—how and why it works as it does. To do this successfully, you must be able to read and analyze information effectively—to pick up key points, understand them, and apply what you have learned. Sometimes this will be difficult, sometimes relatively easy. At the end of the course you should be able to use what you have learned to better understand state and local politics as it involves you in the real world.

The course will consist of fourteen lessons that each cover a general topic. Each lesson is composed of objectives that will emphasize key topics, a brief written discussion (roughly equivalent to a lecture), assigned reading, and a written assignment. Each discussion, besides giving a broad overview of the subject, will also serve to focus your study. Key terms will be highlighted in the discussion and any additional key terms from the reading will be listed. Throughout the discussion sections, you will find questions or suggestions designed to stimulate your thinking. Being creative in your mental responses will enhance your understanding of the subject matter. Some discussions are much longer than others. This usually means that an especially important topic is being covered. (Some topics are well covered by the text and require little additional material.)

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Readings

There are two sets of readings for this course. The textbook is Bowman and Kearney, State and Local Government (6th edition, Houghton Mifflin, 2005), and references in this course manual to “the text” refer to it. The second set of readings is found in Annual Editions, a collection of articles assembled for state and local politics courses. For any given subject, the text provides a general overview. Annual Editions articles illuminate material covered by the text and discussions through examples or by providing more detail. Some of the Annual Editions articles are in the form of an argument. The author has a key point or points to make and provides evidence to support that case. As you read these articles, try to identify what the author is trying to argue and then follow along with his or her reasoning. You should always think critically, as an author may or may not be convincing. You should be able to connect all of the reading for each lesson and understand how it fits together into a coherent package. Outlining a topic is probably the best way to understand the material and make studying for the final exam easier.

Both books can be ordered from the Higher Grounds bookstore at the Friday Center either by ordering online or by printing and mailing the book order form.

A good general place to start looking for information on the Web is Governing.com. Here you find a list of many links to relevant state and local politics sites. Be aware that information on the Web changes frequently. If you find a link that is dead, use a search engine such as Google.com or Yahoo.com to look for comparable information.

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Course Plan

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Assignments

Each assignment will consist of questions based on the discussion and the readings. Some questions will be fairly easy, requiring you to review material you have learned. For such questions, it is important that you answer the question in your own words. Other questions will require some more thought on your part; you may have to make an argument of your own to answer the question. Whichever side of the argument you take, always strive to make your case as convincing as possible. There is no set length required to answer any particular question but most questions are designed to be answered in approximately one double-spaced, typed page. Some will demand more writing than others. Be aware that questions may require you to draw upon material from earlier lessons. If you do not understand a question, do not answer it until you do. Ask me to clarify, if necessary.

With the exception of the final exam, all work in the course is open book. Feel free to look back at materials as necessary. You may use outside materials in your answer, but please indicate what sources you have used.

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Grading and Final Exam

The final exam is closed book and counts as 30 percent of your grade. It will consist of essays, short answers, and identification of important terms. You must pass the final in order to pass the course. The best way to prepare for the final is to review the material that was stressed in the course: subjects that were given a lot attention in the discussions and the readings, suggested key terms, and material covered in assignments. Preparing outlines and taking adequate notes as you proceed is the best way to keep up with and remember course material.

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Honor Code

Remember that as a student of UNC-Chapel Hill, you are bound by the University's Honor Code: "It shall be the responsibility of every student at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to obey and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University students or academic personnel acting in an official capacity." An especially serious Honor Code violation is plagiarism. If you are uncertain about what needs to be cited, please ask me.

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Course Mechanics

E-mail

Notify your instructor and Janice Durham at the Friday Center if your e-mail address changes.

If you use a filter on your e-mail account, you are responsible for ensuring that it does not prevent you from receiving messages from your instructor or Friday Center staff.

It is extremely important for you to save copies of any work you send to your instructor via e-mail. If your instructor doesn't receive your work, you must have a copy of the e-mail with the attached file, indicating the date sent, to prove that you submitted the assignment. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your sent e-mails, as there is no way to guarantee that any e-mail message will be delivered.

Please check your e-mail software to see how it manages sent and saved messages. Some software automatically deletes messages one month after they have been sent; others only save messages if they are filed in folders; others save messages received but not those sent. You may need to send yourself a copy of your e-mailed assignment at the same time you send it to your instructor, or you may need to print a copy of the e-mail message and any attachments to keep in your paper files. No matter how your system works, make sure you know how to save a copy of all work that you submit to your instructor and that you save the copy for several months beyond the end of the course.

Submitting work for this course

Your assignments should be typed, double-spaced, using Microsoft Word. If you use other software, please save your work in Rich Text Format (.rtf). Use a filename that includes your last name, such as "assignment3-Smith.doc."

You will send your assignments to be graded by clicking a "submit" button (at the bottom of each lesson and on the special assignment pages) that opens a pre-addressed e-mail to your instructor and the Self-paced Courses office. Send your assignments as attachments. In the subject line of the e-mail, enter "SPC POLI 101 assignment #" and your last name (example: SPC POLI 101 Assignment 3 Smith). By providing the assignment number and your name, you make it easier for your instructor and Student Services to track your progress, and to keep your work separate from that of other students.

Other Questions

Contact your instructor with questions regarding the content of the course and your progress. (There is an e-mail link at the top of every lesson page.) Please include “SPC POLI 101” in the subject line of your e-mail.

If you have any logistical questions as you work through the course (enrollment, credits, extensions, withdrawal, and so on), contact the Student Services staff at the Friday Center for Continuing Education (phone 919-962-1134 or 800-862-5669).

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A Final Word

Despite the fact that you will not have the benefit of classroom contact with the instructor for this course, we can interact with each other. One of the greatest benefits to taking a Self-paced Course online is that we can interact with each other more easily than through other types of correspondence courses. I typically check for email at least every other day and respond shortly, but occasionally I go out of town and am out of contact for a few days. I will be providing feedback on your work in the form of grades and comments and you should feel free to ask questions about the discussions, readings, or written assignments. Good luck with the course!

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Section 1

Course Author: Jennifer Hora
Current Revision: Jennifer Hora

© University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Last updated: May 21, 2008
Send comments and questions to fridaycenter@unc.edu