Tentative Class Schedule

Isaiah 33
22 For the LORD is our judge,
the LORD is our lawgiver,
the LORD is our king;
it is he who will save us.

Harding University Spring 2019

POLS 353/553

1:00 – 2:15, T/R, GB201

Arkansas, State and Local Government

Instructor: Lori Klein	Office: 204 Ganus Building Contacts/Office Hours: You can reach me, yea verily, in a multitude of ways: Office phone: 279-4375; Rachel, our supremely competent and helpful Departmental Secretary: 279-4427; Facebook; e-mail - lklein@harding.edu ; my website - http://www.harding.edu/lklein and the always popular note under the door. I will make my best effort to be in my office for drop-ins on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00-5:00, and on Tuesday and Thursday from 2:15-4:45. If you want to be sure that I am in, or if you need to meet outside of those hours, we can set up an appointment.

Course Objective: The primary objective of the course is to develop a knowledge of state and local government that is deep enough to foster good citizenship, to assist those who chose government as a career or avocation, and to ready those who will be charged with passing along this same knowledge to their own students. This course is designed as an overview of the political and policy making processes of state governments and local governments. Arkansas' state government and local government structures will be used as a point of reference for understanding course concepts.

Texts: Kevin B. Smith, Governing States + Localities (16th edition) ISBN 9781506360263

League of Women Voters of Arkansas, Government in Arkansas (9th edition) ISBN - 9780976631224

Note: The readings are best done prior to the class meetings covering that topic. Tests are in the testing center on the dates shown.

I recommend that you gain access, either in print form or via the web, to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. We will regularly be discussing legislative activity and looking for real life examples of class concepts. The paper is a useful source for such information. You can subscribe to the Sunday print edition and gain web access all week! I also recommend that you take advantage of the free subscription service for the newsletters of Governing.com. You can register for the policy areas that you are most interested in.

Tentative Class Schedule (February 28 draft):

FIRST THINGS FIRST

January 15: Introductions, pre-test and Why should I care? --

What do I know about you, what do you know about me, and what do you know about state and local government?

STATE GOVERNMENT

What's the big deal about Arkansas, or any other state or local government? Also, Federalism - The "Reader's Digest Condensed" version

Catch up on the first day’s reading: Smith: Chapter 1, pages 1-4; Chapter 2, page 27 (Systems of Power), and page 33 – page 47 (The Constitutional Basis of Federalism – Supreme Court

January 17: Fiscal Federalism plus

State constitutions -- Or, why is Dr. Tom Howard's picture in the Arkansas state capitol?

Prior to class read: Smith: Chapter 3, pages 59-66, 68-76, and 80-82; and GIA: Chapter 1

(Test 1: Jan. 23 - 25)

STATE LEGISLATURES

Readings: Smith: Chapter 7 and GIA: Chapter 2

January 22: The Legislative Branch -- How does a bill become a law, anyway?

January 24: Legislatures -- The citizen as legislator: Direct Democracy. Also, How to Read a Bill!

January 29: Legislatures—Constituents, oversight and auditing, and lobbyists - what they do the other 21 months.

(Test 2: Jan. 29-31)

GOVERNORS

Readings: Smith: Chapter 8; GIA: Chapter 3

January 31: The Executive -- Is the Governor the state's Chief Executive Officer?

February 05: The Executive Branch - Cabinets and SWEEBOs

Prior to class read: Smith: Chapter 10; GIA: Chapter 4

February 07: Bureaucracy, Bureaucrats and Agencies -- Bureaucrat is not a dirty word.

February 12: Guest Speaker Coleman Yoakum

February 14: The Policy Cycle and Implementation, where the rubber meets the road. -- How a law becomes a policy.

(Test 3+4: February 14-18)

JUDICIAL BRANCH

Prior to class read: Smith: Chapter 9; GIA: Chapter 5

February 19: The Judicial Branch -- State judicial structure, judicial selection and qualifications.

Prior to class read: Smith: Chapter 2

February 21: The Judiciary and the Legislature-- An examination of the apportionment process. February 26: Tentative State Capitol Trip

Capitol Trip – This is a required observation. You will be excused from classes and chapel.	Bonus question: Is this a site visit or a field trip?

Prior to class read: Smith: Review the Apportionment section of Chapter 7

February 28: CANCELLED

March 5: The Judicial Branch -- The impact of federal judicial decisions on state policy.

(Test 5+6: March 6-8)

March 07: Introduction to local government-- Grass roots democracy in action/

Spring Break! March 3-11

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Prior to class read: Smith: Chapter 11; GIA: Chapter 6

March 19: Tentative Guest Speaker: Judge Robert Edwards

March 21: City Government and County Government -- Who's who and what do they do?

March 26: The remainder of the Local Government lecture - Counties and County Officials

(Test 7: March 27-29)

LAND USE

Prior to class read: Smith: Chapter 12 (In-class Land Use handouts will also be on the test.)

March 28: What are you doing on my land? -- Land use, "takings" and urban sprawl

April 2: In-class Readings - Land Use

"Me and My State and Local Government" research assignment is due.

April 4: Tentative Guest Speaker – Mike Cleveland

EDUCATION

Prior to class read: Smith: Chapter 13; GIA: Chapter 9

April 9: Education -- The biggest piece of the pie!

Test 8 (Land Use, Speaker and Education) : April 10-12

Constitution Extra Credit Quiz is open in the Testing Center from April 08-12

WAYS AND MEANS

Prior to class read: Smith: Chapter 4; GIA: Chapter 10

April 11: Revenue and Spending--

April 16: Budgets -- A million here, a million there, and soon you're talking real money.

April 18: Budget Application

(Test 9: April 18-22)

POLITICS

Prior to class read: Smith: Chapter 6, plus GIA: Chapters 7 and 8 of

April 23: Political parties and their Local Affiliates

April 25: Elections

April 30: Tentative Guest Speaker – Bruce Alt, Lobbyist+

(Test 10: May 1-3)

May 2: Post test/Review for the final and Question Time.

Bonus question: Where is "Question Time" a political institution?

Meeting notes are due May 2.

Final Exam – Runs through Thursday in the Testing Center