CCCOnline LogoCourse Snapshot for POS125 - American State and Local Government

The information listed below is subject to change. Please review the course syllabus within your online course at the start of class.

Course Competencies

The competencies you will demonstrate in this course are as follows:

  1. Describe federalism and its evolution.
  2. Describe the origin of state constitutions and ways to amend them.
  3. Explain the roles of parties and elections in the states.
  4. Describe major issues relating to political participation and voter turnout in state elections.
  5. Identify the powers and functions of state legislatures.
  6. Describe and explain the powers and functions of governors in the states.
  7. Identify and describe the other elected officials in the executive branch of government.
  8. Describe and explain the structure of state judicial systems.
Learning concepts for this course are enchanced using modules, websites, and online discussions.

Module Outcomes Mapped to Competencies

Module 1 Learning Outcomes

 Mapped to Course Competencies (above)
  1. Define  and use the key terms.
  2. Recognize  and explain the relationships of the different levels of government and federalism.
  3. Illustrate the constitutional history of the States.
  4. Explain citizen participation including initiative, recall, and referendum election procedures.
  5. Recognize and examine party politics, interest groups, and campaigns.
 1, 2, 3, 4

Module 2 Learning Outcomes

Mapped to Course Competencies (above)

  1. Define  and use the key terms.
  2. Identify the institutions of state government.
  3. Explain the role, duties and functions of state legislatures, governors, and judiciary.
  4. Understand and apply public administration bureaucracy, budgeting, personnel, and reinventing government.
  5. Recognize the structure and reforms of the state judicial system.
 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Module 3 Learning Outcomes

Mapped to Course Competencies (above)

  1. Define  and use the key terms.
  2. Understand the structure and types of local governments.
  3. Explain leadership theory and traits in the context of local government.
  4. Explain how states and localities cooperatively provide service and how states significantly control local government functions.
  5. Understand public finance and see how states and localities fund their operations.
 2, 4, 5, 6, 7

Module 4 Learning Outcomes

Mapped to Course Competencies (above)

  1. Define  and use the key terms.
  2. Illustrate the needs and strategies of economic development.
  3. Recognize education policy and its challenges.
  4. Understand the criminal justice system and its impact on state and local government.
  5. Explain the rise in social welfare and health care policy challenges.
  6. Review environmental policy and the balance that often must be struck between economic growth and environmental protection.
 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Course Time Commitment and Expectations

For every credit hour, students should plan to spend an average of 2-3 hours per week for course-related activities in a 15-week course. For example, a 3 credit hour course would average an average 6-9 hours per week to read/listen to the online content, participate in discussion forums, complete assignments, and study the course material. For 10  and 6-week courses, the amount of time per week will be higher so all course competencies, module outcomes, and assignments will be covered.

Aside from typical reading assignments, this course has the following (Please Note: This list is subject to change based on the discretion of the instructor facilitating this course.):

Assignment Points
News Articles (4 Research Write-ups @ 30 points each) 120
Essays (4 Essay Questions @ 100 points each) 400
Discussions (12 Discussions @ 25 points each) 300
Exams (4 @ 85 points each) 340
TOTAL 1160

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