POLS 209 - State and Local Government Politics

Credits: 5
Explores and analyzes histories, structures, processes, policies, administration, and politics of state and local governments. Washington state receives close attention. Explores interest groups, lobbying, campaign finance, electoral politics, policy development and implementation, legislatures, executives, judiciary systems, ballot measures, political personalities, and intergovernmental relations. Students engage current political issues.

Prerequisite: Eligible for ENGL& 101 or instructor’s permission.

Satisfies Requirement: Social Science

Course Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete this class will be able to:

Understand the roles and responsibilities of states and local governments in our federal system.
Define federalism and understand how it contrasts with unitary government.
Understand the power relationships between local governments, states, and our national government.
Explain the basic history of Washington State including its creation and evolution.
Understand the roles, relationships, and powers of the principal institutions of state and local governments, both formally and informally.
Understand the unique role of tribal governments in the United States political system.
Understand how state and local governments have evolved and have been reformed over time.
Contrast different types of state constitutions and be able to explain constitutional reform.
Articulate the differences among and between initiatives and referenda.
Explain the power relationships of and between official and unofficial institutions in the local, state, and the national government.
Understand the nature of state and local bureaucracies and budgeting processes.
Articulate current political issues in state and local government.

Program Outcomes

Demonstrate knowledge of politics and government in the United States and/or across the world.

College-wide Outcomes

Critical Thinking - Critical thinking finds expression in all disciplines and everyday life. It is characterized by an ability to reflect upon thinking patterns, including the role of emotions on thoughts, and to rigorously assess the quality of thought through its work products. Critical thinkers routinely evaluate thinking processes and alter them, as necessary, to facilitate an improvement in their thinking and potentially foster certain dispositions or intellectual traits over time.
Responsibility - Responsibility encompasses those behaviors and dispositions necessary for students to be effective members of a community. This outcome is designed to help students recognize the value of a commitment to those responsibilities which will enable them to work successfully individually and with others.
Written Communication - Written Communication encompasses all the abilities necessary for effective expression of thoughts, feelings, and ideas in written form.