Andrews/State & Local Government – Spring 2013
Day-by-Day Schedule
of Activities & Assignments
Schedule subject
to change due to speaker availability!
WEEK FIVE
February 4
Speaker: Lauren Chief Elk, Activist for the prevention of
rape and justice for survivors of rape, especially on Native American tribal
lands. DATE IS CONFIRMED.
DUE: See links to readings posted on class blog
February 6
No class: Comp day for participation in one or more
organized Founders’ Week events.
Blog Topic #5: Describe the activity or activities in
which you participated. What did you learn about our Foundresses, or about the
History or Mission of Notre Dame de Namur learning institutions during this
week? Discuss how the charism of the Foundresses might influence the career
choices, research pursuits or other professional activities of a Political
Science graduate from NDNU.
February 8
State Legislatures.
DUE: Chapter 6 State Legislatures
Blog Topic #6: Has your CP sought or encouraged any
legislative changes? What process does it use and what challenges has it
encountered in doing so?
WEEK SIX
February 11
State-Local relations.
DUE: Chapter 10 State-Local Relations
Blog Topic #7: Does your CP ever get caught up in
conflict relating to its various local and state relationships?
February 13
State-Local relations: the notion of subsidiarity and the
“proper” role of the various levels of government.
DUE: Excerpt from Massaro… for this week, read Section 4
(Subsidiarity and the Proper Role of Government)
February 15
Oral communication and presentation techniques… life beyond
PowerPoint.
WEEK SEVEN
February 18
No class – Presidents’ Day holiday
February 20
1st half semester review & prep for midterm
exam
DUE: CBL Essay: Summarize what you have learned about
your CP so far. How/why did you choose this organization? What is the work
involved? What challenges have you faced with this assignment so far? How have
you addressed them? (3 pages)
February 22
Jerry Hill, California State Senator, 13th
District. There Oughta Be a Law. DATE IS CONFIRMED
DUE: TBA as desired by Senator Hill
WEEK EIGHT
February 25
Formal presentations (5-8 minutes): Introducing your
Community Partner & CBL project
DUE: Notecards or other preparation for formal
presentation
February 27
Formal presentations (5-8 minutes): Introducing your
Community Partner & CBL project
DUE: Notecards or other preparation for formal
presentation
March 1
Midterm exam
DUE: Study for midterm
SPRING BREAK WEEK
March 4-8
Enjoy your week off!
WEEK NINE
March 11
One-on-one mid-semester reviews. In-class writing activity.
March 13
Local government structure and leadership.
DUE: Chapter 11 Local Government Structure &
Leadership
Blog Topic #8: How does your CP interface with local
governmental units? Are there any leaders in particular who’ve had a key impact
on the success or development of your CP?
March 14 (a Thursday!)
Speaker: Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder with Cesar Chavez of the
United Farm Workers Union, on non-violence as a tactic for achieving change.
Ms. Huerta will speak on our campus at 7:30 pm. Please take notes as you
listen. If you are unable to attend the in-person talk, you must come to class
as normal on March 15 to listen to the recording.
March 15
Comp day for attendance at talk by Dolores Huerta. You do
not need to come to class this day if your attendance at the in-person talk by
Ms. Huerta on March 14 is confirmed. For those unable to attend the in-person
talk, a recording of it will be played in class this day.
WEEK TEN
March 18
Reflection on talk by Dolores Huerta. Research project and
paper write-up assigned: Develop a question about your CP that can be answered
through a small quantitative or qualitative primary research project – a
survey, statistical analysis, series of interviews, etc. Conduct the research.
Write up your results in a 5-page paper that uses your original research as one
of your sources in responding to the question you developed.
DUE: Notes from Huerta talk
March 20
The Judiciary.
DUE: Chapter 9 The Judiciary
ALSO DUE: Brief project proposal (2 pages). What is the
question you propose to answer? What has already been written about it? How is
your question unique? What kind of research will help you answer the question?
How will this research be conducted? How might your findings be used?
Blog Topic #9: Does your CP ever have recourse to
judicial processes as a way of resolving problems, or does your CP’s work
involve the prison system in any way? Describe an example.
Also March 20
Speaker: Father Greg Boyle, SJ, Executive Director of
Homeboy Industries, on rehabilitation and retraining of formerly gang-involved
or incarcerated youth. Father Boyle will speak on our campus at 7:30 pm. If you
are unable to attend the in-person talk, you must come to class as normal on
March 22 to listen to the recording. Take notes while you listen.
DUE: Explore www.homeboyindustries.org website.
March 22
Comp day for attendance at talk by Greg Boyle. You do not
need to come to class this day if your attendance at the in-person talk by Fr.
Boyle on March 20 is confirmed. For those unable to attend the in-person talk,
a recording of it will be played in class this day.
