Government 2306
Williams
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: UNIT I
After reading information contained in your lecture notes as well as in following areas of your online
textbook (Political Culture, The Constitution, Voting, Campaigns and Elections, and Political Parties) you
should be able to understand each of the concepts in the various “chapters” of this unit:
The Context of Texas Politics
Describe and distinguish between politics and government.
Describe public policy.
Describe power and authority, and who is allowed to exercise these in a democracy.
Describe democracy.
Define sovereignty.
Define legitimacy.
Describe the different theories of modern American Democracy, and who is able to exercise power
under each:
1) majoritarian
2) pluralism
3) elitist
Describe federalism, and what its impact is on the government of Texas.
Describe political culture.
Describe the factors that help to shape the distinct political culture of Texas.
Describe how the three patterns of political culture (classical liberalism, social conservatism and
populism) combine to produce unique governmental institutions in Texas.
Describe the difference between “conservatism” and “liberalism”, and which has the predominate
influence on politics in the state of Texas.
Describe and differentiate between capitalism, laissez-faire economics, and pseudo laissez-faire
economics.
Define social Darwinism.
Describe what is meant by the trickle-down theory of economic and social development.
Be able to describe some of the characteristics of Texas’s government with regard to how the state
pursues policies of the economy, taxation, and services.
Describe the factors of the distribution of population in Texas, and how it affects its politics.
Constitutional Democracy
Define constitution and be able to discuss the four purposes of constitutions: legitimacy, organizing
government, providing power, limiting government.
Describe the difference between an ideal constitution and a statutory constitution.
Describe what is meant by separation of powers and a system of checks and balances.
Describe what is meant by limited government.
Describe the concept of representative government.
Describe the history of constitutions by both the Republic of Texas, and the State of Texas.
Describe Jacksonian Democracy and its impact on the creation of constitutions.
Be very familiar with the Radical Reconstruction Constitution of the State of Texas (1869-75).
Be able to describe the historical reasons for the Texas Constitution of 1876.
Describe the impact that the Grangers had on the Constitution of 1876
Be able to explain how the Constitution of 1876 fits into a federal system of government.
Describe the impact of the “Supremacy of the Laws” clause of the U.S. Constitution (Article VI) on
Texas government.
Describe the enumerated powers specifically granted to the national government by Article I, Section
8 of the U.S. Constitution.
Describe the impact of implied powers granted to the national government by Article I, Section 8 of
the U.S. Constitution (also referred to as the “necessary and proper clause” or the “elastic clause”)
Describe the purpose of a Bill of Rights, and know which article of the Texas Constitution establishes
these.
Describe how the Texas constitution is both similar to and different from the U.S. Constitution.
Explain the limitations on the Texas legislature and governor as defined in the 1876 Constitution, and
the reasons for these.
Describe plural executive.
Describe the characteristics of the judicial branch of Texas government as laid out in the 1876
Constitution.
Describe how the Constitution of 1876 provides for various levels of local government.
Describe the heritage of community property.
Describe “deadwood”.
Describe how the process by which the Texas Constitution can be amended.
Describe the reasons why some people wish to reform the current state constitution.
Describe the reform efforts for the Texas Constitution, particularly the one from the 1974 Legislature,
and how well each of these efforts has fared.
Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
Describe political socialization and be able to discuss the basic agents of it: family, schools, churches,
peers, and the media.
Describe the learning principles that apply to the socialization process: the primacy principle, the
structuring principle, and the age-cohort tendency.
Describe ideology.
Describe “liberalism” and “conservatism” and the differences between each.
Describe suffrage and what the current requirements are for voting.
Describe the Fourteenth Amendment (1868) to the United States Constitution and what its effect
was.
Describe the Fifteenth Amendment (1870) to the United States Constitution and what its effect was.
Describe the Nineteenth Amendment (1920) to the United States Constitution and what its effect was.
Describe the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and what its effect was.
Describe the Twenty Fourth Amendment (1964) to the United States Constitution and what its effect
was.
Describe the Twenty Sixth Amendment (1971) to the United States Constitution and what its effect
was.
Describe the variety of “gimmicks” (poll taxes, white-only primaries, and literacy tests) used to
keep African-Americans (and other citizens) from exercising their right to vote.
Describe voter turnout and the three factors which seem to be responsible for its low rate in Texas:
political socialization, the political party system, and socioeconomic status.
Distinguish between prospective and retrospective voting behavior among citizens, and which is
more likely to be used.
Describe campaign and the two principal rules for success.
Describe the two primary campaign resources: people and money.
Describe the aspects of campaigning that can be learned through volunteering.
Describe the difference between publicly funded and privately funded campaigns and which is used
in the United States.
Describe the impact of Buckley v. Valeo (1976) on campaign finance reform.
Describe the difference between “hard money” and “soft money”.
Describe negative campaigning and the effect it has had on democracy.
Describe primary.
Describe the organization of political parties in Texas.
Describe open primary and closed primary and which type Texas uses.
Describe how a primary election is conducted in Texas.
Describe general election and when it is held in Texas.
Describe the role of the Secretary of State for Texas in conducting general elections.
Describe special elections and for what purposes they are generally held.
Describe absentee or early voting and the process by which this can be done.
Political Parties
Describe what is meant by a linkage institution.
Describe interests and how parties bring interests together to form coalitions.
Describe Texas’ history as a one-party state and the implications of a one-party system.
Describe a two-party system and its effect on policy issues.
Describe the functions of political parties.
Describe the purpose(s) of State Party Conventions in Texas.
Describe a party’s permanent organization, its functions, and the functions of its officers.
Describe what is meant by the (Un)importance of a Party organization.
Describe third parties and some of the history of third parties in Texas.
Interest Groups
Describe what is meant by an “interest”.
Describe political interest groups, how they differ from political parties, and the different
classifications of them.
Describe how interest group politics support the concept of pluralism.
Describe how organized interest groups are more powerful than unorganized interest groups and the
three general rules of interest group formation.
Describe the activities of interest groups and how they attempt to persuade government officials to
adopt their point of view.
Describe political action committee, how they are formed, and what purposes they are formed for.
Describe lobby and lobbyists.
Describe how lobbyists go about attempting to influence government officials.
Describe the role of information in the lobbying process.
Describe revolving door and how this affects administrative agencies.
Describe some of the major interest groups in Texas and what issues they attempt to promote.
Describe the concept of the “iron triangle”.