Academic Catalog

POLI 4: CALIFORNIA POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2025
Units: 5
Hours: 5 lecture per week (60 total per quarter)
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Area 4: Social & Behavioral Sciences
Transferable: CSU/UC
Grade Type: Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass)
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Description

Provides students with the opportunity to develop and formulate their own perspectives on California politics. The course explores policymaking and the exercise of power within the federal framework, including but not limited to state and local issues and institutions. The course begins by studying the basic constitutional framework of the state government, comparing and examining the state's relationship with the federal government, and then focuses on political issues that California is currently facing.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Describe the structure of the California state government and explain the duties of each branch.
  2. Compare and contrast the main institutions and processes of California government with those of the national government.
  3. Compare and contrast the California Constitution with the U.S. Constitution.
  4. Identify the progressives' impact on California government and politics.
  5. Explain the demographic composition of California in the 21st Century, and the relationship between demography and political behavior.
  6. Evaluate major contemporary public policy issues confronting California.

Course Content

  1. California history
    1. American period
    2. Building the American dream in California
    3. Civil rights movements in California
      1. Race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability, class
    4. Economic development
    5. Interactions between California and U.S. government with native tribes of California
  2. Diversity and political culture
    1. Definition of concept
    2. California's political culture
    3. Immigration and population changes
    4. Regionalism in California
    5. Tribes of California
  3. Constitution and governing structure
    1. State constitutions in the federal system
    2. California's constitutional history
    3. The state constitution and direct democracy
    4. Comparison of United States and California constitutions
  4. Political parties
    1. History of California's political parties
      1. Party systems and realignments
      2. Progressive legacy
        1. Direct democracy; initiative, recall, referendum
        2. Anti-partisanship
      3. Third and minor parties
      4. Organizational structure
    2. Political parties at the federal level
  5. Interest groups
    1. Types of interest groups in California and the United States
    2. Tactics utilized by interest groups in California and the United States
    3. Role of interest groups in state politics
  6. The media
    1. Media markets in California and the United States
    2. Media conglomerates
    3. Democratization of news sources
    4. Role of the media in state and federal politics
  7. Political behavior, campaigns, and elections
    1. Political geography
      1. Party registration and turnout
      2. Ideology
    2. Voting behavior
    3. Campaigning in California and the United States
  8. Formal institutions
    1. California legislature and Congress
      1. The legislative process
    2. Executive branch at the state and federal level
      1. The budget process
    3. Judiciary
      1. Three-tiered court system
  9. Local government
    1. Different frameworks of local government
    2. Relationship between county and state governments
    3. Areas of responsibility
  10. Contemporary public policy issues
    1. Policy analysis: environment
    2. Policy analysis: transportation
    3. Policy analysis: corrections and rehab
    4. Policy analysis: education
  11. California in the future
    1. Succession
    2. Globalization

Lab Content

Not applicable.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

When taught via Foothill Global Access, ongoing access to computer with email software and hardware; email address.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Formative:
1. Analytic policy papers (500-1000 words)
2. Interviews (500-1000 words)
3. Civic action project work
Summative:
1. Research paper (2000-2500 words)
2. Oral presentations (15-20 minutes)
3. Examinations (multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, short essay)

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Chunked interactive lectures and guest lectures
Small and large group discussions
Collaborative group projects
Independent written research project
Analysis of current events and media coverage
Engagement in local policy making process

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Reti, S.. Introduction to California Politics and Government, Version 3. 2022.

Simon, A.C., B.S. Steel, and N.P. Lovrich. State and Local Government and Politics: Prospects for Sustainability, 2nd ed.. 2018.

Anagnoson, Theodore, Gerald Bonetto, Vincent Buck, et al.. Governing California in the Twenty-First Century. 2019.

Van Vechten, Renee B.. California Politics a Primer, 5th ed.. 2018.

Field, Mona. California Government and Politics Today, 15th ed.. 2018.

Donovan, Todd, Daniel A. Smith, Tracy Osborn, and Christopher Z. Mooney. State and Local Politics: Institutions and Reform, 4th ed.. 2015.

Although some texts are older than the suggested "5 year or newer" standard, they remain seminal pieces of scholarship (texts) in this area of study.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

  1. Reading academic journal articles, news, and government agency reports.
  2. Attending political functions.
  3. Meeting with public officials, public servants, or candidates to conduct interviews.
  4. Writing research papers of 2,000-2,500 words.

Discipline(s)

Political Science