Government Department Meeting Minutes
February 10, 2006
Thanks to the Faculty Development Committee for arranging a Brown Bag Seminar by our own Joseph Engle on "Improving Classroom Assessment." We heard a most useful and informative presentation on the elements of effective assessment instruments. Faculty wishing to obtain the red "Item Analysis" sheets to help analyze scantron test questions should contact Marilyn Yale or Debra Peterson at NRG.
Department meeting Faculty Present: Jeremy Abrams, Amber Archuleta-Lucero, Cecile Durish, Joseph Engle, Karry Evans, Ron Fletcher, Frank Garrahan, Mike Gividen, Greg Harrison, Glen Hunt, Lynn Lehle, Jeff Millstone, Judy Nwachie, Paz Pena, Lisa Perez, Reza Rezaee, Veronica Rodriguez, Kris Seago, Gaye Lynn Scott, Marilyn Mote-Yale
ChairÕs Report
The Western Political Science Association convention will be held in Albuquerque on March 16-18. Two of our faculty members, Marilyn Mote-Yale and Karry Evans, are presenting programs in conjunction with the Ethics Resource Center in the coming weeks. The 2006-2007 academic calendar is now adopted and available. Informational meetings will take place in February and March on the next phase of the reorganization plan. Faculty Input Forms from Adjuncts are due in by February 10, and from full-time faculty by March 6. MSTA application deadline is February 24. Fall staffing will begin shortly for full-time faculty followed by adjunct staffing. The full-time hiring committee will be conducting interviews in early March for our two positions.
Committee Reports
1. Adjunct Faculty Hiring-Jeff Millstone reported that several applications are on file and interviews will be held in March
2. Assessment of Student Learning-Joe Engle reported that items to be embedded in student exams will be distributed to random classes within the next week.
3. Faculty Evaluation-Marilyn Mote-Yale announced that the committee is in the process of evaluating the portfolios. Adjunct faculty input forms are due in by February 10.
4. Faculty Development-Stefan Haag reported on committee activities. Lisa Perez reported that a spring book club event will be announced soon. If youÕd like to be added to the book club list or have suggested titles to be considered by the book club please contact Lisa Perez at Riverside. Jeff Millstone asked if any faculty would be interested in occasionally meeting to discuss issues such as cheating by students or other classroom issues. If you have any suggestions for topics please contact Jeff Millstone.
5. Distance Learning-Frank Garrahan and Cecile Durish reported on efforts to develop tools to improve our distance learning courses.
New Course Proposals
Paz Pena presented a proposal to offer GOVT 2311, Mexican American Politics. Ed Mullen would like to offer GOVT 2389, State Government Internship. The faculty approved these two new courses to be offered for the first time in the spring of 2007. if approved by ACCÕs Curriculum and Programs Committee.
Textbooks
The faculty approved the textbook list for 2006-07. Keeping the Republic by Barbour and Wright (Congressional Quarterly press) was added to the U.S. Government list. Also added was the SOS edition of Government in America by Edwards, Government and Politics of Texas by Halter ((McGraw-Hill) and Texas Government by Tannahill (Pearson Longman) were removed from the Texas Government list. The faculty discussed the concept of online textbooks such as the Texas Government book currently in use at the University of Texas.
The approved list is as follows:
GOVT 2305-United States Government
Barbour, Wright. Keeping the Republic. 2nd Brief edition. Congressional Quarterly Press, 2006.
Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt. American Government and Politics Today: The Essentials. 2006-2007 Edition. Thompson Wadsworth, 2006.
Dye. Politics in America. Brief Edition, Sixth Edition. Pearson, Prentice Hall, 2005.
Edwards, Wattenberg, & Lineberry. Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy. Brief Eighth Edition. Pearson Longman, 2006.
Edwards, Wattenberg, & Lineberry. Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy. SOS Edition. Pearson Longman, 2006.
Fiorina, Peterson, Johnson, Voss. The New American Democracy. Alternate Edition, Fourth Edition. Pearson Longman, 2005.
Ginsberg, Lowi, Weir. We the People: An Introduction to American Politics. Shorter Fifth Edition, soft cover. Norton, 2005.
Greenberg, Page. The Struggle for Democracy. Seventh Edition. Pearson Longman, 2005.
Janda, Berry, Goldman, Hula. The Challenge of Democracy . Brief Edition, Sixth edition. Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
Magleby, OÕBrien. Light, Burns, Peltason, Cronin. Government by the People. Teaching and Learning Classroom Edition, Sixth Edition. Pearson/Prentice-Hall, 2006.
Patterson. We the People: A Concise Introduction to American Politics. Sixth Edition. McGraw-Hill, 2006.
Sidlow, Henschen. America at Odds: Alternate Edition. Fifth Edition. Thompson Wadsworth, 2006.
Stephenson, Jr., Bressler, Friedrich, Karlesky, Turner. Introduction to American Government. Third Edition. Northwest Publishing, 2005.
GOVT 2306-Texas State and Local Government
Brown, Trotter, Langenegger, Garcia & Lewis. Practicing Texas Politics. Twelfth edition. Houghton-Mifflin, 2004.
Gibson, Robison. Government and Politics in the Lone Star State. Fifth edition. Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.
Keith, Haag. Texas Politics and Government: Continuity and Change. First edition. Pearson/Longman, 2006.
Kraemer, Newell, & Prindle. Texas Politics. Ninth Edition . Thompson Wadsworth, 2005.
Maxwell, Crain. Texas Politics Today. Twelfth Edition. Thompson Wadsworth, 2006.
Momayezi, Stouffer. Texas Politics: Individuals Making a Difference. Second Edition. Houghton-Mifflin, 2005.
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GOVT 2305 United States Government, Minorities (Open Campus)
McLain & Stewart, Jr. Can We All Get Along: Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics. Fourth edition. Westview Press, 2006.
Travel Request
A travel request was approved for Dr. Judy Nwachie to attend an ACC educational trip exploring faculty exchanges with educational institutions in China.
Mini-Semester
The faculty discussed the idea of offering courses in a "mini-mester" format in the time between the spring and summer sessions. Joseph Engle will do further research on this idea.
The next Department meeting will be on April 28, 2006 in Room 411 HBC.