POSC 316 - Politics of California

Units: 3 ; Breadth Area: GE-UD-D, US-2, US-3
Political culture, electoral systems, and public policy in California. Field trip to the California Legislature. Satisfies code requirement in California state and local government and U.S. Constitution.

Prerequisites: Completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 with grade C- (CR) or better.
Possible Instructional Methods: On-ground, or Hybrid, or Online-Asynchronous.
Grading: A-F or CR/NC (student choice).
Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: GE-UD-D - Upper Division Social Sciences, American Institutions/Code US-2 and US-3
Course Typically Offered: Fall & Spring

Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Describe the structure and operation of the California state government, the challenges it faces, and the key political actors within it.
Assess the impact of the main contemporary policy issues and controversies that are facing the state and its regions.
Analyze the factors that influence the decision making processes of the California government.

UD-D. Upper-division Social Sciences Learning Outcomes

analyze how power and social identity affect social outcomes for different cultural and economic groups using methods of social science inquiry and vocabulary appropriate to those methods;
demonstrate an understanding of and ability to apply accurately disciplinary concepts of the social or behavioral sciences; and
demonstrate an understanding of and ability to effectively plan or conduct research using an appropriate method of the social or behavioral sciences.

US-2. U.S. Constitution Learning Outcomes

Describe the development of the Constitution from the political philosophies of its framers to its later interpretation and amendment;
Explain how the Constitution influenced the development of American political institutions and government;
Explain citizen rights and responsibilities under the Constitution.

US-3. California Government Learning Outcomes

Describe the role of California’s Constitution in state and local government;
Explain the place of California’s Constitution in the evolution of federal-state relations;
Describe the political processes that enable cooperation and conflict resolution between state and/or local governments and the federal government.