POLS2160

State and Local Government. Three credit hours. This class is an introductory course designed to familiarize students with the institutions, politics, and policies of state and local governments in the United States. An underlying assumption of this course is that states and localities are the center of a stable and viable democracy. As such, a major objective of the course is the empowerment of each student through knowledge; that is, to provide students with the understanding, analytical and political skills, and motivation to become an active and knowledgeable part of state and local government and politics. The problems addressed at the state and local levels are usually highly contentious and controversial because they hit people close to their homes. Through this class, students will learn how to become effective solvers of those problems.