Description: Political Science 106 is a one-unit course dealing with state and local government: its constitutional underpinnings, its relationship to the federal government and how it functions in relation to political parties and groups. Key public policy issues facing the California and local governments and the electorate will also be discussed. This course or Social Science 132 is a graduation requirement. While there are no prerequisites for this course, eligibility for English 120 or ESL 165 is recommended. Students who do not have the prerequisite will be at a distinct disadvantage. Transfer credit: Cal State.

 Requirements: Be prepared to show up for class promptly with your textbook. Have your reading assignment completed in time to take part in classroom discussions and keep your absences to a bare minimum.

 Grading: Refer to your syllabus for a breakdown of how your grade points will be computed.

Plagiarism and other forms of academic cheating will be grounds for automatic failure of the course.

Text: Mona Field, California Politics and Government Today, current edition.

 Absences/Late Assignments: If you must be absent, you are responsible for obtaining class notes from another student. Assignments will not be accepted late.

 Office Hours: My office is in SG315 (San Gabriel Building). Office hours are on your syllabus. If you can't reach me in person, my office phone number is (818)240-1000, Ext. 5352 (I've got 24-hour voice mail). You can also reach me by e-mail at meberts@glendale.edu

 Reading/Due Dates: The amount of reading required for this course is fairly small. Therefore, it is expected that students have a conversational knowledge of the text when it is discussed in class. The schedule below will tell you when the readings and assignments are due:

California Virtual Tour: I recently completed a thousand-mile-plus bicycle tour of California, which I have documented as The California Project. For other bike rides and hikes in the region, see my Southern California Outings page.