Attending: Frank Garrahan, Chair, Stefan Haag, Ed Mullen, Judy Nwachie, Paz Pena, Lynn Lehle, Gaye Lynn Scott, Hugh Moore, Rick Collis, Dennis Plane, Cecile Durish, Jonathan Buckstead, Amber Archuleta-Lucero, Glen Hunt, George Finan

1. Report from Chair on Fall schedule.

The scheduling of Government sections for the Fall is complicated by the switch to Datatel, which requires someone to input the schedule from scratch. In addition, the Chair is operating within restrictive parameters imposed by the administration concerning the number of sections which can be offered, both college-wide and at each individual campus.

2. Committee Reports:

A. Budget Committee. A capital request has been submitted for the purchase of a computer and video projection cart for a designated Government classroom at each campus. If any instructor has specific video requests, these should be channeled through LRS media; contact Jonathan Buckstead, LRS. Any further budget requests for next year should be communicated to Lynn Lehle at RGC.

B. Faculty Committee.

1. The colloquium on municipal government is scheduled for Friday afternoon, March 26 at Highland Business Center. All of us who teach Texas State and Local Government will benefit from hearing Bob Hart, Georgetown city manager and Ed Mullen (our colleague at PIN), city council member in Harker Heights.

2. On Friday, April 16, Addison Wesley Longman will be hosting a symposium at the Northridge Lecture Hall. Edward Greenberg (co-author of one of our texts) will be speaking, and faculty from neighboring community colleges will be invited.

3. We are also trying to organize a "road trip" for faculty to visit the Bush Presidential Library in College Station and visit with George Edwards at Texas A&M. This has been tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 30. Interested faculty should notify Gaye Lynn Scott (3-4767), Assistant TFC, by the end of March whether they would like to attend, so that adequate arrangements can be made.

C. Academic Development Committee.

1. PCM courses. The committee recommended and the Task Force adopted standardized components for all Government PCM courses. It will be the responsibility of the Task Force Chair to ensure each PCM course meets these standards. Components: a syllabus which meets Task Force guidelines, an online orientation procedure, tests administered by the Testing Centers, a research component using Internet sources, online discussion forums, online practice quizzes or review sheets, and an online study guide or learning objectives.

2. Assessment. The results of our Fall 98 assessment of student learning outcomes have been previously distributed to all Government faculty. The debate at the Task Force meeting revolved in part around the question of what to look at in those assessment results. Some suggested that we should look at movement (that it, focus on how far students came when comparing the pre-test results to the post-test results), and conclude that we had a significant effect on student learning. Others pointed out that the Task Force had established certain minimums (improvement of one standard deviation; 70% correct) which were not achieved, and this should be cause for concern.

After a lively discussion of possible solutions, the Task Force decided that the Committee members will look at the key concepts which have been established for GOV 2613 and GOV 2623 (and which can be found in the Government Instructor's Manual) and will come up with more specific Learning Objectives based on those concepts. Perhaps this will help clarify for all of us the central ideas that we should be covering in our courses.

3. TEXTBOOKS!

The Task Force must have up-to-date information regarding the textbooks each faculty member will be using in the next academic year. There is a link from the Government Department web page to a questionnaire which allows you to provide this information quickly and easily. (www2.austin.cc.tx.us/govtdept) Those of you who do not choose a textbook for next year for the courses you teach will be assigned a textbook. Please provide this information NO LATER THAN APRIL 15, 1999. The textbook list for the next academic year is attached.

4. Travel Requests.

The Task Force approved travel requests for Paz Pena to attend the American Political Science Association meeting in Atlanta, Judy Nwachie to attend the meeting of the Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education in Austin, and Jeff Ladewig to attend the Western Political Science Association meeting in Seattle.

FALL 1999 THROUGH SUMMER 2000

*NOTE: NEW EDITIONS AND NEW TEXTBOOKS ARE IN BOLD.

Janda, Berry, & Goldman. Challenge of Democracy. 3rd edition, Houghton-Mifflin, 1998. Soft Cover, brief edition.

Greenberg & Page. The Struggle for Democracy. 4th edition, Addison Wesley, 1999.

Patterson. We the People. 2nd edition, McGraw-Hill, 1998. Soft cover, concise edition.

Lowi & Ginsberg. American Government. 5th edition, Norton, 1998. Soft cover.

Edwards, Wattenberg, & Lineberry. Government in America. 4th edition, Longman, 1999. Soft cover, brief edition.

Fiorina & Peterson. The New American Democracy. Alternate edition, Allyn & Bacon, 1998. Soft cover.

Henschen & Sidlow. America at Odds, the Essentials: An Introduction to American Government. Bundled with American Government Internet Activities. West/Wadsworth, 1999.

Janda, Berry, & Goldman. Challenge of Democracy. 3rd edition, Houghton-Mifflin, 1998.

Patterson. We the People. 2nd edition, McGraw-Hill, 1998. Soft cover, concise edition.

Jarrell. Study Guide for use with We the People. McGraw-Hill, 1998. (Patterson and Jarrell shrink-wrapped together.)

Kraemer, Newell, & Prindle. Texas Politics. 7th edition, Prentice-Hall, 1999.

Jones et al. Practicing Texas Politics. 10th edition, Houghton-Mifflin, 1998.

Haag, Peebles, & Keith. Texas Politics & Government. 1st edition, Longman, 1997.

Kraemer, Newell, & Prindle. Texas Politics. 7th edition, Prentice-Hall, 1999.

Paz Pena. Study Guide for Texas Politics. Updated edition, 1999.

Jones et al. Practicing Texas Politics. 10th edition, Houghton-Mifflin, 1998.

Jones et al. Study Guide for Practicing Texas Politics. 10th edition, Houghton-Mifflin, 1998.

Haag, Peebles, & Keith. Texas Politics & Government. 1st edition, Longman, 1997.

Keith. Study Guide for Texas Politics & Government. 1st edition, Longman, 1997.

Domino. Civil Rights & Liberties. 1st edition, Longman.

Wasserman. Basics of American Politics. 8th edition, Longman.

Hasted. American Foreign Policy. 3rd edition, Prentice-Hall.

Hasted. Annual Additions 98-00. McGraw-Hill, 1999.

Check the Government Department Homepage for updates: http://www2.austin.cc.tx.us/govtdept