Who really represents you in the state legislature?  What does your
governor think about issues that are important to you?  When you come
before an elected judge in a lower court in your state, do you feel
he or she will understand where you come from?  Should these
representatives understand your point of view?  Because most of the
laws that directly affect our lives are made at the state government,
not the federal government, level, the questions above have special
meaning for us as citizens of one of the 50 states.  Thinking about
who represents us in state government, how they make the decisions,
and whether this is how state government should be run, then, is
important for understanding how politics affects our lives.
	This course is designed to answer these questions by teaching
you to think critically about who is elected in state government,
what influence they have, and changes that should be made in the way
our state governments work.  Specifically, this class will look at
underrepresented groups in state politics, including racial and
ethnic minorities, women, lower-income individuals, urbanites, and
young people, and evaluate 1) their role in state politics; 2) their
influence in state politics; and 3) solutions to a more
representative state government system.
	Because this is an upper-level, intensive writing seminar,
this class will use a less conventional format to cover our topics at
hand.  This course will be run as a seminar, with participation,
discussion, and activity, rather than lecture, as the main format.
The most important skill you will improve in this class is your
writing, though several written assignments that are oriented toward
both research and critical thinking.  Additionally, this class will
teach you good communication skills and the art of persuasion, as we
finish the class with a mock legislature based on your creative
ideas.  Most importantly, our class discussions will be guided not
only by the topics I present on the syllabus (outlined below) and
your assignments, but also by your questions about and interests in
state government, as this is your seminar.