This is a 1 unit self-study, examination course—entitled PSCI 1250/State and Local Government Exam—and it allows students who are knowledgeable about California state and local government to meet the General Education course requirement in Area D1b by examination. Texts are suggested and the Department does not provide instruction or support for the course other than a syllabus. To fulfill the GE requirement in Area D1b that entails study of the US Constitution and California state and local government, students take at Stanislaus our PSCI 1201/American Government course—thus, if you have completed PSCI 1201, you do NOT need to take the State and Local Government exam. At the first class meeting of PSCI 1250, students will be directed to a suggested textbook. Students then study on their own and return during the scheduled exam period for the final exam. PSCI 1250 is given only on a CR/NC basis and only during spring.
The two most common reasons why students opt to take this course are: (1) A student has successfully passed the Advanced Placement (AP) exam in American government in high school and they have been given college level course credit that is generally the equivalent of our PSCI 1201, except that they still need to show appropriate levels of knowledge of California government as GE D1b mandates which the AP course and AP exam in high school do not cover, or (2) Typically out of state students who successfully passed an introduction to American government class in another state where there was no coverage of California government in that class.
Updated: August 01, 2023