Delve into Texas politics and government at the mass public and elite levels, with particular focus on recent developments in the state’s political system. You will gain the knowledge and tools needed to understand the reasons behind recent high profile electoral victories and defeats in Texas, as well as why the Texas Legislature has passed some bills into law while leaving others to languish in committee.

Dr. Jones will begin with a broad overview of the evolution of Texas politics and society over the past forty years, as well as a review of the key elements of the state’s Constitution of 1876 which continues to structure the division of institutional power in Texas today. Once this political and institutional foundation is laid, he will focus in detail on the four most recent election cycles in Texas - 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 - and how the results of these elections have affected the policymaking process in the Lone Star State, underscoring the continued primacy of the Republican Party primary to the tenor and content of politics and policy in Texas. The current biennial 2023 legislative session, which runs from mid-January through the end of May, will then be discussed. The course will conclude with a look ahead to the 2024 election cycle in Texas as well as to the 2023 mayoral election in Houston.

Read our interview with Dr. Jones here!

Six-Week Course Schedule | Tuesdays
Apr 18 | 1:30 PM
Apr 25 | 1:30 PM
May 02 | 1:30 PM
May 09 | 1:30 PM
May 16 | 1:30 PM
May 23 | 1:30 PM

This class will be held in-person at WIH and simulcast via Zoom