United States Government Syllabus for 2016-2017
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Course

GOVT-2305-004 United States Government

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: RDNG 0331-minimum grade of C or a score on a state-approved test indicating college-level reading skills

Course Description

Origin and development of the U.S. Constitution, structure and powers of the national government including the legislative, executive and judicial branches, federalism, political participation, the national election process, public policy, civil liberties and civil rights.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

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Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Dual Credit Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

• Edwards, George; Wattenberg, Martin; Lineberry, Robert, Government In America 10^th Edition, Longman, Addison Wesley Publishers, 2002.
• Readings: Woll, Peter, American Government, Readings and Cases 15^th Edition, New York, NY; AB Longman Publishers, 2004.
• *Additional readings as assigned*

Supplies

• Computer applications, in particular, Microsoft Powerpoint®, Microsoft Word® , Microsoft Excel®, Adobe Acrobat®.
• Use of the Internet, as assigned
• Daily newspaper –student choice

Any other supply needs will be discussed in class.

Student Performance

After Studying the Material Presented in this Course of Study, the Student will be able to:

1.      Define and describe federalism and Intergovernmental Relations,the basis for federalism in the Constitution, and its changing character and development as well as explain other ways of organizing government.

2.      Identify and explain the three branches of government in the U.S.

3.      Explain the Constitutional powers and limitations of political actors.

4.      Identify and define the rights of U.S. citizens.

5.      Explain the philosophical development-theoretical concepts of the state, government, limited government, democracy, and authoritarian government and demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of each concept.

6.      Explain the historical development of Constitutionalism as a basis for political society and the historical development of the U.S. Constitution and the political system that has developed under that Constitution.

7.      Explain the concepts of limited Government, protection of the individual through the limitation of government power, and explain how American government is limited through federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, the Bill of Rights, and democracy.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

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In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

• I take the responsibility to instruct each of you in this Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics Course seriously. I expect you as a student to treat this course similarly.
• You will be permitted to leave the classroom only in the event of an emergency or with my permission.
• Each student is expected to comply with the various provisions and code of conduct as found in the Student Handbook.
• Tardiness: Punctuality is demanded, is expected, and is your responsibility. Tardiness seriously interferes with class progress and is clearly a disturbance for the instructor as well as the class. As a result, you are expected to be in the classroom and at your desk when the second, i.e., the tardy bell rings.

Grading Criteria

• Each student will work within an assigned group to complete research/current event projects
• Students will examine the issues of Public Policymaking using US Government databases, newspapers, scholarly journals, other selected internet resources, and any related resources you may choose.
• Each student will complete an individual research project on 1 issue dealt with by the Supreme Court.

• Each student will prepare his/her own study guide for each chapter and submit the same to the instructor on the day of the objective test for the relevant chapter.
• Each student will be required to bring to school relevant current events for each unit and should be prepared to discuss on a daily basis the relevance of their current events to the issues at hand.

1. Objective tests which will encompass all material in the stated unit including information from the text, class lecture, and outside readings.
2. Readings Quizzes which will be drawn from the supplemental reading in the Woll Reader or handouts provided by the instructor.
3. Free Response Essays where each student will draw upon the information given during a unit of instruction. All free response essays will be drawn from past AP Exams and will be timed.
4. Group and Individual project work.
5. Miscellaneous

Attendance

The attendance policy will be discussed in class.

Tardiness: Punctuality is demanded, is expected, and is your responsibility. Tardiness seriously interferes with class progress and is clearly a disturbance for the instructor as well as the class. As a result, you are expected to be in the classroom and at your desk when the second, i.e., the tardy bell rings.

Calendar

Additional Information

The Instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus and/or calendar if necessary.