United States Government Syllabus for 2013-2014
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Instructor Information
Instructor
Larry Adams (Curriculum Vitae)Phone
8063715191Office Location
Dutton Hall 202AOffice Hours
Tuesday-Thursday 1:30-2:00 and 3:15-3:45
Course Information
Recording Policy
Disability Statement
Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (Student Service Center room 119, phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.
Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:
As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc
Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:
Administrative Drop Policy
N/A
Student Withdrawal Procedures
N/A
Privacy Statement
The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students. If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .
Course
GOVT-2305-010 United States Government
Prerequisites
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
\N
Occupational License Disclaimer
Hours
(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)
Class Type
Online Course
Syllabus Information
Textbooks
Adams: The Philiadelphia Project: An American Experiment, bundled with Print and Reader, ISBN# 0-9767783-7-8 UT Publishing
You may also purchase access to the E-book and course materials through the publisher's webite at utpublishing.com. Either way, you will have access to the books and materials through the course.
Supplies
\ Access to a reliable computer and reliable internet. Smartphones have numerous problems with the Exams and Quizzes in this course. All students should have access to a desktop or laptop computer with a reliable internet access when taking Exams and
Student Performance
\ Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
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\\ 1. Explain the origin and development of constitutional democracy in the United States.
\\ 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the federal system.
\\ 3. Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice.
\\ 4. Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal
\\ government.
\\ 5. Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in the political
\\ system.
\\ 6. Analyze the election process.
\\ 7. Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens
\\ 8. Analyze issues and policies in U.S. politics.
Students Rights and Responsibilities
Student Rights and ResponsibilitiesLog in using the AC Connect Portal
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
\ Students are expected to follow all Amarillo College policies and procedures.
\\ During discussions in the course; students are expected to be professional and follow common curtesy. The discussions in this class are meant to bring up various positions and sometimes the debate can be heated; however, it is appropriate to attack a certain argument or point of view, but it is never appropriate to attach the person who is posting information with which you may disagree.
\\
Grading Criteria
Introduction TESTING - PARTICIPATION - GRADES Requirements You will have 4 Main Exams total and 5 Discussions total. These will be all of the grades for this course. Main Exams - These exams will be over the chapter assignments which come from the main textbook, The Philadelphia Project and specifically assigned Readings that come from the Reader in US Government. See that there are two books for this class. One of the first 3 exams will be dropped and the last exam will count for all students. All of these exams are just over 3 to four chapters of the main text and the readings from the Reader as assigned below. The last exam is just over the last few chapters. There will be 50 questions on each exam and you will have a total of 60 minutes to complete each exam once you begin. Once you begin the exam, you must complete it in that 60 minute time; if you get out of the exam or lose connection, the time continues to run. You will have a three day window with which to take the exams as shown below on the assignment dates. The three total exam grades, including the last exam, will count 60% of the grade.
Discussions - There will be five total discussions. The lowest discussion grade out of the five will be dropped and the four total remaining discussions will count 40% of your grade. You must do the discussions during the time period they are assigned. They will be opened on certain Mondays or Tuesdays, as designated below on the assignment dates, and then closed at Midnight on Sunday. That gives each student six days to work on the discussions. Be sure to work on those early in case other things come up later in the week. You will not get a grade for a discussion you do not participate in during the time it is open. We will be looking for a good two to three paragraph response to the question posted as well as at least two replies to posts made by other students. That is the least a student must do to get full credit. There are more detailed instructions on the discussion page.
Those are all of the grades for this class. The average of those grades will make up your overall average for the course.
Summary: Three Main Exams - 60% Four Discussions - 40%
A = 90 - 100
B = 80 - 89
C = 70 - 79
D = 60 - 69
F = 0 - 59
All exams are online; there are no makeup exams.
Attendance
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The online US Government course will not have any on campus meetings. Students must log on to this course in ACOnline the first day of regular classes and follow the instructions for the course. If a student needs individual assistance they can contact me to work out the problems or schedule an appointment.
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Attendance and/or participation requirements in courses delivered electronically (telecourses and on-line courses) will be unique to the individual course.
Calendar
This Course Calendar is also posted on the class site.
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Date |
Welcome to Government 2305
Assignments and Exams |
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9-23-2013 |
Go into the Lessons Tab and click on the Start Here icon. Then read all of the information and instructions regarding this course. This information will help save you time later in the course. |
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9-23-2013 |
Under the Left Side Menu, there is a folder for Discussions. Click on that folder and then click on the Topic for Introduction. Write an introduction of yourself. It does not have to be long and is not graded. Simply state a few things about yourself for the class. Examples include: major, interests, family information, work, how far you live from campus, etc. There is no due date on this; but the quicker the better. This is just to let you get an idea of how the discussion works. |
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9-23-2013 |
As discussed in the Syllabus and the Start Here page, you will have 4 Exams total and 5 Discussions total during the semester. Those are all of the grades for this class. I will drop the lowest exam grade out of the first three exams and the last exam will count for all students. I will also drop the lowest discussion grade. The average of the Exams will count for 60% of your final average and the discussion average will count for 40% of your final average Each Chapter Assignment is the same as far as the reading and study material are concerned. The Chapter 1 Assignment explains what that assignment includes, including introduction material and reading material. It also lists some study material. There will also be a few of the readings assigned from the US Government Reader. The rest of the Chapter Assignments are the same as the first except when there is a discussion question added to the assignment. In such case, the discussion question is added to the assignment with a due date stated. You generally have a week to participate in each discussion, so there are no excuses for not being able to complete one on time. The Chapter Assignments completed before a Graded Exam is what you are responsible for reading, studying and preparing for that Graded Exam. Therefore, each Graded Exam just covers the chapter assignments assigned up to that exam and after the previous exam. The last Graded Exam is the Final and is only over the last few chapters and readings assigned after Exam 3. It is not comprehensive of the whole course material. I drop one of the first three exam grades and the last exam counts for all students. This is also explained on the syllabus.
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9-24-2013 |
Chapter 1 Assignment (Politics and Government) - All of the assignment material is found under the Course Materials tab on the Left Menu. If you have not purchased access to the E-Book and materials you will not have the materials. The assignments for Chapter 1 are as follows:
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9-30-2013 |
Follow the same instructions for the Chapter reading as was laid out in Assignment 1. Readings 9 and 10 When there is a Discussion assigned, it will be added to the assignment and the days the discussion will be open will be listed. The first graded Discussion Question will be included with this assignment. On the day the discussion is assigned, that discussion question will appear on the discussion board linked to the menu in this course. - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #1 posted on the Discussion Board. These Discussions are threaded so you are to post an original response to the question and also comment on at least two of the other student's responses. You may only get full credit for the discussion if you have made at least those three posts. If you want any credit for this question, be sure to have something posted by the deadline. These instructions apply to all of the discussion questions in this course. You may participate in this discussion through October 6th.
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10-7-2013 |
Follow the same instructions for the Chapter reading as was laid out in Assignment 1. Readings 11, 12, 13 and 14
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10-11-2013 |
All Exams must be submitted by 10:30pm the last day the exam is available. |
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10-12-2013 |
Exam 1 continued today |
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10-13-2013 |
Exam 1 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest. |
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10-14-2013 |
Follow the same instructions for the Chapter reading as was laid out in Assignment 1. Readings 15, 16, 17, and 19.
- In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #2 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, October 20th. Remember to follow the same instructions as those listed under the first discussion question. |
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10-17-2013 |
Chapter 5 Assignment (The Executive Branch) Follow the same instructions for the Chapter reading as was laid out in Assignment 1.
Readings 20, 21 and 22 |
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10-21-2013 |
Follow the same instructions for the Chapter reading as was laid out in Assignment 1. Readings 23, 24 and 25
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10-25-2013 |
All Exams must be submitted by 10:30pm the last day the exam is available. |
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10-26-2013 |
Exam 2 continued today |
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10-27-2013 |
Exam 2 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest. |
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10-28-2013 |
Follow the same instructions for the Chapter reading as was laid out in Assignment 1. Readings 26, 27, 28 and 29
- In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #3 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, November 3rd. |
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11-4-2013 |
Chapter 8 Assignment (Civil Rights, First Amendment) Follow the same instructions for the Chapter reading as was laid out in Assignment 1. Readings 30, 31, 32 and 33
- In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #4 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, November 10th. |
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11-11-2013 |
Chapter 9 Assignment (Civil Rights and Equal Protection) Follow the same instructions for the Chapter reading as was laid out in Assignment 1.
Readings 34, 35 and 36 |
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11-15-2013 |
All Exams must be submitted by 10:30pm the last day the exam is available. |
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11-16-2013 |
Exam 3 continued today |
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11-17-2013 |
Exam 3 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest. |
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11-18-2013 |
Follow the same instructions for the Chapter reading as was laid out in Assignment 1. Readings 37, 38 and 39
- In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #5 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, November 24th. |
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11-21-2013 |
Follow the same instructions for the Chapter reading as was laid out in Assignment 1.
Readings 40 and 41 |
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11-25-2013 |
Chapter 12 Assignment (Economic and Domestic Policy) Follow the same instructions for the Chapter reading as was laid out in Assignment 1.
Readings 42 and 43 |
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Chapter 13 Assignment (Foreign Policy)
Follow the same instructions for the Chapter reading as was laid out in Assignment 1.
Readings 44, 45, 46 and 47 |
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12-5-2013 |
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12-6-2013 |
Exam 4 continued today |
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12-7-2013 |
Exam 4 continued today |
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12-8-2013 |
Exam 4 continued today |
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12-9-2013 |
Exam 4 continued today |
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12-10-2013 |
Exam 4 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest. This is Tuesday of Finals Week. This is the last day to take the final in this class. |
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Additional Information
\ There is a Start Here page under the Lessons Tab when you log in to the course. All students should read and understand ALL of the information that is contained on that Start Here page. This will save ALL students a lot of time and frustration.
\\ TBA
\\ http://www.actx.edu
Syllabus Created on:
11/30/-1 12:00 AM
Last Edited on:
11/30/-1 12:00 AM