United States Government Syllabus for 2014-2015
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Instructor Information

Office Location

Dutton Hall 202A

Office 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-DC008 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

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

Supplies

Access to a reliable computer and reliable internet. Smartphones have numerous problems with the Exams and Quizzes in this course. Do not attempt to take a quiz or exam using a smartphone or tablet computer. All students should have access to a desktop

Student Performance

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

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 Responsibilities

Log 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 attach 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

A = 90 - 100
B = 80 - 89
C = 70 - 79
D = 60 - 69
F = 0 - 59

Three highest exam grades average: 60%

Four highest discussion grades average: 40%

All exams are online; there are no makeup exams.

Attendance

\ 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.
\
\ 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.

Date	Welcome to Government 2305 (Government of the United States) Assignments and Exams
8-25-2014		Read all of the information and instructions regarding this course on this page. Be sure to read the whole page and not just the first few dates. This information will help save you time later in the course. Be sure you have also read all of the start here page and the syllabus.
8-25-2014		There is a Discussion tab on the left hand menu. Click on that tab and then click on the Topic for Introduction. Click on my introduction posting and then click on "reply". 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.
8-25-2014		As discussed in the Syllabus and the Start Here page, you will have 4 Exams total and 5 Discussions total. Those are all of the grades for this class. Those are the only grades that will be used to compute your overall average for the course. 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. Most of these assignments will also have specific readings from the Reader in US Government. 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 at least 5 days to participate in each discussion, so there are no excuses for not being able to complete one on time. In addition, I drop one of the five discussion grades. The average of the three main exams left after dropping the lowest will count 60% of your overall average in the course. The average of the four discussion grades after dropping the lowest will count as 40% of your overall average. 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 chapters and readings 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 assigned after Exam 3. It is not comprehensive of the whole course material. I drop one of the exam grades. The chapter assignments come from the chapters in the main text, The Philadelphia Project. The specific individual readings assignments come from the Reader is United States Government.
8-26-2014		Chapter 1 Assignment (Politics and Government) - All of the assignment material is found under the Course Materials tab on the left hand menu. If you have not purchased access to the E-Book and materials you will not have this icon. The assignments for Chapter 1 are as follows: Read the Chapter Introduction, Objectives, and go through the Chapter Outline for Chapter 1 under the icon for Chapter tools. Read Chapter 1 of the Text. Focus on the main text, that is the most important information. Read the Lecture Notes for Chapter 1. Work through the Study Guide questions and Practice Quiz for Chapter 1. Working on these other exercises will help with your understanding and retention of the material. Readings from US Government Reader - 2, 3, 4
9-2-2014		Chapter 2 Assignment (Creating the Constitution) - Each chapter assignment is the same as the first unless there is a Discussion Topic assigned with that chapter’s assignment. When there is a Discussion assigned, it will be added to this assignment and the days the discussion will be open will be listed. w/ discussion - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #1 posted on the Discussion Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, September 7th. If you want any credit for this question, be sure to have something posted by the deadline. Readings from US Government Reader - 6, 9, 10
9-8-2014		Chapter 3 Assignment ( American Federalism) Readings from US Government Reader - 11, 12, 14
9-14-2014		Exam 1 First day - EXAM 1 will be posted this morning. The exams are all 50 multiple choice questions and you will have 50 minutes from the time you begin. Once you go into the test you must complete your work in the 50 minute time frame. If you log out of the exam before you finish, the time will keep running. You must finish the exam within the time limit once you have begun the exam. This should be plenty of time for all students. Be sure to read all of the instructions before beginning the exam. The Exam will be open for three days. All Exams must be submitted by 10:30pm the last day the exam is available.
9-15-2014		Exam 1 continued today
9-16-2014		Exam 1 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
9-17-2014		Chapter 4 Assignment (Congress) - - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #2 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, September 21st. Remember to follow the same instructions as those listed under the first discussion question. Readings from US Government Reader - 15, 16, 17, 18
9-22-2014		Chapter 5 Assignment (The Executive Branch) - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #3 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, September 28th. Readings from US Government Reader - 20, 21, 22
9-29-2014		Chapter 6 Assignment (The Bureaucracy) Readings from US Government Reader - 23, 24, 25
10-5-2014		Exam 2 First day - EXAM 2 will be posted this morning. All Exams are set up the same as the 1st Exam. All Exams must be submitted by 10:30pm the last day the exam is available.
10-6-2014		Exam 2 continued today
10-7-2014		Exam 2 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
10-8-2014		Chapter 7 Assignment (Federal Court System) Readings from US Government Reader - 26, 27, 28, 29
10-13-2014		Chapter 8 Assignment (Civil Rights, First Amendment) - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #4 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through October 19th. Readings from US Government Reader - 30, 31, 32, 33
10-20-2014		Chapter 9 Assignment (Civil Rights and Equal Protection) Readings from US Government Reader - 34, 35, 36
10-26-2014		Exam 3 First day - EXAM 3 will be posted this morning. All Exams must be submitted by 10:30pm the last day the exam is available.
10-27-2014		Exam 3 continued today
10-28-2014		Exam 3 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
10-29-2014		Chapter 10 Assignment (Political Parties and Interest Groups) - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #5 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through November 2nd. Readings from US Government Reader - 37, 38, 39
11-3-2014		Chapter 11 Assignment (Political Participation and Elections) Readings from US Government Reader - 40, 41
11-10-2014		Chapter 12 Assignment (Economic and Domestic Policy) Readings from US Government Reader - 42, 43
11-17-2014		Chapter 13 Assignment (Foreign Policy) Readings from US Government Reader - 46, 47
12-4-2014		Exam 4 - Final- First day - EXAM 4 will be posted this morning.
12-5-2014		Exam 4 continued today
12-6-2014		Exam 4 continued today
12-7-2014		Exam 4 continued today
12-8-2014		Exam 4 continued today
12-9-2014		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.

Additional Information

The Start Here page will open 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. All students should also read ALL of the Assignment Calendar so they can get a good understanding of how the course is laid out and the time frames given for all graded assignments.

Syllabus Created on:

11/30/-1 12:00 AM

Last Edited on: