Texas 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-2306-001 Texas 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 Texas Constitution, structure and powers of state and local government, federalism and inter-governmental relations, political participation, the election process, public policy and the political culture of Texas.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

\ Adams: Understanding Texas Government, bundled with print, ISBN# 0-9767783-8-6 UT Publishing

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

\ Define and describe federalism and other ways of organizing government and know the status of the American states within the federal system and the changing character and development of the Federal relationship.
\ List and describe three branches of government in Texas.
\ Know the Constitutional powers and limitations of political actors in Texas.
\ Identify and define the rights of Texas Citizens.
\ Evaluate the public policies of the government of Texas in comparison to ideals.
\ Explain the protection of the individual through the limitations on government power through federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, the Bill of Rights, and democracy.
\ Explain the structures and functions of political participation including parties, interest groups, and elections.
\ Explain the historical development of constitutionalism as a basis for political society and the historical development of the Texas Constitution and the Political system that has developed under that Constitution.
\ Explain local government structures, functions, and organization in Texas.

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 courtesy. 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

\ Makeup exams and discussions at professor's discretion.

Attendance

\ Attendance and/or participation requirements in courses delivered electronically (telecourses and on-line courses) will be unique to the individual course.
\
\ The regular online Texas Government course will not have any on campus meetings. Students must log on to this course in AC Online on 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.
\
\ The Honors class will meet on the date, time, and place listed in the course schedule. I will hand out a special syllabus for this course. It will be slightly different than this complete syllabus.

Calendar

Date	Welcome to Government 2306 (Government of the Texas) Assignments and Exams
1-20-2015		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.
1-20-2015		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.
1-21-2015		As discussed in the Syllabus and the Start Here page, you will have 4 Exams total and 5 Discussions total. You will also have a short Ethical Dilemma Course Paper in the later part of the semester. 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. 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. I also drop the lowest of the exam grades. The Ethical Dilemma Course paper will be assigned the first part of April and you will have approximately four weeks to work on this assignment. It will not be a detailed research paper, but must be done in the same manner as a paper done for an English composition class. Style and grammar will count in addition to the content of the paper. There will be detailed instructions when the paper is assigned. The average of the four 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 30% of your overall average. The Course paper will count 10% of your overall course 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 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. This is also explained on the syllabus.
1-22-2015		Chapter 1 Assignment (Politics and Governmental Structures) - All of the assignment material is found under the Course Materials icon in the Lessons Tab. 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.
1-26-2015		Chapter 1 Assignment - Continue Chapter 1 Assignment. w/ discussion - 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. - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #1 posted on the Discussion Board. These Discussions are threaded so you are to also comment on a couple of the other student's responses as well as making your own response. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, February 1st. 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.
2-2-2015		Chapter 2 Assignment (Federalism and the States) - 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. The first graded Discussion Question will be included with the next assignment. w/ discussion - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #2 posted on the Discussion Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, February 8th. You are required to post your first response the day before the last day to participate. 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.
2-9-2015		Chapter 3 Assignment (Political History, Culture and Demographics)
2-15-2015		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 leave the exam before you finish, the clock keeps running. You must finish within 50 minutes of the time you first begin 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.
2-16-2015		Exam 1 continued today
2-17-2015		Exam 1 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
2-18-2015		Chapter 4 Assignment (Texas and State Constitutions) - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #3 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, February 22nd. Remember to follow the same instructions as those listed under the first discussion question.
2-23-2015		Chapter 5 Assignment (Governor) - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #4 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, March 1st.
3-2-2015		Chapter 6 Assignment (State Bureaucracy)
3-8-2015		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.
3-9-2015		Exam 2 continued today
3-10-2015		Exam 2 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
3-11-2015		Chapter 7 Assignment (State Legislature)
3-23-2015		Chapter 8 Assignment (Judicial Branch) - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #5 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, March 29th.
3-30-2015		Chapter 9 Assignment (Law and Due Process)
4-7-2015		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.
4-8-2015		Exam 3 continued today
4-9-2015		Exam 3 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
4-13-2015		Chapter 10 Assignment (State Finance)
4-20-2015		Chapter 11 Assignment (Local Governments)
4-24-2015		Paper Due
4-27-2015		Chapter 12 Assignment (Political Parties and Interest Groups - State)
5-4-2015		Chapter 13 Assignment (Participation, Media, Public Opinion and Elections)
5-7-2015		Exam 4 - Final- First day - EXAM 4 will be posted this morning.
5-8-2015		Exam 4 continued today
5-9-2015		Exam 4 continued today
5-10-2015		Exam 4 continued today
5-11-2015		Exam 4 continued today
5-12-2015		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

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.

http://www.actx.edu

Syllabus Created on:

11/30/-1 12:00 AM

Last Edited on: