United States Government Syllabus for 2019-2020
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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

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The Tutoring for Success policy applies to any student whose grade or performance in the course falls below a departmentally determined minimum threshold. In either of those cases, the instructor will direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. Under this policy, the instructor will follow specific departmental guidelines governing the use, duration, and grade component of the tutoring need.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

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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-DC009 United States Government

Prerequisites

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 ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Dual Credit Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Government by the People, 2016 Presidential Edition   

26 Edition

2016 REVEL

Author: Magleby, et al.

ISBN#: 9780135176665

 

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 Quizzes.

Student Performance

  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 through federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, the Bill of Rights, and democracy.

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
Exams Average  –  40%
Chapter Assignments – 25%
Discussions Average  –  25%
Course Paper  –  10%

All exams are online

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


Instructor reserves the right to change the schedule if needed to meet the needs of the course.

Date


Welcome to US Government 2305

Assignments and Exams

8-26

 

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.

 

8-26

 

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. The rest of the discussions assigned in this course are graded.

 

8-26

 

As discussed in the Syllabus and the Start Here page, you will have 4 Unit Exams total and 3 Blackboard Discussions total. You will also have a short Course Paper in the latter part of the semester. Additionally, there are weekly chapter assignments that state what chapters are assigned for the week. Each of those have several components that should be completed. Be sure to read ALL OF THE ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS PAGE linked to the INSTRUCTIONS-PAPER TAB in the course. These are all of the grades for this class. These are the only grades that will be used to compute your overall average for the course.

Each Chapter Assignment is very similar as far as the reading and study material are concerned. Each chapter will have several sections of reading and study material. Each section has a short 3 to 5 question quiz. Each chapter has a review quiz and a shared writing assignment. Be sure that you complete all of the reading, quizzes, and shared writing assignment by the time of the Main Exam covering those chapters.

The course is divided into 4 Units. Each Unit has 3 to 4 chapter assignments. Those are all listed with detailed instructions under the Assignment Dates page linked to the left hand menu in the course. There are also three Blackboard Discussion questions that are graded separately. They are assigned with various weekly chapter assignments throughout the course. There will not be one each week. You can see where they are assigned on this Assignment Dates page. 

Each weekly assignment will be assigned on Wednesday of the week and will be due by the next Tuesday except for the first assignment and the assignment posted just before the Break. So you will have at least 7 days to complete the readings, quizzes, shared writing and Blackboard discussions for each individual assignment. In addition, I drop one of the five discussion grades. The Course paper will be assigned later in the semester and you will have approximately four weeks to work on this assignment. There will be detailed instructions when the paper is assigned. The average of the four main exams left after dropping the lowest will count 40% of your overall average in the course. The average of the four discussion grades after dropping the lowest will count as 25% of your overall average. The daily assignments average counts as 25% of your overall average. The Course paper will count 10% of your overall course average. The points that are listed by each assignment from the book are related to the performance average that shows up in the online version of the textbook.

The Chapter Assignments completed before a Main Unit Exam are what you are responsible for reading and studying to prepare for that Main Exam. Therefore, each Main 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.

 

Assigned

8-27

Due
9-3

 


WEEK 1

 

Chapter 1: Constitutional Democracy

Chapter Assignments include all of the following:

  • Each Chapter Assignment has several different components. 
  • The chapters are divided into an Introduction and several separate sections.
  • Read all of the text of each section.
  • Review all charts, graphs, images, maps, and other documents in each section.
  • Watch all videos that are included in each section.
  • Write your thoughts in the Journal that comes up in certain sections.
  • Each section has a very short quiz that helps you retain the information included in that section. 
  • At the end of each chapter there are various study tools.Each chapter has a shared writing assignment.
    • Review Summary
    • Flashcards
  • Each chapter has a short quiz that helps you to retain the information included in that Chapter. 
  • All of the short section quizzes, shared writing, and chapter review quizzes are required for the overall chapter assignment grade.

Notice that some chapters from the textbook are skipped in this course.



Introduction Discussion Due 9-3

 

Assigned

9-4

Due

9-10

 


WEEK 2

Chapter 2: Constitutional Foundations

Discussion 1 in Blackboard Due 9-10

 

Assigned

9-11

Due

9-17

 

WEEK 3

Chapter 3: American Federalism

SEE that this assignment MUST be completed the same day as Main Exam 1.

 

9-15

 

Main Exam 1 First day      - EXAM 1 will be posted this morning.  The exams are all 50 multiple choice questions and you will have 60 minutes from the time you begin. Once you go into the test you must complete your work in the 60 minute time frame. You cannot save your exam somewhere in the middle and come back to it later. Once the clock starts, it does not stop until the end of the time limit. If you get disconnected from the exam, you should try to log back in as soon as possible. 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 through Tuesday.

All Exams must be submitted by 11:30pm the last day the exam is available.

 

9-16

 

Main Exam 1 continued today

 

9-17

 

Main Exam 1 - last day. The Exam will end at 11:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 10:30 pm at the latest.

 

Assigned

9-18

Due

9-24

 


WEEK 4

Chapter 4: The American Political Landscape

Notice that some chapters are skipped after this assignment

 

Assigned

9-25

Due

10-1

 


WEEK 5

Chapter 7: Public Opinion, Ideology, Participation, and Voting

Discussion 2 in Blackboard  -  DUE 10-1

 

Assigned

10-2

Due

10-8

 


WEEK 6

Chapter 8: Campaigns and Elections: Democracy in Action

SEE that this assignment MUST be completed the same day as Main Exam 2.

 

10-6

 

 

Main 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 11:30pm the last day the exam is available.

 

10-7

 

Main Exam 2 continued today

 

10-8

 

Main Exam 2 - last day. The Exam will end at 11:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 10:30 pm at the latest.

 


Assigned

10-9

Due

11-10

 


RESEARCH PAPER – ETHICAL DILEMMA

Be sure to note the due date and submit your paper by that date.

 

Assigned

10-9

Due

10-22

 


WEEK 7

Chapter 10: Congress: The People’s Branch

 

Assigned

10-23

Due

10-29

 


WEEK 8

Chapter 11: The Presidency

 

Assigned

10-30

Due

11-5

 


WEEK 9

Chapter 12: The Federal Bureaucracy and the Public Policy Process: Creating and Executing the Laws

SEE that this assignment MUST be completed the same day as Main Exam 3.

 

11-3

 

Main Exam 3 First day      - EXAM 3 will be posted this morning.

 

11-4

 

 Main Exam 3 continued today

 

11-5

 

Main Exam 3 - last day. The Exam will end at 11:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 10:30 pm at the latest.

 

Assigned

11-6

Due

11-12

 


WEEK 10

Chapter 13: The Judiciary: The Balancing Branch

DISCUSSION 3 in Blackboard Due 11-12

 

11-10

 

Course Research Paper Due

 

Assigned

11-13

Due

11-19

 


WEEK 11

Chapter 14: Civil Liberties: Protections Under the Bill of Rights

 

Assigned

11-20

Due

11-26

 


WEEK 12

Chapter 15: Civil Rights: Equal Rights Under the Law

SEE that this assignment MUST be completed the same day as Main Exam 4.

 

12-5

 

Main Exam 4 First day      - EXAM 4 will be posted this morning.

 

12-6 thru 12-11

 

Main Exam 4 continued today

 

12-11

 

Main Exam 4 - last day. The Exam will end at 11:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 10:30 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.

TBA

http://www.actx.edu

Syllabus Created on:

08/24/19 6:37 PM

Last Edited on:

08/24/19 6:37 PM