United States Government Syllabus for 2023-2024
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Course

GOVT-2305-004 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

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

American Government, Openstax, 2nd Edition (this is free and is provided in the course in Blackboard as a digital e-text)

Supplies

No supplies available

Student Performance

No performance information available

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

Participates in the class by three loging.a week. 

Grading Criteria

Grade Scale (based on 1000 total points possible):

A = 900 to 1000 points

B = 800 to 899 points

C = 700 to 799 points

D = 600 to 699 points

F = 0-599 points

 

Instructions for Chapter and Unit Work

1.    Watch the PowerPoint presentation for the chapter.

2.    Read the Chapter in the textbook

3.    Study the Chapter until you have achieved chapter mastery.

4.    Take the Chapter Exam.

5.    Do the Written Assignments as you encounter them in the course.

 

Intro and Concluding Discussion Forums and Orientation Quiz (15 points)

The introductory discussion forum and the orientation quiz are in the Start Here folder. Do the Concluding Discussion Forum at the end of the course (end of Lesson Eight).

 

Lesson Quizzes (200 points):

Each lesson quiz is worth 25 points. The format for each exam is "open book" and each exam has a time limit of 30 minutes. Utilize the PowerPoint chapter presentations as well as the textbook to prepare for each exam.

 

Each student will have one attempt per exam, so study hard before you attempt to take an exam. Exam questions are pulled from a larger group of questions. By design, there is not enough time to look up each question, so study prior to taking the exam. The grade will post immediately after submission.

 

You must be prepared for each exam by reading the assigned chapter, doing the chapter discussion forum, doing any written assignments associated with the chapter. Do not procrastinate; give yourself time to complete each exam in sequence as you progress through the chapters and the units. You may, of course, move at your own pace ahead of each deadline.

 

On rare occasions, there may be an issue with the exam questions. Please let me know if that is the case. I always appreciate help in catching errors in the exam. Always feel free to check the answers against the book – if you have a question about an answer marked wrong, just email me with the question and your evidence (a pic) from the book.

 

Unforeseen glitches during an exam attempt can occur from time to time. There are several steps you can take to ensure you do not have a problem during an attempt. Go ahead and contact me if you have any problems with the exam, if it is a tech support problem, consult tech support.

 

Midterm and Final Exam (200 points)

There is a midterm and final exam each worth 100 points. The midterm will cover Lessons 1-4, the final will cover Lessons 5-8.

 

Written Projects (160 points):

There are five written projects for the course.

• Legislative Profiles (40 points)
• President Profile (40 points)
• Supreme Court Project (40 points)
• Interest Group Project (40 points)

 

See instructions for each assignment in Blackboard. There will be an attached rubric given with the grade on the written assignment. Be sure to answer all questions for each assignment. Questions that require more work are always worth more points. Do not skip questions that require paragraph summaries or extended replies, you’re grade on the assignment will suffer greatly if you do. Incomplete written assignment may not be accepted and may be given a 0, so do not turn in half-completed work or skip any of the questions. Do not cut and paste any answers for the written assignments unless otherwise indicated. That is plagiarism. Students who plagiarize will get a 0 on the assignment and may fail the course and be reported to the college.

See instructions for each assignment in those units on Blackboard. There will be an attached rubric given with the grade on the written assignment. Be sure to answer all questions for each assignment. Questions that require more work are always worth more points. Do not skip questions that require paragraph summaries or extended replies, your grade on the assignment will suffer greatly if you do.  Do not cut and paste any answers on these written assignments – that is plagiarism. If you plagiarize, you will fail the course. See further information on plagiarism below.

 

Blackboard Discussion Boards (320 points)

There are 16 chapter discussion forums worth 20 points each for a total of 320 points. For each Discussion Forum, write a 250-300-word response (use your word processor to count the number of words and include that at the end of your post). Your response should carefully address all parts of the question in a coherent, organized, and professional manner. You must also respond to someone else's post with a 100-word response (use word count again). Your responses should be your own words. Do not cut and paste - this is plagiarism. If you do quote the textbook or other sources, be sure to use parenthetical citation or footnotes for proper attribution. Use proper grammar and spelling – posts with excessive grammar and spelling errors may receive a lowered grade or a 0.

 

You will primarily be graded on the completeness of your posts. If the professor asks a follow up question, be sure to reply and answer the question. Make sure you read any replies or comments made on your posts by fellow students or the professor. If I ask a follow up question, make sure you answer as a reply to your original post. To post, click "Create Thread" in the upper left-hand corner of the Discussion Board.

 

Facebook Group (25 points):

There is a Facebook group assigned to your class. To join, click on the link provided in the Facebook Group menu item on Blackboard. You may join this group without being Facebook “friends” with the professor or with your other students. You are free to, of course, friend your classmates and the professor, if you wish. But it is not required. If you join the group with a name that is at all different than the one you used to register for the class, then you must email me within the first week or you will lose these points.

 

You are required to post at least two times per week and comment on someone else’s post at least two times per week. Your posts should have something to do with topics discussed in the class readings, or United States government and politics in general. You can post political cartoons, videos, links to article, comment on a political issue and so on. If you post something (e.g. an article or video), be sure you have read the article or watched the video and be sure to comment on the post. Your post should be at least 3-4 sentences stating whether you agree, disagree, or why you found the content of the post interesting. When you comment, you also must write 3-4 sentences. Please utilize the Facebook group to also ask each other questions that you might not understand. If you have an issue with joining or using Facebook, there is a replacement assignment (a 1000-word film review) posted on Blackboard under “Alternate Film Project.” You must join the Facebook group within the first week of the course to be able to do the Facebook group for this course, otherwise you must do the alternate film project to get these points.

 

The Facebook group welcomes views from all sides of the political spectrum. Feel free to disagree with each other and to post whatever political views you hold as they relate to your posts, but remember that posts and comments on the Facebook board should be respectful, not contain inappropriate language, and should never contain personal attacks. These comments should be written with the same respect that one would show in the classroom setting. If a student is found to violate this policy, they may be removed from the Facebook group and be required to obtain these points via the film project.

 

I will be keeping track of the number posts and comments, and the quality of your posts. To get full credit means full, thoughtful participation plus responding to my posts that are for the benefit of the whole class. Almost all students find this Facebook discussion board a fun and engaging activity.

 

Attendance

At least three times a week

Calendar

Additional Information

No additional information available