United States Government Syllabus for 2026-2027
Return to Syllabus List

Instructor Information

Course Information

AI Statement

Collusion is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to create a document is considered colluding. The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor.

Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Reporting

Amarillo College prohibits discrimination and harassment based on sex, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, under Title IX and Texas Education Code §51.253–255. Faculty and staff are mandatory reporters and must share any related concerns with the Title IX Coordinator at titleix@actx.edu. Reports and additional information are available at https://www.actx.edu/hr/title-ixtitle-ix. Confidential counseling and advocacy services are available through the Counseling Center and Advocacy & Resource Center.

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Enrollment Center, Suite 700. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

Amarillo College Web Accessibility Policy Statement

Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.

If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

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:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

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.

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 .

Statement on State-Authorized Courses at Amarillo College

For-credit academic and workforce education courses offered at Amarillo College are limited to the course options available in the statewide inventory for two-year public institutions. Courses in the state-authorized lower-division Academic Course Guide Manual and Workforce Education Course Manual have specific descriptions that prescribe course content and may include specific student learning outcomes. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) maintains and regularly updates these manuals. Amarillo College faculty and leaders ensure that these courses are aligned with THECB guidelines and evaluated based on student performance outcomes. Students enrolled in these courses are expected to engage with and learn course content. According to the AC Board of Regents Policy Manual, "faculty members are entitled to academic freedom in the conduct of research and teaching and are tasked with the associated responsibilities" (DGC). Students are entitled to academic freedom in the classroom, as well, and faculty "must not attempt to force on students a personal viewpoint and must at all times allow diversity of opinion" (Amarillo College Academic Affairs Manual).

Course

GOVT-2305-DC003 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 Resources Student 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

Supplies

Required Materials include Online Access to GOVT2305 Open Stax OER

The online resource for this course has been designed by online learning experts. It incorporates the best practices of online learning and is meant to be a structure through which you can present your own course. The benefit of using this model is that it adheres to internationally recognized standards of quality. Select GOVT2305 Open Stax OER to access the online text resource.

Student Performance

Welcome to this 15-week course which begins on Monday, August 31, 2026 and ends on Sunday, December 13, 2026. Campus will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday from November 27- 28; however, coursework for Week 12 is due November 29. Week 14 assignments will be due December 13, and will open the same time as Week 13. Final grades must be posted by December 18, 2026. Attached is the link to the academic calendar. Please review the course outline closely.

Assignments

All assignments will be accessed through Blackboard and will have beginning and end dates. Assignments include Discussion Board, Quizzes, Research Papers, Exams, and Bonus Questions. Bonus points must be completed within the Week they are offered and all coursework must be completed before submitting the response to the bonus.

Research Papers

There are two research papers due in the course. The research papers are to be submitted as a MS Word Document (.doc or .docx) and follow APA format. Once the document has been uploaded, there will be no resubmitting after the research papers have been graded.

Open Office download free software at http://www.openoffice.org/.

Exams

There are two exams during this course: Midterm and Final. The exams will be taken in Blackboard using Lockdown Browser. You will need to download the software onto your computer. Do you want to earn 10 bonus points? Email me a picture of your favorite cartoon character using the Message feature in Blackboard and include “Cartoon Character” on the subject line, by September 6, 2026, to earn the points. Also, do not save and submit HEIC files. I am not able to open HEIC files.

Students 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

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. All outside resources must be cited and referenced in the document. “Plagiarism” shall be defined as the appropriating, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any means another’s work and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of it in one’s own written work. “Collusion” shall be defined as the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work for fulfillment of course requirements.

The term “Plagiarism” includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic material. 

Both the use of AI or a plagiarism document will result in a zero grade. Taken from the "Students Rights and Responsibilities"

Artificial Intelligence and Chat GPT

Students are expected to demonstrate academic integrity and ethics in their use of technology. Tools that use artificial intelligence (AI) to generate written, visual, or other communications are not allowed when developing discussion forums or research papers. 

These are the guidelines for this course:

1) Students should not use AI tools on any graded work. The instructor may use an AI detector tool to analyze student work and if AI is detected, the grade for the assignment will be zero. 

2) When the instructor encourages use of an AI, students should still cite that information as coming from the AI. There should be a clear mark in any work of what was completed through the use of an AI tool and what was original student work.

3) Using an AI tool that is not intended for the assignment is considered academic dishonesty. The Scholastic Dishonesty policy will apply. The instructor may use an AI detector tool to analyze student work.

Grading Criteria

This is what you are graded on:

Grade Components

 This is how your course grade will be determined:

Course Grade Calculation

Attendance

Must complete all weekly assignments in order to receive credit for full attendance.

Calendar

Additional Information

 Netiquette 

General Guidelines 

1. Follow the guidelines in your class syllabus. Different instructors use discussion boards and written assignments to develop and measure different skills. Follow their instructions - always.
2. People will express opinions different from yours. Be respectful. No name calling, no profanity, or slang.
3. Use correct spelling and grammar, rather than text shortcuts or hashtags. U R 2 Smrt 4 tht. #spellitout
4. Do not use all caps. Using all capital letters is equivalent to SHOUTING!
5. Be brief and stick to the topic. Your instructor and classmates are busy people, respect their time and they will more likely respect yours.

 Emailing Instructors

1. Send all correspondence using the Message tool in Blackboard.
2. If you are sending an email regarding a previous conversation, respond to the email thread so that there is a complete understanding of the issue and my response.
3. Always use a subject line that includes your course and section. Instructors often teach four to six classes a semester. Include your class and section with a brief description in the subject line. For example, use "ENGL 1001 (003x) - Exam 2" not "Question, can you call me?"
4. Use their appropriate title when addressing your faculty member. Look at the syllabus for how to address them. If they have Ph.D. or Ed.D. after their name, please address them as Dr. If they do not, address them as Professor. unless they have asked you to address them in another manner.
5. Be brief. Separate ideas into clear, concise paragraphs with spaces in between.
6. Verify you are sending to the correct address (check your syllabus).
7. Be patient. Not all faculty members have offices on campus. They have families and responsibilities outside of teaching. Give them time to respond before re-sending your email. Most faculty will respond within 48 hours (2 business days).
8. Use email for issues related to only you, use discussion area of class to ask questions that apply to all students or are specifically about content or course policies.

Amarillo College - ITS Division

Need help with something IT related? 

Below are some options to give you the quickest time to resolution. We aim to take care of any issue as fast as we can and want to provide you a way to submit your issues without trying to figure out where to go. 

1. Call 806-371-5100 during normal business hours to get help and open a ticket.
2. Send an email to Technology Information Center <tic@actx.edu>. In the email please put what your issue is and any error or explanation of what is happening. You can attach screenshots or anything else you think may help us figure out your problem quicker.
3. Open a ticket directly in Service Now. You can login to our self service ticketing system to open and track your IT requests directly through this portal. Need instructions for this? Click here.
4. For questions about Duo Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) the instructions are here: https://www.actx.edu/its/duo-multi-factor-authentication-mfa If you continue to have difficulties, please enter a ticket in Service Now.