United States Government Syllabus for 2021-2022
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Course Information

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Course

GOVT-2305-017 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

Hybrid

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Supplies

Access to reliable internet and a device to access the course through the internet.

Notebook and writing utensil

Student Performance

1. Explain the origin and development of constitutional democracy in the United States
2. Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice
3. Demonstrate knowledge of the federal system
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 and analyze the election process
6. Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens
7. Analyze issues and policies in U.S. politics

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

Because this is a hybrid course, I will not be able to fully lecture over all chapters covered. You will need to read your textbook (online or physical copy) to get the best grade.

You will need the access code to use Revel (the publisher's online textbook and supporting materials) to complete required assignments throughout the course. The first week of class you can sign up for free digital access to the book and everything in Revel, but this free access will expire before all of our assignments are due, so at some point, you will need to buy this access code. The first assignment requiring the access code is due Week 2 of our class, so please sign up for access within the first week of class, even if you are waiting on financial aid or for your order to be delivered.

During course discussions, please be aware that no one ever knows who is in the room with them and what life experiences they've had. Therefore, it is incredibly important to be respectful and kind during discussions, and speak in a manner that will always protect the safety of the learning environment for ALL students.

Amarillo College expects all students to engage in academic honesty and refrain from cheating and/or plagiarism.  I expect each students to complete their own work independently rather than copying assignments from classmates or working collaboratively. Exams should be completed independently, as should all other assignments for this class.  Penalties for cheating as well as plagiarism are outlined in the Amarillo College Student Handbook.

In our course calendar, I list due dates for all assignments. Please try to complete all assignments on time. Calendar all due dates, use phone reminders, take advantage of the tie you have, and plan ahead. All work must be turned in on time to receive full credit.  If work is submitted late, it is subject to point or percentage deductions. I will not accept work that is more than two weeks late unless you and I have discussed your need for more time and I have granted an extension.

You will need to contact me to develop arrangements for homework submissions that will be turned in late. What is a reasonable or acceptable reason for turning in work late and what the timeline will be for turning in a late assignment is at my discretion.  As soon as you know you must miss an assignment, please contact me.

Grading Criteria

Grades in this course are not given, they are earned.  As a student, you will be required to complete the necessary work to earn your grade.

Overall Course Grades are broken down in this manner:

Homework:

Through your electronic access to our book (in Revel) you will need to complete the Revel Chapter Quiz for each chapter 3-17 (omitting chapters 4 & 5).  These Revel quizzes are tied to, and will hopefully prepare you for, each exam. The Section Quizzes (marked 3.1, 3.2 for example) are not required, but are encouraged to ensure understanding of the material prior to the exam.  

Revel quizzes are open book/open note.

I will drop three of the homework grades. However, if receive a 100 on each of the 13 Revel chapter quizzes assigned, you will receive bonus points.

See our course calendar for the specific Revel quizzes and when they are due. 

Topic Choice & Article Points for your Common Assessment assignment are also included in the Homework section; the essay itself will be a separate Common Assessment grade. 

Exams:

There will be four 50-question multiple choice exams taken online in Blackboard. I will drop your lowest exam grade. 

Exams will open at 12:00 AM on the date indicated on the course calendar and will close when indicated, at least 5 days later, at 11:59 PM.

You must complete the exam all at once within the allotted time of 90 minutes. 

Exams are open book/open note. 

Please do not wait until the last minute, when you will not find anyone to assist you with technical problems. I, and most all other AC staff, will be unavailable to answer questions after 9:00 PM each night.

Do NOT take exams on a laptop connecting to the Internet wirelessly, a cell phone, or when using an unreliable connection. Use an actual computer that has a dedicated cable for the Internet connection.

You may take each exam from any locations - from home, in an AC computer lab, at the public library, etc. 

You will be able to see your exam grade immediately, but you cannot access all of the questions/answers until after the due date has passed - at that point, you can click on the menu item My Grades in our course, click on the Exam of interest, and you will then see all of the questions/answers.

Common Assessment:

Instructions and grading information on the Common Assessment can be found in our Blackboard course.

Participation:

I have made 3 videos using a program called VidGrid (over chapters 1 & 2 and Chapter 5). Inserted into each of these videos are questions gauging how attentive you are while watching as well as your overal comprehension. You will need to answer these questions in order to move on. You answers will automatically be tabulated and inserted into the gradebook in Blackboard.

To ensure your grades are ported properly, please use Mozilla Firefox as your web browser when watching these VidGrid videos. Make sure to watch each video ALL THE WAY TO THE END; otherwise your grade may not be entered properly. Set aside enough time to completely finish the video, since some students have had problems with their grades not being ported into the gradebook if they had to exit before finishing the questions.

You can watch these videos more than once, re-answering the questions. The last time you complete the VidGrid quiz, that will be the grade that stays in the gradebook. If you would like to rewatch the video to study or when taking the exam, please use the link to the YouTube video (without the questions, which will NOT impact your grade for these VidGrid videos). The links to the YouTube versions are provided to you in our course in Blackboard. 

I highly recommend you take notes whilst watching the video and jot down the questions.  They may show up on your exam.

Additionally, participation is measure through people who attend classes AND demonstrate content mastery by participating knowledgeably in discussions.  By "knowledgeably", I mean that it will be clear you have read the book and/or are familar with the toipic being discussed - beyond only offering your opinions (which are also welcome). You will receive points toward this grade simply by answering my questions in class and offering your feedback on course material. 

Because we are still dealing with COVID-19 and because I understand that life happens, participation is measured by an effort across the 8-week session.  For example, missing one class day will not decrease your grade assuming you have contributed to discussion on other days that you were present.

See below for information on attendance.

Attendance

Attendance is measured not only by attending in-person classes but also by way of your complete of assignments by their due dates. If you do not attend our first class, then you must complete the first assignments in this course by their deadlines or communicate with me about why you are not participating, or you will be dropped from the class altogether. Automatic withdrawals occur if non-attending students do not submit their first assignment through Blackboard during the first week of class.

Although I do not required attendance at every class, I will award participation points for knowledgeable participation in class discussions, and by attending classes, you will also benefit from my explanations of information that could be on your exams. 

Periodically, I will make announcements, which will be posted in our class on the "Announcements" page in our course and also sent out via email, so checking your email regularly is also highly recommended.

NOTE: If you suspect you have been exposed to COVID-19, do not come to class! Contact me, and I can make sure that you stay up-to-date. If you receive a positive diagnosis, shelter in place. Stay home, and please notify me immediately. I will let you know what steps the College required of you, before you will be able to return to campus in person. 

Calendar

Additional Information

If a student scores below 70% on an exam or writing assignment, they may be required to attend tutoring per the instructor’s directions before being allowed to complete the next assigned work.

Please contact me if you have questions or problems that are impacting your performance in this class. As much as possible, I will be happy to help you. My contact information is at the top of this document.