Contact me anytime 8am-10pm, M-Su
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 Student Service Center office 112. 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 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.
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
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.
Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016
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.
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 .
GOVT-2305-007 United States Government
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
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.
(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)
Online Course
Government By the People, 2020 Presidential Elections Edition, 27e
No supplies available
No performance information available
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".
No behavior expectations available
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
Start Here/Orientation Activities (20 points):
Read everything in the start here menu, do the Introductory Discussion Forum, then take the Orientation quiz. At the end of the course, do the Concluding Discussion Forum.
Chapter Exams (425 points):
There are 17 chapter exams in this course. Work hard and study hard to understand the material and you will give yourself the best chance to do well on the chapter exam. Each student will have two attempts per exam. The higher grade will be recorded. If you do not finish an attempt, it may count as a zero. There are 25 multiple-choice questions per exam. Each exam is worth 25 points. You will have 30 minutes to complete each exam. The exam questions are pulled from a larger group of questions; therefore, no two attempts will have the exact same questions. By design, there is not enough time to look up each and every question, so study prior to taking the exam. The exams are automated; they are generated from a pool of hundreds of questions. The grade will post immediately after submission.
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 exams. 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 a pic with your evidence 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, I’ll refer you to them.
Written Projects (275 points)
There are four written projects for the course.
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 (255 points)
Each Unit discussion board is worth 15 points. To get the full credit, write a 250-300-word response (use your software program 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 (see plagiarism information below). If you do quote the textbook or other sources, be sure to use parenthetical citation or footnotes for proper attribution.
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 three times per week and comment on someone else’s post at least three 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.
Login three times per week.
Course Schedule
Next to each unit is the time allotted for that unit’s work to be completed. All Deadlines are by 11:59pm on the date indicated. Failure to do work by the deadline may result in a 0 or reduced grade for that assignment. It is highly suggested you work ahead of schedule so as to be prepared for any emergencies that might occur.
“Start Here” Activities
Plagiarism Tutorial (due 10-27)
Read the Syllabus (due 10-27)
Introductory Discussion Board (due 10-27)
Join Facebook Group (due 10-27)
Orientation Quiz (due 10-27)
Unit I - Foundations
Chapter 1 Readings, Power Point, Discussion Forum and Exam (due 10-29)
Chapter 2 Readings, Power Point, Discussion Forum and Exam (due 11-1)
Chapter 3 Readings, Power Point, Discussion Forum and Exam (due 11-3)
Chapter 4 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 11-6)
Unit II – Political Behavior
Chapter 5 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 11-9)
Written Assignment #1: Interest Group Project (due 11-10)
Chapter 6 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 11-12)
Chapter 7 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 11-15)
Chapter 8 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 11-18)
Chapter 9 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 11-21)
Unit III – Institutions
Chapter 10 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 11-24)
Written Assignment #2: Legislative Profiles (due 11-25)
Chapter 11 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 11-29)
Written Assignment #3: Executive Profile (due 11-30)
Chapter 12 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 12-2)
Chapter 13 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 12-5)
Chapter 14 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 12-8)
Chapter 15 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 12-11)
Written Assignment #4: Supreme Court Project (due 12-12)
Unit IV - Policy
Chapter 16 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 12-14)
Chapter 17 Readings, PowerPoint, Discussion Forum, Exam, Facebook Posts/Comments (due 12-16)
Concluding Discussion Forum (due 12-16)
Alternate Film Project (for those who did not do Facebook (due 12-16)
Note: The professor reserves the right to make changes or modifications, if necessary, to this syllabus.
No additional information available
10/21/21 7:59 PM
10/21/21 8:00 PM