Texas Government Syllabus for 2023-2024
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Instructor Information

Course Information

COVID-19 Protocols

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 .

Course

GOVT-2306-021 Texas Government

Prerequisites

Course Description

Origin and development of the Texas Constitution, structure and powers of state and local government, federalism and inter-governmental relations, political participation, the election process, public policy and the political culture of Texas.

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

Tech Supported

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Governing Texas, by Champagne, Harpham and Casellas

Supplies

You will need an computer and a high speed internet connection for this class.

Please take all quizzes and tests on a computer which has high speed internet service and is hard wired into your internet router. Taking the quiz or test on your cell phone or tablet greatly increases the likelihood you could be kicked off the AC/Blackboard website and you will not be allowed to reopen the quiz or test.

If you do not have a computer which is hard wired and has high speed internet service, you can take the quiz or test on one of the computers at the Moore County campus building or any of the other AC campuses’ computer centers. The staff at these locations will be happy to help you with this.

DO NOT TRY TO TAKE QUIZZES OR TESTS OR YOUR CELL PHONE OR TABLET! DOING THIS WILL GREATLY INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF BEING KICKED OUT THE BLACKBOARD WEBSITE. ONCE YOU CLOSE OUT OF A TEST YOU CANNOT REOPEN IT EVEN IF YOU HAVE TIME REMAINING.

Student Performance

See the grading criteria below.

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

Students are expected to act like adults. Please complete your work and take quizzes and tests when scheduled as there are NO MAKEUP QUIZZES OR TESTS!

Grading Criteria

GRADING CRITERIA

Each Video & Animation Quiz is 2% of the total grade or 26% of the total grade all together.

Chapter Tests are 15% of the total grade or 60% of the total grade all together.

The Final Exam is 14% of the total grade.

Attendance

The Census report is due on October 30, 2023, for this term. Since this is an online class, each student will need to attend the Zoom Class Meeting, Thursday, October 26, 2023, at 7 PM. If you do not attend this Zoom meeting, you will be reported absent and dropped from the class by the AC administration.  This is particularly important if you are a Quest student or receiving financial aid. You will receive a Zoom Meeting invite through your AC email address for this class meeting.

Do not miss this Zoom Class Meeting!!!!

Calendar

Additional Information

Welcome Texas Government Students, Summer II, 2023.

My name is David Green, and I will be your instructor for this course.

This course will be taught entirely online. A class schedule and explanation of the grading schema is attached to this email and is also included in the course syllabus on the AC website. Please download it and keep it where you will have access to it for this class.

The textbook you will need is Governing Texas, by Champagne, Harpham and Casellas. It is available at the Amarillo College Bookstore, and I recommend if you have not already purchased it that you buy it immediately because this is an eight-week class, and it is going to go extremely fast.

For each chapter in the textbook, except for chapter 14 which will not be covered,  a video lecture has been posted on the “Content” section of Blackboard, for you to  watch.

There will be four (4) chapters’ tests, (which will include more than one chapter in each chapters’ test), a quiz on each chapter, and a final exam in this course. Please see the grading schema, which is included with the class schedule and attached to this email for the dates and time of these tests and the chapters to be included in each chapters’ test. The final exam will be comprehensive, covering all the material tested in each chapter exam.

To aid you in your studies, also attached to this email, is a set of study questions for each chapter, except for chapter 14 which will not be covered. Your questions on each chapters’ test and the final exam will be taken directly from these study questions. Please read the Class Schedule carefully and become familiar with it.

You should download the student study questions so you will have them and read the textbook and find the answers to each question. If you do this, you will pass this course. Failure to find the answers to the study questions will result in your failure of this course!!!!

The final exam questions will be taken from each of the chapters’ tests.

Also, each chapter will have a quiz in the “Content” section of Blackboard to take. For each quiz there will be a video, animation, or “by the numbers chart”, to watch before taking the quiz, which can be accessed by a link you will find by clicking on the quiz in Blackboard.

Each Chapters’ test will have between 60 and 100 questions.

Each video or animation quiz contains only 4 to 5 questions, SO BE VERY CAREFUL IN WATCHING THE VIDEO OR ANIMATION AND IN ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS.

The final exam will have 100 questions.

You will only have ONE ATTEMPT at each quiz and Chapters’ test. Once you start a quiz or test, YOU MUST FINISH IT. You will not be able to close out and reopen the quiz, test, or exam, even if you still have time remaining!!!!  This will be just like taking a quiz or exam in an in-person class.

Each quiz or test is also timed. If you do not finish the quiz or test in the time allotted, Blackboard will close you out of the quiz or test and unanswered questions will be counted wrong.

Please take all quizzes and tests on a computer which has high speed internet service and is hard wired into your internet router. Taking the quiz or test on your cell phone or tablet greatly increases the likelihood you could be kicked off the AC/Blackboard website and you will not be allowed to reopen the quiz or test.

If you do not have a computer which is hard wired and has high speed internet service, you can take the quiz or test on one of the computers at the Moore County campus building or any of the other AC campuses’ computer centers. The staff at these locations will be happy to help you with this.

You may also use your Governing Texas textbook with each test, but each test has time limit, and you will still need to be prepared because there will not be enough time to look up each answer to each question if you have not studied the material.

There will be no makeup quizzes or tests given!!!!! Please review the class schedule now and make sure you have no problems with being available to take each quiz or test on the day it is scheduled!!!!

It is not an excuse that your internet connection failed or was interrupted!!!

It is not an excuse that you had to work!!!!

I will be available to answer any questions you may have by emailing me at d0235165@actx.edu or by calling me at 806-421-6171 between 9 AM and 7 PM each day, except Sunday. Please make sure to include your name, phone number and that you are in the Texas Government class in your phone message.

The Census report is due on October 30, 2023, for this term. Since this is an online class, each student will need to attend the Zoom Class Meeting, Thursday, October 26, 2023, at 7 PM. If you do not attend this Zoom meeting, you will be reported absent and dropped from the class by the AC administration.  This is particularly important if you are a Quest student or receiving financial aid. You will receive a Zoom Meeting invite through your AC email address for this class meeting.

Do not miss this Zoom Class Meeting!!!!

I hope you will find Texas Government interesting and informative.

If you have any questions, please contact me as stated above.

Good luck!!!

David Green