Office: Old Main 310 (Brenham campus)
Office hours: by appointment only
Telephone: 979-830-4210
(please use the e-campus email under the communications tab)
Government 2305 is a study of the organization, functions, and administration of the several branches and agencies of the national government, including a study of the federal constitution. The primary factors considered relate to the three branches of government -- judicial, executive, legislative -- major historical documents, the events that shaped the nation, and current events. Emphasis will be placed on the interaction of these subsystems.
Prerequisites: Appropriate score on the THEA test or alternative test or completion of READ 0306 with a grade of “C” or better. Credit: Three semester hours.
CORE CURRICULUM
This is a Core Course in the 42-Hour Core of Blinn College. As such, students will develop proficiency in the appropriate Intellectual Competencies, Exemplary Educational Objectives, and Perspectives. The URL for the Blinn College Core Curriculum web site is www.blinn.edu/corecurriculum.
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
After
completing Government 2305, the student
will:
|
·
Discuss the political culture and the economic,
social, ethnic, and geographic diversity of the state |
|
·
Trace the development of the current Texas
Constitution |
|
·
Examine local government, federalism, and
intergovernmental relationships |
|
·
Determine the role of ideology and political
parties in Texas |
|
·
Determine the role of interest groups and
individual political participation in Texas |
|
·
Explain the structure, roles and functions of
the Texas executive branch, including state agencies |
|
·
Identify the primary components of the Texas
legislature, its major functions and its effectiveness |
|
·
Analyze the structure, functions and
effectiveness of the Texas court system |
|
·
Evaluate policy formulation and implementation |
|
·
Evaluate fiscal policy matters such as taxing,
spending, and budgeting |
TEXTBOOK AND SUPPLIES
Ginsberg, Lowi and Weir. We the People, 7th edition. W.W. Norton. 2009.
NOTE: The bookstore is carrying the Texas edition of this book. If you prefer to get the regular text without Texas chapters, that is fine too!
COURSE CONTENT
The following is an outline of the material covered in this course:
Unit 1: American Political Culture, Constitution and Federalism, Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Unit 2: Public Opinion, Political Participation and Voting, Political Parties, Campaigns and Elections, and Interest Groups
Unit 3: Congress, The Presidency, The Courts
Unit 4: Public Policy
CIVILITY STATEMENT
Members of the Blinn College Community, which includes faculty, staff and students, are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all aspects of campus life. Blinn College holds all members accountable for their actions and words. Therefore, all members should commit themselves to behave in a manner that recognizes personal respect and demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights, and freedoms of every member of the College community, including respect for College property and the physical and intellectual property of others.
Civility notification statement: If a student is asked to leave the classroom because of uncivil behavior, the student may not return to that class until he or she arranges a conference with the instructor; it is the student’s responsibility to arrange for this conference.
NOTE: This statement includes the Ecampus classroom if the instructor feels the student’s behavior online is inappropriate.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS – READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY!!
Evaluation of student’s accomplishments in Government 2305 internet will consist of ten quizzes over assigned chapters, three discussion question answers, three rebuttals to another student’s discussion question answer, three web activities, three major exams, and a comprehensive final. Also, be sure to check your email/announcements regularly for extra credit opportunities. All assignments are completed online, including the exams, and can be accessed through the LESSONS tab on ecampus. There are time periods for all assignments and once the time is up, you cannot complete the assignment and will receive a zero.
You are responsible for the following assignments during each unit (see calendar at the end of the syllabus for dates):
· Read chapters and take notes, and review additional chapter study material
· Complete quizzes which are assigned and due weekly (you may work ahead if you prefer to do your quizzes early in the unit)
· Answer one discussion question (you may choose between the two posted)
· Write one rebuttal to another student’s discussion question answer (the rebuttal MUST be written for the question you did not answer. For example, if you answered chapter 1 discussion, you need to write a rebuttal for chapter 4 discussion)
· Complete one web activity (you may choose between the two posted)
· Complete exam at the end of the unit
Additional
information for discussions, rebuttals, and web activities:
· Each posting must be at least 200 words in length – while quality of content is the primary factor considered in grading, I am also VERY picky on the length
· Please check grammar and spelling before posting -- do NOT write like you text message – that is a BAD habit and I will not accept essays written that way.
· When offering a rebuttal, please reply to that student’s discussion question posting and be clear that you are writing a rebuttal and what specifically you disagree with from the student’s answer.
· ALL DISCUSSION QUESTION ANSWERS, REBUTTALS, AND WEB ACTIVITES NEED TO BE POSTED ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD.
· Personal attacks of any kind or profanity will not be tolerated and will result in you receiving a zero for the discussion question, rebuttal, and/or web activity. You can disagree with each other but please be respectful and realize that you will encounter different opinions and you need to respect everyone’s opinion even if you disagree.
Time Limits:
Quizzes: 30 minutes for 10 questions (you may use the text)
Discussion questions and rebuttals: Only open during the unit in which assigned
Web Activities: Only open during the unit in which assigned
Exams: open for only 72 hours at the end of each unit and you will have approximately 75 minutes to complete the exam
Grading for GOVT 2305 will based on a point system worth a total of 590 points. Dates and deadlines are listed on the calendar.
Three discussion question answers 30 points
Three rebuttals 30 points
Three web activities 30 points
Three major exams (100 pts each): 300 points
Comprehensive Final: 100 points
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TOTAL: 590 points
531-590: A
472-530: B
413-471: C
354-412: D
less than 354: F
BLINN COLLEGE POLICIES
ATTENDANCE POLICY
The College District believes that class attendance is essential for student success; therefore, students are required to promptly and regularly attend all their classes. Each class meeting builds the foundation for subsequent class meetings. Without full participation and regular class attendance, students shall find themselves at a severe disadvantage for achieving success in college. If a student has one week’s worth of unexcused absences during the semester, he/she will be sent an e-mail by the College requiring the student to contact his/her instructor and schedule a conference immediately to discuss his/her attendance issues. Should the student accumulate two weeks worth of unexcused absences, he/she will be administratively withdrawn from class. Excused absences recognized by Blinn College include: representation at an official Blinn College approved activity; representation at an official ISD approved activity; religious holy day; military service.
Yes,
there is an attendance policy for this course. You are responsible for
completing unit assignments during the designated time period in this
class. At the end of the designated time period, all assignments will be
locked. Remember, all your grades are based on “participation” (i.e.
doing the assignments) so attendance in this virtual classroom is
required! Also, students who get in a habit of logging on regularly and
completing the assignments in a timely manner are the ones who will do well in
the class! I will monitor attendance in this virtual classroom by
reviewing assignments completed in each unit. First, I will review your
quizzes weekly since those are only open for one week. Secondly, I will also review your discussion,
rebuttal, and web activity at the end of each unit.
So,
after each week, if you missed a quiz, you will be reported as missing one week
worth of class. After each week thereafter, the same policy will
apply. After each unit, I will also review the discussions, rebuttals,
and web activities and the same policy applies.
Do your work and there will not be any problems.
Any ONE assignment missed = ONE week of absences. Any TWO or more assignments missed = TWO weeks of absences and you are dropped from class.
SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY
Any student caught engaging in scholastic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, or collusion) will be dealt with according to the Scholastic Dishonesty Policy. If there is any indication that you have engaged in scholastic dishonesty, you will receive a zero for the assignment and/or course. Do the work yourself, not in collaboration with anyone else!
MAKEUP POLICY
A student who is absent from class for observation of a religious holy day, representing the College District at an official institutional function, a high school student representing the independent school district at an official institutional function, and/or military service will be allowed to make up any missed assignments within one week after the absence (instructor policy). However, since the assignments are available for a designated time period, there should be no reason you can’t complete the assignment BEFORE you leave since you know about the absence in advance. No make-ups for anyone else.
ADA STATEMENT
Blinn College would like to help students with disabilities achieve their highest potential in college. In order to receive accommodations on exams or assignments, proper documentation must first be provided to the Office of Disability Services. You must then self-identify and conference with me to begin receiving accommodations in the class.
COMPUTER ACCESS
You will need access to a computer for this class! Having computer problems is not an excuse for not completing the assignments. If you are having technical problems logging on, saving answers, etc., please contact the Distance Learning Office (979-209-7298 or http://www.blinn.edu/disted) as soon as your problem occurs. If you are kicked offline for some reason, please document what happened and SEND THAT INFORMATION TO ME VIA THE COURSE EMAIL SYSTEM, and then try to log in again. Please send me this documentation right away, especially if it interferes with your assignments.
EMAIL AND ANNOUNCEMENTS THROUGH ECAMPUS
You need to check your email and announcements regularly through the in class (ecampus) email system – under the communications tab. Do not send attachments.
CALENDAR
UNIT 1:
August 31-October 3
Assignments:
1. Read the syllabus
2. Get your textbook
3. EXTRA CREDIT: Email your instructor the following through the ecampus email system by Saturday, September 5th at midnight. This email is worth 5 bonus points!!
· your name
· your regular email address
· what experience have you had with internet courses?
· what textbook do you need for the course?
· how many quizzes you will be completing in this course?
· what is the length for discussion question answers and rebuttals?
· how many discussions, rebuttals, and web activities do you need to complete (of each)?
· what is the make-up policy for the course?
· what is the attendance policy for the course?
· what will happen to a student if he/she gets caught cheating on quizzes or exams?
· what are the dates for exam #1, exam #2, exam #3, and the final exam?
· who was my son was named after?
· how old is my daughter?
· Finally, tell me one exciting thing about yourself!
1. Read Chapters 1-5 (see reading tips for all chapters), take notes, and review all chapter material
2. Complete quizzes: Chapters 2 (due Sept 12th), 3 (due Sept 19th), 4 (due Sept 26th), and 5 (due Oct 3rd)
3. Complete ONE discussion question, write ONE rebuttal, and complete ONE web activities – remember that you can select which one to complete from those posted
4. Exam #1 (Chapters 1-5) – Open to complete from Thursday, October 1st at 12:00 a.m. through Saturday, October 3rd at 11:55 p.m.
UNIT 2:
October 4-31
Assignments:
1. Read Chapters 6, 8-11 (see reading tips for all chapters), take notes, and review all chapter material
2. Complete quizzes: Chapters 8 (due Oct 10th), 10 (due Oct 17th), and 11 (due Oct 24th)
3. Complete ONE discussion question, write ONE rebuttal, and complete ONE web activities – remember that you can select which one to complete from those posted
4. Exam #2 (Chapters 6, 8-11) – Open to complete from Thursday, October 29th at 12:00 a.m. through Saturday, October 31st at 11:55 p.m.
UNIT 3:
November 1-24
Assignments:
1. Read Chapters 12-13, and 15 (see reading tips for all chapters), take notes, and review all chapter material
2. Complete quizzes, Chapters 12 (due Nov 7th), 13 (due Nov 14th) and 15 (due Nov 21st)
3. Complete ONE discussion question, write ONE rebuttal, and complete ONE web activities – remember that you can select which one to complete from those posted
4. Exam #3 (Chapters 12-13, 15) – Open to complete from Sunday, November 22nd at 12:00 a.m. through Tuesday, November 24th at 11:55 p.m.
UNIT 4:
November 29-December 10
Assignments:
1. Read Chapters 16–18 (see reading tips for all chapters)
FINAL EXAM
December 11-14
1. Prepare for the final exam! (see final exam review)
2. FINAL EXAM – Open to complete from Friday, December 11th at 12:00 a.m. through Monday, December 14th at 11:55 p.m.
HAVE A GREAT SEMESTER!!!