NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title: FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Course Prefix & Number: GOVT2305	Section Number:  408	Semester:FA16
Semester Credit Hours: 3	Lecture Hours: 3	Lab Hours: N/A
Course Description (NCTC Catalog): 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. 48 lecture hours.
Course Prerequisite(s): None
Required Materials: We the People (ebook with Connect Plus Access Card) by Thomas E. Patterson, McGraw Hill, 11th edition, ISBN: 9781259563614    ** Students can order a full color loose leaf book for an additional $15 directly from McGraw Hill when registering Connect Access

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Jennifer Danley-Scott, Ph.D.
Campus/Office Location:	n/a
Telephone Number:	n/a
E-mail Address:	Jdanley-scott@nctc.edu

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
3	exams (125 points each)	375
10	weekly modules  (50 points each)       *	500
1	Research paper	125

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

	At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
	Explain the origin and development of constitutional democracy in the United States.
	Demonstrate knowledge of the federal system.
	Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice.
	Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government.
	Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties.
	Analyze the election process.
	Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
	Analyze issues and policies in U.S. politics.
	Research and compose an essay assignment/argument using proper grammar/English and basic computer skills.

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY

 

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.  Absence does not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work.  Dropping a course is the student's responsibility, but you MAY be dropped for excessive absence.  See Attendance Regulations in the North Central Texas College Catalog.

 

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

 

 

 

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is _______________.

 

DISABILITY SERVICES (OSD)

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students who have a documented disability. On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 or call 940-668-4209.  Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online campuses should call 940-668-4209.

North Central Texas College is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112).   http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices/Disabilityservices.aspx

 

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA______________________________           

 

o         Communication

o         Mathematics              

o         Life and Physical Science

o         Language, Philosophy & Culture

o         Creative Arts

 

o         American History

X         Government/Political Science

o         Social and Behavioral Sciences

o         Component Area Option

 

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES

 

X             Critical Thinking

X            Communication

o           Empirical and Quantitative

 

o           Teamwork

X            Personal Responsibility

X            Social Responsibility

 

COURSE TYPE

o           Academic General Education Course (from ACGM but not in NCTC Core)

x        Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course

o        WECM Course

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook. http://nctc.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2014-2015/Catalog/North-Central-Texas-College-Student-Handbook

 

 

Name of Chair/Coordinator:	Donna Hooper
Office Location:	Corinth 209
Telephone Number:	940-498-6266
E-mail Address:	dhooper@nctc.edu
Name of Instructional Dean:	Dr. Larry Gilbert
Office Location:	Corinth 305
Telephone Number:	940-498-6216
E-mail Address:	lgilbert@nctc.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COURSE ACTIVITIES

Activities, Assignments, and Grading Policy

This course will utilize team based learning, which means you will be assigned to a group of 5 to 7 and you will work with the group throughout the semester. A small part of your grade will be derived from your group activities/performance and the majority of your grade will be based on your attendance, performance on exams, and reading/research quizzes. It is important for you to complete your weekly reading and work so that you do well on your individual tests, but also so that you can help your group.

 

This class is not one where you can skip class and skip readings, but it is one that will help you connect with the material and have a little fun. While an A will require real effort, it isn’t difficult to pass this class if you complete the work and attend regularly. If you don’t complete the weekly work and skip classes, you will fail. It is also likely that you will make new friends and find study partners. Many of my students leave class with a list of new contacts, which will hopefully help you throughout your years at NCTC.

 

You will be responsible for all material presented in Canvas, lecture, and the readings.  You will required to watch online videos, perform online activities, complete exams and written assignments, and be actively involved in group and individual activities inside lecture periods. Late work will not be accepted, as I will drop the lowest module grade.  There are no retakes or resubmissions of work in this class. Please keep all electronic documents and files until your final grade is posted at the end of the semester. If there are discrepancies between the recorded grade and the actual grade, it will be your responsibility to prove the recorded grade is in error. If you disagree with a grade, an argument must be explained in writing and e-mailed to me within one week of the grade posting. Extra credit assignments will not be given on a student-by-student basis. If you feel you are doing poorly in the class, please speak with me to discuss how to improve your performance. 

 

Grades are received based on the number of points you have at the end of the term. Students will accumulate points and there are 1000 points to be earned. The grade breakdown is:

 

 

A    900-1000                       B    800-899                          C    700-799                          D  600-699                           F  599 & below

 

 

 

Your grade will be composed of:

3 exams (125 points each)                               375

Weekly quizzes in Canvas                               150

10 weekly modules  (35 points each)              350

Research paper                                            125

 

 

The exams will be multiple choice, fill in the blank, and written. There are no re-takes of the test. If you miss a test due to illness, freeway accident, etc., you will be allowed to take a make-up, but the test will be different and will increase in difficult the longer it is postponed.  A review for both will be provided online. Material will come from the textbook, lectures, online class materials, and class activities. You must bring a picture ID (drivers license, NCTC ID, professional ID, etc.) on the days of the exams to prove you are the person registered for the class.

 

The research paper will be a 3 to 5 page paper that researches your US House or Senate representative Instructions will be in Canvas.

 

The weekly quizzes will be reading / research quizzes in Canvas (15 points per week over 11 weeks). The reading/research quizzes in Canvas will be due on Sunday evenings by 11:59 p.m. I do not accept late quizzes, as there will be one extra quiz to help if you miss a week.

 

The weekly modules will consist of the total sum of the following activities, each week:

• In class individual readiness test (10 points)
• In class group readiness test (10 points)
• In class group activity (15 points)

In class activities (readiness tests / activities) cannot be made up. To help with the inevitable illness, I will drop the lowest weekly module score. There will be 11 modules over the term. If you must miss more class due to hospitalization, you will need to provide hospitalization paperwork and we will create alternate testing. Each Thursday will be team day (if this needs to be changed, I will email the class), although we may do additional team activities if time and material allows.

 

 

* Students must treat their groupmates with respect. While my students have always been respectful of one another, the following are the policies on group respect:

 

If multiple students in your group complain about your performance, you will receive a warning. If there are more complaints, you will be removed from your group and will work alone or with another group (at the instructor’s  discretion) for the remainder of the semester.

 

If students complain about behavior that is harassing or inappropriate, you will be asked to leave for the remainder of the class and speak with me before returning to the group. If the behavior requires you to leave class, you may forfeit the group activity and test scores for that day.

 

** Signing in for another students will result in a 0 for you and for the other student on the weekly module, and that weekly module will not be eligible for dropping. You will also be sent to the Dean on a student conduct violation. I will do occasional cross-checks on attendance and group activity sheets, so if you are in class for the activity, be sure to also take the individual test.