NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
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Course Title:
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American National Government
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Course Prefix & Number:
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GOVT2305
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Section Number:
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352 |
Semester/Year:
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fall 17 |
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Semester Credit Hours:
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3
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Lecture Hours:
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3
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Lab Hours:
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0
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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.
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Course Prerequisite(s): None
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Required or Recommended Course Materials:
Thomas E Patterson. We the People (ebook with Connect Plus Access) 12th edition
McGraw Hill
ISBN 1259439186
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INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
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Name of Instructor:
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Charles Cooper - @Thrasymachus on twitter |
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Campus/Office Location:
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Online - Corinth by appt. |
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Telephone Number:
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214-621-5914 |
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E-mail Address:
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Please use the CANVAS email system |
OFFICE HOURS
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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7-9 PM |
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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog
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At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
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Explain the origin and development of constitutional democracy in the United States.
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Demonstrate an understanding of our federal system.
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Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice.
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Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government.
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Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in the political system.
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Analyze the election process.
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Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
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Analyze issues and policies in U.S. Politics.
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Research and compose an essay assignment/argument using proper grammar/English and basic computer skills.
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ATTENDANCE POLICY
Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered. All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor. It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member. Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence. Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work. Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor. A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam. Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives. Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)
Additional Instructor-specific Absence Policy:
Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is November 23rd.
DISABILITY SERVICES (Office for Students with Disabilities)
The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).
Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc. Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.
For support, please contact the counselors at (940) 498-6207 or (940) 668-4321. Alternatively, students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 in Gainesville.
CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core)_______
o Communication
o Mathematics
o Life and Physical Science
o Language, Philosophy & Culture
o Creative Arts
X Government/Political Science
o Social and Behavioral Sciences
o Component Area Option
o American History
REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES (For classes in the Core)
X Critical Thinking
o 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
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook and published online.
Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion. Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty. See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”.
Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. Once a preponderance of evidence is obtained, the academically dishonest student will be dropped from the course and all necessary and pertinent paperwork will be filed.
QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS
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Name of Chair/Coordinator:
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Crystal R.M. Wright
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Office Location:
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Gainesville Campus, Room 824
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Telephone Number:
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940-668-7731, ext. 4320
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E-mail Address:
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cwright@nctc.edu
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Name of Instructional Dean:
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Dr. Larry Gilbert
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Office Location:
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Corinth Campus, Room 305
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Telephone Number:
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940-498-6216
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E-mail Address:
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lgilbert@nctc.edu
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GRADING CRITERIA
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# of Graded Course Elements
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Graded Course Elements
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Percentage or Point Values
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8
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Exams *Any discussions, debates, or issues presented “in class” may be included in an exam.
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40%
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3
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Graded Written Assignments – The three assignments will all be written and submitted into Canvas. There will be at least one research paper. Please take care to cite your sources.
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25%
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17
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Learn Smart Assignments – One Learn Smart Assignment per chapter per week. Questions are randomly chosen from large bank.
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20%
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17
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Weekly Forum Discussions – Two posts due per chapter: one is your original reflection with citations from the textbook or a reputable online news source and the second is a response to another student’s reflection.
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15%
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Grading Policy & Procedures
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Exams - All exams will be online through McGraw-Hill Connect via Canvas. They will be multiple choice exams. Your exam average will constitute 50% of your final course grade. There will be no extra credit (on the exam or elsewhere) and no make-up test dates.
GWAs - Your graded written assignment (gwa) average will constitute 20% of your final course grade. Any graded written assignment not completed (ie. Not submitted in the appropriate manner) will be calculated as a zero. Whether the assignment (any assignment) has been completed on your side does not matter if it is not submitted before the due date. No make-up grades or extra credit grades will be offered for any missed GWA’s.
Discussion Forums - Your discussion board participation grade average will constitute the remaining 15% of the final course grade. If you do not participate in the discussion boards a zero will be placed in the grade book for that particular “absence” for that particular assignment. No make-up grade or extra credit grades will be offered for these missed assignments. To get full credit for discussion forums you will need to complete two tasks. First, fully address the prompt at the top of the forum (this will be due by midnight each Wednesday). You will need to either cite a page number in the textbook or add a link to a reputable online news site that supports your statement or comment. Second, you will need to reply to another student’s initial post (this will be due by midnight each Sunday). In your reply to another student (your second post), your reply will need to be as academically sound as your first post. In other words, you will need to build upon another students first post, not simply “agree” or “disagree” with them. Please email me with questions if this is unclear. I will also clarify further in my first video post to the class. Each of these tasks is worth 50% of the 100% possible points. Posting only once will get you 50% of the total points. All students are expected to participate in each discussion forum. Your first post will be due before midnight Wednesday of each week. Your second post will be due before midnight Sunday of each week.
(Connect) Learn Smart and (Connect) Assignments - These resources are here to help you in this course. They will not be graded. However, since I do not offer extra credit, if you need a couple extra points at the end of the semester, having these assignments completed will show how serious you are about the class.
Chapter Quizzes - These are available to take as calibration tools for the exam. Chapter quizzes ARE NOT graded. They do not count in your overall grade, but can help you get ready for exams.
Campus Connect Assignments - These ARE NOT graded, but can help you better understand the content.
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CANVAS/CONNECT ACCESS: All students must have complete access to Canvas for the entire semester. It is the student’s responsibility to have access to the internet at all times, as well as having all needed programs to complete an online course. Students are not to give any other person access to his/her Canvas account. Students can be removed from the online course immediately up violating this rule. Once a student has given another person access to his/her canvas account, the credibility of any work completed becomes questionable.
Connect Access- The textbook, Learn Smart, and Connect activities are all maintained within the McGraw Hill Connect System. Students need to be enrolled immediately in Connect, which can be purchased at the bookstore, or online directly from McGraw Hill from Canvas. Temporary access can be used directly from Connect McGraw Hill for 14 days from the first day of class. Students must be enrolled by the end of day 1, as assignments are due immediately.
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Tentative Course Schedule
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Week 1
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Date:
8-28 to 9-3
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Read: Chapter 1
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(Connect - Not Grade) Ch 1 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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(Canvas) Chapter 1 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due Midnight Sun
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(Connect) Learn Smart:
Chapter 1
Due on Sunday
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(Canvas) Graded Written Assignment #1
Due 10-8
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(Connect - Not Graded) Assignment Chapter 1
This resource is to help you, but is not graded.
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Unit Exams
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Week 2
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9-4 to 9-10
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Read: Chapter 2
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Ch 2 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 2 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter 2
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Assignment Chapter 2
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Unit 1
Opens Friday September 8th
Closes Midnight Sunday September 10th
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Week 3
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9-11 to 9-17
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Read: Chapter 3
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Ch 3 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 3 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter 3
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Assignment Chapter 3
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Week 4
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9-18 to 9-24
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Read: Chapter 4
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Ch 4 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 4 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter 4
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Assignment Chapter 4
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Unit 2
Opens Friday September 22nd
Closes Midnight Sunday September 24th
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Week 5
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9-25 to 10-1
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Read: Chapter 5
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Ch 5 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 5 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter 5
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Assignment Chapter 5
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Week 6
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10-2 to 10-8 |
Read: Chapters
6
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Ch 6 Quiz -
Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 6
Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter
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GWA #1 Due 10-8
GWA #2 Due 10-29
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Assignment Chapters
6
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Unit 3
Opens Friday Oct 6th
Closes Midnight Sunday Oct 8th
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Week 7
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10-9 to 10-15 |
Read: Chapter 7
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Ch 7 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 7 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter 7
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Assignment Chapter 7
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Week 8
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10-16 to 10-22 |
Read: Chapter 8
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Ch 8 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 8 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter 8
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Assignment Chapter 8
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Unit 4
Opens Friday Oct 20th
Closes Midnight Sunday Oct 22nd
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Week 9
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10-23 to 10-29
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Read: Chapter 9
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Ch 9 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 9 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter 9
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GWA #2 Due 10-29
GWA #3 Due 12-11
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Assignment Chapter 9
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Week 10
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10-30 to 11-5 |
Read: Chapter 10
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Ch 10 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 10 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter 10
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Assignment Chapter 10
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Unit 5 Exam
Opens Friday November 3rd
Closes Midnight Sunday November 5th
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Week 11
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11-6 to 11-12
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Read: Chapters
11
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Ch 11 Quiz -
Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 11 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter 11
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Assignment Chapters 11
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Week 12
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11-13 to 11-19
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Read: Chapter 12
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Ch 12 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 12 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter 12
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Assignment Chapter 12
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Unit 6 -
Opens Friday November 17th
Closes Midnight Sunday November 19th
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Week 13
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11-20 to 11-26
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Read: Chapter 13
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Ch 13 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 13 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter 13
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Assignment Chapter 13
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Week 14
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11-27 to 12-3
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Read: Chapter 14
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Ch 14 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 14 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Chapter 14
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Assignment Chapter 14
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Unit 7
Opens Friday December 1st
Closes Midnight Sunday December 3rd
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Week 15
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12-4 to 10
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Read: Chapter 15
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Chapter 15 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 15 Discussion Forum
1st Post Due Midnight Weds
2nd Post Due Midnight Sunday
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Chapter 15
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Assignment
Chapter 15
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Week 16
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12-11 to 12-14
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Read: Chapter 16
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Ch 16 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Thursday
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Chapter 16 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Thurs
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Chapter 16
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GWA #3 Due 12-11
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Assignment Chapter 16
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Unit 8
Opens Monday December 12th
Closes Midnight Thursday December 14th
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