NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title:	Federal Government
Course Prefix & Number:		GOVT2305	Section Number:	310	Semester/Year:	18Sum2
Semester Credit Hours:		3	Lecture Hours:	3	Lab Hours:	0
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.
Course Prerequisite(s): None
Required Course Materials: Patterson, Thomas E.  We the People. 12th edition. McGraw Hill. (E-book with Connect Plus Access) ISBN 9781260200607

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

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

 

OFFICE HOURS

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
	8-9 p.m. online		8 to 9 p.m. online
Or online by appointment - please email.

 

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog

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 an understanding of our 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 in the political system.
	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.

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
3	Unit tests	125 points each
3	Discussion posts	40 points each
1	Research project	150 points
20	Discussion responses to peers	5 points each
3	Three posted research activities	20 points each
Varied	Connect (Learnsmart reading questions, chapter quizzes, and activities) and Canvas (research activities) work at 5 points each.	195 points total

 

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)

 

Breakdown of points and grades
The class is divided into 1000 points.

• Each unit test will be worth 125 points. There are 3 tests for a total of 375 points.
• Each unit will contain several short quizzes and activities, for a total of 195 points.
• Three discussion posts answering initial questions worth 40 points each, for a total of 120 points. 
• Three research activities with data posted into the discussion board, worth 20 points each, for a total of 60 points.
• At least 20 thoughtful discussion follow up responses - in which you respond to classmates' posts -will be worth 5 points each for a total of 100 points. You may respond to any thread you want, but you spread them out and include at least 5 different threads. (To put it another way, you cannot respond to 5 posts in the same discussion thread. Pick different threads/topics.) I would suggest trying to respond to a classmate each time you do a post in a new topic to ensure you don't forget this requirement.
• One research project will be worth 150 points.

 

Because this class is online, there is a slightly larger amount of written work than if this were a standard class. The writing helps me to determine whether you're on the right track with the material. It isn't busy work...think of it as me asking questions during lecture or doing a 10 minute in-class writing.

 

This class is an accumulation of points. There will be around 1010 points to earn in the class. Below are the cut-offs for letter grades.

 

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

 

Grades are normally completed within 3 days of an assignment's due date. If grading will take longer than 3 days, an announcement will be posted to let you know when you can expect the grades. Unit 1 work will be graded within 48 hours, so please check back to make sure you are meeting expectations, both for me and for yourself.

 

Course deadline dates are  in Canvas in the form of a unit checklists. Checklists will appear at the beginning of each unit module. 

 

 

Email and Class Etiquette

I will hold office hours online and by appointment. If you need to email me about something personal or not appropriate for the discussion boards, please use my campus email (jdanley-scott@nctc.edu) to contact me. I attempt to answer emails within 8 hours, but do reserve a window of up to 48 hours. Please be sure to put your name and class in each email so that I can quickly establish which course you are contacting me about. Please write in a formal style, with proper grammar and spelling.  (I am terrible at interpreting text-message-speak, so please spell out all the words.) If you are contacting me about a grade or a discussion of your progress in the class, please use your NCTC email account. (Anyone can create a Yahoo or Gmail account and say that they are you.) For FERPA reasons, I cannot send personal information to any email account but your NCTC account.

 

Use of Online Plagiarism Checkers

This class may use online plagiarism checkers via Canvas.

 

Technological Expectations

This course requires you to have working knowledge of a computer, email, the Internet, Canvas (including Turnitin, Wikis, and discussion boards), a word processor, and a video player. In order to use Canvas, you will need a Pentium processor or better, Windows or MacOS, cable modem or high speed Internet connection, sound capability (sound card and speakers), and a compatible web browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Chrome, etc.). You will also need access to Pioneer Portal for email correspondence. Students will have 5 days at the beginning of the course to make sure that their computer system is compatible with Canvas and the course material. The class uses YouTube to deliver short video lectures. Readings and supplemental materials are in PDF format, which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.  If you have problems, please contact me so that we can find solutions during the first week.  In order to use Canvas, the following computer system requirements are needed: Pentium processor or better Windows or MacOS, cable modem or high speed Internet connection, sound capability (sound card and speakers), compatible web browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Chrome, etc.). You will need access to Pioneer Portal for all student email correspondence.  To use Canvas Meetings for group meetings, synchronous discussions and office hours, you must have sound capabilities. If you wish to use the audio feature, you will need a microphone or webcam. 

 

Technology Requirements

This class will require you to use the Internet to listen to online lectures (via YouTube), complete research, and access Canvas for assignments. It is possible that this may not be accessible on a tablet or smartphone, so please have access to a computer either at your residence or on campus.

 

Activities, Assignments, and Grading Policy:  All material (reading, lecture, videos, Connect activities, etc.) in each unit are required unless marked optional. Any optional activities will be marked accordingly.  All due dates are listed in the unit checklists. Research assignment may be turned in late, but will lose 20% per day from the given grade. If you miss a test, please have documentation ready to show the emergency; you will receive 33% less time for each day you delay the test without proper documentation. 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 arguments must be explained in writing and e-mailed to me within 4 days of the grade posting. Extra credit assignments will not be given on a student-by-student basis, regardless of the situation. Retakes and resubmissions will not be allowed. If you feel you are doing poorly in the class, please speak with me to discuss how to improve your performance.  This syllabus may be amended at the discretion of the instructor.  If you feel overwhelmed, confused, or would just like more information on government, please stop by and see me!

 Tests

In each unit, there will be a unit test. Each unit test will be objective and in Connect, covering the material from the unit. The tests will be open book, but will have a relatively short time limit. (The purpose of an open book test is to make the test fair for all, not to make the test easy. You will need to study, as you would for a closed book test.) The tests will have a window of time (for example, from 9 a.m. to midnight) for completion. Please plan ahead so that you can test in the time frame; if work conflicts arise, please email me asap. There will be questions on the readings and questions from lectures and activities.

 

Quizzes and Activities 

In each section, there will be quizzes and activities in Connect that you can take to see how you're doing on the material and get a feel for the type of questions I might ask on the test. They are open book, and you will have no time limit for completing the quiz. Some of these quizzes will test information while others may ask you to input findings from research activities. Instructions will let you know what to do before you begin the quiz.

 

Discussion Post Grades
Posts will be graded on a scale as poor (~18 points), good (~24 points), strong (~30 points).  To be judged as strong, the post must completely answer the question in a thoughtful manner with evidence to back up the argument with an example from the reading or activity. These posts should be at least 10 to 12 sentences with a citation. Please proofread. Ideally, you should complete them as you go through the unit, but their due dates are posted in the checklists. Posts cannot be turned in late unless you have documentation for your absence; if you have an excused absence that covers the due date, you will have 3 days to complete the late post(s).  The discussion board lists threads for the entire semester. Only complete the threads for the current unit; the threads are listed in the unit checklist. Do not work ahead.

 

Response Posting Grades
Posts will be graded on a scale as poor (5 points) or weak (2 points). These may be shorter than your initial posting. They do not have to have an example, but should be 4 to 5 sentences of actual discussion. I grade these at the very end of the term, unless you are done early and email me to request early grading. Once I grade, I do not regrade, so be sure you have all 20. You may respond to your peers in any of the 4 posts or the 3 activities. I will only grade 5 per post or activity, so spread out your responses to at least 4 topics.

 

Project
Please be sure to follow all instructions on the assignments. Projects can be completed as a paper and submitted online, or in alternate formats, as approved by the instructor. Assignment due date will be on the online assignment links and the class calendar. Assignments can be turned in late, but will be docked 40 points per 24 hours that they are late from the grade you earned. Example: If you turn in a paper at 5 p.m., the day after the due date, and your grade would have been 140/150, you will get a 100/150.  If you have an excused absence for the day or and/or week leading up to the assignment's due date, you will receive a 3 day extension.  I strongly suggest that you write all assignments in a word processing document (Word or Wordperfect) before you submit them online. Assignment are sometimes lost during upload and Canvas can time out if you work in the submission browser. By working in a separate document and saving periodically, your work will be safe and you will have a back up file. 

Projects are expected to be 3 to 5 double spaced pages in length. They should have specific examples and citations. It is important that you write your assignments in a formal writing style. Even short assignments will have a component of the grade dedicated to grammar and style. This is an upper division course, so you are expected to cite your research and place quotes around material (even just clauses) taken from others' work. You may use MLA, APA, APSA, or any other recognized citation format.

The project will ask you to do activities, complete research, and formulate arguments that address these objects. It will be graded by rubrics, so that you can see how your grade was derived. The grades will be derived based on a rubric, which will allow you to score on a four points scale, ranging from "Poorly demonstrates mastery" to "Highly demonstrates mastery." You will be able to see the rubric before submitting the assignment, so you will know what you are being graded on. Please see Canvas for the prompt and further information. 

 

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:  For a distance education class, an absence is defined as not logging into Canvas at least once weekly.

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

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)_______     

 

          Communication

          Mathematics              

          Life and Physical Science

          Language, Philosophy & Culture

          Creative Arts

 

X          Government/Political Science

          Social and Behavioral Sciences

          Component Area Option

          American History

 

 

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES (For classes in the Core)

 

X          Critical Thinking

          Communication

          Empirical and Quantitative

 

          Teamwork

X          Personal Responsibility

X          Social Responsibility

 

COURSE TYPE

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

X          Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course

          WECM Course

 

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook and published online.

 

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

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)]”. 

 

 In this class, the following is considered academic dishonesty: recycling of work used in this course or previous courses, copying from books or websites or other students' work, copying quotes from one source but attributing it to another, fabricating sources or quotes, and unauthorized collaboration or editing of writing. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, please talk with me before you panic and make an error.

 

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS

Name of Chair/Coordinator:	Crystal R.M. Wright
Office Location:	Gainesville Campus, Room 824
Telephone Number:	940-668-7731, ext. 4320
E-mail Address:	cwright@nctc.edu
Name of Instructional Dean:	Dr. Larry Gilbert
Office Location:	Corinth Campus, Room 305
Telephone Number:	940-498-6216
E-mail Address:	lgilbert@nctc.edu