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)]”. 

 

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.  Students 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)

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.

 

Last day to withdraw from this course with a “W” is April 3, 2020.

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.

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Counseling and Testing staff offer a variety of services to current and prospective students, such as College 101, placement testing, academic advising and course registration, transfer assistance, and College Success seminars (Time Management, Study Skills, Test Anxiety, Choosing a Major, Learning Style Strategies, Career Exploration), and much more. http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/CounselingTesting.aspx

 

Completion Center offers academic coaching, tutoring, including a Writing Center, a Math Lab and assist new students acclimate to college by providing computer lab services for prospective students.   First generation students can also participate in TRIO which offers specialized support services.

http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices.aspx

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. Bruce King
Office Location:	Gainesville Campus
Telephone Number:	940-498-6464
E-mail Address:	bking@nctc.edu

 

 

 

 

Rumsfeld’s Unknown Speech

"As we know, there are known knowns. These are things we know. These are things we know we know… We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say, we know there are some things we do not know… But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know, we don't know." – Donald Rumsfeld

 

Debates:

 

Every student should participate in at least one debate.  (Students may elect to participate in a second debate for extra points, but points will only be added if their side “wins” the debate.)  We will register for debates the first week of classes, and each student can choose which side to represent on the debate; Pro or Con.  (Debate slots are filled based on first-come, first-serve.  Extra credit sign-ups will be available after everyone has had a chance.)  

 

The debate is worth 25 points towards your final grade, and points are assigned as follows:

5 points – Argued your own side and gave at least three valid responses.

5 points – Cited facts/research during debate.

5 points – Did not “bait” or ask direct questions of your opponents.

5 points – Opened/Closed or was especially vocal.

5 points – Won debate according to secret ballot election results.

(At the end of each debate, the electorate (those in class) will vote on which team did the better job defending their topic.  Winner of the secret ballot election gets 5 points, the losers do not.  A tie will result in BOTH sides receiving 5 points.)

 

Students can sign up and participate in a second debate for extra credit.  If you are on the winning side, you are awarded an extra 5 points.  Those on the losing side, who try, get 1 to 3 points, depending upon your participation.  Those who lose, and do not try, get no points.

 

GOVT 2305 – Research Paper / Survey Project – Spring, 2020

 

Research Papers will consist of three 1000 to 1200-word essays from the assigned topics listed below.  Please choose your words carefully and make sure your paper is no longer than 1400 words with your citations.  Put your name at the top, skip a line and then start writing.  Be sure to focus on relevant information and not extraneous personal information like exact birth dates, siblings, pets, mother’s/father’s occupation, etc.  Here is a good place to find source material: https://www.nctc.edu/library/research-help/subject-guides/government.html  Make sure your discussion is significant to the topic at hand and researches/discusses both sides of each issue.  In your conclusion, discuss your own opinions on the subject; for or against, etc. and justify that conclusion! 

 

Make sure to cite ALL your quotes and use APA or MLA format for citations/sources.  Failure to cite your quotes is plagiarism, and you will be counted off for that.  Also, do not cite more than 10%, or 100 words, of your paper.  Using encyclopedias and encyclopedic websites (about.com or wikipedia.com), or grade school websites, will count against you!  Do NOT quote your instructor or textbook.  This is supposed to be OUTSIDE research, so make good use of the books, magazines, journals, reports, and government/education websites.

 

Each paper or project is worth 50 points towards your final grade, and paper points are assigned as follows:

5 points – Is the length correct? 

12 points – Covered subject matter w/o grammatical, spelling, or sentence errors?

10 points – Is there a conclusion?  Was it a high-quality conclusion?

8 points – 4 or more “good” sources?  (You will lose points for using wikipedia.com, about.com, or any encyclopedic site, as a source.  You also lose points for using your textbook or instructor as a source.)

15 points – Quality of your paper.  (Answers the questions, sticks to subject, no excessive                     quoting, no awkward spots, and has good flow?)

 

Papers will be submitted through Canvas by 11:59pm on the day it is due.  If you miss the deadline, you can e-mail it to me, but I will deduct 5 points for EVERY day that it is late.  It is YOUR responsibility to make sure YOUR paper is submitted by the deadline.

 

Paper #1 Due March 8^th – America was founded on the idea that we are a country that is supposed to welcome immigrants, since we were founded by immigrants and immigration has always been a huge part of our national growth.  The poem on the Statue of Liberty expresses how many have felt about immigration to the US in the past, but not so much today.  How has immigration changed under President Trump?  What have we seen with the annual number of immigrants coming into our country legally and illegally?  What was the recent announcement by Governor Abbott on legal immigration to Texas?  What affect do you think these policies have had and will have on our economy?  Do you think these policies are a good thing, that we should continue into the future, or not, and why?

 

Although your conclusion is your opinion be careful NOT to use “I” or “we.”  Personal pronouns are not to be used in a formal research paper, which this is, even though it is a bit short.  Just say it like you mean it, and it is a fact.

 

Two Options for 2^nd part of Research Grade – Due April 10th:

Write and Submit a Second Paper – According to President Trump, he has had 3 years to clean up the “mess” President Obama, and other Presidents, have made of our US Foreign Policy.  With the changes President Trump has made, he believes we now negotiate from a position of strength.  Is that true?  Look into how the world sees the U.S> currently and how they relate to us. Is President Trump’s Foreign Policy working?  Are we safer?  Are we respected?  Are we a leader?  Do we have better relations with N Korea since Pres Trump took over?  Do we have better relations with Europe?  China?  Russia?  Is there Peace in the Middle East?  Can we count on our Allies in a crisis?  Conclude with your judgment/opinion of the current state of our Foreign Policy efforts, and if you think President Trump has made us safer, or less safe, and why.

Although your conclusion is your opinion be careful NOT to use “I” or “we.”  Personal pronouns are not to be used in a formal research paper, which this is, even though it is a bit short.  Just say it like you mean it, and it is a fact.

 

Or Conduct 50 or more surveys with Eligible Texas Voters.  Surveys will be provided by your instructor, but you have to get 50 or more individuals to complete them before the deadline.  These will be non-partisan surveys about people’s political habits.  Any one is eligible to complete the survey as long as they are a US Citizen 18 years of age or older, living in Texas.  It is vital that they complete the entire survey and NOT leave out any information.  There are no wrong answers and we are NOT here to judge, but just to collect data.  Incomplete surveys will NOT be counted.  If a participant is NOT eligible to vote, or not of age, or is NOT willing to complete the entire survey, then thank them and move on.  (NONE of the information will be used for advertising purposes of any sort and will not be sold or given away.  It is all strictly confidential.)  I can provide a copy of the survey in an announcement or email attachment, which you can use to make copies, or you can create a survey monkey to collect the data, or I can make the cards and send them to you.  (Just give me an address of where to send them.)  If you send back hard copies, they need to be postmarked by the due date, sent to my attention, to the address at the bottom of the syllabus. 

 

Also you CANNOT have the same person complete multiple surveys!  Each survey MUST be unique, so make sure the person taking the survey has NOT taken it already THIS semester.  If they took the survey in the Fall Semester, that is fine.

 

(This is NOT for everyone, and you can change your mind at any point.  Do NOT choose this option if you are going to just make stuff up.  If I find out you intentionally fabricated survey information, I will give you a zero for the entire assignment, throw out all your info, report you to the Dean for cheating and withdraw you from this class.)

 

Two Options for 3^rd part of Research Grade – Due May 4th:

Write and Submit a Third Paper – After an even-handed and balanced review of what President Trump has accomplished, or not accomplished, what is your opinion of President Donald Trump so far?  He has been in office for a bit over three years, so does he seem to be making America great again?  Has his Administration done great things?  How has the government worked in a crisis?  Has it done well in normal times too?  What major legislation has been passed?  Has the economy improved substantially?  What about “the Wall?”  Will the impeachment be a problem, or just a political setback?    Conclude with your judgment/opinion of what you think/hope he will/will not do by the end of his first term, and if you think he deserves to be re-elected based on his first term performance/accomplishments.

 

Although your conclusion is your opinion be careful NOT to use “I” or “we.”  Personal pronouns are not to be used in a formal research paper, which this is, even though it is a bit short.  Just say it like you mean it, and it is a fact.

 

Only for those who feel comfortable and conducted surveys, you can Input Your 50 or so Surveys into an Excel Spreadsheet.  For those of you who gathered your information electronically you can now put the information into an Excel spreadsheet for inclusion in the database.  For those who completed hard copies, I can either mail them back to you, or you can do the third research paper.  Look at the example of how to quantify the information for all 50+ surveys in the Announcement Section.  For example, a “Yes” answer will be a 1, and a “No” is a 2, etc… (see example in the Announcement section, or I can email it to you).  It should be as simple as getting the info to transfer to an Excel Spreadsheet, then re-arranging the columns, then changing some of the answers from Yes or No to 1 or 2.  Open-ended questions will stay that way.  Once finished, send the completed spreadsheet to me through a normal email account.  Do NOT email them through CANVAS.  Once I am able to download the completed info into the database a grade will be awarded.  Grades will NOT be awarded until the survey info is secure, and the information has been successfully downloaded into the database.

 

If you have any questions, please ask!

 

Grading Scale: 665 total points possible

A = 593+ pts     B = 592 – 527 pts     C = 526 – 460 pts    D = 459 – 394 pts    F = 393 or less

 

Instructor Contact Info:

Kevin Davis: 972-899-8410

Email: kdavis@nctc.edu

 

Address:

1200 Parker Square
Flower Mound, Texas 75028

 

Helpful Phone #’s for Flower Mound:

 

Admissions: 972-899-8430

Business Office: 972-899-8403

Counseling: 972-899-8412

Financial Aid: 972-899-8400

FM Director: 972-899-8408

Library: 972-899-8413

Testing: 972-899-8335