NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

 

 

Course Title:

Federal Government

Course Prefix & Number: 

GOVT2305

Section Number: 

0402

Semester/Year:

Fall 2020

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. 13th edition. McGraw Hill. (E-book with Connect Plus Access) ISBN 978-1264031919  *** Must have Connect Access

             

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:

Donna (Hooper) Smith

Campus/Office Location:

COR 209

Telephone Number:

940-498-6266**Due to Covid restrictions, I am on campus primarily during class times, so email is the best way to ensure a prompt response.

E-mail Address:

** I prefer students email me using the Canvas Course Email—Secondary is dhooper@nctc.edu

 

OFFICE HOURS

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

9:30-10:50 AM

Office

 

9:30-10:50AM

Office

 

ONLINE

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

1:30pm-3:30pm

ONLINE

1:30pm-3:30pm

ONLINE

1:30pm-3:30pm

ONLINE

1:30pm-3:30pm

ONLINE

 

 

 

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 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 in the political system.

 

 

Analyze the election process.

 

Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens.

 

 

Analyze issues and policies in U.S. Politics.

 

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements

Graded Course Elements

Percentage or Point Values

14

Chapter LearnSmarts/

10%

16

Chapter Reviews/Connect Activities

15%

4

Exams:  Unit I, II, III & Research Assignment

40%

11+

Class Assignments

35%

 

Points                   Letter Grade Equivalent

90% or higher                         A

80-89.99%                              B

70 -79.99%                             C

60 – 69.99%                            D

59.99% or less                        F

** Grades are never rounded up in this course.  The student will receive the grade earned.  Every student has the ability to increase his/her grade with extra credit.

LearnSmart/Smartbook (Connect/McGraw Hill)-  For each chapter, students will be required to access the ebook and complete a series of questions from the reading to show mastering of learning outcomes of each chapter.

Exams:  The exam category will consist of three unit exams and a research assignment.  Make-up exams are not given; therefore, if a student misses an exam without making prior arrangements to take the exam early, a zero will be given.  Students need to make sure to be in class on scheduled exam days.

Late Work –Late assignments will not be accepted.  No assignments, research paper, quizzes, etc. will be re-opened for any student for any reason.  Please manage your time wisely, and leave enough time to deal with any computer problems that might arise and keep you from completing your course work as required.  Submitting early is the best rule of thumb.  Students are free to make unlimited corrections and/or resubmission before the due date; however, after the due date has expired, no resubmissions/corrections will be accepted.

All Assignments must be typed and uploaded as a doc or docx document.  I will not grade assignments that have been handwritten.  In Canvas I can only use the grading function if the document is a doc or docx.  If you are using a Mac, it is your responsibility to make sure the document has been submitted correctly.  Canvas will not recognize files uploaded as .pages, which will lead to the student receiving a zero.  I highly recommend that you use Google Chrome as your browser.  Safari should never be used with Canvas.

Announcements:  All course information will be posted as announcements.  I will post several announcements each week to remind you what is coming due and I will also give more details and suggestions on assignments.  It is very important that students read all announcements in full.  Students are encouraged to set the notifications to receive announcements as they are posted.

** I have posted the instructions on setting Notifications.  I strongly suggest you set those up for better success.

CONNECT ACCESS- The textbook, Learn Smart, Chapter Reviews, 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 through Canvas.  Temporary access can be used directly from Connect McGraw Hill for 12 days from the first day of class.  Students must be enrolled within the first week of class, as assignments are due immediately.  Students who do not properly enroll in Connect will be dropped from the course.  Students will be given a warning by email and then dropped from the Course if the required materials are not purchased.

CANVAS 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 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.

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)

Attendance will be taken each class period.  Students will be counted as either Present, Tardy or Absent.  Other than the excused absences defined by the Student Handbook, there are no excused absences.  Students will be given credit for three absences at the end of the semester, which means each student receives three excused absences for whatever reason.  For those who miss less than three classes, you will still receive the credit, which means extra credit.  Attendance counts as an Analysis Grade in this course.

 

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is November 2, 2020.

 

 

 

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

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 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)]”. 

**Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this course.  All students will be held responsible for plagiarism, cheating and/or collusion.  Students who do not follow the conditions of the instructor regarding scholastic dishonesty will have the appropriate documents filed with the appropriate Dean and may automatically receive an “F” in the course.

**Falsified Information- Any student who submits falsified information in this course, including community service/local government extra credit information will be given an automatic “F” in the course and scholastic dishonesty documents filed with the appropriate Dean.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS

Name of Chair/Coordinator:

Adam Ramsey

Office Location:

Gainesville Campus, Room 814

Telephone Number:

940-668-7731, ext. 4925

E-mail Address:

aramsey@nctc.edu

Name of Instructional Dean:

Dr. Bruce King

Office Location:

1500 North Corinth St, Corinth, TX 76208-5408

Telephone Number:

940-498-6464

E-mail Address:

bking@nctc.edu

 

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE   Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria-- All due dates will be maintained in the Canvas Course Calendar.  This schedule provides a tentative layout of the course; however, changes can be made at any time to ensure the best learning environment.  As this is a government class, there are always current events that can guide the course.  Students are expected to be in class and to monitor the Canvas Calendar throughout the semester.

 

GOVT 2305 FALL 2020

Week

Dates by Week

Requirement

Due Date

1

Aug 24-30

Complete Intro to the Course Week 1 Module

 

 

 

**Couse Pre Test/Register with McGraw Hill-Connect

** Connect Orientation Assignment

**Intro to the Course Quiz

**Student Intro Essay

 

 

 

 

** The full course will not open until all Intro Module Requirements are met

 

 

 

 

 

2

Aug 31-Sept 6

Read Ch 1 Critical Thinking & Political Culture

Chapter 1 LearnSmart

Detecting Misinformation Assignment (Ch 2)

 

Aug 31

Sept. 6

Sept 9

 

 

 

 

3

Sept 7-13

Read Ch 2 Constitutional Democracy

Chapter 2 LearnSmart

**Separation of Powers (Ch 2)--MHC

**Social Contract Theory (Ch 2)—MHC

**Congressional Rep Assign  (Ch 2)

 

Sept 7

 

Sept 13

Sept 14

 

 

 

 

4

Sept 14-20

Read Chapter 3 Federalism: Forging a Nation

Chapter 3 LearnSmart

** Federal Law Comparison (Ch 3)

 

 

Sept 14

Sept 21

 

 

 

 

5

Sept 21-27

Read Chapter 4 Civil Liberties

Chapter 4 LearnSmart

**  Free Speech—Snyder v. Phelps

 

Sept 21

Sept 28

 

 

 

 

6

Sept 28-Oct 4

Read Chapter 5 Equal Rights

Chapter 5 LearnSmart

**Equal Rights—Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia

Chapter Review 1-5 Due

**Exam I (Ch. 1-5)

 

Sept 28

Oct 7

TBA

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

Oct 5-11

Read Chapter 6 Public Opinion & Political Socialization

Chapter 6 LearnSmart

**Political Socialization & Ideology Assign

 

Oct 5

Oct 19

 

 

 

 

 

8

Oct 12-18

Read Chapter 7 Political Participation

Chapter 7 LearnSmart

 

 

Oct 12

 

 

 

 

9

Oct 19-25

Read Chapter 8 Political Parties, Candidates & Campaigns

Chapter 8 LearnSmart

** Research Analysis:  Party Platform Analysis

 

 

Oct 19

Nov 23

 

 

** Last Day to Drop with a “W”

November 2nd

10

Oct 26-Nov 1

Read Ch 9 Interest Groups

Chapter 9 LearnSmart

** Campaign Funding Assignment (Ch 9)

 

Oct 26

Nov 3

 

 

 

 

11

Nov 2-8

Read Ch 10 The News Media and the Internet

Chapter 10 LearnSmart

Chapter Reviews 6-10 Due

**Exam II (Ch 6-10)

 

Nov 2

TBA

 

 

 

 

12

Nov 9-15

Read Ch 11 Congress

Chapter 11  LearnSmart

**Congressional Assignment

 

Nov 9

Nov 30

 

 

 

 

13

Nov 16-22

Read Chapter 12 The Presidency

Chapter 12 LearnSmart

 

Nov 16

 

 

 

 

14

Nov 23-29

Read Chapter 13 The Federal Bureaucracy

Chapter 13 LearnSmart

**THANKSGIVING BREAK

 

Nov 23

 

NOV 25-29

 

 

 

 

15

Nov 30-Dec 6

Read Chapter The Federal Judiciary

Chapter 14 LearnSmart

Chapter Reviews 11-14 Due

 

 

Nov 30

Dec 6

 

 

 

 

16

Final Exams Week

Dec 7-10

**Course Post Test

**Unit III Exam (Ch. 11-14)--Final Exam

 

 

 

 

 

 

**  All dates and assignments are subject to change.  Any student who misses class must review Canvas for any changes or contact the instruction.  All dates and assignments will be kept in up to date in Canvas.

 

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