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.  On-line students are expected to log-in on a regular basis to get their work done.  It is the student’s responsibility to get assignments done by the deadline.  If a deadline is missed, 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)

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 5, 2021.

 

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

 

Conversion of Onsite Classes to Online/Remote Format: North Central Texas College students should be aware that in the event of a college closure due to COVID-19, onsite classes will be converted to an online/remote format. Students should plan ahead to ensure they have access to the computer equipment (either PC, MAC, or tablet), webcam, and internet connectivity to continue their classes in an online/remote format. Please read all your official North Central Texas College student emails as the transition from onsite to online/remote might require a reorganization in your personal situation. Students will be granted a 72-hour transition and grace period. Online classes will continue as scheduled without disruption. Wear a mask, stay safe, and contact your Instructor as the situation arises. These policies and procedures were updated on July 30, 2020 and are subject to change as conditions change.

 

Face Coverings: Per the North Central Texas College guidance on face coverings on campus, in the instructional setting, faculty and students must wear face coverings, such as masks or face shields. Students without coverings, or those who do not comply with the rules relating to face coverings, will not be able to participate in on-campus classroom activities. To request an exception to this requirement, students should contact the NCTC HR Office of Enrollment Management (ccove@nctc.edu). Failure to comply with the face coverings requirement may result in the Instructor directing the student to leave the classroom. Any student asked to leave the classroom may be referred to the student conduct officer. These policies and procedures were updated on July 30, 2020 and are subject to change.

 

Temporary COVID-19 Attendance Policy for Face-to-Face Meetings: We are facing an unprecedented situation in which all of us must be flexible and make prudent decisions in the best interest of our families, our campus, and our community. In light of this, North Central Texas College is temporarily establishing the requirement that faculty keep records of student attendance for face-to-face course meetings as well as a documented seating chart. In addition, students who are sick or need to quarantine should not attend classes. Students will not be required to provide formal documentation from a health care provider and will not be penalized for COVID-19 related absences when proper notification to campus health officials is made in accordance with the guidelines stated below.

 

Faculty will:

• Notify students about important course information and delivery changes through Canvas and campus email.

 

Students should:

• Provide notification to campus officials (via NCTC Daily Health Check protocol through Canvas) if they have tested positive for COVID-19 or have to quarantine so we can confirm reported absence with instructors, monitor, and assist the campus community.
• Notify instructors in advance of the absence.
• Connect with that class through Webex if the class session is being transmitted in a hybrid fashion.
• Keep up with and/or make up missed classwork or assignments.
• Submit assignments digitally through Canvas or other means as announced by your instructor.
• Work with their instructors to reschedule exams, labs, and other critical academic activities described in the course syllabus.
• Check Canvas and campus email daily to receive important announcements pertaining to the course.

During the spring 2021 semester, faculty with face-to-face meetings will establish assigned seating/work stations to facilitate roll-taking, and, if necessary, contact tracing. Additionally, we ask all members of the College community to be attentive to their health, and safeguard others, by following the CDC’s guideline to “stay home when you are sick.” You should stay home if you have symptoms. More information on what to do if you are sick is available at the CDC’s website.

Additional NCTC information is available at http://www.nctc.edu/coronavirus/index.html

 

Why did the Chicken cross the Road?

DONALD TRUMP: I've been told by my many sources, good sources - they're very good sources - that the chicken crossed the road. All the Fake News wants to do is write nasty things about the road, but it's a really good road. It's a beautiful road. Everyone knows how beautiful it is.

JOE BIDEN: Why did the chicken do the...thing in the...you know the rest?

SARAH PALIN: The chicken crossed the road because, gosh-darn it, he's a maverick!

BARACK OBAMA: Let me be perfectly clear, if the chickens like their eggs they can keep their eggs. No chicken will be required to cross the road to surrender her eggs. Period.

AOC: Chickens should not be forced to lay eggs! This is because of corporate greed! Eggs should be able to lay themselves.

HILLARY CLINTON: What difference at this point does it make why the chicken crossed the road?

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken is either with us or against us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken.

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he is acting by not taking on his current problems before adding any new problems.

ANDERSON COOPER: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough for us.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: To cross the road or not cross the road… THAT, is the question.

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

[Copied from another source.]

 

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 50 points towards your final grade, and points are assigned as follows:

20 points – Argued your own side with at least FIVE valid, fact-filled responses.

12 points – Used/Cited 4 or more sources.

8 points – Was not rude or snide.  Did not “bait” their opponents with rigged question.

10 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 10 points, the losers do not.  A tie will result in BOTH sides receiving 10 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 10 points.  Those on the losing side, who try, get 1 to 5 points, depending upon your participation.  Those who lose, and do not try, get no points.

 

GOVT 2305 – Research Papers – Spring, 2021

 

Here is your chance to practice writing formal Research Papers, which will consist of two 1400 to 1500-word essays from the assigned topics listed below.  Please choose your words carefully and make sure your paper is no longer than 1700 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 150 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:

4 points – Is the length correct? 

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

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

4 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.)

28 points – Quality of your paper.  (Thorough, complete, polished, 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 7^th – January 6^th changed America, because we had Americans storming the US Capitol.  Was this Domestic Terrorism?  The FBI has been saying that Domestic Terrorism was MORE prevalent and MORE of a problem than Foreign Terrorism.  What’s the difference?  Who are the Domestic Terrorists that the FBI was warning us about?  BLM?  Antifa?  White Supremacists?  Militia groups?  Why are they a threat now and what can we do about them? 

 

In the body of your paper be fair and balanced, leave the opinions until the conclusion.  In your conclusion be sure to offer your suggestions on solutions to this problem and what you think could help us in the future, 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.

 

Paper #2 Due April 18^th – Is health care a right?  The United States is one of the few industrialized nations that does NOT have universal health care.  Although you can go to a hospital and get treatment, if you don’t have insurance the treatment will ruin your credit rating.  We have had long discussions about the viability of universal health care.  Medicaid was supposed to help our poor, but many seem to fall through the cracks.  Obamacare was supposed to help more, but Republicans have acted very strongly against it, even though 20 to 30 million Americans got access to health insurance. 

 

So the main question seems to be about the cost & access vs the quality.  If government pays the cost and everyone gets access, then the fear is the quality will go down.  Yet if the quality stays up, the cost is too high for everyone to have all the access they need.  Is there a middle ground where everyone can get access, but the costs and quality are acceptable?  Lots of different aspects to this question but be sure to answer the main question in your conclusion with reasons why you think that.

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.

 

If you have any questions, please ask!

 

Grading Scale: 540 total points possible

A = 482+ pts     B = 481 – 428 pts     C = 427 – 374 pts    D = 373 – 320 pts    F = 319 or less

 

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

 

Technical Problems?

• • The Connect website address: http://connect.mheducation.com (shortcut: mhhm.com)
  • The Customer Experience Group: The Customer Experience Group is your “just in time” contact for tech support and one-off questions that need immediate attention. This team can address questions such as how to extend a due date, how to view a student’s grade, how to change assignment policies, etc.

• • • https://mhedu.force.com/CXG/s - You will find the Platform Status Center here, which lets you know if there is a Connect disruption and when/for how long it occurred.
    • 800-331-5094
    • Their hours of operation [Eastern]:

Sunday              12pm – 12am
Mon-Thurs         24 hours
Friday                12am - 9pm
Saturday            10am - 8pm 

 

Kevin Davis: 972-899-8410

Email: kdavis@nctc.edu

 

Address:

NCTC – Flower Mound
Attn: Kevin Davis

1200 Parker Square
Flower Mound, Texas 75028

 

Syllabus Addendum – Spring 2021

NCTC Student Services and Resources

 

• Frequently Asked Questions-all you need to know as a new or continuing student
• Student Services page-all the offices and contact information you need!

• Advising FAQ's-all majors and programs!

• • Meet Your Advisor/Coach
  • Degree Plans and Online Registration
  • Career Services and Completion Center
  • Course Combination/Credit Hour Maximization Matrix
  • Lion365 Year-Round Registration!
  • Post-Registration Checklist
  • Navigating Your First Year at NCTC

• Affinity Groups and Student Life & Organizations 
• Awareness, Community Resources, and Wellness
• CARES Team and Counseling Services

• Financial Aid and Scholarships 
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
• Student Success/Tutoring, TRIO, and OSD (Disability Services)
• Testing Services
• QLess and Signing into Virtual Lines  
• Keep track of NCTC campus and COVID-related updates 

 

Affinity Groups

Staff and faculty representing the Employee Resource Groups (ERG’s), along with academic advisors, counselors and success coaches, serve as mentors for NCTC’s student-centered ​Affinity Groups​.

An ​Affinity Group​ is a population of students who have specific needs, barriers or systems they are needing to navigate not only within college, but within life. Providing mentorship, support and resources for identified Affinity Groups such as Black/African American students, veterans and active military, single parents, students with disabilities, adult learners, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and students who have experienced foster care and/or homelessness, enables us to make more impactful, meaningful connections with students who are in dire need of equity and understanding.

 

Career Services Center

In need of employment? NCTC Career Coaches meet one-on-one to provide training in writing resumes, job searches, interviewing, and more. The Skills to Succeed Academy is also a free interactive, online employability training program focused on building the skills and confidence you need to find the best career.

 

Completion Center

The Completion Center provides a variety of services for first-time in college students. These include academic success coaching, goal setting, course planning, student resources, career development, and job placement services for all new college students. Free online Success Seminars are also available through Student Lingo and new students will also enroll in a First Year Experience (NCTC 1001) course to get started on the right track!

 

Counseling and Advising

Academic Advisors and Counselors help students explore majors and programs offered, how to take the best combination of classes to meet your goals, assist with questions related to university transfer, and guide students towards academic and personal success, and more. At NCTC, you are assigned to a specific advisor or success coach based on your major or career interests. You can locate our advisors and their majors, along with contact information on the Meet Your Advisor page-and even schedule an appointment with them through their online calendar!

 

Early Alert and CARES

The NCTC Early Alert program assists students who are at risk of failing or withdrawing from a course. Faculty and staff may refer students through the Early Alert process at any point in the semester in an effort to provide appropriate intervention and access to support services. Examples of behaviors that could prompt an Early Alert referral could be missing assignments, failing tests, excessive absences, or personal circumstances impacting academic performance. A student submitted as an Early Alert will be contacted by an academic advisor or success coach through text, phone, and/or via their NCTC e-mail address to discuss any current challenges as well as helpful resources and success strategies-we want our students to finish strong and know that education is a partnership!

 

The NCTC CARES Team is concerned not only about our students' academic success, but also their emotional and physical well-being. As a student, you have the ability to report concerning behavior which could impact your own safety or the safety of another NCTC student, such as stalking, harassment, physical or emotional abuse, violent or threatening behavior, or self-harm. Visit the NCTC CARES site to also locate campus and community resources, or email counseling@nctc.edu.  As always, if you feel there is an immediate threat to your own safety or welfare (or to another student), please call 911 immediately.

 

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

EDI partners with the entire campus community to create, maintain and demonstrate NCTC’s commitment to an equitable, diverse and inclusive learning environment where NCTC students succeed. NCTC defines equity as encompassing the practice of acknowledging individual differences and systemic disparities when developing new programs and resources for our campus community, which may sometimes challenge our own beliefs and assumptions, in order to ensure balanced educational opportunities toward completion. Everyone Included. Everyone Belongs. Everyone Valued. Everyone Inspired. 

 

Financial Aid

The Office of Financial Aid provides students with information and guidance with applying for eligible types of financial assistance, such as the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Students who have any types of exemptions or tuition waivers will also work with the Financial Aid Office to have these funds applied to their accounts. Additionally, the Scholarship Office provides local scholarship opportunities through an online application process, and tips on how to secure other types of scholarship awards which can help finance educational goals.

 

Student Success Center

The Student Success Center is designed to help all students at NCTC develop tools to achieve their academic goals. The center links students to FREE tutoring, including a Writing Center, a Math Lab, and free online tutoring.  Student Success offers academic coaching, tutoring, including a Writing Center, and a Math Lab to 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 services.

 

Testing Services

The mission of NCTC Testing Services is to provide high-quality testing services that adhere to the professional standards and guidelines to meet the needs of students, faculty, and community members.