NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Course title: Federal Government

Course prefix, number, and section number: GOVT2305 0317

Semester/Year of course: Summer of 2025

Semester start and end dates: June 9 – July 10, 2025

Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid): Online

Class meeting location, days, and times: Online with weekly due dates

Semester credit hours: 3

Course description: 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 prerequisites: none

Required course materials:

McGraw Hill Connect Courseware (Ebook, Assignments, etc):  We the People, Tom Patterson (9781266322495).  Students are required to register and obtain course materials by the official date of record.  Students who fail to do so, may be dropped from the course.

**Students gain access to the required courseware once they register and complete the Connect Orientation assignments. The publisher also provides two weeks of complimentary access if needed. Purchasing materials directly from the publisher is less expensive, purchasing from other sources will cost more.

Name of instructor: Rebekah Sanchez

Office location: Corinth Suite 170, Room 173

Telephone number: 940.498.6480

E-mail address: rsanchez@nctc.edu

Office hours for students: Mondays 4:30 – 6:30; Wednesday 10-3 or by appointment

SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER

The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.

SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

List of graded assignments:

• Pre-Test / Post-Test: 10 points each, 20 points total
• Weekly Attendance (5): 21 points each, 105 points total
• SmartBook Assignments (5): 25 points each, 125 points total
• Weekly Quizzes (5): 75 points each, 375 total (lowest grade replaced with highest grade)
• Discussion Boards (2): 25 points each, 50 points total
• Final Paper: 100 points for paper and 100 points for leading assignments, 200 points total
• Video Responses (5): 25 points each, 125 points total

Final grade scale: 

900-1000 points = A
800-899 points = B
700-799 points = C
600-699 points = D
0-599 points = F

Late work policy:

Assignments are due on the date and time indicated on the assignment. These dates/times are listed on your Canvas calendar and ‘to do list’. Assignments include everything that receives a grade. What is important to note is that communication is key when things happen and you can’t get to something in on time. If you have extenuating circumstances, I encourage you to reach out to me and we can discuss your individual situation. That does not mean that communicating with me will automatically extend your deadlines. It does mean that I will take it into consideration for extending the assignment. Although it is not always possible, communication is best when it happens prior to deadlines. 

Quizzes: Your quizzes will be online and will be open for the week they are scheduled. Be mindful that the weekly quizzes are due at the end of the week along with the other assignments, so give yourself time to complete everything. Once the week closes, you will not be able to take any missed quizzes.

SmartBook Assignments: These assignments are due by Sunday at 11:59 pm during the week we are covering the chapter. We cover multiple chapters every week, so plan accordingly to have these completed before the deadline. Once the week closes, you will not be able to complete these for credit. You will be able to go back to read chapters after their assigned weeks are over, but you will not receive credit for them at that point.  

Research Paper: The research paper is due on July 10^th. Writing papers is a process, and I encourage you to begin early. The paper is worth 200 total points broken up as follows: 50 points for meeting with me to discuss your topic (via phone/video conference/in-person); 25 points for meeting with a tutor; 25 points for responding to the video from the librarian; 100 points for the final paper. I understand that many of you work and/or have other obligations during regular work hours. I am available to meet evenings and weekends, the tutors are available 24/7, and the librarians have email options if you have questions after watching the video. No late papers will be accepted.

Attendance: Attendance in an online class is understandably different from an in-person class. Each Monday, you will have a weekly video to watch where I will provide an overview of the week’s assignments. I will ask a few questions during the video and ask you to respond in the comments. You must watch the video and respond to the questions by Thursday at 11:59 pm of the given week. The point of these videos is to know earlier in the week what you have to complete for the week so you can manage your time to get all of your assignments completed. Therefore, no late submissions will be accepted.

Discussion Boards: You will have two discussion boards to complete. Each is worth 25 points. You will have two weeks to complete each discussion board. No late posts will be accepted.

Video Responses: You will have five response videos throughout the five weeks of this summer course. You will watch the video and respond in the text box section to the questions asked throughout the video. Though these assignments will have due dates that align with the weeks during which they are scheduled, I will accept any late submissions until July 5^th without penalty.

SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Integrity Policy: 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)]”. 

AI/Natural Language Programs (NLPs)/Large Language Models (LLMs) Usage Policy: This information is used with permission and citation with gratitude to Princeton University: The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning.

• Intellectual honesty is vital to an academic community and for my fair evaluation of your work.  All work submitted in this course must be your own, completed in accordance with the College's academic regulations. You may not engage in unauthorized collaboration or make use of ChatGPT or other AI composition software/NLPs/LLMs.
• Students must obtain permission from me before using AI composition software (like ChatGPT) for any assignments in this course. Using these tools without my permission puts your academic integrity at risk. 
• This course does make use of AI/NLPs/LLMs plagiarism checker software for the purpose of detecting the use of AI programs.
• Any violation of this policy will be considered academic dishonesty and will be documented as such

Instructor-specific Academic Dishonesty Policy:

Plagiarism on Written Assignments: Written assignments will run through Turnitin. Papers with 20% or higher on the similarity score will automatically lose 10 points off the final paper grade. Papers with a 35% or higher will receive a zero for the assignment. I do go through the report to review each similarity and will ask the software to ‘ignore’ elements such as common wording. Similarity scores between 10-19% may lose points depending on the details of the report. Students are able to view their report, so I recommend submitting papers early to give enough time to revise and resubmit if the score is too high.

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’s 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:

Attendance grades are earned by following the prompts in the weekly attendance videos. Failure to submit by the deadline will result in a zero for attendance for that week. No late work is accepted for these assignments.

Withdrawal Policy

A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.

Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is: June 30, 2025

Student Code of Conduct

By enrolling in a course at North Central Texas College, students agree to abide by the Student Code of Conduct. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in removal from the course.

CANVAS & CONNECT ACCESS:  All students must have complete access to Canvas and Connect for the entire semester.  It is the student’s responsibility to have access to the internet, as well as all needed programs to complete both face to face and online courses.  Students are not to give any other person access to his/her Canvas or Connect 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.

COMPUTER ACCESS:  Students must have access to a computer for various assignments in this course.  You cannot use a cell phone to perform all requirements of this course.  If you do not have a computer, then you need to make sure that you access a computer at one of the NCTC campuses, a public library, etc. 

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:

1. Explain the origin and development of constitutional democracy in the United States.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the federal system.
3. Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government.
5. Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in the political system.
6. Analyze the election process.
7. Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
8. Analyze issues and policies in U.S. Politics.

Core Objectives: Critical thinking, Communication, Personal Responsibility, Social Responsibility

COLLEGE POLICIES

ADA STATEMENT

NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations.  See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.

AI STATEMENT

Absent a clear statement from a course instructor, use of or consultation with generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or other similar technologies shall be treated analogously to assistance from another person, agency, or entity. In particular, using generative AI tools to substantially complete an assignment or exam is not permitted. Students should acknowledge the use of generative AI (other than incidental use) and default to disclosing such assistance when in doubt.

When students use generative AI to replace the rigorous demands of personal engagement with their coursework, it runs counter to the educational mission of the college and undermines the heart of education itself. Artificial Intelligence, large language models, and other such technologies hold promise for deploying knowledge in service to others and accelerating the discovery of new knowledge. However, such technology poses new challenges to pedagogy and to integrity. Within the context of the teaching mission of the college and consistent with the Student Code of Conduct, the authority to define the appropriate use, study, and deployment of these technologies rests with the faculty.

Individual course instructors, in coordination with their divisions, set policies regulating the use of generative AI tools in their courses, including allowing or disallowing some or all uses of such tools. Course instructors will set such policies in their course syllabi and clearly communicate such policies to students. Students who are unsure of policies regarding generative AI tools are encouraged to ask their instructors for clarification.

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.

STUDENT SERVICES

NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students.  See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS