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Course Title: TEXAS GOVERNMENT
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Course Prefix & Number: GOVT
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Section Number: 2306
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Semester: 347
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Semester Credit Hours: 3
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Lecture Hours: 3
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Office Hours: Thursdays 7-9 PM
By appointment please give at least 24 hours notice
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Course Description (NCTC Catalog):
Origin and development of the Texas constitution, structure and powers of state and local government, federalism and inter-governmental relations, political participation, the election process, public policy, and the political culture of Texas. 48 lecture hours.
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Course Prerequisite(s): None
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Required Materials:
v Governing Texas by Champagne & Harpham, Norton, 2nd edition, paperback w/ebook folder, ISBN: 978-0-393-28731-8
v Governing Texas by Champagne & Harpham, Norton, 2nd edition, 3-hole punch w/ ebook folder, ISBN: 978-0-393-28752-3
v Students can also purchase the ebook at a lower price directly from Norton using the link within the course module
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INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
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Name of Instructor:
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Charles Cooper
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Campus/Office Location:
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Flower Mound
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Twitter:
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@Thrasymachus
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E-mail Address:
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ccooper@esc11.net
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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
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At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
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Explain the origin and development of the Texas constitution.
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Describe the state and local political systems and their relationship with the federal
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Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice in
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Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of Texas
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Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups and political parties in Texas. Analyze the state and local election process.
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Identify the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Analyze issues, policies, and political culture of Texas.
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Research and compose an essay assignment/argument using proper grammar/English and basic computer skills.
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ATTENDANCE POLICY
Regular and punctual attendance (in an online class "attendance" is defined as logging on and participation in the daily and weekly assignments) 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.
GRADING CRITERIA
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# of Graded Course Elements
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Graded Course Elements
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Percentage or Point Values
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8
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Exams *Any discussions, debates, or issues presented “in class” may be included in an exam.
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50%
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2
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Graded Written Assignments – The two assignments will all be written and submitted into Canvas. There will be at least one research paper. Please take care to cite your sources.
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15%
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14
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Chapter Quizzes - The quizzes will open on Mondays and will be due by midnight Friday. Quizzes will review that particular chapter's content only. Quiz contents will likely show up in the Unit Exams.
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20%
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14
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Weekly Forum Discussions – Two posts due per chapter: one is your original reflection with citations from the textbook or a reputable online news source and the second is a response to another student’s reflection.
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15%
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Grading Policy & Procedures
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Exams - All exams will be online through Canvas. They will be multiple choice exams. Your exam average will constitute 50% of your final course grade. There will be no extra credit (on the exam or elsewhere) and no make-up test dates.
Chapter Quizzes- You will also complete a Chapter Quizzes assignment for every chapter in this course. All Chapter Quizzes will be online. The average of your Chapter Quizzes assignments will constitute 20% of your final course grade.
GWAs - Your graded written assignments (gwa) average will constitute 15% of your final course grade. Any graded written assignment not completed (ie. Not submitted in the appropriate manner) will be calculated as a zero. Whether the assignment (any assignment) has been completed on your side does not matter if it is not submitted before the due date. No make-up grades or extra credit grades will be offered for any missed GWA’s.
Discussion Forums - Your discussion board participation grade average will constitute the remaining 15% of the final course grade. If you do not participate in the discussion boards a zero will be placed in the grade book for that particular “absence” for that particular assignment. No make-up grade or extra credit grades will be offered for these missed assignments. To get full credit for discussion forums you will need to complete two tasks. First, fully address the prompt at the top of the forum (this will be due by midnight each Wednesday). You will need to either cite a page number in the textbook or add a link to a reputable online news site that supports your statement or comment. Second, you will need to reply to another student’s initial post (this will be due by midnight each Sunday). In your reply to another student (your second post), your reply will need to be as academically sound as your first post. In other words, you will need to build upon another students first post, not simply “agree” or “disagree” with them. Please email me with questions if this is unclear. I will also clarify further in my first video post to the class. Each of these tasks is worth 50% of the 100% possible points. Posting only once will get you 50% of the total points. All students are expected to participate in each discussion forum. Your first post will be due before midnight Wednesday of each week. Your second post will be due before midnight Sunday of each week.
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Tentative Course Schedule
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Week 1
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Date:
January 17 to January 22nd
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Read: Chapter 1
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Ch 1 Quiz
- Open Monday
Close Midnight Friday
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Chapter 1 Discussion Forum - 15% of your grade
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Graded Written Assignment #1 - 15% of your grade
Due February 21st
Graded Written Assignment #3 -
Due May 7th
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Unit Exams - 50% of your grade
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Week 2
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January 23rd to January 29th
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Read: Chapter 2
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Ch 2 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 2 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Unit 1 - (ch 1-2) Exam
Opens Friday January 27th
Closes Midnight Sunday January 29th
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Week 3
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January 30th to February 5th
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Read: Chapter 3
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Ch 3 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 3 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Week 4
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February 6 th to February 12th
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Read: Chapter 4
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Ch 4 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 4 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Unit 2 - (ch 3-4) Exam
Opens Friday February 10th
Closes Midnight Sunday February 12th
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Week 5
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February 13th to February 19th
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Read: Chapter 5
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Ch 5 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 5 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Week 6
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February 20th to February 26th
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Read: Chapters
6
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Ch 6 Quiz -
Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 6 & 7
Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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GWA #1 Due February 21st
GWA #2 Due April 30th
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Unit 3 - (ch 5-6) Exam
Opens Friday February 24th
Closes Midnight Sunday February 26th
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Week 7
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February 27th to March 5th
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Read: Chapter 7
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Ch 7 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 7 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Week 8
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March 6th to March 12th
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Read: Chapter 8
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Ch 8 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 8 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Unit 4 - (ch 7-8) Exam
Opens Friday
March 10th
Closes Midnight Sunday March 12th
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Week 10
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*Week 9 - Spring Break March 13-19 (no classes)
March 20th to March 26th
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Read: Chapter 9
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Ch 9 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 9 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Week 11
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March 27th to April 2nd
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Read: Chapter 10
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Ch 10 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 10 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Unit 5 - (ch 9-10) Exam
Opens Friday March 31st
Closes Midnight Sunday April 2nd
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Week 12
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April 3rd to April 9th
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Read: Chapters
11
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Ch 11 Quiz -
Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 11 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Week 13
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April 4th to April 16th
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Read: Chapter 12
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Ch 12 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 12 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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Unit 6 -
(ch 11-12) Exam
Opens Friday April 14th
Closes Midnight Sunday April 16th
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Week 14
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April 17th to April 23rd
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Finalize GWA #3
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GWA #2 - April 30th
GWA #3 -
May 7th
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Week 15
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April 24th to April 30th
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Read: Chapter 13
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Ch 13 Quiz - Open Monday
Due Midnight Friday
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Chapter 13 Discussion Forum
1st Post due Midnight Weds
2nd Post due midnight Sun
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GWA #2 - April 30th
GWA #3 -
May 7th
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Unit 7 -
Opens April 28th
Closes Midnight April 30th
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Week 16
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May 1st to May 7th
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Complete GWA #2 This week
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GWA #3 May 7th
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Week 17
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May 8th to May 12th
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Details Posted In Canvas
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3 Minute Video Tutorial -Exam Grade... Details To Come
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Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is April 6th.
DISABILITY SERVICES (OSD)
The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students who have a documented disability. On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 or call 940-668-4209. Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online campuses should call 940-668-4209.
North Central Texas College is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112). http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices/Disabilityservices.aspx
CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA______________________________
o Communication
o Mathematics
o Life and Physical Science
o Language, Philosophy & Culture
o Creative Arts
o American History
X Government/Political Science
o Social and Behavioral Sciences
o Component Area Option
REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES
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. http://nctc.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2014-2015/Catalog/North-Central-Texas-College-Student-Handbook
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Name of Chair/Coordinator:
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Donna Hooper
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Office Location:
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Corinth 209
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Telephone Number:
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940-498-6266
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E-mail Address:
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dhooper@nctc.edu
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Name of Instructional Dean:
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Dr. Larry Gilbert
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Office Location:
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Corinth 305
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Telephone Number:
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940-498-6216
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E-mail Address:
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lgilbert@nctc.edu
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