NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

Room #202 from 11:00am to 12:20pm TR

Course Title:	American State & Local Government
Course Prefix & Number:		GOVT2306	Section Number:	502	Semester/Year:	Fall 17
Semester Credit Hours:		3	Lecture Hours:	3	Lab Hours:	0
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.
Course Prerequisite(s): None
Required or Recommended Course Materials: Champagne-Harpham. Governing Texas. 3rd edition. Norton. paperback w/ebook folder ISBN: 9780393283679 Champagne-Harpham. Governing Texas. 3rd edition. Norton. 2 hole punch w/ebook folder 9280393616477

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Kevin Davis
Campus/Office Location:	Flower Mound Room #107 – Cubicle #4
Telephone Number:	972-899-8410
E-mail Address:	kdavis@nctc.edu

 

OFFICE HOURS

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
11am - 12:30pm	9am - 9:30am	11am - 12:30pm	9am - 9:30am	11am to Noon
2pm - 3pm	12:30pm - 2pm	2pm - 3 pm	12:30 - 2pm

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/NCTC Catalog

At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
	Explain the origin and development of the Texas Constitution.
	Demonstrate an understanding of state and local political systems and their relationship with the federal government.
	Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice in Texas.
	Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of Texas government.
	Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in Texas.
	Analyze the state and local election process.
	Identify the rights and responsibilities of citizens
	Analyze issues, policies, and political culture of Texas.
	Research and compose an essay assignment/argument using proper grammar/English and basic computer skills.

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
12	Participation Assignments	10 pts / 120 pts
1	Debate	50 pts
2	Research Papers / Survey Project	50 pts / 100pts
2	Midterm Exams	100 pts / 200 pts
1	Final Exam	100 pts

 

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE

 

Weekly Participation Assignments are assigned periodically, and will count as all or nothing.

Sign up for a Debate, and they will be scheduled after the first week of class.  More info below.

Two short research papers, or one Survey project to count for one paper.  More info below.

Midterms and the Final Exam will be 100 points each and count for over half of your grade!

Make Up Exams will ONLY be made for medical reasons, which are accompanied by a doctor's note on letterhead or a Rx Pad.  Make-Up exams will be essay in nature, but will only be worth up to 80 points.  Make Up will be given 1 week after the missed exam, or result in an Incomplete if the Final Exam is missed.  Students MUST call/email ASAP to arrange this delay.

Plagiarism/Cheating/Collusion will NOT be tolerated and will result in a Zero for that assignment and a report to the Dean for Disciplinary Action.

 

This is a TENTATIVE Schedule which is subject to change W/O notice due to inclement weather or other unforeseen events.   August 29th - First Day of Class September 4th - No Class - Labor Day Holiday September 28th -  First Midterm Exam - Module #1 - Intro + Chapters 1-4 October 6th - Research Paper #1 due through CANVAS by 11:59pm November 2nd -  Second Midterm Exam - Module #2 - Chapters 5-8 November 9th - Last Day to Withdraw from Course. November 14th - Research Paper #2 due through CANVAS by 11:59pm Surveys due in class at 9:30am. November 23rd - No Class - Thanksgiving Holiday December 11th -  Final Exam - Module #3 - Chapters 9-13

If you cannot meet these dates/deadlines, then drop this course.

 

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.

 

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)

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 a course with a W is November 9, 2017.

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     o  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

 

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)]

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook and published online.

 

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. Larry Gilbert
Office Location:	Corinth Campus, Room 305
Telephone Number:	940-498-6216
E-mail Address:	lgilbert@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 50 points towards your final grade, and points are assigned as follows:

10 points - Argued your own side and gave at least three valid responses.

10 points - Cited facts/research during debate.

10 points - Did not "bait" or ask direct questions of your opponents.

10 points - Opened/Closed or was especially vocal.

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. Winner of the secret ballot election gets 10 points, the losers do not. A tie results 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 5 points. Those who lose, and do not try, get no points.

GOVT 2306 - Research Paper - Fall, 2017

Research Paper will consist of an 800 to 1000 word paper from the assigned topic listed below.  Please choose your words carefully and make sure your paper is no longer than 1200 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.  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 (wikipedia.com or about.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 is worth 50 points towards your final grade, and points are assigned as follows:

5 point - Is the length correct? 

15 points - Covered subject matter w/o grammatical, spelling, or sentence errors?

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

5 point - 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 10 points for EVERY day that it is late.  It is YOUR responsibility to make sure YOUR paper is submitted by the deadline.

First Research Paper Due October 6^th - The Texas Senate recently passed SB6, the Texas Bathroom Bill, but the Texas House failed to pass their own version of the bill, so it died.  Does Texas need a Bathroom Bill?  What specifically would this bill do?  What are the penalties for ignoring this bill, and how would it be enforced?  How much would this bill cost the state to implement, and in lost revenue?  And finally, do you think Texas missed an opportunity or missed a bullet?  Be sure to justify your answer.

Two Options for 2^nd half of research - Due November 14th: Write and Submit a Second Paper - President Trump has promised to build a border wall, and has said in a speech that he is willing to shut-down the government to get the money to build it. What is the current status of the Border Wall?  What is the purpose of the Wall?  Are there any unintended consequences of building the Wall? Should Texas be worried about other things, or should this be one of our highest priorities?  Be sure to justify your conclusion.

Or Conduct 50 or more surveys with Voting Age Adults.  Surveys will be provided by your instructor, but you need 50 or more individuals to complete them before the deadline.  These will be non-partisan surveys about peoples voting habits.  Any one is eligible to complete the survey as long as they are a US Citizen 18 years, who is eligible to vote.  It is vital that they complete the entire survey and NOT leave out any information.  Incomplete surveys will NOT be counted.  Let your instructor know if you wish to choose this option and he will provide you with the survey materials. 

There will be several students from this, and other, classes conducting surveys, and any person of voting age will only count ONCE for grading purposes.  Make sure they have NOT completed this survey with someone else.

 

If you have any questions, please ask!