Syllabus

NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title:	Texas Government
Course Prefix & Number:		GOVT2306	Section Number:	0202	Semester/Year:	May21
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 Course Materials: Mora, Sherri.  The State of Texas.  4th edition. McGraw Hill Publishing. ISBN 978-1264031993

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Victoria Bonilla
Campus/Office Location:	Online
Telephone Number:	512-680-6793
E-mail Address:	vbonilla@nctc.edu

 

OFFICE HOURS

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
	5:30-7:00	5:30-7:00
·       By appt: Through phone call, FaceTime, or Webex

 

 

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 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.

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
2	Current Events	20
2	Discussion Boards	20
3	Cumulative Essay (Essay Topic, Essay Source Annotation, Essay)	15
11	Chapter Quizzes	15
2	Unit Exams	30

 

Specific Course Requirements 

This course is comprised of online discussion boards, current event assignments, quizzes, exams, and a final exam. Canvas and Turn It In will be utilized throughout the semester in order to foster convenience in group discussion and assignments. No late or outside work for extra credit will be accepted. There are opportunities to complete extra work that will allow for some extra credit opportunity. PLEASE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE!! They will go a long way! Please see the assignment section for details.

Course Grading System

Grading Scale (point system)

A =  900 – 1000

B = 800 – 899

C =  700 – 799

D =  600 – 699

F =   0 – 599 

Activity Grade Values

Chapter Quizzes         (11 x  ~13.6 pts each) = 150 points

Current Events           (2 x  100 pts each) = 200 points

Exams                         (2 x  150 pts each) = 300 points

Discussion Forums     (2 x  100 pts each) = 200 points

Cumulative Essay = 150 points

Final Exam takes place of lowest exam grade (if higher than either of the exam grades)

_________________________________________________________________

Totals:                                                 = 1000 points

 

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)

 

Assignment Breakdown-

 

If you are confused about directions, please be sure to email about any requirement questions before you start your assignment!

 

Course Readings, Lectures, and Presentations

 

Each student is expected to read the assigned material as detailed in the course calendar. In addition, there is material to help supplement, which is posted online. Students will be held accountable for assigned materials via the course assignments, discussion forums and unit exams. Supplemental material like videos and flashcards are not required but they are helpful and suggested. The textbook readings create the core of the online course experience. The supplemental materials are there to reinforce key points and help you succeed. Making appropriate use of the materials will have a significant impact on your grades.

It is vital that you manage your time and maintain a high degree of self-discipline to ensure your success in any college course. The course schedule has been designed to spread apart the major course topics so that you are able to comprehend the material. If you fall behind, it is difficult to adequately address the topics and this often creates a snowball effect leading to failure. Again, I implore you to keep pace with the class and not fall behind. The pace of the course is about 1 chapter per week during the full length term (or a chapter per day in a mini-term). You are able to work ahead and finish the course ahead of schedule, but LATE WORK IS NOT PERMITTED!!!

 

Orientation Activity:

 

Used for attendance verification purposes and as extra credit to replace a low assignment grade provided your grade for the Activity is higher than one of the assignment grades. The first thing you will do in the course is to prepare your Orientation Activity. This activity is based on the syllabus and is meant to ensure that you have a clear understanding of the course and its requirements and are prepared to succeed in the course. Your orientation assignment is to submit a Personal Course Plan. This assignment is worth 25 points. A Personal Course Plan is a simple but important way of organizing yourself and planning out your success in a course.

Please answer the following questions in a clear and concise way, be detailed in your answers and take time to think about how your plan can help you succeed in this course.

1. Create a weekly calendar for you to follow. When will you read the Unit's chapters? When will you work on Unit activities? When will you take Unit quizzes? What are your "course work hours"?
2. How will you take notes for your chapters? How do you plan to utilize the supplemental material? How will you keep your notes organized?
3. Last, let me know, after reading the syllabus, what you anticipate being the best and also the most challenging aspects of the course. Provide me with any other details about yourself that you would like.

 

Chapter Quizzes

(12 total; 1 dropped)

There are chapter level quizzes in this course, not cumulative exams. The design is to assess your reading comprehension one chapter at a time, rather than assessing your ability to recall information across multiple chapters. The window to complete the quizzes will be the beginning of the course to the end date of a given unit (see the course calendar for details). Again, each quiz must be completed within the unit it was assigned. While you may always work ahead, NO late work will be accepted.

The format for each quiz is “open book” and there are 15 randomly generated multiple-choice questions per quiz. These questions come from a question bank so each attempt will not have the same questions. You will have 20 minutes to complete each quiz attempt. The quizzes are automated, and are randomly generated. Quizzes will be Multiple Choice. The grade will post immediately after submission. Each quiz covers detailed material from the assigned chapter. You may have two attempts per quiz and the higher grade will be recorded. Once a quiz has started, you will not be able to leave, back out, or close the quiz screen. If you do not finish an attempt, because of a technological glitch, please email me within 24 hours of the attempt and I will reset your quiz for you. Please note that I am able to see your attempt to verify the email.

By design, there is not enough time to look up an answer to each question. You must be highly prepared for each quiz by reading the assigned chapter. Do not procrastinate; give yourself time to complete each quiz in sequence as you progress through the unit. You may move at your own pace ahead of each deadline. I suggest completing the readings and quizzes well ahead of each deadline so you can focus on the primary unit activities (current events and discussions). There are a plethora of resources that have been provided to help you succeed in the course, ranging from the textbook to virtual PowerPoints. It is the unsecured nature of the distance education environment that mandates that you are highly prepared before each quiz. These restrictions provide a measure of integrity for the course assessments and help secure your identity.

On rare occasion, there may be an issue with the questions in the quiz pool. I will address those issues on a case-by-case basis. Also, unforeseen glitches during a quiz attempt can occur from time to time. There are several steps you can take to ensure you do not have a problem during an attempt. If your issue is technological and based with Canvas, you will need to contact Canvas support. If the issue is from an internet glitch, you may contact me.

 

Extra Credit Essay Option

You may submit an extra credit essay to take the grade of a Current Event, Discussion Board, or a quiz grade. It will be used in whichever spot helps your grade the most. The extra credit essay must be a topic that you have not selected previously for one of your Current Events, and must be a topic that is discussed in the course.

Please clearly identify the essay topic and that it is for extra credit on the cover page. The minimum expectations and research requirements are:

• 3 pages front and back
• 12 pt font-Times New Roman or Arial
• Double-spaced
• 1 inch margins
• Submitted as .doc, .docx, or .pdf

There is a link in the Modules labeled "extra credit paper." That is where you are to submit your work. The deadline is the end of Unit 3. Please see the calendar for details.

Current Events:

Each Current Event is worth 10% or 100 pts of Total Course Grade [200 pts or 20% of Total Course Grade]. A rubric for the requirements of your Current Event is provided in the “Orientation” Section. You are only required to do 2 unit’s Current Events. You may choose to do all 4 unit’s Current Events and the best 2 of the 4 will be taken.

You will summarize a news event involving the TX Government taken from a reputable source such as CNN, Fox, BBC, etc. You must use a reputable news source. Stories from sites such as Buzzfeed or Esquire will not be accepted. Assignments that do not directly involve the TX Government will not be taken. If you are unsure if the news source is reputable, or if a story is directly related to the TX Government, PLEASE EMAIL BEFORE YOU START YOUR ASSIGNMENT.

Your Current Event must contain 3 Sections: A summary of your news article, a clear tie to your textbook, and a prediction of what you think is going to happen as an effect of your chosen event.

1. Your summaries must be at least 100 words in length. They will be put through a word counter and a plagiarism checker, so do not just copy and paste parts of the article.
2. You then must clearly analyze the event’s tie to your text in at least 250 words (again it will be put through a word counter and plagiarism checker). Anytime you include material from the textbook, you must cite in MLA. If this means that you are citing every time for 3 sentences in a row, this is ok. You must cite every time!!! The biggest mistake students make with this assignment is length and not citing properly in the second paragraph. The last part of the assignment is to predict the effects of your chosen event.
3. Your prediction should be at least 100 words. Your Prediction is a subjective analysis in which you will use prior and newly acquired knowledge of different cause and effect relationships within the structure of the TX government policy to predict an outcome of your chosen event.

Some credible news sources you may wish to consult include:

• WashingtonPost.com (Links to an external site.)
• USAToday.com (Links to an external site.)
• CNN.com (Links to an external site.)
• NPR.org (Links to an external site.)
• DallasNews.com (Links to an external site.)
• TexasTribune.org (Links to an external site.)

While these are recommended sources, you may choose from others if you like. Again, you may not use opinion pages or blogs to draw from or you will not receive credit. Your news source must be credible. If you have questions about a news source before posting, please ask.

 

Discussion Boards:

Each Discussion Board is worth 10% or 100 pts [200 pts of Total Course Grade]. A rubric for your Discussion Boards is provided in the “Orientation” Module. You may choose to complete 4 Discussion Boards, but like the Current Events, the best 2 of the 4 will be taken.

You will be expected to answer short answer questions based on textbook material and will be expected to respond to at least 1other students’ post (due at the end of each unit). Individual responses should answer to each question for each chapter thoroughly. Make sure to cite where you got the information from the textbook in MLA format. It is expected that EACH question will be answered, and that EACH answer will have a citation connected to it. The Discussion Board is formatted by chapter with questions connected to each chapter. There will be 3 questions per chapter so budget your time accordingly. Make sure to not wait until the last minute because doing so will make the assignment VERY difficult to complete by the deadline

Reply Posting Guidelines:

The second part of each discussion forum involves replying to an original post offered by at least one of your peers. You may choose to reply more often, but the minimum expectation is for each student to engage with at least one person in each forum. Responses to peers must expand upon the post’s material (ie. your response could expand upon your peers’ response by adding other relevant information, refuting their response, or confirming their response using evidence, etc.) Your reply does not involve the same level of rigor as the original post, but it must be of substantial academic and intellectual value.

Be sure to directly address the main points made in the original post and even offer additional sources to consider. You must reply in the same unit you are taking part in. Simply cheering on your peers with phrases like "Good posting" or "I agree" will not suffice for this assignment. This is an opportunity for real exchange of ideas, so make the most of the opportunity to teach and learn from your classmates. Any personal attacks are grounds for immediate removal from the course and possible referral to the dean for further discipline review. Again, your grade will be based on the quality and originality of your feedback. The minimum writing requirement for a reply post is 100 words. Finally, provide a word count and if needed list any works cited at the end of the reply.

Extra Credit Discussion Option –

Additional Reply Posts (up to extra 5 per forum):

In each discussion forum, one reply is required as part of the activity. As incentive to keep the conversation going, you can earn up to 2 extra credit points for making up to 5 additional reply comments to your peers (1 required + 5 optional = 6 total). There is a maximum of 10 extra credit points awarded per forum. This option only applies when you are a participant in the forum. If your work is late or incomplete, you will not earn extra credit. Once the deadline for a given forum has passed, so does the opportunity for extra credit on that discussion topic.

Unit Exams:

Each exam is worth 150 pts or 15% of your grade [150 pts or 30% Total]. The questions are generated randomly and are Multiple Choice. You will have 15 questions per chapter for each exam, and 75 minutes to complete the exam. There are two exams, a midterm (over Units 1 & 2) and an exam over Units 3-4. You have the option of taking a final exam (comprehensive over the entire course) to take the place of your lowest exam grade so the final exam is optional but highly encouraged! The Final Exam itself will have 90 questions and 120 minutes for completion. If your Final Exam is lower than both of your Exam grades, then it will be dropped so it doesn’t hurt to try.

Cumulative Essay:

Each student will be responsible for turning in a 5-page essay on TX Government Policy. A rubric for the guidelines on this essay is provided in the “Orientation” Module. This essay will address the importance of, and consequences of, your chosen state policy on the structure of the TX Government. This could include historical state policy such as the passage of one of the Texas Constitutions, the impact on the Texas Government from joining the Confederacy during the Civil War, or Texas-Mexico relations (to name a few ideas). Or, you could also address the impact of more recent policy such as ObamaCare, Immigration Law, or Emergency Declaration Procedure.

 These are all just ideas of topics that you could cover in your essay. You could come up with your own that you are more passionate about, or maybe you might come across one as we go through the semester.

Please note that your essay topic is due at the end of Unit 1, and is 10% of your Essay grade. Your essay topic will be submitted via a Discussion forum. The topic thread must be titled, “Last Name-Topic”. This allows other students to see your topic. Only two students are allowed to choose the same topic, on a first-come, first-served basis. Once two students have chosen a topic, no other students are able to choose that topic and will be notified via email. A topic that cannot be approved due to this error will not receive credit so please take heed and make sure to pay attention to which topics have been taken.

Your essay sources are due at the end of Unit 2. This essay must use at least 5 different sources. These sources must come from a reputable resource. A reputable website is one whose url usually ends in .edu, .org, or .gov. Other ideas for reputable resources are the websites that were mentioned above for your Current Event, a literary source, or a primary source (such as a letter, diary entry, or firsthand written account). You may use your textbook, but it cannot count as one of your self-identified resources. For this assignment, you will create Annotated Bibliography where you will list the source in proper Works Citation format, and then you will explain how you will use that source. Again, your sources are due by the end of Unit 2 and are worth 20% of your Essay grade.

 

Example:

Mora, Sherri. The State of Texas: Government, Politics, and Policy. New York, McGraw-Hill Education, 2019.

(Explanation of how you would use this source in your essay)

 

The essay itself must be written in Times New Roman, Double-Spaced, and 12 pt font. It must be 5 pages long (the front of one page is defined as one page for this assignment; the back would be page two). The final essay itself is worth 70% of the essay grade. Please note your essay is due at the end of Unit 3, and that it makes up 10 percent of your course grade.

 

 

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)

Additional Instructor-specific Absence Policy:

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is _______________.

 

COURSE ETIQUETTE

 

Important Course Policies:

 

Course Etiquette Policy

 

E-mail –

 

Please approach all of your emails as if they were professional academic correspondence, and not text messages. You should always include your course name and section number in your subject line, as this makes it much easier to identify students and get you the fastest and best response possible. Next you should use the proper greeting which includes the person's title and last name. First name basis is not appropriate in a professional academic setting. Your body paragraph should be checked for basic spelling errors, tone, and clarity. Please follow these guidelines with all faculty.

 

Communication between instructor and student will be conducted through email or office hours which are scheduled directly with your instructor. You may request office hours through Zoom, WebEx, or FaceTime. There is a 48 hour window of response time typically. Emails sent after 5pm are not subject to be answered till the following day. This does not mean you will not get a response, simply that the turnaround time may be as long as the next morning. Emails sent after 5pm Thursday have a turnaround time of Monday morning.  Again, this does not mean you absolutely will not get a response, simply that it may take longer during non-business hours. Emails sent at normal times should be responded to the same day sent, depending on time sent. This said, if you need immediate assistance, try contacting the help desk. Your faculty try our best to get to your emails as quickly as possible, but we are all human and responses may not be as fast as you would need them to be.

 

DO NOT FORGET TO INCLUDE YOUR COURSE AND SECTION NUMBER IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF EVERY EMAILYOU SEND!

 

• Communication Dialogue– Personal attacks, racial or ethnic slurs, outbursts or other inappropriate forms of communication will result in immediate removal from the class and possibly from the college. Think about what you are saying, before you hit the send or submit button.

 

• Personal Requests– I am happy to assist you with any questions you may have about the course, about the news, or even college life in general. However, personal requests for exemptions to course policies will not be granted unless there is a legitimate reason. It is a form of discrimination by the instructor to grant exceptions without basis. Any exceptions made may require documentation and will only be considered in advance of a deadline. Please refrain from asking the instructor to engage in unprofessional or unethical behavior, such requests will be not receive an audience. This includes requesting for an assignment to be submitted late due to user error or any other issue besides a documented medical emergency. I cannot accept your late assignment when other’s assignments will not be accepted. We are all adults and need to be responsible and adhere to syllabus guidelines.

 

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.

 

Additional Instructor-specific Absence Policy:

 

I do not drop students, or recommend a student for drop, for any reason. If you decide to drop the course, the responsibility to complete the process is up to you. If you stop attending the course and/or fail to complete the assignments in the course, the responsibility to drop is up to you.

 

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)_______

 

         Communication

         Mathematics                

         Life and Physical Science

         Language, Philosophy & Culture

         Creative Arts

 

X         Government/Political Science

         Social and Behavioral Sciences

         Component Area Option

         American History

 

 

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES (For classes in the Core)

 

X         Critical Thinking

X         Communication

         Empirical and Quantitative

 

         Teamwork

X         Personal Responsibility

X         Social Responsibility

 

COURSE TYPE

         Academic General Education Course (from ACGM but not in NCTC Core)

X         Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course

         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”. 

 

What is plagiarism?

 

• Copying a word or words directly from a book, periodical, or electronic source without using quotation marks and references to sources

 

• Summarizing or paraphrasing the ideas or opinions of an author or use of the data collected by an author without citing the author as a source.

 

• Submitting papers or projects which do not reflect their own knowledge, voice and style, usually as a result of having had another person write, rephrase, rewrite or complete their ideas.

 

• Submitting a paper or project which was previously submitted fulfill requirements for another course, unless:

 

• the professor permits students to draw from earlier papers/projects or
• the professors of concurrent courses (i.e. Common Ground courses) permit students to submit a paper/project to fulfill requirements in both courses.

 

• Downloading a paper or portions of text from an electronic source and pasting it into a paper, retyping the paper or portions of the paper and submitting it as their own composition, retyping phrases or sentences with a few changes and submitting the paper as their own composition, or summarizing/paraphrasing the ideas from one or more sentences without citing the source.

 

• Submitting as their own work a paper (or parts of a paper) purchased from a company or electronic source that offers catalogs of essays on different topics and/or for different courses.

 

• If you plagiarize, you will be given a zero for that assignment.

 

What is cheating?

 

• Copying answers from another student's examination sheet

 

• Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials (notes, study guides, "crib" sheets, textbooks, electronic devices, etc.) during an examination

 

• Exchanging forms of a test with a classmate

 

• Possessing and/or using unauthorized copies of tests or answer sheets

 

• Changing answers or grades on a graded project· If you cheat, you will be given a zero for that assignment and/or test

 

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:	316 E Hickory St, Denton, TX 76201
Telephone Number:	940-380-2504
E-mail Address:	bking@nctc.edu