POLS 1101
American Government (3 credit hours)
Gainesville Campus
Spring 2015
I.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Kathryn B. Harris, Ph.D. (University of Georgia, 1986)
Office Location: Nesbitt Bldg, Rm. 2217 (Office phone to be announced)
Office Hours (Tuesdays & Thursdays): 10:45-11:45 a.m., and other times by
appointment
Email: kathy.harris@ung.edu
II.
TEXT AND OTHER MATERIALS
O’Connor, Sabato, & Yanus. Essentials of American Government: Roots and Reform.
(Pearson, 2012 ed., ISBN: 0-205-883999-0). Also, students will need to get a recent
World Almanac, preferably, The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2014 or 2015 ed.
(ISBN: 978-1-60057-148-0, should work for several editions).
III.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
POLS 1101 is an intensive examination of the US Constitution and the three
governmental divisions. The course includes a study of the national government in
its relation to the states. Examples from the government of Georgia are included.
This course can be used in Area E in the core curriculum.
This course fulfills the Georgia and U.S. Constitution and History requirement.
This course fulfills the U.S Perspectives Learning Outcome.
IV.
COURSE OBJECTIVES (EXPECTED OUTCOMES)
By the time students have finished this course, they should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Analyze the interaction of political actors and institutions in the United States
and their interactions with global actors and forces.
Analyze the historical and philosophical roots of America’s system of
government and the Constitution.
Show understanding of Georgia’s history and government, including current
issues in Georgia politics.
Formulate and defend logical arguments in discussing a variety of contemporary
political issues.
Examine the effects of cultural differences and economic interests of political
actors within the United States and between the United States and other global
actors.
Assess the accuracy, completeness and potential bias of sources of information
pertaining to politics and government in the U.S. and world.
V.
COURSE CALENDAR
Detailed information is available in your Schedule of Assignments found in Shared
Class Files. Please print and keep copies of the Schedule and Syllabus.
VI.
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance: Regular attendance is very important to success in this course. Students
are responsible for assignments and information covered during their absence and
should check the Schedule of Assignments. Students who need to withdraw from the
class must do so officially prior to the Feb. 27 deadline. Failure to officially
withdraw means that your name remains on the class roll, and every name on the
roll must be given a grade. A student who had never attended or received a grade
would get an F. Students who withdraw from a course, but after the deadline will be
assigned a grade of WF by the Registrar. Please double-check your online
withdrawal. Faculty are required to report names of students who did not attend the
first two weeks of classes, for dismissal by the Registrar. Finally, regular attendance
is important in determining borderline final grades because some credit is given for
participation.
Disruptive Behavior: Students considered by the instructor to conduct themselves in
a way that obstructs or disrupts or attempts to obstruct or disrupt the class or its
learning activities will be given a verbal warning and may be asked to excuse
themselves from the classroom for that class period. Examples of disruptive
behaviors include sleeping, eating, coming in late, interrupting others, talking out of
turn, disrespect of other students or the instructor. Continued disruptive conduct
may be reported to the Vice President for Student Development and may be subject
to disciplinary procedures as outlined in the college catalog.
Student Ethics: All students are expected to do their own work in this course. To do
otherwise is cheating. Students who plagiarize a written assignment or cheat on a
test will receive a grade of zero on the assignment in question. Please see the Student
Handbook “Student Code of Conduct” for institutional penalties.
Make-up Information: See Course Grading below.
VII.
COURSE GRADING
The final grade is the sum of scores in the following elements. The highest possible
score is 500 points.
Four Tests
300 points
Research Project
50 points
Final Examination
150 points
I reserve the right to make changes to the above grading system if necessary.
Make-up Tests are granted for exceptional circumstances, must be approved by me,
and will be administered on one make-up day near the end of the semester. Aside
from extended hospitalization or some other catastrophic situation, the rule for
make-ups is one per student per semester.
Extra credit opportunities will be offered from time to time. Students must be present
on the day the assignment is given, no make-ups for extra credit assignments.
Late turn-ins. Assignments handed in late will be reduced by a certain number of
points, depending on the point value of the assignment and the number of days late,
usually 10% of the grade per day.
VIII.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
IX.
SUPPLEMENTAL COURSE INFORMATION
Students are responsible for accessing supplemental course information common to
all courses at:
http://ung.edu/academic-affairs/policies-and-guideliines/supplementalsyllabus.php
Student Disability Services
This university is committed to equal access to its programs, services, and activities,
and welcomes otherwise qualified students with disabilities. Students who require
accommodations and services must register with Disability Services and submit
supporting documentation. Disability Services provides accommodation memos for
eligible students to give to their instructors, and must give reasonable prior notice of
the need for accommodation.
Contact Information for Disability Services:
 Gainesville
campus:
Carolyn
Swindle,
Assistant
Director,
carolyn.swindle@ung.edu. Dunlap-Mathis Bldg, Rm. 107, 678-717-3855.
 Dahlonega
campus:
Thomas
McCoy,
Assistant
Director,
Thomas.mccoy@ung.edu, Stewart Student Success Center, Rm. 313, 706-8672782.
 Oconee Campus: Erin Williams, Assistant Director, erin.williams@ung.edu.
Administration Bldg., Rm. 112, 706-310-6202.
 Cumming Instructional Site: Nicola Dovey, Director, nicola.dovey@ung.edu.
Or Beth Bellamy, Test Facilitator, beth.bellamy@ung.edu. 678-717-3855. For
onsite assistance, email Jason Pruitt, Asst. Director of UC 400 at
jason.pruitt@ung.edu.