PLEASE NOTE THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Houston Community College System
American Government: National, State, and Local I
Government 2301
Summer Semester, 2011
Instructor:
Angela L. Dixon
CRN Number: 77958
Class Meetings: Everything is done online, including tests. Class dates: Five Weeks: July 11-August 14,
2011.
Instructor Contact:
Students should contact professor using blackboard email. My school e-mail
address is angela.dixon@hccs.edu.
Course Semester Credit Hours (SCH):
Course Contact Hours:
3 hours
48 (At a minimum, students should spend 9.6 hours a week on class instruction)
Course Continuing Education Units:
Course Length (number of weeks):
Course Prerequisites:
0
5
Must be placed into college-level reading and college-level writing.
Course Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs):
Students will be able to:
1. Identify and evaluate information sources for political news, data and opinion
2. Compare and contrast the institutions of American national government with those of the state of Texas
and other world governments
3. Analyze the effects of the historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on
government
4. Recognize and assume the responsibilities of citizenship by developing one’s critical thinking skills,
engaging in public discourse, and by obtaining information through the news media
Course Goals and Objectives:
Upon completion of this course students should be able to write college
level reports, analyze various written works, and have a basic understanding of:
1.
United States and Texas Constitutions;
2.
3.
4.
Federalism, state and local government;
Public opinion, interests groups, the media; and
Political parties and elections.
Course Description:
As a core curriculum course, Government 2301 aims to provide the student with
a working knowledge of the functions of government and politics. Many people are unaware of the impact
that these institutions, policies and systems have on our daily lives. The ultimate goal of this course is to
make students become more cognizant of the dynamics involved, in an effort to allow them to make more
informed decisions.
Attendance and Drop Policy:
Since this is a web-based course, students are expected to sign in early
(no later than the first week to avoid being dropped from the course) do the online orientation, begin
working promptly, and frequently check in to see what is posted on the Calendar, within the modules,
discussions and Announcements. After the first week, there is an exam every week until the
conclusion of the course. It is the students’ responsibility to make sure they have the necessary
equipment/software programs needed to adequately access the class. These include Adobe, RealPlayer,
QuickTime, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, FlashPlayer, and any other that the professor may
indicate during the course of the semester. These downloads are available for free on the internet and most
of them can be downloaded from the section of the course that indicates it (“Need Help?”).
Although it is the responsibility of the student to officially withdraw from the course, a student may be
dropped for reasons outlines in the Policy regarding W, F, and I section on the last pages of this syllabus.
The last day for administrative and student withdrawals will be posted shortly. Failure of a student
to withdraw officially could result in the student receiving a grade of “F” in the course.
FIRST DAY OF INSTRUCTION IS JULY 11, 2011
July 11
July 14
August 5
August 11
August 12
Text:
Classes Begin
Census Day (formerly called Official Date of Record, OE Day)
4:30 p.m. Last Day for Withdrawals
Instruction Ends
Finals-Must be completed by this date
1. O’Connor, Karen, Sabato, Larry, Keith, Gary and Haag, Stefan. American Government: Roots
and
Reform 2009 Texas edition and the ISBN is 978-0-205-65221-1 (Texas). Electronic books are
also available online.
BLACKBOARD STUDENT USER ID
Your Blackboard login user ID will be your HCC User ID (sometimes referred to as the “W” number). All
HCC students have a unique User ID. If you do not know your User ID you can look it up by visiting the
HCC home page:
o From www.hccs.edu, under the column “CONNECT”, click on the “Student System Sign
In” link
o Then click on “Retrieve User ID” and follow the instructions.
Or use the direct link to access the Student Sign In page:
https://hccsaweb.hccs.edu:8080/psp/csprd/?cmd=login&languageCd=ENG
The default student password is “distance.” Students will then be prompted to change their password after
their first login. Please visit the Distance Education Technical Support website if you need additional
assistance with your login.
Grading:
There will be three (3) exams given during the semester, as well as the final exam. The
exams will consist of 25 true/false and multiple-choice questions. Exams will be located in the
assessment section of the course.
discussions.
In addition, there will be one writing assignment and online
Exam 1
15%
Exam 2
15%
Exam 3
15%
Written Assignment
20%
Online Discussion
15%
Final Exam
20%
________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
100%
Grading Scale: 90-100 = A
80-89 = B
70-79 = C
60-69 = D
0-59 = F
EXAMS WILL BE POSTED AT DESIGNATED TIMES. ANNOUNCEMENTS WILL
TELL YOU WHEN THE TEST HAS BEEN POSTED. YOU MUST TAKE THE EXAM WITHIN
THE TIME FRAME. THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS FOR THIS COURSE. Testing materials
will be drawn mainly from the assigned readings from the texts, and any posted lecture notes. Failure to
turn in the written assignments or failure to take a test will result in a grade of zero (0).
Extra Credit:
There are no “extra credit” points in the course. Please do not ask.
Scholastic Dishonesty: There will be no sharing of answers on exams and the written assignment. In
addition, students must present their original work on all assignments and document all outside resources.
Plagiarism is not allowed. Cheating will result in a grade of “F” in the course, as well as disciplinary
actions.
Writing Assignments in General:
NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. DUE DATES
ARE LISTED ON THE SYLLABUS. All writing assignments must be emailed to professor through
blackboard. If you attach the document, work must be done in Microsoft Word and saved as doc files.
Docx files are not accepted because not all computers can read them at this point. Work that cannot be read
will not be graded. Remember to give credit to ALL your sources as you write. Double spacing is required
for work turned in for credit.
Written Assignment:
Students are required to submit a written assignment during the semester. The
written assignment is worth 20% of the final grade in the course. The assigned essay should be
approximately 3 pages in length plus cover sheet and bibliography, typed on any word processing software
that allows for checking spelling and grammar, and a cover sheet. The cover sheet and bibliography should
not be counted in your 3 page requirement. If you do count it, you will not receive full credit. You will
have a total of 5 pages to turn in. You will be expected to incorporate material from assigned readings.
These papers will be graded according to the soundness and intellectual rigor of their argument, their use of
relevant class material (including, reading, lecture notes, and online discussions), and the quality of their
written expression. All papers must be written with consideration for grammatical rules. Spelling and
grammar are part of your written assignment grade. The paper should be double-spaced. Students must
document the sources used in the research of the paper in an appropriate manner (footnotes or endnotes and
bibliography) using any method (MLA, Chicago, etc.) Students must use a minimum of three (3)
different sources. Failure to document your sources will result in a grade not exceeding 70. If you
have any questions on the assignment, please contact me before the due date. The written assignment may
be about any approved topic related to government and must be approved by the instructor. The instructor
will not provide a topic for the paper. The student must come up with their own topic but instructor is
available to assist if there are questions. Students can write on a current government issue or any
governmental, policy related topic of interest. Students can discuss the background of the issue, any
current developments of the issue, any pros and cons, and any other relevant information and wrap
up with a conclusion.
The written assignment meets the reading, listening, writing, speaking, critical thinking, and computer
literacy competencies.
Learning Modules:
This is where you will find assigned readings, lecture notes, outlines and
additional online materials. Web links maybe included to further assist you in the learning process.
Students may be directed to online videos or additional instruction materials.
Online Discussions:
There will be about 20 unit discussion topics which will include some current
topics. The discussions will be located in the discussions section of your course online. The discussions
will be 15% of your grade. Each student is required to respond to five (5) of my original discussion topic
postings and respond to two (2) of their classmates posts in order to get full credit which is seven responses
(7) in all. What will be graded is the quality of the responses rather than the frequency. These responses
must be well thought out before you submit them. They must go beyond agreeing or disagreeing to
substantive answers thought about and put together by the student. Work will be checked for plagiarism.
Discussions will not be up indefinitely so pace yourself and do not wait until the last minute to post them.
Class Participation:
Participation is greatly encouraged. This can be enhanced, by reading the
assigned readings, actively participating in group discussions, and keeping up with the news relating to
government and politics. In recognition of the diverse interests and experiences of our students, orderly and
timely class discussions are encouraged when they pertain to the subject matter being addressed by the
professor. The use of foul, abusive, threatening and racially offensive language is totally prohibited. I
cannot overemphasize the need to read the assigned readings. Failure to do so on a regular basis is usually
reflected negatively on the tests grades. ALL COMMUNICATION DIRECTED TO ME FOR THIS
CLASS SHOULD BE DONE IN BLACKBOARD AND NOT IN THE REGULAR HCC EMAIL.
You may use the services listed on the Campus announcements section as you access your course. These
are Askonline – for government questions and Smartthinking. However, please do not submit your short
papers to Smartthinking. You may use this for the part of your major assignment that does not include the
analyzes.
ADA Statement:
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric,
vision, hearing, etc.) and who needs to arrange reasonable accommodation must contact the Disability
Services Office at the respective college at the beginning of each semester. Faculty is authorized to provide
only the accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office. To contact the ADA
counselor at Southeast College, call (713-718-7218).
Course Outline:
The following reading assignments fulfill the reading, listening, and critical
thinking components required by the core curriculums. The following topics will be discussed in this class.
2301 TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE (EXACT DATES FOR EXAMS AND WORK DUE ARE
PRINTED IN THE CALENDAR, SO MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE CALENDAR AND
ANNOUCEMENTS OFTEN. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU PRINT AN UPDATED COPY OF
THE SYLLABUS ONCE YOU SIGN IN TO THE CLASS)
Learning Objectives for Government 2301
MODULE 1
Reading Assignments for MODULE 1:
Chapter 1 The Political Landscape
Chapter 2 The Constitution
Chapter 3 Federalism
Read online lectures, outlines and review multimedia presentations; study questions are optional
Respond to Unit 1 discussions
Exam 1 is available through July 22nd
MODULE 2
Reading Assignments for MODULE 2:
Chapter 4 State and Local Government
Chapter 20 The Context for Texas Politics and Government
Chapter 21 The Texas Constitution
Chapter 22 Local Government and Politics in Texas
Read online lectures, outlines and review multimedia presentations; study questions are optional
Respond to Unit 2 discussions
Exam 2 is available through July 29th
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT DUE AUGUST 4TH
MODULE 3
Reading Assignments for MODULE 3:
Chapter 12 Political Parties
Chapter 13 Voting and Elections
Chapter 14 The Campaign Process
Chapter 26 Political Parties, Interest Groups, Elections and Campaigns in Texas
Read online lectures, outlines and review multimedia presentations; study questions are optional
Respond to Unit 3 discussions
Exam 3 is available through August 5th
MODULE 4
Reading Assignments for MODULE 4:
Chapter 11 Political Socialization and Public Opinion
Chapter 15 The Media
Chapter 16 Interest Groups
Read online lectures, outlines and review multimedia presentations; study questions are optional
Respond to Unit 4 discussions
The FINAL EXAM should be completed by AUGUST 12th, 2011.
In the event of unforeseen circumstances, the information on this syllabus is subject to change. I will notify
you if
any changes occur.
DISTANCE EDUCATION (DE) ADVISING AND COUNSELING SERVICES
The Distance Education Student Handbook contains policies and
procedures unique to the DE student. Students should have reviewed
the handbook as part of the mandatory orientation. It is the
student's responsibility to be familiar with the handbook's
contents. The handbook contains valuable information, answers, and
resources, such as DE contacts, policies and procedures (how to
drop, attendance requirements, etc.), student services (ADA,
financial aid, degree planning, etc.), course information, testing
procedures, technical support, and academic calendars. Refer to the
DE Student Handbook by visiting this
link: http://de.hccs.edu/de/de-student-handbook