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AMERICAN GOVERNMENT - POLITICAL SCIENCE 1101 D4
University of North Georgia
Fall 2014; Three Credits
MWF 8:00 AM – 8:50 AM
Young Hall Room 203
elearning: Login link for D2L
Instructor:
A. Renee Lloyd, J.D.
Office Phone:
706.974.5886
Office Email:
anna.lloyd@ung.edu
Office: 3rd Floor conference room, Library
Office Hours: MW, 9-11 AM, or by appt.
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Text and Other Materials. The required text for this course is The Basics of American
Government, edited by Dr. Carl D. Cavalli (Revised Edition). You may also be assigned
readings from the This Nation online textbook located at http://www.thisnation.com/textbook/.
The required readings for each class will be listed in the Class Calendar on D2L. You will be
responsible for reading these in their entirety prior to class. Keeping up with required readings
and current events is critical for meaningful participation in this course. Please make it a habit
to watch the daily news on television, listen to the news on the radio or read the news in print or
online for at least fifteen minutes per day. For your convenience, I have placed several links to
reputable political web sites under the Links tab in D2L.
Course Description. An intensive examination of the U.S. 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. Prerequisites/Corequisites: None
Course Objectives: The objectives of the course are:
1) To gain a better understanding of the American political and governmental process;
2) To better understand how the political process affects the day-to-day decisions of average
citizens;
3) To gain a better understanding of how historical events, occurrences, and decisions affect the
modern political and governmental process;
4) To make you interested, excited and motivated to participate in the political process;
5) To enable you to understand, analyze and contextualize modern political events (to be able
to watch the TV news and understand what is happening and why);
6) To motivate you to take further courses in political science; and
7) To learn how to respect and respond to political opinions that may differ from your own.
General Learning Outcomes. This course addresses the following learning outcomes: Upon
completing the course, you will:
1) Communicate effectively using multiple literacies and forms of expression;
2) Demonstrate analytic, contextual, and holistic thinking;
3) Engage in integrative learning;
4) Reflect critically and take informed action individually as citizens; and
5) Analyze ethical interactions in local and global communities.
Methods of Instruction. This course will be delivered via the hybrid instructional method,
meaning that the course will be taught partially by class lecture and partially through online
assignments accessible on the elearning software D2L (https://ung.view.usg.edu/). You are
responsible for checking the Class Calendar on D2L for class schedules, assignments and due
dates.
Evaluation Methods.
Individual grades for quizzes and the following assignments and
assessments will be posted on D2L using a point rather than percentage scale. Final grades are
available on BANNER usually within 2 days after all finals have ended. If you have a question
about your grades, please see me during my office hours.
Quizzes (4)
500 possible points
Online Assignments and Class Participation (3 assignments)
300 possible points
Citizenship Requirement
100 possible points
Media Analysis Assignment
100 possible points
TOTAL
1000 possible points
Grading Scale. 900-1000 points=A, 800-899 points=B, 700-799 points=C, 600-699 points=D,
and 599 and below=F
Grading Criteria.
Quizzes. You will have 4 quizzes each covering a specific section of the class. Each
quiz is worth 125 points for a total of 500 possible points. Each quiz will be a combination of
multiple choice, true/false, and/or short answer questions and will be delivered online through
D2L. You may use your notes while taking the quizzes but no other outside sources, including
the Internet. You must take the quizzes independently. Using the Internet during the quiz or
consulting another student prior to or during the quiz regarding quiz questions constitutes
cheating and will result in a zero grade for said quiz and an automatic violation of the Academic
Integrity Policy. The penalty for violating the Academic Integrity Policy is set forth hereinbelow.
Should you be uncomfortable or unable to take the quiz online for any reason, please see me
prior to the opening of the quiz and we will set up an alternative method.
Online Assignments and Class Participation. You will complete 3 online
assignments during the course in place of attending several class meetings. Each assignment
is worth up to 100 points. Together, these assignments, along with your class participation,
account for 300 possible points of your final grade. The schedule for the online assignments is
indicated in the tentative course schedule hereinbelow, on the Class Calendar on D2L and
under the Dropbox folder on D2L. You will submit your assignment through the Drop Box in
D2L, unless otherwise instructed. Except for activities specified as group activities, you are
reminded to work alone. Moreover, you must always cite your sources. Failing to cite your
sources constitutes plagiarism and is an automatic violation of the Academic Integrity Policy.
The penalty for violating the Academic Integrity Policy is set forth hereinbelow. Participation,
online or in class, is integral to your success in this course. You earn points through attendance,
presenting current events articles and videos and active participation in class and online
discussions.
Citizenship Requirement: You will complete 3 hours of service learning and/or
community involvement during the course of the semester and complete an exit survey on D2L
by midnight on Friday, November 7th, 2014, which together will constitute 100 points of your
final grade. To satisfy this Citizenship Requirement, you may attend one or more of the
following: (1) A meeting of a special interest group, governmental body, student organization,
non-profit organization, either on or off campus; (2) An event sponsored by a special interest
group, student organization or non-profit organization; and/or (3) Volunteer with a non-profit
organization, service industry, government agency, religious organization, school organization,
political campaign, etc. The idea here is to get out into the community, get involved, serve
others, and make our community a better place to live. For credit, you must submit proper
documentation and complete an exit survey on D2L. Specific details regarding what constitutes
proper documentation are available under the Dropbox folder on D2L.
Media Analysis Assignment: You will analyze a news article selected by me and
submit an analysis paper on same. The required length for the paper is between 500 to 750
words. This assignment constitutes 100 points of your final grade and is due by midnight on
December 5th, 2014. This Media Analysis Assignment will assess your ability to analyze the
interaction between culture and politics in the United States. Specific details regarding the
article and assignment are available under the Dropbox folder on D2L.
Extra Credit:
In Class Presentations: For extra credit towards your Online Assignments and
Participation grade, you may present relevant news articles and/or videos to the class for up to
5 points of extra credit. You must submit your article and/or video to me prior to class for
approval. You may present up to 2 total articles and/or videos over the course of the semester,
for a total possible 10 extra credit points.
Crossfire Debates: For extra credit towards your Quiz grades, you may attend the
Crossfire debates hosted by the PSSA and submit a one-page single-spaced typewritten
reaction essay through the pertinent D2L Drop box folder for up to 10 points of extra credit. The
essays are due by midnight on the Wednesday following the Crossfire Debate. You may submit
a total of 3 reaction essays over the course of the semester, for a total of 30 possible extra
credit points. I will not accept requests for extra credit from students, however, additional extra
credit may, at my discretion, be offered throughout the semester. All extra credit opportunities
will be announced in class and cannot be “made up”.
Tentative Course Schedule: I reserve the right to change the following schedule during the
semester. Check the Class Calendar in D2L for daily readings and updates. Inasmuch as this
is a Hybrid class, periodically, you will have assignments to complete instead of attending class.
It is your responsibility to check the Class Calendar on D2L to determine whether or not we will
meet for class or whether you have an assignment in place of class. Moreover, since Quizzes
will be delivered online, we will not meet on Quiz Days either.
I.
FOUNDATIONS
Lecture One
Political Issues Assignment
(No Class on Aug. 29th)
Lecture Two
Lecture Three
Quiz One (No Class)
Features of the Constitution
Lecture Four
Lecture Five
Lecture Six
Eyes on the Prize Assignment
(No Class on September 26th)
Quiz Two (No Class)
II.
PEOPLE, POLITICS & PROCESSES
Lecture Seven
Group Media Bias Assignment
(No Class on October 10th)
Lecture Eight
Lecture Nine
Lecture Ten
Quiz Three (No Class)
III.
INSTITUTIONS
Lecture Eleven
Citizenship Requirement
Lecture Twelve
Lecture Thirteen
Media Analysis Assignment
(No class on Dec. 3rd and 5th)
Quiz Four (not cumulative)
Government - What is at Stake?
1st Part Due by midnight Aug. 29th
2nd Part Due by midnight Sept. 5th
Democracy
U.S. Constitution
September 10th
Federalism
Civil Liberties
Civil Rights
Due by midnight Sept. 26th
October 8th
Political Socialization, Public Opinion & the Media
Due by midnight on Oct. 17th
Interest Groups
Political Parties
Campaigns, Elections and Voting
October 31st
The Legislative Branch
Due by midnight Nov. 7th
The Executive Branch
The Judiciary
Due by midnight Dec. 5th
Monday, Dec. 8th – Final Exam Period
8-10 AM
Attendance Policy: Attendance is an important part of this course and is strongly encouraged.
Missing class regularly will directly affect your participation grade and your overall performance
in this course. You are responsible for all assignments, notes and announcements made
during classes. If your total number of absences exceeds 10% of the scheduled classes
(including missed assignments), or if your attendance is discontinued altogether, you
may, in my discretion, be dropped from the class roll with a grade of a W or WF; provided
that if your attendance is discontinued altogether after the midterm, you will be assigned
a grade of WF in accordance with University policy.
Make-up Quizzes: Make-up quizzes (possibly in a different format from that of the regularly
scheduled quiz) will be administered only for students with prompt and proper documentation
(e.g., physician’s note, etc.) for missing a quiz. Also, any students with significant religious or
vocational commitments that conflict with a scheduled quiz will be accommodated.
Email: Please note that UNG Email and D2L are the official means of communication within
University of North Georgia. Class cancellations and/or occasional announcements will be sent
through UNG Email and/or D2L. You are expected to check your email and course sites
frequently and consistently. Please send all email to me via UNG email or D2L. Email sent to
or from non-University addresses will not be opened.
Individual vs. Collaborative Work Policy. Unless specifically stated otherwise, students
should work individually on any and all assignments submitted for credit. Collaborating with
fellow classmates on non-group assignments or quizzes constitutes cheating and will result in a
zero grade for such assignment or quiz and an automatic violation of the Academic Integrity
Policy. The penalty for violating the Academic Integrity Policy is set forth hereinbelow.
Cheating and Plagiarism. Any instance of cheating or plagiarism will result in a zero grade for
the assignment or quiz and/or an “F” grade for the course, to be determined by me based on the
severity of the transgression, in addition to constituting an automatic violation of the Academic
Integrity Policy. The penalty for violating the Academic Integrity Policy is set forth hereinbelow.
Academic Integrity Policy Violations. If I conclude that a violation of the Academic Integrity
Policy has occurred, I will either (1) penalize you, as indicated above, and file an incident report
with the Academic Integrity Council or (2) refer the matter directly to the Academic Integrity
Council. If an incident report is filed, I will review the completed report with you and will request
that you sign the report as an indication that you are aware of its contents.
Changes to the Syllabus. I reserve the right to change the Syllabus, as I deem appropriate
and necessary, especially with regard to the day-to-day and week-to-week schedule.
SUPPLEMENTAL SYLLABUS
Students are expected to refer to the Supplemental Syllabus for the following information:
Academic Exchange
Academic Integrity Policy
Academic Success Plan Program
Class Evaluations
Course Grades and Withdrawal Process
Disruptive Behavior Policy
Inclement Weather
Smoking Policy
Students with Disabilities