Introduction to American Government
Spring Semester 08
3 CREDIT HOURS
Kimberly Prestwich
Office Hours 8-5
201 Taylor Multicultural Student Services
College of Southern Idaho
Office Phone: (208) 732-6293
kprestwich@csi.edu
The CSI Mission Statement
The College of Southern Idaho, a comprehensive community college, provides educational, social
and cultural opportunities for the diverse population of South Central Idaho. In this rapidly
changing world, CSI encourages our students to lead enriched, productive and responsible lives.
General Education Criteria: This course satisfies all eight criteria for general education. It is
designed to:
1. provide a broad-based survey of a discipline and show the interconnectedness of knowledge.
2. develop a discerning individual.
3. practice critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
4. promote awareness of social and cultural diversity in order to appreciate the commonality of
mankind.
5. foster the balance between individual needs and the demands of society.
6. reinforce reading, writing, speaking, and/or quantitative skills.
7. encourage and inspire life-long learning.
8. encourage creativity.
Social Science Department Mission Statement
The mission of the Social Science Department is to provide educational, social, and cultural
opportunities which encourage enriched, productive and responsible lives primarily by instructing
students to understand, interpret, and apply Social Science discipline coursework.
Social Science Department Goals: This course addresses the following Social Science
Department goals:
1. help students understand important facts, concepts and theories of Social Science subjects.
2. help students acquire techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge in the disciplines.
3. help students learn to distinguish between fact and opinion.
4. teach students to use evaluation, analysis and synthesis to interpret and solve problems.
5. teach students to use different perspectives from the social sciences to make better-informed
decisions
6. help students acquire an informed understanding of various cultures.
7. prepare students to transfer to a university.
Political Science Program Mission Statement
The Political Science Program prepares students to examine the theory and practice of politics
and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior.
Political Science Program Objectives: Students will…
1. comprehend political theories, structures and processes.
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2 think, integrate, and logically organize, not just memorize, political information.
3.gather knowledge from other disciplines to interpret political situations.
4.apply insights from the study of political science to understand local, state, national and
international developments.
POLS 101 CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION: A basic course in political science
introducing the basic concepts and major structural elements of the national government. Many
aspects of American government are introduced and discussed in a way that will make the study
of government more a part of the students’ world.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: American Government, Volkomer (11th-Edition)
Course Outcomes Aligned with GE criteria (GE) Social Science Goals (SS) and Political Science
Objectives (POLS)
Students Will....
1.Understand the basic structure of American
Government.
2.Be able to critically interpret and articulate
thoughts about
American Government and politics.
3. Apply course concepts in a personal and everyday
context.
GE
1, 2, 3, 6
SS
1, 2, 3, 4
POLS
1, 2, 3, 4
1, 3, 5, 6
1, 2, 3, 4
1, 2, 3, 4
1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8
1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7
1, 2, 3, 4
Assessment Method: Alignment of course outcomes with course assessment methods.
Quizzes Exams Homework
Media
Public Meeting or
Final synthesis
Review
Community Service
paper
Activity
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2
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General Policies and Procedures:
 Textbook: Students should purchase the textbooks and supplies by the end of the first week
of class.
 Behavior: Classroom behavior is to be appropriate to a positive learning environment. See
CSI Catalog for college behavioral policies.
 Attendance: Attendance is required for the student to be successful in this class. Any
student who misses TWO class periods may be dropped from the course, as stated in the
CSI Catalog. If you know that you will be absent on the day a major assignment is due or a
test will be given, please contact me PRIOR to the day to make arrangements. If you stop
attending class, it is your responsibility to drop the class.
 Late Work: Late assignments will not be accepted after 5p.m. the day they are due.
Extenuating circumstances will be considered, however the instructor reserves the right to not
accept or mark down assignments that are not turned in on time.
 Academic Honesty: Cheating, collaboration, or other dishonest academic behavior is
intolerable and can result in an ‘F’ for the course (see CSI Catalog)
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Grading Policy: Grades will be determined based on the accumulation of points from the
following:
 A Midterm and Final (100 points each)
 Class participation (100 points)
 Weekly short quizzes (5-10 points each)
 Homework assignment (5-10 points each)
 Weekly media review (5 points each)
 Public Meeting or Community Service Activity(50 points)
 Final Synthesis paper (100 points)
 Grades will be averaged using a traditional scale
 90-100=A
 80-89=B
 70-79=C
 60-69=D
 59 and below=F
Student Support
The College of Southern Idaho supports student success and learning through a variety of
services. Please refer to the catalog for a full description services available to students
CSI E-mail
E-mail is the primary source of written communication with all CSI students. Students
automatically get a CSI e-mail account when they register for courses. Messages from instructors
and various offices such as Admission and Records, Advising, Financial Aid, Scholarships, etc.
will be sent to the students’ CSI accounts (NOT their personal e-mail accounts). It is the
students’ responsibility to check their CSI e-mail accounts regularly. Failing to do so will
result in missing important messages and deadlines. Students can check their CSI e-mail online
at http://students.csi.edu. Student e-mail addresses have the following format:
username@students.csi.edu. At the beginning of each semester free training sessions will be
offered to students who need help using their CSI e-mail accounts.
On-line Course Evaluation:
Students are strongly encouraged to complete evaluations at the end of the course. Evaluations
are very important to assist the teaching staff to continually improve the course. Evaluations are
available online at: http://evaluation.csi.edu. Evaluations open up two weeks prior to the end of
the course. The last day to complete an evaluation is the last day of the course. During the time
the evaluations are open, students can complete the course evaluations at their convenience from
any computer with internet access, including in the open lab in the Library and in the SUB. When
students log in, they should see the evaluations for the courses in which they are enrolled.
Evaluations are anonymous. Filling out the evaluation should only take a few minutes. Your
honest feedback is greatly appreciated.
Disabilities: Any student with a documented disability may be eligible for related
accommodations. To determine eligibility and secure services, students should contact the
coordinator of Disability Services at their first opportunity after registration for class. Student
Disability Services is located on the second floor of the Taylor Building on the Twin Falls
Campus. 208-732-6260 (voice) or 208-734-9929 (TTY), or email sscholes@csi.edu
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Topical Outline for the Course
Date
1/15
1/22
1/29
2/5
2/12
2/19
2/26
3/4
3/11
3/18
3/25
4/1
4/8
4/15
4/22
4/29
5/6
Discussion Topic
Introduction
Founding fathers and the
Constitution
The Federal system and
Congress
The Executive Branch
The Bureaucracy
The Judiciary
Midterm Review
Midterm
Civil Liberties
No Class Spring Break
Civil Rights
Public Policy
Foreign Policy
Political Parties and Interest
Groups
Nominations and National
Elections
Review
Final Exam
Chapter
Chapters 1 and 2
Chapters 3 and 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Review all chapters
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
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