CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE GOVT 2305 United States Government
Semester Hours Credit: 3
INSTRUCTOR: Travis Waltz
OFFICE HOURS: By Request
I.
INTRODUCTION
A. An introductory, survey course on various United States topics. This course includes study of
the U.S. and Texas constitutions; federalism; local governments; national, state, and local
elections; civil liberties; interest groups; and political parties.
B.
This course satisfies three semester hours of the Social/Behavioral Sciences for the
Associate of Science and Associate of Arts degrees. Please check your degree plan to determine
the status of this course in your program of study.
C. Prerequisite(s): None
II.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, American Government the student will be able to:
A. Describe the structure and operations of both governmental and extra- governmental institutions
and their relationships.
B. Identifyspecifichistoricaleventsandattitudeswhichhaveshapedourcurrent governmental systems,
and political processes.
C. Explain the role of citizens, both individually and collectively, in our governmental systems, and
participate more fully in our democratic process.
D. Recognize, understand, and utilize concepts and terminology related to government and the
discipline of political science.
E.
Organize and conduct research toward the creation of a well reasoned and written paper,
journal, report, or other product.
III. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS The instructional material identified for this course is
viewable from http://www.ctcd.edu/im/im_main.asp
IV. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
A. Reading Assignment: You will you will cover different chapters for this course. You should read
the text material before coming to class. You will need to practice good note-taking skills during
classroom lectures.
B. Projects, Oral Reports, Case Studies, Book Reports, Research Papers: Your instructor will
assign one of these items for you to complete as a part of the requirements for this course. He/she
will provide specific instructions regarding content, format, timelines, etc.
C. Class Performance: Your instructor will summarize and discuss CTC’s academic policies during
the first class session. You may refer to the CTC catalog for details. Your instructor will provide
his/her policies on absences, make up work, etc.
D. Class Participation: Your instructor will explain how class participation affects your course
grade, if applicable.
V.
EXAMINATIONS
Your instructor will determine how many exams will be given during the course, their content, and
when they will be administered. Make-up exams will be handled according to the policy of the
individual instructor.
VI. SEMESTER GRADE COMPUTATIONS
A. It is the student’s responsibility to complete the course requirements as defined within this
syllabus.
B. Assignments will include but are not limited to: exams, essays, papers, reports, and quizzes.
4. Other measurable requirements (if any) Note: A written assignment must be completed for a
grade of A, B, or C.
C. Grades are computed as follows: Point/percentage-to-Grade Ratio
A= 90 - 100
B= 80 - 89
C= 70 - 79
D= 60 - 69
F= <59
Additionally formative grades will account for 30 percent of your grade, while summative
assignments will account for 70 percent.
VII. NOTES AND ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE INSTRUCTOR
A. Withdrawal from Course: It is the student's responsibility to officially drop a class if
circumstances prevent attendance. Any student who desires to, or must, officially withdraw from a
course after the first scheduled class meeting must file an Application for Withdrawal or an
Application for Refund. The withdrawal form must be signed by the student.
Application for Withdrawal will be accepted at any time prior to Friday of the 12 th week of classes
during the 16 week fall and spring semesters. The deadline for sessions of other lengths is as
follows.
11-week session Friday of the 8th week 8-week session Friday of the 6th week 5 1/2-week
session
Friday of the 4th week
The equivalent date (75% of the semester) will be used for sessions of other lengths. The specific
last day to withdraw is published each semester in the Schedule Bulletin.
Students who officially withdraw will be awarded the grade of "W", provided his/her attendance and
academic performance are satisfactory at the time of official withdrawal. Students must file a
withdrawal application with the college before they may be considered for withdrawal.
A student may not withdraw from a class for which the instructor has previously issued the student
a grade of "F" or "FN" for nonattendance.
B. Administrative Withdrawal: An administrative withdrawal maybe initiated when the student fails
to meet College attendance requirements. The instructor will assign the appropriate grade on the
Administrative Withdrawal Form for submission to the registrar.
C. Incomplete Grade: The College catalog states, "An incomplete grade maybe given in those
cases where the student has completed the majority of the course work but, because of personal
illness, death in the immediate family, or military orders, the student is unable to complete the
requirements for a course..." Prior approval from the instructor is required before the grade of "I" is
recorded. A student who fails to show for the final exam will receive a zero for the final and an "F"
for the course.
VIII.
D. Cellular Phones and Beepers: Cellular phones and beepers will be turned off while the student
is in the classroom or laboratory.
E.
American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA): Students requiring accommodations for disabilities
are responsible for notifying the instructor. Reasonable accommodations will be granted in full
compliance with federal and state law and Central Texas College policy.
F.
Instructor Discretion: The instructor reserves the right of final decision in course
requirements.
G. Civility: Individuals are expected to be cognizant of what a constructive educational experience
is and respectful of those participating in a learning environment. Failure to do so can result in
disciplinary action up to and including expulsion.
COURSE OUTLINE
Unit One
Chapters 1, 2, 3
Unit Two
Chapters 10,11,12,13,14
Unit Three
Chapters 6
Unit Four
Chapter 7,8,15,16
Unit Five
Chapter 9,4,5
Final Cumulative Exam
Date:
Read each assigned chapter before class. If time permits, re-read
the chapter. Use the chapter outline on the first page of the chapter as the basis for taking notes as
you read.
Use the features of the textbook to identify important concepts; i.e., main topics, subtopics, margin
notes, figures, graphs, tables.
Expand on your notes during the class lecture or combine the notes after the lecture. If you have access to the
Internet, use the online companion website: http://www.cengage.com/politicalscience/bardes/ctc2e
Grading Policy
Late work will not be accepted without prior consent from the instructor.
Scholastic Honesty
All students are required and expected to maintain the highest standards of scholastic honesty in
the preparation of all coursework and during examinations. The following are considered examples
of scholastic dishonesty:
Plagiarism The taking of passages from the writing of others without giving proper credit to the
sources.
Collusion Using another’s work as one’s own, or working together with another person in the
preparation of work, unless such joint preparation is specifically approved in advance by the
instructor.
Cheating Giving or receiving information on examinations.
Students guilty of scholastic dishonesty will be administratively dropped from the course with a
grade of “F” and subject to disciplinary action, which may include suspension and expulsion.
http://www.ctcd.edu/acadpol.pdf