June 1, 2015
Angelina College
Liberal Arts Division
Government 2305.I01 Federal Government (Federal Constitution and Topics)
Instructional Syllabus: Summer I, 2015
BASIC COURSE INFORMATION:
A. COURSE DESCRIPTION: Origin and development of the U.S. Constitution, structure and
powers of the national government including the legislative, executive, and judicial branches,
federalism, political participation, the national election process, public policy, civil liberties and
civil rights.
B. INTENDED AUDIENCE: This course will meet the certification requirement for prospective
teachers, as required by Texas law. Required of all students seeking an Associate in Arts or
Science degree or who plan to transfer to a four year school.
C. Instructor: Debra Jenke, Instructor of Government
I. Office Hours: office hours do not apply for summer sessions. Instructor does not
keep office hours during summer months. ALL SUBMISSIONS ARE THROUGH
BLACKBOARD. All correspondence such as questions, emails, needs to be directed to
email address djenke@angelina.edu.
II. INTENDED STUDENT OUTCOMES:
A. Core Objectives Required for this Course
1. Critical Thinking Skills to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis,
evaluation and synthesis of information
2. Communication Skills to include effective development, interpretation and expression of
ideas through written, oral and visual communication
3. Social Responsibility to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility,
and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities
4. Personal Responsibility to include the ability to connect choices, actions and
consequences to ethical decision-making
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B. Course Learning Outcomes for all Sections (Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board, Lower-Division Academic Course Guide manual)
1. Explain the origin and development of constitutional democracy in the United States
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the federal system
3. Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal
government
5. Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in the political system
6. Analyze the election process
7. Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens
8. Analyze issues and policies in U.S. politics
III. ASSESSMENT MEASURES :
A. Assessments for the Core Objectives:
1. Critical Thinking Skills—Students will research an assigned topic emphasizing Critical
Thinking Skills. Students will prepare a project on the assigned topic. The project will be
assessed using a rubric which incorporates the Angelina College Institutional Rubric for Critical
Thinking Skills.
(Assignment attached-Addendum 2)
2. Communication Skills— Students will research an assigned topic. Students will prepare a
project on the assigned topic. Students will present their findings in small group settings
(Discussion Board replies are utilized in internet courses). Communication skills will be assessed
using a rubric which incorporates the Angelina College Institutional Rubric for Communication
Skills.
(Assignment attached—Addendum 2)
3. Social Responsibility—Students will research an assigned topic exploring Social
Responsibility. Students will prepare a project on the assigned topic. The project will be
assessed using a rubric which incorporates the Angelina College Institutional Rubric for Social
Responsibility.
(Assignment attached—Addendum 2)
4. Personal Responsibility—After reading the course syllabus, instructions, and course rules,
students will design a Personal Responsibility Contract between student and instructor. The
contract will be assessed using a rubric which incorporates the Angelina College Institutional
Rubric for Personal Responsibility. (Assignment attached—Addendum 1)
B. Assessments for the Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Explain the origin and development of constitutional democracy in the United States: U.S.
Constitution is covered in a series of lectures and class discussions. There will be assigned
reading, a quiz, and information will be covered on a major exam.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the federal system: covered in a series of lectures and class
discussions; material will be covered on a major exam.
3. Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice: covered
in a series of lectures and class discussions on the legislative, executive and judicial branches.
Material will be covered on a major exam .
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal
government: covered in a series of lectures and class discussions on the legislative, executive
and judicial branches. Material will be covered on a major exam .
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5. Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in the political
system: covered in a series of lectures and class discussions. There will be assigned reading, a
quiz, Discussion Board post, and information will be covered on a major exam.
6. Analyze the election process: covered in a series of lectures and class discussions. There will
be assigned reading, a quiz, and information will be covered on a major exam.
7. Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens: covered in a series of lectures and class
discussions. There will be assigned reading, a quiz, Discussion Board post, and information will
be covered on a major exam.
8. Analyze issues and policies in U.S. politics: Current events including issues and policies are
covered throughout each section of the course.
IV. INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES: This course will be taught using a combination of
lectures, quizzes, Discussion Board posts, small group exercises, and major exams. Internet
research will be required for this course. All assignments must be posted on Blackboard Learn.
Quizzes must be taken on Blackboard Learn.
V. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES:
A. Required Textbook and Recommended Readings, Materials, and Equipment
Text: Am Gov, Losco and Baker, 2015-2016. McGraw Hill, Publisher.
B. Course Policies: This course conforms to the policies of Angelina College as stated
in the Angelina College Handbook.
1. Academic Assistance—If you have a disability (as cited in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 or Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) that may affect your
participation in this class, you should see Karen Bowser, Room 208 of the Student Center. As a
post-secondary institution, you must self-identify as a person with a disability; Ms. Bower will
assist you with the necessary information to do so. To report any complaints of discrimination
related to disability, you should contact Dr. Patricia McKenzie, Administration Building, Room 105
or 936-633-5201.
2. Attendance—Attendance is required by the college and will be taken EVERY day. Any
student with three (3) consecutive absences may be reported to Angelina College for possible
dismissal from class; (4) cumulative absences may be judged as excessive absences from the
class and the student may be dropped from the class. It is the responsibility of the student
to drop the course. You must officially drop a class or risk receiving an F in the course.
3. Additional Policies Established by the Instructor (Instructor Specific)
All students must log into Blackboard at least DAILY FOR SUMMER SESSIONS.
a. Respect Issues. Disrespect for the instructor or fellow classmates will not be tolerated.
b. Cell phones. Phones must be off in class. This does not mean on vibrate. Any student with a
cell phone on in class, or texting during class will be asked to exit the class until further notice.
Turn off all cell phones before an exam. If a cell phone vibrates or rings during an exam, the
student will receive a zero on the exam. Does not apply to summer internet sessions.
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c. Late work. Late work is unacceptable. Ample time is given for work to be completed and
posted for each section. Emergency situations require documentation for late work to be
accepted, and that will be at the discretion of the instructor.
d. Plagiarism. Students are NOT allowed plagiarism in any form. This applies to all work. Each
student is responsible for answering questions and all other work in his/her own wording.
Duplication of the work of others will result in a ZERO (0) for the work. Any work
which requires research also requires documentation. All sources must be
documented with both parenthetical referencing (author, date) and sources cited.
Copying and Pasting without quotation marks is plagiarism, which is cheating. Work
containing cut and paste will not be graded (resulting in a zero on the assignment). If
you need a quote (for emphasis only) —make SURE you have provided quotation
marks. Failure to do so will result in a zero on the assignment.
e. Cheating. Cheating includes copying the work of classmates on assignments or exams.
Cheating includes copying and/or collusion by the work of any other person. Cheating will result
in a zero for the assignment/exam and possible failure of/expulsion from the course. Plagiarism
(cheating) includes copying the work of others without quotation marks and proper citations.
f. Computer requirements: most of the course work is computer based. Students need
access to a computer and reliable internet. Laptops appear to have a problem “timing out” on
wifi in Blackboard
VI. COURSE OUTLINE: Description of the Course Activities including due dates,
schedules, and deadlines. See Page 5.
VII. EVALUATION AND GRADING: The course is divided into Four sections.
should check Blackboard daily for instructions, grades, updates, weblinks.
You
The instructor may modify the provisions of the syllabus to meet individual class needs
by informing the class in advance as to the changes being made.
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Section Requirements: It is required that you log into the course on Blackboard weekly
(this is the minimum)

150 points DISCUSSION BOARD POSTING. Includes Personal Responsibility
Contract (50 points) and Mid-Semester Project (100 points)

450 points-QUIZZES (covers book information only). Each section has at least two
quizzes (some have three, and that constitutes extra credit work if you choose to do
all the quizzes for that section). Time allotment is 10 minutes per quiz. Each quiz
has a reset, so if there is an internet glitch, just take the second attempt. There are
no third attempts on quizzes.

400 points Major Exams (one per section). Major exams cover quiz questions
(from textbook reading), lecture notes, and any other course material added for
each section, including journal entries and weblinks. There will be NO resetting of
major exams. Any student needing to make up a major exam, for any reason, will
take a comprehensive final exam (in addition to the Section 4 Final Exam).
This is a points-based course -do not try to calculate an average.
Possible points total for the semester = 1000 points. Basis for Grades:
A=900 or above; B=800 to 899; C=700 to 799; D=600 to 699; F=below 600 points.
The final is not comprehensive, however, as stated above, a makeup on a major
exam will require taking a comprehensive final as the make-up.
The instructor may modify the provisions of the syllabus to meet individual class
needs by informing the class in advance as to the changes being made.
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Summer, 2015 due dates—Course Calendar
Attendance is important in this course. It is, however, the responsibility of the student
to drop the course. YOU officially drop a course or risk receiving an F in the course.
Section I: June 1-June 7 (Chapter 1, 6, & 7; Chapters 2 &3)
1. Two Quizzes (Chapters 1,6, and 7; Chapters 2 and 3) taken by Sunday, June 7
midnight
2. Discussion 1--Personal Responsibility Contract, on Discussion Board by
Thursday, June 4 NOON.
3. Major Exam 1: Thursday, June 4- Sunday, June 7
Thursday, June 4 is the official census date. The Personal Responsibility
Contract MUST be submitted by Thursday, June 4 at NOON to be marked as
attending the course. Marking you as non-attending will place you as Dropped.
Section II: Monday June 8-Sunday June 14 (Chapter 11; Chapters 12 &13; Chapter 14)
1. Three quizzes (Chapters 11; Chapters 12 &13; Chapters 14) taken by Sunday,
June 14.
2. Major Exam 2: Thursday, June 11-Sunday, June 14
Section III: Monday June 15- Sunday, June 28 (Chapters 4 & 5; Chapters 8 &10;
Chapter 9)
1. Two quizzes (Chapters 4 & 5; Chapters 8 & 10; Chapter 9) taken by Sunday,
June 29 midnight.
2. Mid-Semester project posted on Discussion Board by Sunday, June 21 midnight.
3. Major Exam 3: Thursday June 25-Sunday, June 28
Thursday, June 25 is the last date to drop or withdraw with a “W”
Section IV:
Monday June 29-July 7 Final Exam (Chapter 15; Chapter 16)
1. Two quizzes (Chapter 15; 16) taken by Sunday, July 5 midnight.
2. Final Exam: Tuesday, July 7 start of day (12:01 am) until 5:00 p.m
To access the Angelina College Instructional Rubrics:
Faculty and Staff—Institutional Effectiveness—Assessment Tools—Choose Rubric
Page 7
Government 2305—Federal Government
Course Learning Outcomes for all Sections (Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board, Lower-Division Academic Course Guide manual)
1. Explain the origin and development of constitutional democracy in the United States
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the federal system
3. Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal
government
5. Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in the political system
6. Analyze the election process
7. Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens
8. Analyze issues and policies in U.S. politics
Section I: quizzes cover Chapters 1, 6, and 7; Chapters 2 and 3






Citizenship (Chapter 1)
Ideology
Public Opinion (Chapter 6) and Political Participation (Chapter 7)
Review US History to 1787/Country in 1787
Constitution (Chapter 2)
Federalism (Chapter 3)
Section II: quizzes cover Chapter 11; Chapters 12 and 13; Chapter 14




Judicial Branch (Chapter 13)
Legislative Branch (Chapter 11)
Executive Branch (Chapter 12)
Bureaucracy (Chapter 14)
Section III: quizzes cover Chapters 4 and 5; Chapters 8 and 10; Chapter 9




Media (Chapter 10)
Parties and Campaigns (Chapter 9)
Interest Groups (Chapter 8)
Civil Liberties (Chapter 4) and Civil Rights (Chapter 5)
Section IV: quizzes cover Chapter 15; Chapter 16


Public Policy (Chapter 15)
Foreign and Defense Policy
Addendum 1
First Section of the Course: You will design a Personal Responsibility Contract for use in this class (it
could also apply to other courses). Thoroughly read the Syllabus, Mini Syllabus with Dates, and any
other First Week Information supplied by your instructor. Note that the State of Texas requires Six
Core Objectives-Communication, Personal Responsibility, Social Responsibility, Critical Thinking,
Teamwork, and Quantitative and Evaluative Measures. Government and History are required to
incorporate and assess the first four of those listed in bold.
Your personal contract must be CLEARLY organized in the following manner:
I: Introductory Biographical Paragraph— describe yourself, your college experience, and future goals
II: After reading the rules of your instructor, design a CLEARLY organized , and in-your-own-words
contract. The Contract must include ALL of the following (as addressed by individual instructors) .
1. Paraphrase Rules on Collusion, Copying, Plagiarism, Cut and Paste, Quotations without quotation
marks, and cheating in any manner
2. Paraphrase the Rules for quiz/test submissions including adhering to due dates, time frames, and
secure internet connections. Do NOT regurgitate the submission dates to the instructor—she knows the
dates!
3. Paraphrase need for Respect for peers and instructor, including use of electronic devices (when and
where use is appropriate), working on assignments for other classes, absences, and coming to class ontime
4. Paraphrase rules on appropriate documentation when documentation is called for ( both
parenthetical references and a clearly labeled Sources Cited section is required for research papers)
III: Closing ANALYSIS Paragraphs on classroom conduct in today’s society:

Why are problems so prevalent in today’s classrooms, and what can and should be done to
alleviate cheating and respect issues
 How Personal Responsibility will be expected in your future vocation
 How Personal Responsibility is expected in your role as a citizen in US society
 How Personal Responsibility is expected in your role as a citizen of the globe
Proofread ! Use of text-messaging lingo in research papers will be grounds for a zero. Use of second
person or contractions will be considered a grammatical error on all essays this semester.
Your grade will be based on the following:
Ethical Issue Recognition—ability to synthesize the complex relationships within the issue(personal
responsibility
Commitment—understanding of completing tasks on time
Accountability—accepting responsibility for actions, and understanding consequences following
directions
*Individual Instructors may include grading provisions for grammar/spelling/organization.
Addendum 2
Government 2305/2306 Project Instructions
The project will be assessed for the Core Objectives of Communication, Critical Thinking, and Social
Responsibility. The assessment tool will be the Angelina College Institutional Rubrics for each of these Core
Objectives The full rubrics can be found on the Angelina webpage. Refer to the rubrics to fully understand
how your powerpoint will be assessed.
I.Choose a Social Welfare Program . Programs come in two forms: Social Insurance
Programs and Public Assistance Programs. You may select from the following
(Government 2306 must choose a program administered in Texas). Choose only ONE program.


Social Insurance Programs: Medicare, Social Security, or Unemployment
Insurance
Public Assistance Programs: Medicaid, CHIPS, WIC, SNAP (Lone Star), TANF,
School Lunch, Free Lunch, Reduced Lunch, or Reduced Housing
II. Prepare a power point presentation on your topic. Power Points should be a minimum of 12 slides with a
minimum of three (3) bullets per slide. Sources Cited slide should be at least slide 13—it is NOT part of the
presentation.
Your slides should introduce your program, exhibiting knowledge about the issues surrounding the program and
synthesizing the information learned. Your slides should analyze the program showing both merits and problems
(compare and contrast). You should then summarize your findings, with support for conclusions. (Terms in
bold are from Bloom’s Taxonomy of Knowledge—refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy chart if you need clarification on
terms).




You must furnish parenthetical referencing in EACH SLIDE of power point (author, date)
You must have a clearly labeled Sources Cited (call it Sources Cited) list at the conclusion or
attached to the powerpoint. Use MLA, Turabian, Chicago, or APA. The sources cited list (minimum
two sources) must have the full citation with author, date, and should include the weblink if
appropriate. The two sources should not include: Wikipedia or any other encyclopedia type
information; Jr. High type sites such as Whitehouse.gov; non-credentialed blogs; textbook; or
instructor notes. At least one of the two required sources should be researched written material (as
opposed to personal interview)
Importing a slide from a website will result in a zero for the project—therefore, absolutely no charts
or graphs on the slides.
No use of Second Person --no use of "you." Write in third person to convey
information/research/data. First person could be used to convey critical analysis. There should be a
clear transition between the research material (data presentation) and critical analysis (personal
analysis).
III. Oral presentation of research and conclusions. Internet students will reply to the work of two peers—
substantial written replies analyzing the topic and conclusions reached.
Government 2305.I01 Summer I, 2015 Mini Syllabus with dates
Textbook: Government & Politics of Texas: a Comparative View by Gary M. Halter. 9th Edition.
Debra Jenke
Instructor of Government
Office SBS101C: Phone (936) 633-5224
E mail: djenke@angelina.edu
*Attendance is important in this course. It is the responsibility of the student to drop
the course. You must officially drop a course or risk receiving an F in the course.
All students must log into Blackboard at least daily. Classroom Conduct Policies
Established by the Instructor and Sectional Requirements:
a. Respect Issues. Disrespect for the instructor or fellow classmates will not be tolerated.
b. Cell phones. Phones must be off in class. This does not mean on vibrate. Any student with a
cell phone on in class, or texting during class will be asked to exit the class until further notice.
Turn off all cell phones before an exam. If a cell phone vibrates or rings during an exam, the
student will receive a zero on the exam.
c. Late work. Late work is unacceptable. Ample time is given for work to be completed and
posted for each section. Emergency situations require documentation for late work to be
accepted, and that will be at the discretion of the instructor.
d. Plagiarism. Students are NOT allowed plagiarism in any form. This applies to all work. Each
student is responsible for answering questions and all other work in his/her own wording.
Duplication of the work of others will result in a ZERO (0) for the work. Any work
which requires research also requires documentation. All sources must be
documented with both parenthetical referencing (author, date) and sources cited.
Copying and Pasting without quotation marks is plagiarism, which is cheating. Work
containing cut and paste will not be graded (resulting in a zero on the assignment). If
you need a quote (for emphasis only) —make SURE you have provided quotation
marks. Failure to do so will result in a zero on the assignment.
e. Cheating. Cheating includes copying the work of classmates on assignments or exams.
Cheating includes copying and/or collusion by the work of any other person. Cheating will result
in a zero for the assignment/exam and possible failure of/expulsion from the course. Plagiarism
(cheating) includes copying the work of others without quotation marks and proper citations.
f. Computer requirements: most of the course work is computer based. Students need
access to a computer and reliable internet. Laptops appear to have a problem “timing out” on
wifi in Blackboard.
150 points DISCUSSIONS Board Postings. Personal Responsibility Contract and Project
450 points-QUIZZES (covers book information only). Time allotment is 10 minutes per
quiz. Each quiz has a reset, so if there is an internet glitch, just take the second attempt.
There are no third attempts on quizzes.
400 points Major Exams (one per section). Major exams cover quiz questions (from
textbook reading), lecture notes, and any other course material added for each section,
including journal entries and weblinks. There will be NO resetting of major exams. Any
student needing to make up a major exam, for any reason, will take a comprehensive allwritten final exam (in addition to the Section 4 final exam).
This is a points-based course -do not try to calculate an average. Possible points
total for the semester = 1000 points. Basis for Grades:
A=900 or above; B=800 to 899; C=700 to 799; D=600 to 699; F=below 600 points.
The Course is divided into Four Sections: The final is NOT comprehensive (unless you
need to make up a major exam, then you will take two final exams—one for Section 4,
and one comprehensive).
Summer I, 2015 due dates—Course Calendar
Attendance is important in this course. It is, however, the responsibility of the student
to drop the course. YOU officially drop a course or risk receiving an F in the course.
Section I: June 1-June 7 (Chapter 1, 6, & 7; Chapters 2 &3)
4. Two Quizzes (Chapters 1,6, and 7; Chapters 2 and 3) taken by Sunday, June 7
midnight
5. Discussion 1--Personal Responsibility Contract, by Thursday, June 4 NOON.
6. Major Exam 1: Thursday, June 4- Sunday, June 7
Thursday, June 4 is the official census date. The Personal Responsibility
Contract MUST be submitted by Thursday, June 4 at NOON to be marked as
attending the course. Marking you as non-attending will place you as Dropped.
Section II: Monday June 8-Sunday June 14 (Chapter 11; Chapters 12 &13; Chapter 14)
3. Three quizzes (Chapters 11; Chapters 12 &13; Chapters 14) taken by Sunday,
June 14.
4. Major Exam 2: Thursday, June 11-Sunday, June 14
Section III: Monday June 15- Sunday, June 28 (Chapters 4 & 5; Chapters 8 &10;
Chapter 9)
4. Two quizzes (Chapters 4 & 5; Chapters 8 & 10; Chapter 9) taken by Sunday,
June 29 midnight.
5. Mid-Semester project posted on Discussion Board by Sunday, June 21 midnight.
6. Major Exam 3: Thursday June 25-Sunday, June 28
Thursday, June 25 is the last date to drop or withdraw with a “W”
Section IV:
Monday June 29-July 7 Final Exam (Chapter 15; Chapter 16)
3. Two quizzes (Chapter 15; 16) taken by Sunday, July 5 midnight.
4. Final Exam: Tuesday, July 7 start of day (12:01 am) until 5:00 p.m
To access the Angelina College Instructional Rubrics:
Faculty and Staff—Institutional Effectiveness—Assessment Tools—Choose Rubric