Trinity Valley Community College

 

COURSE SYLLABUS

GOVERNMENT 2302:  AMERICAN AND TEXAS GOVERNMENTS

 

Professor: E. Michael Young

Office Hours / Contact Information: My office is T101. Office hours are 10-12, Monday through Thursday. Additional office hours are posted on my door. Please contact me if you would like to visit at some other time. The best way to contact me is via email at myoung@tvcc.edu. My office phone number is (903) 729-0256 extention 261.

Textbooks: The Challenge of Democracy, 9th edition, by Janda, Berry, and Goldman; Texas Politics Today, 13th edition, by Maxwell and Crane. 

Withdraw Policy: If the student decides to not complete the course, it is his or her responsibility to officially withdraw. The last day to withdraw with a “W” on your transcripts is            , otherwise you will receive an “F.”

Course Decription: This is a 3 semester credit hour course. The instructional methodology is a lecture format, but I encourge classroom discussion, and there will be class activities. This course is an introduction to the United States and Texas governments, with an emphasis on the executive, legislative and judicial branches; the bureaucracy; economics and taxation; foreign policy and local governments.  

Course Rationale:  The Texas Education Code (51.301) mandates that "every college and university receiving state support or state aid from public funds shall give a course of instruction in government or political science that includes consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. This course shall have a credit value of not less than six semester hours or its equivalent." Implicit in the law is the understanding that a good citizen knows something about the constitution and the politics of his country and state.

Course Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, the student is expected to: 1) acquire an understanding of the origins, development, and current practices of American and Texas government; 2) gain factual knowledge about American and Texas government, including terminology, classifications, methods, and trend; 3) learn to apply course material to improve rational thinking, problem solving, and decision-making. 4) gain a broader understanding of the intellectual and cultural activities as they relate to government; 5) develop an appreciations of the contributions made to American and Texas government and society by racial, ethnic, and religious minorities; and, 6) develop a sense of personal responsibility (self-reliance and self-discipline).

Course Grade: Your grade will be calculated by a point system. There are 300 points, not including extra credit, possible in this course.  

A (90 -100% or 270-300 points) B (80-89% or 240-269 points) C (70-79% or 210-239 points) D (60-69% or 180-209) F (59% or 179 and below)

Four Unit Exams (50 points each): Each test will cover about four chapters and consist of 20 multiple choice questions and two short essay questions.

Two Writing Assignments (60 points total): 1) Obama’s First 50 Days Paper (20 points), 2) Political Issues Paper (40 points).

Four Class Activities (10 points each): These will take place in class unannounced.

Exams: There will be four in-class exams worth 50 points each. Each exam will consist of 20 multiple choice questions and 2 short essay questions (about a paragraph long). The exams are designed to test your retention and understanding of the textbook and lecture material. To help guide your textbook readings, I have prepared a study guide for each chapter. All the exam questions will come from the study guide. 

Writing Assignments: You will have two take-home writing assignments. Obama’s First 50 Days Paper is worth 20 points and is due at the end of the 8th Week. The Political Issues/Editorial Paper is worth 40 points and is due at the end of the 12th week. I will pass out a handout providing full guidance for these assignments.

Class Activities: There will be four class activities, each worth 10 points, for a total of 40 points. You must have good attendance to earn these points. You can make up two classroom activities by writing a summary of a political column from either the Washington Post or Wall Street Journal, which are both available in the library. 

Attendance is mandatory. If you maintain perfect attendance I will give you 5 points. It has been my experience that students with good attendance often get excellent grades.

Extra Credit: If you write a two page summary of the “Ten Tips for Student Success” and turn it in before Exam I then you will get 10 points. Write a brief introduction. Then, in your own words, succinctly summarize the ten points. In the conclusion, explain what you need to focus on in order to achieve academic success.  

Make-ups: If you contact me before the test and provide valid documentation for why you missed an exam (note from a doctor), then I will allow you to make-up the exam.

Late Papers: I will accept no late papers. 

Incompletes: I will offer incompletes only for serious medical excuses with documentation.

Scholastic Dishonesty: Act prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarism (using another author's words or arguments without attribution), and collusion (the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work for fulfillment of any course requirement).

Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to, tests, quizzes (whether taken electronically or on paper), projects (either individual or group), classroom presentations, papers, and homework.

If a student commits any of the above actions, the instructor will seek disciplinary action in the form of an academic penalty (which will include a zero on the academic work in question and may include a course grade of 'F'). Such disciplinary action will be at the discretion of the instructor following College procedures outlined in the Student Handbook.

Academic Freedom: Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in class discussions. In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking, particularly about political ideas, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints. Students may not only disagree with each other at times, but the students and instructor may also find that they have disparate views on sensitive and volatile topics.

It is the instructor's hope that these differences will enhance class discussion and create an atmosphere where students and instructor alike will be encouraged to think and learn from each other. Therefore, be assured that the students' grades will not be adversely affected by any beliefs or ideas expressed in class or in assignments. Rather, we will all respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions.

Course Schedule: Attached.