GradingAcademic Integrity Classroom EtiquetteReligious Holidays and Official Extracurricular ActivitiesPSC 101-1005: Introduction to American Politics Fall 2010 Instructor: Allison M. Johnson Email: [email protected] Office: Wright Hall A226 Phone: 895-5250 Office Hours: Monday 3-5pm or by appointment Course Objectives 1. Understand the fundamental principles upon which the U.S. government is based. 2. Identify the major institutions of the American Government and their responsibilities and contemporary challenges. 3. Understand the key differences between the U.S. Constitution and the Nevada state Constitution. 4. Be familiar with the civil liberties and civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. 5. Examine the impact American political culture, ideology, political parties, interest groups, public opinion and the media have on the American political system. Textbooks 1. Ginsberg, Lowi, and Weir We the People (7th Edition) This text is available at the UNLV Bookstore or may be purchased as an e-book. Further information is provided in a separate handout. 2. Bowers, Michael. The Sagebrush State: Nevada’s History, Government, and Politics (3rd edition) One copy of this book is available on 2-hour reserve at the Circulation Desk at Lied Library. Requirements 1. Attendance: Students are urged to attend all classes. It will be difficult to earn a passing grade in this class if you are not present for the lectures and small group activities. Additionally, administrative information and details of which chapters will be included in each exam will be given in class. Students are responsible for all information given in class, whether they are present or not. 2. Examinations: There will be three exams, one at the conclusion of each major section of the course. Exams will be multiple-choice. The examinations are not cumulative. You may make-up a missed exam on the next exam date. There will be no make-up exam for the third and final exam and you may not take the third exam early or late. The date of the final exam is determined by the university and will be announced mid-semester. No dictionaries, cell phones, or other electronic devices are allowed during an exam. You must bring your photo ID (Rebelcard) and a SCANTRON sheet to each examination. 3. Current Events Discussion: Please bring to each class meeting a recent news article from The New York Times regarding a recent political event or policy issue. Additionally, you will be required to write a 1-page summary of the article/topic. The articles will be used for class discussion. More details will be provided on a separate handout. 4. Short quizzes: These will be open on WebCampus for each chapter of the Ginsberg book and are due by 4pm on the Monday which the readings are covered. It is advisable to 12complete the quizzes as they constitute 20% of your grade and will serve as excellent study guides for the exams. Communications Email communications, including those to and from the instructor, must be via RebelMail, this is UNLV policy. You are responsible for all information provided in this manner. Additionally, I am available during office hours, immediately prior to class. I encourage you to stop by with any questions regarding the material. Grading Your course grade will be an average of the grades from the three examinations, weekly quizzes, New York Times article submissions and course participation. No extra-credit work will be offered to either the entire class or to individual students. 3 exams – 60% of grade (25% for highest exam, 20% for middle exam and 15% for lowest) Weekly Quizzes (on WebCampus) – 20% Class Participation – 10% New York Times Submissions – 10% Quiz and exam grades will be posted on the class WebCampus site within 1 day. SCANTRON sheets will be returned from the first two exams. Current events articles will be graded on a +/- scale. If you have a question about your exam or if the grade is entered incorrectly in WebCampus, you must contact me within one week of the exam. For the final exam, grades will be posted within 48 hours. Your final grade will then be submitted through the university’s grading system. Letter grades will be assigned as follows: A = 100–93.0 B = 86.9–83.0 C = 76.9–73.0 D = 66.9-63.0 A- = 92.9–90.0 B- = 82.9–80.0 C- = 72.9–70.0 D- = 62.9-60.0 B+ = 89.9–87.0 C+ = 79.9–77.0 D+ = 69.9– 67.0 F = 59.9-0 Academic Integrity Any attempt to cheat (including plagiarism) on an examination or other assignment is academic misconduct. Academic misconduct in this course will be subject to the most severe penalty the University allows. This includes being given an “F” for the course and reference to the campus disciplinary system. For clarification on the university student misconduct policy please see http://studentconduct.unlv.edu/misconduct/policy.html UNLV requires all members of the university community to be familiar with the honor code and to follow copyright and fair use requirements. You are individually and solely responsible for violations of copyright and fair use laws. UNLV will neither protect nor defend you nor assume any responsibility for employee or student violations of fair use laws. To familiarize you with copyright and fair use policies, visit the UNLV copyright web page at http://www.unlv.edu/committees/copyright/ Classroom Etiquette • You must arrive and be prepared to begin class on time. If late arrivals become a problem, attendance will be taken at the start of class. Late arrivals pose an interruption3to the lecture and to other students’ ability to concentrate and participate. Please be respectful of your fellow students by arriving on time. • Cell phones, lap top computers, iPads, and other electronic devices must be turned off and stored out of sight during lecture. Texting, accessing the Internet or reading e-mail during class is absolutely prohibited and will result in your being asked to leave the classroom. There will be breaks allowing for the checking of messages, e-mail, etc. Please reserve classroom time for academic, not personal work. • No recording devices will be permitted. • No food or beverage (except water) is allowed in the classroom. Since this course runs during the dinner
View Full Document
Unlocking...