GOVT-2301 - American Government, Organization Spring 2011 Michael Smith: Instructor Office Hours: MW 12:00-1:00 Office: Admin Bldg 123 2:15-2:30 3:45-4:00 TR 9:15-11:00 2:15-2:30 3:45-4:00 F 10:00-12:30 Office Phone: 806-894-9611 ext: 2972 Email: all emails will be conducted through WebCT Department: Social Sciences Discipline: Government Credit: 3 Lecture, 0 Lab Satisfies a core curriculum requirement? Yes, Social Science and ALL Undergraduate Degrees Prerequisites: TSI compliance in Reading Available Formats: Conventional, INET, ITV Campus: Levelland, Reese, ATC, Plainview Textbook: Varies according to instructor (see below), but for ALL dual credit classes: American Government, Roots and Reform-2009 Texas Edition, O’Connor, Pearson: ISBN-10: 0-205-65221-2 Course Specific Instructions: Each instructor will attach his/her course with specific instructions. Course Description This course is a survey of fundamental principles of political science, including the American system of government and the origins and development of the constitutions of the United States and Texas. This course satisfies the Legislative requirements for teacher certification. Course PurposeTo acquaint students with the specifics of the development of the Texas and U.S. Constitutions and the party systems of the nation and state. The primary goal is to promote critical thinking in understanding of the operation of the US and Texas governments. Fundamentally, the course promotes general understanding of a body of knowledge any literate person should possess about the government of his own country. . Course Requirements To maximize a student’s potential to complete this course, he/she should attend all class meetings, complete all homework assignments and examinations in a timely manner, and complete all other projects or papers as assigned in the instructor’s specific instructions. Course Evaluation See the instructor's course information sheet for specific items used in evaluating student performance. Attendance Policy Whenever absences become excessive and in the instructor's opinion, minimum course objectives cannot be met due to absences, the student will be withdrawn from the course. Each instructor will have additional information about attendance on his/her course information sheet. Student Learning Outcomes Students who have completed this course will be expected to: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of major perspectives in American government. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the development of the US Constitution & of the Texas Constitution. Understand the nature of government as a fundamental subject in the study of humanity. Evaluate the diversity of interpretations of the development of American government and the quality of evidence for that interpretation. tolerate ambiguity in explanations of the development of American government and realize that causal explanations will often be complex and tentative apply analytical thought to current events, seeing common threads of development of American government over time. .Through course assignments, papers, activities, and assessments, students will demonstrate the ability to read and write clearly and concisely, value diversity and differences in people, explore relationships of ideas and see their similarities and differences, gain a basic understanding of the career fields related in the major, assimilate and synthesize information, integrate ideas across the curricula, and interrelate the past to the present. Government Learning Outcomes Recognize the differences between the New Jersey and Virginia Plans. Identify the major components of Articles I, II, and III of the U.S. Constitution. Explain the major components of the Bill of Rights, Define federalism and its constitutional basis between the national and state governments. List differences between the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Describe the powers of the president as established in the Constitution. List the weaknesses of the Texas Constitution. Identify the formal structure and organization of the Texas House and Senate. Blackboard This course will be administered using Blackboard. Within Blackboard you will find the class calendar, lecture notes, and directions for additional readings and periodic quizzes. Essays will also be turned in through Blackboard. Pay attention to your calendar so that you do not miss any quizzes, readings, or exams. If you don’t have a computer at home, visit the SPC computer lab, library, or your local library. Having access to a properly updated computer is absolutely necessary for this course. “My computer crashed” excuses will not be accepted for failure to complete a quiz or download certain materials—readings, videos, etc. Textbook The primary text for this course will be American Government and Politics Today by Schmidt, Shelly, Bardes, Maxwell and Crain, 2009-2010 Texas edition. This textbook is required for students as it will often be used and referred to in class.o Since this text will be used for both 2301 and 2302 only certain chapters will be covered in 2301. They are as follows: Chp’s 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25. o You can buy this at the campus bookstore, Amazon, etc. o I-chapters can be found on the publisher website at: http://www.cengagebrain.com/tl1/en/US/storefront/ichapters?cmd=CLHeaderSearch&fieldValue=0495568414 There will also be additional readings found in the Blackboard calendar. You will be required to bring hard copies of the text book and any outside readings to class as you may need them for quizzes and class discussions. Required Materials for Class In addition to your textbook and outside readings, you must bring a writing utensil, something to write on, and the slideshow lecture notes with you to class. Slideshow lecture notes can be found in WebCT on the course main page. Not bringing the required materials will result in poor class performance which will ultimately lead to a poor grade. Neglect in meeting the above responsibilities may result in your expulsion from the class. Your instructor may either penalize or reward students for their adherence to this rule. In short, bring your book, any outside readings, the slideshows, and something to write with. DO NOT