College American Government Syllabus Fall 2009

COURSE TITLE & NO:
POS111 American Government
PREREQUISITES:
None
SEMESTER:
Fall 2009
CREDIT HOURS:
3
DAYS TAUGHT:
Monday-Thursday
TIME TAUGHT:
11:47-12:37
BEGINNING DATE:
August 24, 2009
ENDING DATE:
Dec. 17, 2009

CENSUS DATE:



INSTRUCTOR’S NAME:
Dawn James
PHONE EXT.
438-2214
OFFICE:
EHS 106
E-MAIL ADDRESS:
Dawn.james@eads.k12.co.us


COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course focuses on the foundations of government in the United States, the branches of government and formation of both domestic and foreign policy.

COURSE COMPETENCIES:
The student should be able to:
1. Identify and evaluate competing theories of American democracy.
2. Analyze theoretical, historical and legal background of American democracy.
3. Examine the Constitutional Convention and relevant historical events of the era.
4. Identify basic principles and philosophy of the Constitution and examine the impact of these principles on the political system.
5. Examine the constitutional, historical, legal basis of federalism and cover recent issues of controversy in the federal system.
6. Identify major controversies and important Supreme Court rulings based on the Constitution and its Amendments, which affect civil rights and civil liberties, including problems of women and minorities.
7. Examine the nature of public opinion, political socialization, changes in American demography, methods of measuring public opinion, and the media's impact on public opinion.
8. Analyze the roles and structures of the party system and evaluate the development of the American two party system.
9. Identify the types, functions, and operations of interest groups in the American political system.
10. Examine the purpose and process of the American electoral system.
11. Describe and evaluate the structure, powers and functions of Congress.
12. Describe and evaluate the structure, powers and functions of the President.
13. Describe and evaluate the structure, powers and functions of the Judicial System.
14. Describe and evaluate the structure, powers and functions of the Federal Bureaucracy.
15. Identify the interrelations among the three branches of government.
16. Describe and evaluate the content of selected foreign and domestic policies and the role of institutions in shaping policy.



LCC GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOMES: (Those assessed in this class are in boldface)
Communications
Math Literacy
Aesthetic Responsiveness/Craftsmanship
World Awareness
Scientific Reasoning
Critical Thinking
Interpersonal Skills



CLASS MEETING REQUIREMENT:

· Students are expected to attend all sessions of each course in which they enroll. When circumstances make regular attendance impossible, students should report such absences to the instructor as soon as possible and make up assignments as the instructor requires. The instructor has the option of setting guidelines for attendance in determining grades. However, each instructor shall inform students verbally and/or in writing of his/her specific attendance requirements and students have the responsibility for knowing the attendance policy. All class sessions will be held in order to meet credit and contact hour requirements.
SPECIAL NEEDS NOTIFICATION:
Students enrolled in this course with a diagnosed disability must indicate this to the course instructor by the third class meeting. This will permit the course instructor to make federally protected accommodations possible .



MEETING DATES/COURSE OUTLINE:

Date
Topic
Assignment
Aug. 24-27
Intro and Overview
Read Ch. 1
Aug. 31-Sept. 3
The Constitution
Read Ch. 2
Sept. 7-8
Test on Sept. 8, Ch 1-2
Begin Civil Liberties
Study for test, Begin Ch. 3
Sept. 14-17
Civil Rights
Ch. 3, Read Ch. 5
Sept. 21-24
Public Opinion & Media
Finish Ch. 5
Sept. 28-Oct.1
Test on Oct. 6, Ch. 3 and 5
Political Parties Research
Review, Read Ch 6
Oct. 5-8
Parties and Elections
Ch 7
Oct. 12-15
Test on Oct. 15, Ch 6-7
Study for test; Read Ch 8
Oct. 19-22
Congress
Finish Ch 8, Begin Ch. 9

Oct. 26-29
Executive
Ch. 9
Nov. 2-5
Test on Nov. 4, Ch 8-9
Study for test; Begin Ch 10
Nov. 9-12
Federal Bureaucracy
Read Ch 10-11
Nov. 16-19
Judiciary
Read Ch 11
Study for Test
Nov. 23-24
Test, Nov. 24, Ch 10-11

Read Ch 12

Nov. 30-Dec. 3

Domestic Policy
Finish Ch 12, Begin Ch 13
Dec. 7-10
Foreign Policy
Read Ch 13

Dec. 14-17
Test, Dec. 16, Ch 12-13
Study for Test


METHODS OF CONDUCTING THE CLASS:
Lecture, class discussion, learning groups multi-media, research, paper to meet attached requirements

ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES: (Check all that apply)
_X_ Essay Tests
_X_ Fill in
_X_ Written Papers
_X_ Definition of Terms
_X_ Multiple choice
_X_ Oral presentations
__ Other (please explain)

Class Participation = 10%; Major Exams = 65%; Oral Presentation = 5%; Research Paper = 20%

Homework: Homework given during class session shall be due the next class meeting, unless otherwise specified.


TEXT AND MATERIALS NEEDED:
American Government: Brief Version by James Q. Wilson, 7th or 8th edition.


Academic Dishonesty Policy: See LCC's handbook (http://www.lamarcc.edu/pdf/_degreeplans/AASFeedlot.pdf - page 28) for questions regarding what constitutes plagiarism and academic dishonesty.

Any student who intentionally plagiarizes or cheats on an assignment will be given an F in the course for college credit and therefore be required to reimburse the school for tuition. The student will also receive an F on the assignment for the high school grade in the class, but he or she will be allowed to continue in the class for high school credit only.