Syllabus for POS-110-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

American Government provides you with a broad general introduction to the American political system. The course thoroughly examines the way the American political process operates. As you progress through the course, you will improve your ability to think critically about American politics.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing American Government, you should be able to:

• Describe democracy and what it means in the United States today.



• Briefly describe the United States Constitution, and explain what is meant by a "living" Constitution.



• Identify the many ways citizens participate in government, especially through public opinion, interest groups, political parties, and the media.



• Describe the roles of the three branches of American government: executive, legislative, and judicial.



• Explain citizens' rights and the concept of "due process."



• Summarize the movement toward equality under the law for minorities.



• Identify ways in which thinking critically allows citizens to help elected officials find solutions to current and potential problems in the democracy.

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COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete the work of the course. These materials are available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Telecourse Guide

Telecourse Guide for Voices in Democracy: United States Government, 3d ed., by Eileen Lynch, Linda Camp Keith, and Sue Lee, rev. John Hitt (Dallas TeleLearning in association with Thomson Wadsworth, 2005).

Textbook

Democracy under Pressure: An Introduction to the American Political System, 10th ed., by Milton C. Cummings Jr. and David Wise (Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005).

Video Programs

Voices in Democracy: United States Government (26 half-hour video programs on 7 VHS tapes produced by Dallas County Community College District).

Note: The video programs are being offered via streaming video technology through this course site. Each study assignment includes the necessary links for accessing the video stream, using either WindowsMedia™ Player or RealPlayer_®.

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COURSE STRUCTURE

American Government is a three-credit online course, consisting of six (6) assignment modules. The course covers 26 lessons in the Telecourse Guide and their associated video programs and textbook readings. You are required to participate in five (5) graded class discussions, complete six (6) written assignments, and take two (2) examinations—a proctored midterm and an uproctored, online final examination.

For the course's six assignment modules and learning activities (study assignments, Internet activities and online discussions, and written assignments), go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.

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ONLINE PARTICIPATION

In addition to an ungraded introduction forum in module 1, American Government requires you to participate in five graded class discussions, each centered on an Internet activity.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and at least two subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

The six (6) written assignments in the course are built around associated lessons in the Telecourse Guide. They consist of two questions on each lesson covered by the assignment. You are to choose one (1) of these questions to answer for each lesson.

Take the time to familiarize yourself with the written assignment questions for each assignment module before you begin that module's study assignments. Your answers to the assignment questions should be well developed and convey your understanding of the course materials. Formulate responses in your own words (do not merely copy answers from your reading materials), citing text materials where appropriate and in an appropriate manner.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the

>>View/Complete Assignment

Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers all material assigned through unit 4.1 of the course. The exam consists of short essay questions (part 1) and a set of terms to define or identify (part 2).

You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).

If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.

For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Online Student Handbook.

Final Examination
The final is a closed-book, unproctored online exam. It is two hours long and covers all material assigned from unit 4.2 through the end of the course. Like the midterm, the final exam consists of short essay questions and a set of terms to define or identify.

The final exam is taken online in Blackboard. An exam link will be activated and made available to you at the start of final exam week. You may take the exam at any time during that week, but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). If you are on a course extension, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the final exam.

Statement about Cheating
The final examination in this course is an unproctored exam. That means you will not be supervised while taking the test. You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
• Plagiarizing answers.
• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Please also note that the exam is time-limited. That means you only have the allotted time in which to complete the exam. If you exceed the time limit on the exam, you will be penalized by having two points deducted for every minute that you exceed the time limit. This may also result in your failing the course.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and examinations are based on the following numerical grades:

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.



2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams and arrange for proctors, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.



3. Arrange to take your midterm examination by following the instructions in the Online Student Handbook. Then complete the "Proctor Request Form" and submit it to the Office of Test Administration (OTA). You must make arrangements to take your examination and send in your "Proctor Request Form" to OTA before the end of the first week of the current semester. (See Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site.)



4. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.



5. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations. For details on each assignment module and a complete listing of learning activities, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.



2. Read pages vi–x in the Telecourse Guide for a brief overview of how the guide is designed.



3. For each lesson, always read the Overview and Lesson Goal in the Telecourse Guide. Skimming the Textbook Objectives will help you get the most from your reading.



4. Answer the Practice Test questions at the end of each lesson in the Telecourse Guide. The Practice Tests will help you assess your understanding of lesson concepts. (Note: The answer keys at the end of each Practice Test are not always correct, so you are advised to look for the answer on your own in the text or video.)



5. The textbook's companion Web site (http://politicalscience.wadsworth.com/cummmings_wise10/) includes chapter-level and book-level resources. Among these are chapter flash cards, tutorial quizzes, a glossary, and Web links. Consider using these resources (especially the tutorial quizzes) as part of your study assignment for each week. A link to the textbook's Web site is provided in each study assignment (see clickable textbook image).



6. Check the Announcements page and class Discussion Board regularly for new course information.

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