American National Government

POLS 1101 18

American National Government

POLS 1101-01

CRN 88562

Classroom Course

Fall 2013

7:30-8:45pm Tuesday/Thursday

Peachtree City Classroom 118

COURSE SYLLABUS

3.0 SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS

Professor Sara Henderson

*The best way to contact me is via email.

Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11 am at Peachtree City Instructional Site. Please email me for an appointment.

Desire2Learn (D2L) is a helpful online classroom site that will complement our in-class work. D2L can be accessed by logging into the SWAN Portal and clicking on the scholar icon. This action will then open D2L and allow you to select the appropriate class section (POLS 1101, Fall 2013). The syllabus will be on the course home page. The syllabus found on D2L is the authoritative syllabus.

Required Texts:

Dautrich and Yalof. Enduring Democracy. Clayton State University Custom Edition, Cengage. ISBN 978-1-285561-16-5

Course Requirements:

The major form of communication between the instructor and the students outside of the classroom will be by CSU email. It is the student’s responsibility to check email frequently in order to receive class information and instructor messages. Each CSU student is required to have ready access throughout the semester to a notebook computer that meets faculty-approved hardware and software requirements for the student's academic program. Students will sign a statement attesting to such access. For further information on CSU's Official Notebook Computer Policy, please go to http://www.clayton.edu/hub/itpchoice/notebookcomputerpolicy.

**Computers will not be used during class. Students will be asked to put away their laptops at the beginning of each class session. **

Computer Skill Prerequisites:

· Able to use the Windows operating system;

· Able to use Microsoft Word word processing;

· Able to send and receive e-mail using Outlook or Outlook Express;

· Able to attach and retrieve attached files via email;

· Able to use a Web browser.

Email Etiquette:

Please email me directly at if you have a question. Do not respond to Listserv messages that I send to the whole class. Use your CSU email address when contacting me as I can only open email from your official Clayton State email address.

D2L:

You can log into D2L to access grades for tests and papers, the course syllabus, an annotated guide to the U.S. Constitution, and some helpful pointers to finding a local government meeting to attend for your political engagement project. Additionally, there are other useful items to involve each student in the learning process.

Course Outline:

This class is an introductory level survey of the American political system in an international context, emphasizing a cross-cultural approach to the study of the structure and processes of policy decision-making. The course also includes the study of world geography, emphasizing knowledge of the global configuration of nation-states.

Disabilities:

Individuals with disabilities who need to request accommodations should contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Student Center 255, (678) 466-5445, .

Daily Brief:

Current events will be discussed at the beginning of class. Read a major daily newspaper, or NEWSWEEK, TIME, or U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT. Watch a daily national network news program on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS or CNN, and/or listen to NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO (6:00 - 9:00 a.m., and 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.) on WABE FM 90.1. The University provides free copies of the New York Times during the fall and spring semesters. There are multiple pick-up locations of the paper across the campus.

Midterm Grades:

The mid-term grade in this course reflects approximately 30% of the entire course grade. Based on this grade, students may choose to withdraw from the course and receive a grade of "W." Students pursuing this option must fill out an official withdrawal form, available in the Office of the Registrar, or withdraw on-line using the Swan by mid-term, which occurs on October 4th. Instructions for withdrawing are provided at this link.

The last day to withdraw without academic accountability is Friday, October 4th, 2013.

Course Policies:

General Policy:
Students must abide by policies in the Clayton State University Student Handbook, and the Basic Undergraduate Student Responsibilities.

University Attendance Policy:

Students are expected to attend and participate in every class meeting. Instructors establish specific policies relating to absences in their courses and communicate these policies to the students through the course syllabi. Individual instructors, based upon the nature of the course, determine what effect excused and unexcused absences have in determining grades and upon students’ ability to remain enrolled in their courses. The university reserves the right to determine that excessive absences, whether justified or not, are sufficient cause for institutional withdrawals or failing grades.

Course Attendance Policy:
Attendance is expected for all class periods. Attendance is required for quiz and examination periods. Any absence must be accompanied by a written excuse from a doctor or other competent authority (please refer to assessment five of this syllabus for the attendance policy for this course).

Plagiarism/ Honor code:

Cheating will not be tolerated in this course. Please familiarize yourself with the CSU’s honor code and rules at the following website: http://adminservices.clayton.edu/judicial/.

Any type of activity that is considered dishonest by reasonable standards may constitute academic misconduct. The most common forms of academic misconduct are cheating and plagiarism. All instances of academic dishonesty will result in a grade of zero for the work involved. All instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Office of Student Life/Judicial Affairs. Judicial procedures are described beginning on page 14 of the Student Handbook (Procedures for Adjudicating Alleged Academic Conduct Infractions).

Course plagiarism policy: If you are caught cheating on an exam that exam grade will be a zero. If you are found to have plagiarized a paper, you will receive a zero on that paper. If more than one of these events occurs, you will receive an F for the course and may face further discipline from the university.

Learning Outcomes

Outcomes:

Graduating political science majors should

· Apply concepts related to the structures and principles of the U.S. Constitution to historical and current politics.

· Explain and criticize U.S. political institutions and processes.

· Demonstrate ability to understand and apply social sciences research methods.

· Research and compose a Senior Thesis in a subfield of political science.

· Successfully complete a political science related internship.

Assessments:

· POLS 1101 geography tests

· POLS 2101 pre and post-assessment surveys

· POLS 4490/POLS 4491 Internship/Practicum Site Supervisor Evaluation

· POLS 3000 and 4000 level course research papers

· POLS 4501 Senior Thesis

· ACAT Area Concentration Achievement Test taken by graduating seniors

Course Outcomes:

· Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the U.S. Constitution.

· Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of U.S. political institutions and political processes.

· Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Federalism.

· Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the Georgia Constitution and government.

· Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the international political system and the global location of countries.

Assessment One

Major Exams: (300 possible course points)
There will be three examinations. They are comprised of multiple choice and true and false questions covering assigned materials from the textbook and class lectures. You will need to read all assigned chapters as 70-75 questions on each exam will be drawn from the text chapters. You are responsible for all of the text chapters assigned below even if we do not cover them in class. The remaining 25-30 questions will come from the class lectures. You will have the whole class period for examinations one and two, and two hours for the final examination. The final exam is not cumulative.

BRING A #2 PENCIL TO EACH EXAM.

Assessment Two

Georgia Constitution & Government: (50 points) This reading assignment is included in the required course textbook. Sample examination study questions and an answer key are provided at the end of this syllabus. The assessment includes 50 questions covering the Georgia Constitution and government. They will be drawn from the sample questions below. You will take this test during the time allotted for the final exam in December. The material to study for this portion of the final is located on both the course syllabus and in the back of your textbook.

Assessment Three

Geography Tests: (100 possible course points) Students will be given three geography tests worth 35, 30 and 35 points respectively, or a possible total of 100 points altogether. Use the online atlas provided below to study for these tests. The three tests will be spaced out over the semester. The blank study maps provided below are identical to the maps will be used for the exam. The countries of the world and the U.S. states will be numbered on the exam maps and you will be asked to identify a country or U.S. state through a choice of numbers. For example: Russia a) 35 b) 30 c) 45 d) 58.

Online World Atlas U Texas Maps

Click on this link to access printable geography test study maps.

First Geography Test:

The first Geography test covers North, South, Central (Middle) America and two of the larger island nations of the Caribbean Sea - Cuba and the Dominican Republic only. Study maps showing the lower 48 U.S. states and the countries in the Western Hemisphere (No other states, no other nation's states, provinces, national capitals or geological formations are on the test.). There are a total of 70 items - each worth 1/2 point, with the test worth a possible 35 points.

Second Geography Test:

The second geography test covers Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. There will be 60 nations on this test. Be able to locate the small, but significant nations of the Persian Gulf region. Each answer is worth 1/2 point (No national capitals, states, provinces or geological formations are on the test.). There are 60 items - each worth 1/2 point, with the test worth a possible 30 points.

Third Geography Test:

The third geography test covers Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. The test is worth 35 possible points, with 70 nations to identify for 1/2 point each (No national capitals, states, provinces or geological formations are on the test.) Be able to locate Singapore and Brunei - both of which are relatively small and yet quite significant to the region's economy. There are a total of 70 items - each worth 1/2 point, with the test worth a possible 35 pts.

Assessment Four

Papers/Projects:

Political Engagement Project (100 points): Attend one of the following during the semester: a city council meeting, a school board meeting, or a meeting of any political party or interest group. Provide proof that you were there (a photograph of yourself at the meeting). Provide proof as if you were presenting evidence for a case in court: prove to me without a doubt that you were there. Each student will then write a paper 2-4 pages in length (double-spaced in 12 pt. Times New Roman font) that will be due as directed by the class calendar. The paper will be comprised of a summary of the event followed by a paragraph of closing remarks of what the student has learned from attending the event. Pictures of the student at the meeting must be stapled to your paper.

A guide about the importance of civic engagement can be found on D2L and may help you identify a political event to attend. All events must be located by the students themselves as the professor will not locate civic engagement events. Ideally, you should attend an event that is close to where you live.

All papers submitted in this class should meet these formatting criteria:

· Title page- This page should include all relevant personal information (name, POLS 1101, day/meeting time, and title of work). This is the only place that should reflect this type of information (hence the name “title page”).

· Page numbers with your last name, ex. Henderson 2, on every page but the first page.

· Double-spaced

· Times New Roman 12 pt. font

· Stapled

· Title page does not count as page.

Writing Assistance
The Writers’ Studio 224 is located in the A&S building, room 224. There you can talk with trained writing tutors about your writing projects. They are available to work with you at any stage of your paper, from generating ideas to organizing your paper to understanding how to format it correctly. The service is free; you may drop in and wait for a tutor or sign up for a regular appointment. But remember: you, not your tutor, are ultimately responsible for the quality and content of the papers you submit.
http://www.clayton.edu/arts-sciences/english/writersstudio

Assessment Four

Attendance (50 points): Attendance is important and will be taken each class meeting. A significant amount of test material will come from the notes that can only be obtained by attending class. Student who do not attend classes regularly are unlikely to do well on the exams. Each student is allowed two (2) excused absences (meaning absences that do NOT require documentation) before points will be deducted. After the two (2) absences, the student is required to provide documentation for any further absences. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to contact another student to see what is missed. Do not ask the instructor "What did I miss today?" You should make a "buddy" in class that you can rely for notes if you must miss class.

Missed work and Make-up exam policy:

· Makeup exams: Students are allowed to miss one major exam or geography exam without any excuse, which can be taken as a makeup at the final exam. A second missed exam will be given zero (0) points. If you miss the final, the grade for the final will be reported as a zero. There are no make-ups for final exams.

· Papers: All papers must be handed in on time for credit. It is wise to hand in your papers any time before the date/time they are due. If you wait until the last day, you run the risk of receiving no credit for your effort. Late papers will be given no credit. All papers are due before the start of class on the due date listed in the class schedule at the bottom of this syllabus. Papers can and should be handed in well in advance of the due date. Only hard copies of papers will be accepted for credit. Each paper should be labeled with your name, your course “POLS 1101”, and your course time. Grammar and syntax are very important factors in the grading process. Each paper submitted will be reviewed based upon basic writing criteria. If you find yourself in need of help in these areas, please see me for information on tutoring options available to CSU students.