Federal Government 2305

Federal Government 2305 Syllabus Blinn College Bryan Campus Section(s): F9 Instructor's Name: Judge J. D. Langley Office Number: A-141 Office Hours: Tuesday 5:10 pm-5:40 pm Thursday 5:10 pm-5:40 pm Office Phone: (979) 361-4270 Office Email: jd.langley@blinn.edu COURSE DESCRIPTION: Government 2305 is a study of the organization, functions, and administration of the several branches and agencies of the national government, including a study of the federal constitution. The primary factors considered relate to the three branches of government -- judicial, executive, legislative -- major historical documents, the events that shaped the nation, and current events. Emphasis will be placed on the interaction of these subsystems. Three credit hours. PREREQUISITES: Appropriate score on the THEA test or alternative test or completion of READ 0306 with a grade of C or better. CORE CURRICULUM COURSE: This is a Core Course in the 42-Hour Core of Blinn College. As such, students will develop proficiency in the appropriate Intellectual Competencies, Exemplary Educational Objectives, and Perspectives. The URL for the Blinn College Core Curriculum web site is: www.blinn.edu/corecurriculum STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: After successfully completing Government 2305, students should have a working knowledge of the organization, functions and administrations of the several branches and agencies of the national government, plus an understanding of

the national constitution. These include: 1. analyze the United States Constitution; 2. evaluate federalism and its effectiveness as a form of government; 3. identify the primary components of Congress, its major functions, and its effectiveness; 4. explain the structure, roles, functions, and expansion of the executive branch; 5. analyze the structure, functions and effectiveness of the federal judiciary; 6. determine the functions of the bureaucracy; 7. trace the development of American political parties and their current functions in United States politics; 8. describe the types and effectiveness of political participation; 9. compare and contrast civil liberties and civil rights; and 10. evaluate the objectives of foreign and domestic policies TEXTBOOKS, SUPPLIES, MATERIALS: Textbook: Dye, Thomas. Politics in America, 2010 Pearson Publishing. CIVILITY STATEMENT: Members of the Blinn College community, which includes faculty, staff and students, are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all aspects of campus life. Blinn College holds all members accountable for their actions and words. Therefore, all members should commit themselves to behave in a manner that recognizes personal respect, and demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights, and freedoms of every member of the College community, including respect for College property and the physical and intellectual property of others. CIVILITY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM: If a student is asked to leave the classroom because of uncivil behavior, the student may not return to that class until he or she arranges a conference with the instructor: it is the student's responsibility to arrange for this conference. ADA STATEMENT: Information regarding procedures for documenting disabilities can be obtained from the Counseling Office. Reasonable accommodations will be made for documented disabilities. Students must present documentation as soon as possible for the instructor to arrange accommodation.

COURSE OUTLINE: This course is divided into 4 instructional blocks. The online tests cover each of the chapters and the major examinations are administered at the end of each instructional block. Block 1. The Framework of the Federal Government Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Politics Political Culture The Constitution Federalism Block 2. The Non-governmental Players Chapter 5. Chapter 6. Chapter 7. Chapter 8. Chapter 9. Opinion and Participation Mass Media Political Parties Campaigns and Elections Interest Groups Block 3. The Governmental Players Chapter 10. Chapter 11. Chapter 12. Chapter 13. The Congress The President The Bureaucracy The Courts Block 4. How it all works together. Chapter 14. Chapter 15. Chapter 16. Chapter 17. Chapter 18. Politics and Personal Liberty Politics and Civil Rights Politics and the Economy Politics and Social Welfare Politics and National Security COURSE REQUIREMENTS: You will be required to complete TEN (10) online tests, FOUR (4) major examinations, ONE (1) research paper and ONE (1) comprehensive final examination. The online tests, major exams, and final exam will each consist of multiple choice questions. All student answers to the online tests and the research paper must be submitted online through ecampus. The major exams and final exam must be submitted on scantron using a #2 pencil. The major exams and final exams are closed-book and in class. No dictionaries or any electronic devices may be used during any major examination or the final examination.

RESEARCH PAPERS: One (1) research paper will be required from each student. The Research Paper must be submitted using the Turn-It-In drop box found under the ecampus Lessons Tab by 10:00 p.m. on October 28th, 2010. If the paper is submitted after the deadline, FIVE (5) POINTS will be deducted for each portion of a 24 hour period following the submission deadline. Any paper submitted after 10:00 p.m. on the seventh day after its submission deadline will receive a zero (0) grade. The subject of each research paper is the following article: The Framers of the Constitution and Republicanism The U.S. Constitution established a republic. The framers chose the republican form of government over all other forms, including monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. Americans have often differed over the practice of republican government. But they have agreed in large part on the fundamental principles and elements of republican government: Republican government is limited. The powers of government are circumscribed to reduce the possibility of tyranny. In the Constitution, the framers set limits on the powers exercised by the national government over the states and over individuals. Republican government is representational. The exercise of power by government over citizens is legitimate only when citizens are represented by legislative assemblies. The framers admired the representative institutions of the Roman Republic. They even named the U.S. Senate for the Roman Senate. But Republicanism offered no standard position on four difficult issues: 1. How many constituents should each legislator represent? 2. Should legislators be responsible to their constituents, to their own conscience, or to the public interest? 3. Should representatives of the people be elected by the people themselves or by intermediate institutions? 4. Who should be eligible to vote for their legislators? On the issue of the direct popular election of representatives (3, above), the framers were divided. The Constitution always has provided for the direct popular election of members of the House, but U.S. senators were chosen by members of their state legislature until after the Seventeenth Amendment was ratified in 1913. Remember that the framers didn't think too highly of the public's ability to handle political power wisely. So they chose not to expand the right to vote beyond the voting qualifications the states had established for the largest branch of each state's legislature. Later, a series of constitutional amendments, Supreme Court decisions, and popular movements democratized representation and expanded the eligible electorate. In republican government, the people are sovereign. Republicans believe that the people at large create, authorize, and empower government, and that government must be accountable to the people. A government rooted in the people cannot act without the consent of the people. The word republic comes from the Latin res publica ("the public thing"), which means that

ASSIGNMENT government is a common enterprise, originating from and belonging to the people. Thomas Jefferson made the principle of popular sovereignty clear in the Declaration of Independence: "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed... Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government." The following questions require a close reading and understanding of the Constitution. Consult the Constitution in the back of your textbook and class lectures for information to complete this assignment. Write your paper using the directions given to you that follow, and answer the following: 1. Identify three significant elements of the Constitution (including amendments) that embody the republican principle of limited government. Explain and support your answers with Constitutional references. 2. Three institutions in the new government embodied the framers' commitment to the principle of representation: the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the presidency. Identify below the system of representation the framers established for each institution by answering this question: Was it representation by direct popular election, or was representation filtered through the choice of some intermediate body? If the latter, identify that intermediate body and describe its role and support your answer with Constitutional references. 3. Identify three amendments to the Constitution that expanded democratic representation, and explain what each amendment has accomplished. 4. Identify one passage in the Constitution that expresses the republican principle of popular sovereignty. Why? The paper must be typed, using 12 point type, double-spaced, using MLA format. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition) is available in the Blinn Library, and there are many secondary sources on the internet. The research paper should have a word count of not less than 600 words but no more than 1200 words. No cover or title page is required. The title, Govt 2305-F9 Research Paper and your name should appear at the top of the first page, using MLA format. You must cite by reference any sources for statements of fact and quotes used to support your answers. If the source references an internet URL, include hyperlink format if possible. Writing and research ability, critical thinking skills, and mastery of the subject matter will be evaluated in determining the grade to be assigned for the paper.

CALENDAR OF MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMS: Week Date Topics to be covered in class Assignments 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Aug 31 Course Overview Take Course Inventory Test in class (no grade) Tests No. 1 (Ch 1-2) & No. 2 (Ch 3-4) available online Sep 2 Chapter 1. Politics Read Chapters 1 prior to class Sep 7 Chapter 2. Political Culture Read Chapter 2 prior to class Submit answers to Test No. 1 (Ch 1-2) by 5:40 pm Sep 9 Chapter 3. The Constitution Read Chapter 3 prior to class Sep 14 Chapter 4. Federalism Sep 16 Major Exam No. 1 (Chapters 1-4) Read Chapter 4 prior to class Submit answers to Test No. 2 (Ch 2-4) by 5:40 pm Review Chapters 1-4 prior to class Take Major Exam No. 1 in class Tests No. 3 (Ch 5-6) & No. 4 (Ch 7-9) available online Sep 21 Chapter 5. Opinion and Participation Read Chapter 5 prior to class Sep 23 Chapter 6. Mass Media Read Chapter 6 prior to class Submit answers to Test No. 3 (Ch 5-6) by 5:40 pm Sep 28 Chapter 7. Political Parties Read Chapter 7 prior to class Sep 30 Chapter 8. Campaigns and Elections Read Chapter 8 prior to class Oct 5 Chapter 9. Interest Groups Oct 7 Major Exam No. 2 (Chapters 5 9) Read Chapter 9 prior to class Submit answers to Test No. 4 (Ch 7-9) by 5:40 pm Review Chapters 5 9 prior to class Take Major Exam No. 2 in class Tests No. 5 (Ch 10), No. 6 (Ch 11) & No. 7 (Ch 12-13) Available online Oct 12 Chapter 10. Congress Read Chapter 10 prior to class Oct 14 Chapter 10. Congress Read Chapter 10 prior to class Submit answers to Test No. 5 (Ch 10) by 5:40 pm 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Oct 19 Chapter 11. The President Read Chapter 11 prior to class Oct 21 Chapter 11. The President Read Chapter 11 prior to class Submit answers to Test No. 6 (Ch 11) by 5:40 pm Oct 26 Chapter 12. The Bureaucracy Read Chapter 12 prior to class Oct 28 Nov 2 Chapter 12. The Bureaucracy Chapter 13. Courts Nov 4 Major Exam No. 3 (Chapters 10 13) Read Chapter 12 prior to class 10:00 pm deadline to submit Research Paper Read Chapter 13 prior to class Submit answers to Test No. 7 (Ch 12-13) by 5:40 pm Review Chapter 10 13 prior to class Take Major Exam No. 3 in class Tests No. 8 (Ch 14-15), No. 9 (Ch 16) & No. 10 (Ch 17-18) available online Nov 9 Chapter 14. Politics and Personal Liberty Read Chapter 14 prior to class Nov 11 Chapter 15. Politics and Civil Rights Read Chapter 15 prior to class Submit answers to Test No. 8 (Ch 14-15) by 5:40 p.m. Nov 16 Chapter 16. Politics and the Economy Read Chapter 16 prior to class Nov 18 Chapter 16. Politics and the Economy Read Chapter 16 prior to class Submit answers to Test No. 9 (Ch 16) by 5:40 p.m. Nov 23 Chapter 17. Politics and Social Welfare Read Chapter 17 prior to class Nov 25 Thanksgiving Holiday No class Nov 30 Chapter 17. Politics and Social Welfare Read Chapter 17 prior to class Dec 2 Chapter 18. Politics and National Security Dec 7 Major Exam No. 4 (Chapters 14--18) Read Chapter 18 prior to class Submit answers to Test No. 10 (Ch 17-18) by 5:40 p.m. Review Chapters 14 18 prior to class Take Major Exam No. 4 in class Dec 9 Course Review for Final Examination Review Chapters 1 18 prior to class 16 TBA FINAL EXAMINATION Review all course materials prior to exam

CRITERIA FOR GRADING: Grading in this course is based on a 100 point grading system, meaning that each assessment is given a maximum of 100 points, then each category of assessments is averaged then multiplied by a weighted percentage value using the following formula. The value points for each category are calculated to the second decimal (100ths), then are added to result in a numerical course grade. Major Exams [40%] Avg. of 4 x.40 = Weekly Tests [30%] (Take ten (10), highest 9 count) Avg. of highest 8 x.30 = Research Paper [10%] Score on paper x.10 = Final Exam [20%] 100 questions worth 1 point each Total correct x.20 = COURSE GRADE Total of above points The numerical course grade is then converted into the following letter grades: Grading Standards: A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69, F=0-59 The numerical Final Grade is calculated to second decimal (100ths) and rounded to the nearest whole number. Examples: 89.49 is rounded to 89 and the course grade is a B 89.50 is rounded to 90 and the course grade is an A MISSED ASSESSMENTS AND MAKE-UP POLICIES: Each student is responsible to attend each class, timely take the online and inclass assessments and turn in the research paper when scheduled. The makeup policies are explained within each of the following requirements for graded events. ONLINE TESTS: The online tests are designed to assist your study preparation for each class. Since only the nine (9) highest of the ten (10) weekly tests are counted, every student is provided one opportunity to miss one online test deadline. The online tests for each entire instructional block will be available immediately upon conclusion of the prior instructional block, me. As a result, NO ONLINE TESTS MAY BE TURNED IN AFTER THE DATE THE TEST IS DUE NO EXCEPTIONS You may submit an online test at any time it is available prior to the beginning of the class in which it is due. If you fail to submit an online test by the time it is due,

your grade for that online test will be recorded as a Zero (0). No student may submit an online test for another student. MAJOR EXAMS: Should unavoidable circumstances prevent a student from attending a particular class and taking a major exam when scheduled, it is the student s responsibility to contact the instructor and arrange to take a make-up exam prior to the next scheduled class. Make-up Major Exams must be taken prior to the beginning of the next class following the regularly scheduled date of the Major Exam. If the make-up exam is not completed prior to the date of the next scheduled class following the date of the missed exam, the student will receive a zero (0) grade for the missed exam. RESEARCH PAPERS: Any research paper may be submitted early. If any paper is submitted after the deadline, FIVE (5) POINTS will be deducted for each portion of a 24 hour period following the submission deadline. Any paper submitted after 10:00 p.m. on the seventh day after its submission deadline will receive a zero (0) grade. FINAL EXAM: Because final course grades must be submitted so soon after the final is scheduled for this course, the only way a final exam can be taken after the scheduled date is for the student to take a grade of incomplete for the course, execute a course completion contract with the instructor, and take the final examination prior to or within a week after the regular scheduled final exam. This should be arranged prior to the regularly scheduled final exam with the course instructor and must be arranged no later than the day after the final exam is scheduled. If no such arrangements are made, and the student does not take the final exam at the scheduled time, a grade of zero (0) will be entered for the final exam. ATTENDANCE POLICY: The College District believes that class attendance is essential for student success; therefore, students are required to promptly and regularly attend all their classes. Each class meeting builds the foundation for subsequent class meetings. Without full participation and regular class attendance, students shall find themselves at a severe disadvantage for achieving success in college. Class participation shall constitute at least ten percent of the final course grade. It is the responsibility of each faculty member, in consultation with the division chair, to determine how participation is achieved in his or her class.

Faculty will require students to regularly attend class and will keep a record of attendance from the first day of class and/or the first day the student s name appears on the roster through final examinations. In this class, an attendance roster will be circulated by the instructor during each class. No student may sign another student s name on the attendance roster. It is the responsibility of each student to sign the attendance roster that will be circulated through the classroom during each class. If a student has one week s worth of absences during the semester, he/she will be sent an e-mail by the College requiring the student to contact his/her instructor and schedule a conference immediately to discuss his/her attendance issues. If the student accumulates two weeks worth of absences, he/she will be administratively withdrawn from class. OTHER POLICIES: No food or drinks in the classroom. Blinn College does not tolerate cheating, plagiarism or collusion. Procedures for dealing with these acts are outlined in the Scholastic Dishonesty Policy. The right and responsibility to determine the appropriateness of the dress of a particular student lies with the classroom instructor or when the student is outside the classroom, with the immediate supervisor of the building or grounds the student is utilizing. An instructor may require specific, appropriate dress when students are to give classroom presentations or speeches of any type or when representing the College outside the classroom. When an instructor informs a student that the clothing s/he is wearing is not appropriate, the student must leave the classroom or other facility until the student changes the clothing or agrees not to wear such clothing again, as the instructor or supervisor directs. All the functions of personal electronic devices designed for communication and/or entertainment (cell phones, pagers, beepers, ipods, and similar devices) must be turned off and kept out of sight in all Blinn College classrooms and associated laboratories. Any noncompliance with this policy will be addressed in accordance with the Blinn College civility policy (Administrative Policy). Additionally, any communication understood by the instructor to be in the nature of cheating will have consequences in accordance with this Blinn College policy section regarding academic dishonesty [FLB (Local)]. Students exempted from this policy section include, active members of firefighting organizations, emergency medical services organizations, commissioned police officers, on-call employees of any political subdivision of the state of Texas, or agencies of the federal government. Exempted students are expected to set the emergency-use devices on silent or vibrate mode only.