Syllabus 2009 - Hibbs

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT Fall 2009 Online

CCP- Professor Linda J. Hibbs - POLS 111

lhibbs@ccp.edu - (215) 751-8908 - Rm. B2-44

OFFICE HOURS: Office hours are Tuesday and Thursday 1 - 4:00 p.m., or by appointment.

TEXTBOOK: Wilson & DiIulio, American Government: The Essentials, 11th Ed. (Houghton Mifflin Pub. 2008).

GRADES:

Forums: 20%

Assignments 15%

Quizzes 15% (I will drop your lowest quiz grade.)

Midterm 15%

Final 25%

Participation and Writing Skills 10% - for this part of your grade I will look at your participation each week and at your writing skills on items you post. I expect postings to be grammatically correct and well written. I suggest that you write the document in Word, so you can edit your postings, and then copy it into the course.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this course are as follows: 1) To introduce students to the major processes of American Government; 2) To introduce students to a broad range of principles underlying American government; and 3) To explore the functions of the executive, legislative and judicial branches.

ATTENDANCE: While we do not have any live sessions, students will be expected to participate every week. Checking in two–three times a week is recommended. Failure to comply with these rules may result in grade reductions and/or being dropped from the course.

DISABILITY POLICY: If you require assistance with any condition or disability you should consult the College catalog for direction. The Center on Disability is located at M1-22B and may be reached by telephone at 215-751-8307. I urge you to consult with that office immediately. Unless you are working with the Center, we may not be able to provide the assistance you need.

COUNSELING DEPARTMENT: The Counseling Department is located in office W2-2. It is a great resource for students that may be struggling with problems of a personal nature. The staff is highly trained and very helpful and is available on a walk-in basis.

PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is a serious offense which has been made easier by the World Wide Web. Very simply, it is a form of theft; that is, stealing someone's work and passing it off as your own. This theft does not require you to physically steal someone's paper, but most commonly, the offense is done using the World Wide Web. While searching, students find an article that covers their topic and then copy it and use it as their own. If you plagiarize, you will: (1) fail the assignment; and/or (2) fail the course; and/or (3) I will turn the matter over to the Dean of Student Affairs for disciplinary action. The College and our program take this offense very seriously and so should you. The course schedule attached is subject to modification based upon circumstances in the instructor's discretion.

Schedule of Readings:

Week of September 8^th: Study of American Government Ch. 1

Week of September 14^th: The Constitution Ch. 2

Week of September 21^st: Federalism Ch. 3

Week of September 28^th: American Political Culture Ch. 4

Week of October 5^th: Civil Liberties Ch. 5

Week of October 12^th: Civil Rights Ch. 6, Public Opinion Ch. 7 & Political Parties Ch. 9

Week of October 19^th: Midterm – no assigned reading

Week of October 26^th: Elections and Campaigns Ch. 10 & The Media Ch. 12

Week of November 2^nd: Political Participation Ch. 8

Week of November 9^th: Interest Groups Ch. 11 & Congress Ch. 13

Week of November 16^th: The Judiciary Ch. 16

Week of November 23rd: The Bureaucracy Ch. 15

Week of November 30^th: The Presidency Ch. 14

Week of December 7^th: Politics and Public Policy Ch. 17

Week of December 14^th: Final