Syllabus Supplement for Government 2301
Mountain View College
Instructor: Jonathon York
Office: W238
Hours: MW 1000-1200, TR 1500-1700. Other times by appointment.
vox: 214-860-3664
E-mail: JYork@dcccd.edu
This syllabus supplement is intended as a set of guidelines for Government 2301: American Government I. Mountain View College and the instructor reserve the right to make modifications in content, schedule, and requirements as necessary to promote the best education possible within prevailing conditions affecting this course.
Books/materials:
Schmidt, Shelley & Bardes. American Government and Politics Today. 2005-2006 ed. Belmont, CA : Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.
Kraemer, Newell & Prindle. Texas Politics. Belmont, CA : Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.
Supplemental readings from various sources, some available online at www.geocities.com/diogenesjava; others are listed and linked below.
Units of Instruction (Includes Links to supplemental readings).
Foundations of Political Thought
1. What is politics? Schmidt 1-15.
2. Classical Political Thought (Plato's Allegory of the Cave: Republic Book VII, Republic Book VIII, Selections from Aristotle's Politics )
3. Modern Political Thought. ( Machiavelli (The Prince, Ch. I, VII, XVII. ), Hobbes, Locke, Federalist #9)
4.. The Declaration of Independence
5. Ideologies and Political Cultures: "isms" (Kraemer 21-25, 447; Schmidt 20-26; Kraemer 3-15; 448-61)
Click here for a quick political quiz!
Click here to find out why the quick political quiz probably doesn't work.
Review for First Exam (Partial)
Federalism and the Constitutional Order
6. Comparative Political Systems:. Unity, Confederation and Federalism (Schmidt 81-84, Articles, Gayanashagowa, US Constitution, Federalist #84)
7. The US Constitution (Schmidt 39-57, 61-78)
8. Federalism (Schmidt 85-106)
9. The Texas Constitution (Kraemer 34-58)
Find Texas Constitutions Online Here!
Political Behaviors and Processes
10. Public Opinion. (Schmidt, 190-192.)
11. Political Socialization (Schmidt, 193-196)
12. Voting Behavior. (Schmidt, 196-202, 313-318)
13. Information Media. (Schmidt, 326-351)
Factions: Ideologies and political cultures revisited.
13. Interest Groups (Schmidt 223-246; Kraemer, 64-90)
14. Political Parties (Schmidt, 250-277; Kraemer, 110-121)
15. Campaigns and Elections. (Schmidt, 289-312; Kraemer, 136-153)
E. Local Government.
Counties (Kraemer, 344-356)
Municipalities (Kraemer, 356-364)
Special Districts. (Kraemer, 371-375)
Click Here for Information about the Semester Project
Evaluation
Method of instruction:
This course will follow a format based upon lecture and class discussion. Students will be expected to participate actively during class discussion, as assignments will be discussed during class time. While the required textbooks for this course provides the basic material and outline for American government, some supplemental material, essential for understanding the fundamental characteristics of and offering additional insight into the American regime, will be provided.
Grading Procedure:
Student performance will be evaluated using a combination of reading quizzes, examinations and essays or presentations. Reading quizzes will occur at the end of each sub-unit of instruction, while unit examinations will occur at the end of each major unit. Each reading quiz will constitute 1% of the total grade for the course. Each unit exam will constitute 10% of the total grade for the course. A final comprehensve examination will constitute 20% of the total grade for the course. An essay or presentation project will determine 25% of the total grade, while class participation will determine 5%.
Students must also participate in a Pre-test/Post-test assessment, which will be available in the Testing Center, and unlike other examinations in this course, will require Scantron Form 884-E. The Pre-test serves to establish a benchmark for the class and contributes to the overall participation in this course, which the Post-test measures content acquisition and will constitute 10% of the total grade for the course.
Service Learning
Some students have expressed an interest in participating in the Service Learning Program as a component of the total evaluation for this course. To this end, your instructor has determined that a completed course in Service Learning may be substituted either for one unit examination score or the full range of reading quizzes. . However, to be eligible for earned credit for participation in the Service Learning program, you must have fulfilled all the program’s requirements, including participation in a specified number of Reflection Sessions. In addition, you will receive a certificate from the Service Learning Coordinator upon completion of the Service Learning program. Incomplete Service Learning programs will receive no credit.
Participation in SPAR Office Activities may not be included as a part of the Service Learning Option, but may be included as a component of overall participation.
Grade Scale:
The grading scale for this course is standard and should be familiar to most:
A = 90 to 100
B = 80 to 89
C = 70 to 79
D = 60 to 69
F = 59 and below
Grades are based on the following:
At the end of the term, all grades are rounded to the nearest whole number.