SYLLABUS
SUPPLEMENT FOR GOVERNMENT 2302
Mountain View College
Fall 2005
Instructor: Jonathon York
Office: W238
Hours: MW 1000-1200, TR 1500-1700. Other times by appointment.
vox: 214-860-3664
E-mail: [email protected]
This
syllabus supplement is intended as a set of guidelines for Government 2302:
American Government II. 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.
IV. 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.
V. Units of Instruction:
The US Congress.
(Schmidt, 353-388. US Constitution Article I)
Supplemental Reading: Woodrow Wilson
The Texas Legislature.
Structure.
The
Legislative Process
Outlines: The Texas Legislature The Legislative Process
B. Constitutional Executive Power
The President of
the United States
The Governor of
Texas
The Texas Plural
Executive
C. The Bureaucracy and Public Policy
The Federal
Bureaucracy
The Public Policy
Cycle
Domestic
Policy/Economic Policy
Foreign
Policy/Defense Policy
D. Judicial Power: Activism and Restraint
The Federal Courts
The Texas
Judiciary: The Court System
Due Process
Civil Rights and
Liberties
Click here for
Information about the Semester Project
Click Here for a
Review for the Final Exam
VI. 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 textbook 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 examinations and essays. Five
examinations will be given, and at least one essay assigned. The examinations,
taken together, will determine seventy percent of the grade for this course. Of
these examinations, a comprehensive final exam will count for twenty percent.
All other exams will count for twelve and-a-half percent each. The essay
assignment will determine twenty-five percent for the course, while the
remaining five percent will be determined by class participation.
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
for one examination score. 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:
Essay 25%
Unit exams 50%
Attendance/ Participation 5%
Final 20%
Total 100%
At the end of the term, all grades are
rounded to the nearest whole number.
