Federal
Government 2305--Web

SYLLABUS

SUMMER I 2009

Instructor:	Dr. Brian K. Dille
Office:	Deaderick Hall 209
Office Phone:	915/335-6592
Fax:	915/335/6667
E-mail:	bdille@odessa.edu
Surface Mail:	Odessa College 201 West University Odessa, Texas 79764
Office Hours:	MTWTh:  11-12 noon
Blackboard:	Click here to go to the Blackboard login page.Click here to go to the Blackboard login page.  The OC webmaster will enroll you in this course on Blackboard.  Once that is done, you will only need to login each time, click "Courses", then "Government 2305", and you will be in my course for test-taking, assignments, announcements, etc.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. To present the basic concepts of politics that will better enable you, the student, to understand American and Texas government and politics.

2. To motivate you, the student, to take an interest in and understand issues and problems facing the United States, Texas, and Odessa or city which you live in.

3. To stimulate you, the student, to exercise your privileges and obligations as a U.S. citizen, through participation in local, state, and national political activities.

DROP POLICY

You are responsible for dropping this class if you quit doing the work. The instructor will not do so . Failure to drop results in an F.

We will have several discussion group topics in this course. The discussions are not 'at will' but are considered an integral part of your learning.  The selected topics will be posted online with specific instructions and due date. You will receive a grade for your discussion and responses to the other students' comments. You must participate in both discussion topics.   At the end of the discussion period, you must post your final "Summary" of the discussion topic on Blackboard.  Click on the "Communication" button and then on the "Discussion Board"  and "Send Files" to post all assignments in Blackboard's Digital Drop Box.  Please see the discussion topics for detailed instructions. To enter into the discussion area you will go to Blackboard. Please follow the instructions as given.  If you have any questions, please contact your instructor.  Your grade will be based on the more detailed SUMMARY you will write on the discussion topic--elaborating on your initial comments and adding your views based on reading the posted comments of fellow students in the class. To receive a grade on an assignment it MUST be posted in Blackboard's Digital Drop Box.

There will be four exams, each worth 100 points. They will consist of objective questions: multiple choice and true false.  Exams 1, 2, 3  and 4 will be taken on-line.  You will have 50 minutes, after logging on, to complete the objective portion.  Students will lose two points for each minute they exceed the one hour time limit.  A 200 point final exam over units 1-10 will be given, composed of all objective questions.   You MUST schedule the final exam to be taken on the assigned day in either the OC Student Learning Center or a secure testing facility. Arrangement to take the final exam off-campus must be approved by the instructor one week prior to the final exam date.

I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DETERMINE IF YOU HAVE A VALID REASON FOR MISSING AN EXAM. YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE CHANCE TO TAKE A MAKE-UP FOR AN INVALID REASON.

If you are unable to take a test during the assigned time period, you need to contact the instructor ASAP. Failure to do this will result in a loss of a letter grade on the exam. Otherwise, there are no make-ups. I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE IF YOUR REASON FOR MISSING AN EXAM IS INVALID AND IF I SUSPECT IT IS, YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE CHANCE TO TAKE A MAKE-UP.

Two discussion topics will be posted and mandatory for all students to participate in as part of the discussion grade. Each question will be worth up to 100 points.   Discussion topics will be posted for a two days each and your final Summary is due on the day following the 2-day period.  

Two Internet assignments will be required. Each will be worth a total of 100 points. The two mandatory Internet assignments are listed: one in Unit 6--on Political Parties- and one in Unit 8--on Congress.  

LATE POLICY

Assignments will be accepted one day late--24 hours after the due date--with a letter grade deduction.

Unit objectives  are included in the lecture notes.  They will serve both as guide to what the instructor considers important from the texts, lecture notes, research, and discussions, and what the student is expected to know at the completion of the unit. They will also serve as a good study guide for the exams because the exam questions will be drawn from these objective sheets.

LECTURE NOTES

Lecture notes for the class, emphasizing the major points of each unit,  are available to supplement the textbook readings.  Simply click on the "Lecture" button. 

Twenty points for a current voters card will be given and added to your total point count before the course grade is averaged.  Copies can be faxed or mailed to the instructor.

Online exams are designed to be closed book.  Exam taking should be done alone and not a collaborative effort performed with other students in the class or who have previously taken the class.  Cheating or plagiarism will result in the grade of 0. Remember, on your essays and papers, cite your sources and URL sites.

Politics in America, by Thomas R. Dye, 7th edition, ISBN#: 978-0-13-613220-2

1. National: CNN AllPolitics.Com and The University of Michigan Federal Government Resources and GovSpot.Com

2. State: The University of Michigan Federal Government Resources and GovSpot.Com

OPTION 1: Work in a candidate’s or party’s campaign and hand in a 2-3 page-typewritten report of the work done, knowledge learned, and conclusions drawn.

OPTION 2: Work for an interest group and contribute your time and efforts to their cause and activities - letter writing, picketing, lobbying, petition drives, etc. (A list of interest groups - including local ones - are posted outside my office, DH 209.) Hand in a 2-3 page-typewritten report of the work done, knowledge learned, and conclusions drawn.

Arrangements must be made in advance,
with prior instructor approval.

As to which option is chosen and what campaign or interest group is being worked with and the instructor must be able to verify hours worked, for whom, and the nature of the work. A letter from the candidate or the organization you worked for must be mailed to the instructor for verification of your work.

FORMAT FOR ALL ASSIGNMENTS--WEB ASSIGNMENTS & DISCUSSION TOPIC SUMMARIES All Assignments are to be posted in Digital Drop Box or sent to me by email as an attachment All assignments must be written in Microsoft Word.

When posting an assignment in the Digital Drop Box (or emailing it to me as an attachment in Microsoft Word or Word Perfect), please include the following information in the body or text of your assignment and use the following format: 1. Name 2. OC ID Number (ex.: #000999) 3. Unit # (ex. 1) 4. Type of Assignment (ex.: web or discussion Summary) 5. Title of Assignment (ex.: ACLU) 6. Date Submitted (ex.: Jan. 17, 2009) 7. Course (ex.: Govt. 2305 Web)

IMPORTANT:  NO ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED MORE THAN 1 DAY AFTER THE DUE DATE  (All late assignments will lose at least one letter grade.)

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