Introduction to U.S. Government and PoliticsWelcome to POSC 121 Online. Online learning can be stressful because you are working on your own and not meeting with your instructor regularly. So, step One: relax. Pretty much everything you need to know can be found on this page. If anything is not clear, please let me know. If you have any questions, please contact me at joe.braunwarth@gcccd.edu. Please identify in which course you are enrolled. Something is due every week so don't fall behind. Before beginning class, review the introduction, orientation and frequently asked questions. Course information including assignments and assignment due dates can be found on this page. This course uses the Blackboard online platform for forum, email, quizzes and grades. You can access the blackboard system here: http://bb.gcccd.edu/. Your blackboard user name should be your firstname.lastname and your password should be your birth date mmddyy. Login and check your personal information. An email for you is listed. Is this the email you want blackboard to use? If not, change it.
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Student Learning Outcomes:
 | Describe the structure of the U.S. national government and evaluate the roles of major forces shaping the formation of public policy including public opinion, interest groups, and political parties. |
| Describe the origins and evolution of the U.S. Constitution, especially with regard to citizens' rights. |
| Evaluate the dynamics of a Federal system with particular attention to the relationship between California and the Federal government |
Course Objectives:
In addition to the official
Student Learning Outcomes listed above, learners in
this course will:
| Analyze the question of who rules in the United States and examine the degree to which individuals acting alone, and in concert, have control over society, government, and their own lives. |
| Examine what makes the United States great and ask if this is the best we can do. |
| Apply the ideals of our shared political culture to the current ideological climate, contemporary economic imperatives to understand how and why our government acts as it does. |
| Demonstrate the ability to make sophisticated, critical, and informed decisions about the American political system. |
| Text: Braunwarth, Dewhirst, Staffell, and Stadelmann. Open to Debate: An Introduction to United States Government and Politics. This is sold as a CD however, after buying the CD you can request a hard copy from the publisher. |
| Reader: American Government Examined: A Reader. Joseph Braunwarth, editor. This will be primarily used as a resource for your assignments. This is sold as a CD. |
| On-line articles will be assigned throughout the semester. These links can be found here on the course web page. |
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90 points |
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80 points |
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120 points |
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100 points |
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390 points |
Your final grade is not curved and will be assigned according to the following table:
| A = 90%+ | (outstanding work) |
| B = 80%-89% | (very good work) |
| C = 70%-79% | (average, satisfactory work) |
| D = 60%-69% | (below average, marginal work) |
| F = 0 –69% | (very unsatisfactory work) |
This course requires that you
keep up with readings and assignments on your own. Each week you are required to read some
chapters from the text as well as familiarize yourself with the on-line powerpoint
“lectures”. In addition, you are required to complete
some combination of quizzes, discussion boards, or essays as noted on the
schedule below. Everything must be completed by
Honesty and integrity are values considered fundamental to academic institutions. Plagiarism or cheating on an assignment or exam are violations of these values, and will be dealt with severely. If you are having problems in the course please contact me before doing something that will put your academic career in jeopardy. You get out of life what you put into it; don’t cheat yourself.
You can access powerpoint presentations below. Although it may seem a bit odd at first, I highly recommend that you take notes with a pen and paper as you review the lectures. Simply reading or printing out lectures does not mean that you will remember the material. Writing down notes (they don’t have to be detailed) in longhand dramatically improves your retention of the material you will encounter. This is valuable not only for the exams but because you are a scholar and you are here to learn something.
In this course, participation occurs through on-line threaded discussions on a "discussion board" on the course Blackboard page. You have been divided into groups and, throughout the semester, will be participating with the same students. Periodically there will be a separate discussion on a topic or question posed by the instructor which relates the assigned material to the world of contemporary politics. You are required to post your informed thoughts (meaning that you have reviewed the relevant course material and included it in your posting) on the topic and respond to the postings of other students. You must post your response to the instructor by the due date. However, please post your comments early so you have time to respond to the postings of other students and they have a chance to respond to you.. Postings should reflect your opinion but must make direct reference to course material.
To post your message, reply to the instructor discussion board posting for that topic (you may compose your answer on another word processing system and cut and paste). Follow the same process to respond to other student postings. Once something is posted, it is available for everyone to see. You are encouraged to challenge each other’s ideas but attacks directed toward individuals will not be tolerated. No late postings will be accepted. Check back later to see the instructor's response ("Instructor Response to All") to the group as a whole. This information may appear on future exams.
Quizzes will also be offered through Blackboard. There are seven quizzes. Quizzes can be taken up to 2 times, only your best score will be recorded. These quizzes must be done on your own and the advantage for doing them on your own is that many of the questions in these quizzes will appear on the final exam. Once a quiz is closed it is no longer available for review so you may want to write out the questions for future review.
Instructions for assignments can be linked on the course web page. Essays must be submitted to the "Assignments" tool on the course Blackboard page. You are invited to post your assignment in the "comments" box although you may attach a .doc or .rtf file if you prefer.
There is no single "right" answer to these essays; what matters most is a clear understanding and utilization of the materials assigned. Analytic rigor, thoughtfulness, and clear, persuasive writing will determine your grade. In addition to content, the essay assignments will be graded on grammar, style, and structure. This is one of the few opportunities I have to see if you are keeping up with the material so please integrate as many of the assigned readings in your essay as possible. Please limit yourself to the material assigned in this course. Your name must be on the essay and they must be double-spaced, no more than three pages recommended.
Writing Tips:
| If the questions asks you to refer to a particular reading, you must refer to that reading for full credit (author and page number are sufficient). |
| An above average paper will provide some insight or elaboration in addition to clearly presenting the topic assigned. |
| More general paper guidelines can be linked on the course web page. |
The final exam will be held on campus. If you are not in reasonable proximity to the Grossmont campus or are otherwise unable to physically come on campus to take the final, please contact me and reasonable accommodations will be arranged. The final exam will consist of a combination of short essay and multiple choice questions. Questions will cover material from the entire course, both "lectures" and readings. You are required to show a picture ID to verify your identity when you arrive to take the final. Please note: your final grade will not be more than one grade level above your score on the final exam. In other words, to earn an "A" in the course you must earn at least a "B" on the final exam. This will not be a problem unless you have not been doing your own coursework throughout the semester. You will need to bring a grademaster form 25420 to the exam. Here is a link to a final review.
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| Online Counseling: Students can address the web counselor with any questions or concerns regarding educational /career goals and plans at www.grossmont.edu/counseling/webcounselor |
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| Academic Counseling, Rm 118, 644-7208. Students can access a web counselor at www.grossmont.edu/counseling and clicking "Web Counselor" on the left side of the screen. Another link that may be helpful is "College Success Profile" which enables students to identify their learning strengths and study behavior weaknesses. |
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| Transfer Center, Rm. 100, 644-7215 |
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| English Writing Center (EWC) provides tutorial and instructional support, word processing, grammar tutorials, and writing resources. Rm. 70-119, 644-7516 |
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| The English Reading Center (ERC) also provides tutorial support for vocabulary exercises as well as activities focus, Rm. 545, 644-7464 |
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| Students with disabilities who may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSP&S) early in the semester so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. Students may contact DSP&S in person in room 110 or by phone at 619-644-7112 (voice) or 619-644-7119 (TTY for deaf). |
You may enroll in the following supervised tutoring courses if the service indicated will assist you in achieving or reinforcing the learning objectives of this course:
| IDS 198, Supervised Tutoring to receive tutoring in general computer applications in the Tech Mall; |
| English 198W, Supervised Tutoring for assistance in the English Writing Center (Room 70-119); and/or |
| IDS 198T, Supervised Tutoring to receive one-on-one tutoring in academic subjects in the Tutoring Center (Room 70-229, 644-7387). |
To add any of these courses, you may obtain Add Codes at the Information/Registration Desk in the Tech Mall. All Supervised Tutoring courses are non-credit/non-fee. However, if you have no other classes, you will be charged the usual health fee.
| Power Point lectures can be linked below. If you do not have a Power Point Viewer you can download one at no cost here. |
| Take notes! This will help you to learn the material. |
| Essay assignments can be linked below but must be submitted to the Blackboard Assignment tool |
| Quizzes and Discussion Boards can be found on
Blackboard |
| Week | Open to Debate Readings, Powerpoint Lectures, and audio Lectures | American Government Examined Readings | Online Readings, Audio, and Video | Assignments |
| 1 | Ch. 1
What Government Does
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All of Ch. 2:
Declaration of
Independence Federalist #10 Federalist #51 Anti-Federalist #1 U.S. Constitution |
Introductory Audio Lecture. | Read the
Constitution and Other Founding Documents in their entirety. You should know the basics of the various
sections and amendments of the Constitution.
Introductory Discussion Board due
Monday 2/2 11:00 p.m. |
| 2 | Ch. 2 Constitution | Ch. 2: "The Relevance of the Federalist Papers" Aichinger |
The Constitutional Convention Video Clip The Preamble Video Clip |
Quiz 1 (Chs. 1 & 2) due Monday 2/9 11:00 p.m. |
| 3 | Discussion Board 1 Federalist Papers due Monday 2/16 11:00 p.m. | |||
| 4 | Ch. 3 Civil Liberties and Rights | Ch. 3: Susan B. Anthony and the ERA |
School Desegregation Audio Documentary Unconstitutional: The War on Civil Liberties. 1/3 Patriot Act. Video Clip |
Discussion Board 2 Civil Liberties Video Monday 2/23 11:00 p.m. |
| 5 | Ch. 4 Federalism | Quiz 2 (Chs. 3 & 4) due Monday 3/2 11:00 p.m. | ||
| 6 | Ch. 5 Public Opinion | Ch. 9 Mill "On Conformity, Individuality, and Liberty" | Noam Chomsky on Polyarchy in the U.S. | Assignment 1 Tyranny of Public Opinion due Monday 3/9 11:00 p.m. |
| 7 | Ch. 6 Interest Groups | Ch. 6 Eisenhower and Newton | Eisenhower on the Military Industrial Complex | Quiz 3 (Chs. 5 & 6) due Monday 3/16 11:00 p.m. |
| 8 | Ch. 7 Parties | Ch. 7 "Minor
Parties" Candee Independents Shut Out by GOP LATimes |
Political Parties 101 Video Clip | Assignment 2 Military-Industrial Complex due Monday 3/23 11:00 p.m. |
| 9 | Ch. 8 Campaigns | All of Ch. 8 "Voters: How do they Decide?" Saffell | Electoral College Overview Video Clip | Quiz 4 (Chs. 7 & 8) due Monday 3/30 |
| 10 | Ch. 9 Media | Ch. 9 "News, Media, and Democracy" | The Myth of the Liberal Media | Spring Break 4/6 - 4/10 |
| 11 | Ch. 10 Congress | How a Bill Becomes a Law | Quiz 5 (Chs. 9 & 10) due Monday 4/20 11:00 p.m. | |
| 12 | Ch. 11 President | All of Ch. 10 "The Filibuster" Dewhirst |
Frontline: "Cheney's Law" on Presidential Power U.S. Presidents Podcasts (this is not required but is included here for your interest) |
Discussion Board 3 Survery Monday 4/27 11:00 p.m. |
| 13 | Bureaucracy | All of Ch. 11 "Electoral College" Dewhirst | Assignment 3 California Government due Monday 5/4 11:00 p.m. | |
| 14 | Ch. 12 Judiciary | All of Ch. 12 "Activist or Restraint" Saffel and Federalist #78 | Conservative Courts | Quiz 6 (Chs. 11 & 12) due Monday 5/11 11:00 p.m. |
| 15 | Ch. 13 Foreign Policy and Terrorism | All of Ch. 13 "Presidential Doctrines" Stadelmann | Discussion Board 4 Judiciary due Monday 5/18 11:00 p.m. | |
| 16 | Ch. 14 Economic and Social Policy | Is Capitalism Always Good for Democracy? | Quiz 7 (Chs. 13 & 14) due Friday 5/25 11:00 p.m. | |
| "Who Governs" Final Class Summary |
Final Exam Tuesday, 5/26, room 577, time TBA |
Should you decide to stop attending class, it is your responsibility to officially withdraw from the course by using WebConnect (www.grossmont.edu) or by filing a drop card at the Office of Admissions and Records. If you do not officially drop the course, then your name will appear on the final grade roster and you will receive an F for the semester. Which is kind of a stupid way to get an F; if you're going to fail a class, you might as well go down in flames.
| This is a demanding course, so keep up with the reading. |
| Take notes on what you read. |
| Look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary. |
| Read the syllabus carefully to familiarize yourself with the course policies. |
How not to do well in this class
