Political Science Department AMERICAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. Political Science 1113 CRN# Spring Online Class

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1 1 Political Science Department AMERICAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT Political Science 1113 CRN#29219 Spring 2016 Online Class Mr. Jose L. Fulgencio Delivery Method: Online classroom Office Hours. Please contact me to schedule an appointment to set one up via phone, Skype (jose.fulgencio) or Google+ ( me to receive my link). Textbook Gateways to Democracy: An Introduction to American Government. 3 rd Edition Geer, Schiller, Segal, Herrera, & Glencross (must register via Mindtap) ISBN#: Purchase book directly from publisher: New York Times Newspaper (online access) more details discussed in class.

2 2 Course Requirements Project Paper (100 points). This will be a four-page research paper (double spaced, 12 point New Times Roman font) that deals with the American presidency. More details will be given after the first week of class. The paper is due online in the dropbox by Friday April 8, :59p.m. (CST). There will be no late papers accepted. Details on D2L. Online Discussions (100 points total): Submit one discussion post of 140 words or more to the discussion board on Mindtap. Discussion posts are due by the end of each week Sunday 11:59 pm (CST), must be at least 140 words, and cite at least one article from The New York Times to receive full credit. Each post is worth 10 points for 10 weeks for a total of 100 points. Discussions will be for week 2-9 & week Online Discussion Board posts 100 points (10 weeks x 10 points = 100 points) Project Paper points 2 Exams Midterm 100 points Final Exam 150 points Total Points: 450 points Course grade calculation: = A = B = C = D = F Student Learning Objectives for the Course Given your conscientious reading of the text and other assigned material, regular class attendance, and active participation in class discussions, you will be able to: Identify the essential elements of the US political system (the Constitution, Congress, the Presidency, the Judiciary), and the powers allocated to each. Identify the political actors (Political Parties, the Public, Media, & Interest Groups) that seek to influence the electoral process. Identify important civil liberties and civil rights, and how these act as a check on unwarranted governmental powers. Recognize the salience of ideology and political culture, and of selected present day policy debates. For democratic government to be successful, citizens need to be aware of current issues and the actions that government is taking that affect citizens. I hope that you will be aware of current

3 events and learn how you can get involved in the political process on issues important to you. Of course, the beginning point is to vote. The American governmental system has several unique characteristics that are not found in most countries. For example, in most democracies the legislative and executive branches are not constitutionally separate as they are here. I will point out some of these differences, which I hope will help you understand how the U. S. governmental system fits into the world community of nations. An Overview of the Course American National Government is the basic course covering the major institutions ("branches") of the national government and political processes at the national level. Essentially, we will be studying how individuals and groups compete for power and influence; and where this competition occurs, whether on the campaign trail, in Congress, in executive agencies, or wherever. As part of our study we will look at the institutions of the national government. What powers and functions do they have? In particular, how do they relate to each other? As we will discover, each branch has considerable influence over what the other branches are doing--a phenomenon known as checks and balances. The result is that it is hard for government to act, which is precisely what James Madison and many of the Founding Fathers wanted. A government that has trouble acting will be less likely to take actions that infringe on people's personal freedoms. That is one form of democracy--the right to be free from government making unreasonable intrusions into people's personal lives. We also will study ways that people can influence what occurs in the government institutions--"channels of influence" that are available to them. Are citizens able to influence government by voting, by getting commitments from candidates in campaigns, by working through political parties or interest groups, by expressing their opinions, by engaging in protests against government action (or inaction)? The assumption is that in a democracy ordinary people- -especially a majority of them--ought to have some influence over what government does. Among the Founders, this concept of democracy is most closely associated with Thomas Jefferson. 3

4 4 Study Guides There is no study assigned for the class. If you do wish to have a study guide feel free to save the results of your online quizzes and add them your material notes from the textbook and online lecture. Class Attendance Since the class is conducted online class attendance is based up on the discussion board. If you contribute to the discussion board than your class attendance grade will be reflected upon participation. Feel free to have an open conversation with your classmates on the discussion board as if it was a regular classroom. Absence from Exams/Quizzes All exams and quizzes must be done by the allocated time and date. There are no extensions for exam and quizzes because you will be given plenty of notice of when the exam/quiz starts. The same goes for the final exam. Therefore, there are no make-ups for quizzes, exams and final exam for whatever reason. Additional Academic and Syllabus Information The Office of Academic Affairs has prepared an informational sheet for students containing important information on student rights, academic procedures, and other important university information. This information can be found at: You are strongly encouraged to review this information, particularly the following items: Academic Integrity Statement ADA Statement Incomplete Grade Emergencies During Final Exam Statement Should you have any questions about the above, or on any other portion of the Student Information Sheet, please do not hesitate to ask your Instructor for clarification. In addition to the information found on the SIS, I would like to draw your attention to the following: Attendance Policy. Based upon your online discussion participation.

5 Academic Honesty. Anyone guilty of academic dishonesty (cheating/plagiarism) will FAIL the course, and be reported to the Office of Academic Affairs. If you have ANY doubt as to what constitutes academic dishonesty, check with the instructor! 5 Turnitin.com Plagiarism Syllabus Statement: UCO subscribes to the Turnitin.com plagiarism prevention service. Students agree that by taking this course, all required assignments may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted assignments will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com restricted access reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such assignments. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com website. Turnitin.com is just one of various plagiarism prevention tools and methods which may be utilized by your faculty instructor during the terms of the semesters. In the UCO Student Handbook, there is a process for contesting any plagiarism allegations against you. The Political Science Department of the University of Central Oklahoma is asking all students taking political science courses to read the following Academic Integrity Statement. Our purpose in doing so is to ensure that all our students are aware of what is improper academic behavior. Academic Integrity Statement As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The Political Science Department expects that its students will conduct themselves honestly. This means, above all, that students submit for credit work that is the product of their own efforts. Principles of academic integrity require that all dishonest work be rejected as a basis for academic credit, and that students refrain from any and all forms of dishonorable conduct in the course of their academic work. The examples and definitions given below are intended to clarify the standards by which academic honesty and integrity is judged. The list is merely illustrative of some of the more common infractions. It is not intended to be exhaustive. Any question a student has about what constitutes inappropriate behavior should be directed towards their instructor. The rule of thumb to follow is: If in doubt, ASK! Definitions and Examples Plagiarism - Plagiarism is presenting another person s work as one s own. Plagiarism includes not only the exact use of another s words, word for word, but also the paraphrasing or summarizing of the works of another person without acknowledgment, including the submitting of another student s work as one s own. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use of sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly, or creative indebtedness, and the consequences of violating this responsibility. In case of doubt, give a citation of the author you are using. Failure to indicate the extent and nature of one's reliance on other sources is plagiarism.

6 A plagiarized paper will result in a failing grade on the work in question, and perhaps, for the entire course. Cheating on Examinations - Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination. Examples of unauthorized help include the use of notes, texts, or crib sheets during an examination (unless receiving instructor approval), or sharing information with another student either during or after an examination. Falsification - It is a violation of academic honesty to misrepresent material or to fabricate information in an academic exercise or assignment (e.g. false or misleading citation of sources, the falsification of the results of experiments or of computer data). Multiple Submissions - It is a violation of academic honesty to submit substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once without the explicit consent of the instructor to whom the material is being submitted the second time. 6 Extra Credit Work. NO. Please do not ask. Outside Work. The Oklahoma Regents' Statement on Course Workload and Homework [OSRHE ] states that: a college student should expect to spend 3 hours, on average, on outside work for each hour spent in class. What the OK Regents are saying is that if you expect to do well in this or any other class, expect to put in the time! If you have a full time job (30-40 hours), it is not advisable that you carry a full-time academic schedule (15 hours). Make copies of all material you turn in, and to hold on to all material handed back to you. I expect everyone to extend common courtesy to their classmates and Instructor by not engaging in rude online discussions or using your fellow classmates names in name calling via social media. What is most important to your achieving the above objectives is that you take responsibility for your own education!

7 Course Schedule 7 Week 1 (1/11 1/15) Introduction to using MindTap & The New York Times Online Week 2 (1/18 1/22) Gateways to American Democracy Chapter 1 Week 3 (1/25 1/29) The Constitution Chapter 2 Week 4 (2/1 2/5) Federalism - Chapter 3 Week 5 (2/8 2/12) Civil Liberties Chapter 4, Week 6 (2/15 2/19) Civil Rights - Chapter 5 Week 7 (2/22 2/26) Public Opinion and the Media - Chapter 6 Week 8 (2/29 3/4) Interest Groups - Chapter 7 Week 9 (3/7 3/11) Week 10 (3/14 3/18) Political Parties Chapter 8, Midterm Exam Spring Break Week 11 (3/21 3/25) Elections, Campaigns, and Voting Chapter 9 Week 12 (3/28 04/1) Congress - Chapter 10, Week 13 (04/4 04/8) The Presidency - Chapter 11, Project Paper Due Week 14 (4/11 4/15) The Bureaucracy - Chapter 12 Week 15 (4/18 4/22) The Judiciary - Chapter 13 Week 16 (4/25 4/29) Economic, Domestic, and Foreign Policy - Chapter 14 Week 17 (05/2 05/6) Final Exam Week (Final will open Monday May CST and close Wednesday May 11:59pm CST) * Mr. Fulgencio reserves the right to change the schedule as necessary at any time without notice. Students should check online everyday for any changes in the schedule. (Prepared by Mr. Fulgencio 01/06/2016)