American Institutions Requirement: This course satisfies the American Institutions category of the Dixie State College General Education requirements. | ||||
Texts | |||||
Required Texts |
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Ginsberg, Lowi, Weir, and Spritzer, We the People: An Introduction of American Politics, 8th Essentials Edition, ISBN 978-0-393-93565-3
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McKenna and Feingold, Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Political Issues, 17th Edition, ISBN 978-0-07-804992-7 | |||||
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Gifts: Gift from students to the teacher can be misinterpreted. While the thought will be appreciated, Mr. Green cannot accept gifts under any circumstances. I would be better for all concerned if they were not offered. | ||||
Class Interruptions: Please turn off your cell phones, radios, walkmans, and alarms such as watches and palm pilots during class. Electronic disturbances of this class will not be allowed. | ||||
Political Science 11 00 Course Objectives | ||||
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Students will identify and understand the major topical divisions in American Government including the nature of politics and political science, the development and principles of the American Constitution, the Institutions of American Government: the Congress, the Presidency, the Supreme Court, and the meaning of and issues concerning federalism, public opinion, elections, political parties, interest groups, and policy formation. Students will effectively analyze governmental and political decisions and processes. Students will argue and write analytically and coherently about significant issues and problems in American Government. Students will learn about American Government and about current political issues that relate to American Government by reading significant authors and authoritative texts. |
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Policies | ||||
http://new.dixie.edu/reg/syllabus Use the link to find the 1) the semester schedule, 2) information on student resources including the library, disability resource center, IT help, testing center etc., 3) policy statements including academic integrity,, disruptive behavior, absences for college functions and disability accommodation, and 4) D-Mail. |
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"An eminent mathematician once remarked that he was never satisfied with his knowledge of a mathematical theory until he could explain it to the next (person) he met in the street. This is hardly exaggerated; however, we must remember that a satisfactory explanation entails duties on both sides." |
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Course Attendance Policy | ||||
Missing class will involve costs.There will is no such thing as an excused absence for any reason.As a matter of policy, I will not to go over or in any other way make up lectures or other activities for students who miss class. I will make no adjustments nor will I allow exceptions to policies regarding missing papers, quizzes, tests, or exams when the reason is discretionary such as a vacation, the deer hunt, or a visit home. This said, consideration will be given for rescheduling class activities in the event 1) of school sponsored activities, illness, or accident and 2) if consultation if done privately [in Mr. Green’s office and not in front of the class] before the scheduled time of the activities. |
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Student Duties | ||||
You must commit to a fifteen week program of rigorous study. For the average C+ to B-) Dixie College student, this course will demand two hours out-of-class study for every hour we meet in class or 6 hours a week. This means careful reading: in order to perform well on exams and class assignments you will have to work with your textbook, as opposed to just reading it. It also means you will do college level writing. Finally, you must be willing to consider viewpoints different from your own and to express your opinion in class. |
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Grades | ||||
At the end of the semester, I must make a judgment concerning how much of the content of the class you have learned. I will use the following formula to make this assessment: |
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| Exams (grade times 50%) | |||
| Tests (grade times 30%) | |||
| Quizzes (grade times 20%) | |||
Grade Creation | ||||
All grades, except the journal, will be determined using one of the following two methods. First, the score on the will be divided by the high score in the class. If the score is within 95% of the high, the resulting grade will be an A. The breakdown will then descend by percentages of the high until the a score that is 60% of the high earns a D- (see the % of Grade conversion box). However, if the average grade for the class, calculated using the first method, is less than a C, at the instructor’s discretion a second method might be used in place the first. Under this second methodology, instead of dividing by the high score, the instructor will divide until the average grade for the class is set at or near C. Further adjustments will be made if there are several sections of the class and significantly differentiated denominators between the classes. If there are multiple sections of the class that use the same measuring instrument, as when all section take the same test, the average will calculated from all sections rather than each class individually. |
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% To Grade Conversion |
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95% and above = A |
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Written Exams | ||||
The exam grade is based on the grade on two major written exams given during the semester and accounts for 50% of the grade; All student’s must take both exams to pass the class. The midterm exam will account for 40% of this exam grade while the final exam will account for 60%. Exam Grade Options Option One: the midterm will count as 40% of the exam grade while the final exam will count as 60% of the exam grade. Option Two:The midterm grade will be thrown out and the final exam grade alone will be the exam grade.
Exam Schedule Exam Questions Exam Grading The midterm exam and the final exam scores will be converted to letter grades using the procedure outlined in the Grade Creation section above. Sources of the Exam Questions Blue Book Open Notes Early, Late or Make-up Midterm Exam Early or Late Final Exam |
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Timed Tests | ||||
The grade on three timed tests, which will be based on the reading of Ginsberg, Lowi, Weir, and Spritzer, We the People: An Introduction of American Politics and of the Constitution of the United States, will constitute 30% of the final grade The Timed Tests The Practice Tests The practice test arsenal also includes is one practice timed test to correspond to each of the three timed tests. Each contains 60 questions like the timed tests, is timed for 60 minutes like the timed tests, and covers the same chapters as its corresponding timed test, Unlike the timed test, its score does not count toward the test grade. These practice tests should allow each student to thoroughly test their knowledge of the material before taking the actual timed test. |
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Quizzes and Attendance | |||||
Quizzes and attendance constitute 20% of the final grade. The Quiz section will be worth 70% of the grade while the attendance section will be worth 30% of this grade The quiz grade is derived from four activities:
Quiz Content Quiz Rules
Ideology Paper Ideology Paper Grading Criteria. The paper must meet the following criteria:
Formatting Requirements. To be acceptable, the paper must:
Ideology Paper Grade. The ideology paper can earn up to 16 points in the quiz grade if it meets the grading criteria above. No Late or Make-up Quizzes Class Attendance Attendance Grading The grade for attendance will be calculated based each student's percentage of the highest score in class. (See the grade creation section above) No one will be able to make up attendance points for any reason. |
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