Austin Community College

Fall 2009 19 October – 13 December

Dr. Ed Mullen

Personal Computer with Modem Course (PCM)

TEXAS STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Section 43509

GOVT 2306

8 – Week Session

19 October – 13 December

Required reading: Brown, Langenegger, et al.  Practicing Texas Politics.  Thirteenth edition. Houghton-Mifflin, 2008.

Online textbook ordering is available at http://www.mbsdirect.net/or 1-800-325-3252.

Grading criteria: Grading will be based on examinations and participation in the on-line discussion sessions.

Each examination (4)	12.5% each
Discussion Boards (10)	5% each

The discussion boards are your opportunity to improve your writing and your research skills. The purpose of this is to teach you to write in the descriptive manner, to answer the question asked, and to provide full and complete information. The discussion boards are based upon the topics of the chapters and are designed to help you succeed in the exams. In addition, there are practice exams on Blackboard that are also intended to help you in the exams. (These practice exams are not part of your course grade.) One of the great skills needed in a college education is the ability to write well. Upon your request, I will give you written feedback on your posts to help you to improve your writing ability. Further information is provided below and on-line in the ‘Announcement’ sections of Blackboard.

Testing : All testing will be done at an A.C.C. testing center. Examinations must be taken in the time allotted on the course schedule below. Tests will be available at CYP, EVC, NRG, PIN, RGC, RRC, RVS, SAC, and San Marcos. If you need to test at some other remote site, please notify the instructor by 1^st day of class. For testing procedures and hours, see the test center website at http://www.austincc.edu/testctr/.

Office hours

Virtual Office	ejmullen@austincc.edu
Fax: (254) 698 3204	http://www.austincc.edu/ejmullen/

	PINNACLE OFFICE:		Pinnacle 415;
			Telephone: 512-223 8136
		MW: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM 1:15 PM – 4:00 PM M: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM 8:40 PM – 10:00 PM Th & F by appointment
Virtual anytime.
	Home telephone:		(254) 698 2304

ORIENTATION INSTRUCTIONS: You must enter ACC's classroom management website, Blackboard, add a password. Instructions for students are located at: http://irt.austincc.edu/blackboard/stlogin.html

Attendance Policy

Your" attendance" consists of your timely participation in the discussion sessions on line and taking the weekly exams on schedule. Failure to participate in the discussion sessions in a meaningful way (see below) during the appropriate period will result in a 5% grade point loss for each session missed.

Withdrawal Policy

The instructor will not withdraw you. If you wish to drop the course, you must take action. The last day to withdraw from this course is 23 November. Incompletes will be approved only for the most dire reasons. See Dr. Mullen before the withdrawal date.

Academic Freedom

"Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in class discussions. In any situation that includes discussion and critical writing, particularly about political ideas, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints. Students may not only disagree with each other at times, but the students and instructor may also find that they have disparate views on sensitive and volatile topics. It is my hope that these differences will enhance class discussion and create an atmosphere where students and instructor alike will be encouraged to think and learn. Therefore, be assured that your grades will not be adversely affected by any beliefs or ideas expressed in class or in assignments. Rather, we will all respect the views of others when expressed in discussions."

Scholastic Dishonesty: As described in the ACC Student Handbook, scholastic dishonesty constitutes a violation of college rules and regulations and is punishable according to the procedures outlined in the Handbook. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an exam (either providing answers to or stealing answers from another student), plagiarism, and collusion. Plagiarism includes use of another author's words or arguments without attribution. Collusion is defined as the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work for fulfillment of any course requirement. If a student commits any of the above actions, the instructor may seek disciplinary action in the form of an academic penalty that may include a course grade of 'F'. Such disciplinary action will be at the discretion of the instructor."

Office for Students with Disabilities:

Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical, cognitive, or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start.

Goals and Objectives:

This course is an introduction to Texas and Local Government. It consists of online learning through discussion and readings. Through self-study, the course includes an introduction to a framework for analyzing Texas and Local government and the constitutional basis, the processes, and the institutions of Texas and Local government and politics. It studies procedural aspects of Texas and Local government with particular attention to current issues and problems. It emphasizes methods by which citizens can affect processes on all levels of government. The objective is to compare the intent of the original Constitution with the realities of modern economic and political life. The student will analyze the effects of government structure and regulation on our society, compare those effects with the original intent, and determine why differences exist and how they affect the student’s world.

Course Requirements and Information

The course will be conducted on-line with student self-readings, on-line discussions, and examinations in the testing centers. The course begins with an on-line orientation to be completed not later than the first week of class. Full credit for the Government course will be given, just as if this were a classroom course.

During the course, you will be required to read this orientation and participate in class Discussions (held on-line). You will be graded on examinations taken in a campus testing center most convenient to you, and by the frequency and quality of your participation online.

Examinations

Examinations are all multiple choice (sorry). They must be taken in the allotted time schedule. They vary in length and cover the chapters shown below. There are 25 questions in each. The questions are detailed. That is, they require specific information, not generalities. There are no make-ups or repeat chances so be prepared when you walk in.

There are Practice Exams on Blackboard posted in the ‘Course Documents’ section. They do not count toward your grade but they will help you to prepare for the exams that do count. You will find the Practice Exams in your class on Blackboard under Course Documents. Click on the Unit symbol (UNIT 1), then page through using the arrows in the upper right corner until you reach the exam. When you complete the exam, click on ‘Submit’ at the bottom. Your grade will appear on the grade sheet BUT IT DOES NOT COUNT TOWARD YOUR COURSE GRADE!!!

This is a very short course. You are responsible for meeting course deadlines, keeping up with the readings, posting discussion notes, and taking examinations on time. You must be vigilant to stay on schedule! Neither sympathy nor excuses will be given nor accepted.

My Sympathy Policy:

(We are all solely responsible for our own results.)
	"It seems a shame,' the Walrus said
	'To play them such a trick.
	After we've brought them out so far,
	And made them trot so quick!"
	"I weep for you,' the Walrus said:
	'I deeply sympathize.'
	Lewis Carroll

This can be an exciting and interesting opportunity for you. I am always available online to help. I want you to succeed and to learn. To succeed, you need only participate when required and do your best work.

PCM Course Requirements and Information

1. Complete this online orientation and email the instructor at ejmullen@austincc.edu. The email signifies that you have completed and understood the orientation. In that email, please provide the following information:

Name.

Section number.

2. Register in ACC's classroom management web site, Blackboard, change your password in the “Tools” link.

3. Read your textbook on the schedule outlined below. Use the course lesson plans and practice exams posted in Course Documents on Blackboard, to guide your reading. Respond weekly to the discussion material posted on Blackboard. Take the examinations on schedule at an A.C.C. testing center.

4. This course consists of Lesson Plans for each unit, practice exams, online discussion postings, and examinations at the testing center. To succeed in the course you must participate in all facets.

5. Read the newspaper daily or read the news online. In this way, you can compare the textbook to real life. Wider knowledge of current events will improve the quality (and grades) in your Discussion Board participation. Here are some news links:

CNN: http://www.cnn.com/.

MSN: http://www.msn.com/.

Austin 360: http://www.austin360.com/.

Texas Monthly: http://www.texasmonthly.com/.

6. Read the text and stay on schedule.

7. Participate in the online discussions. Late posting will not be graded.

8. Take your examinations on time each week at a testing center. Examinations must be taken in the time allotted on the course schedule below. Tests will be available at CYP, EVC, NRG, PIN, RGC, RRC, RVS, SAC, and San Marcos. If you need to test at some other remote site, please notify the instructor by the first day of class. For testing procedures, see the test center website at http://www.austincc.edu/testctr/.

DISCUSSION BOARDS

Each unit of the course will have discussion forums ("message boards") centering on questions related to the subject matter of the unit. Students are expected to participate in each forum for each unit of the course. These forums can be accessed by clicking on the Communication icon on the left side of the course Blackboard home page. Among other things, these forums allow you to interact with your classmates. Participation in each unit's forums will be graded on a 100-point scale, for a total of 100 possible course points each Discussion Board. The deadline to participate in a unit's forums is posted in this orientation. Normally, each discussion board will run for about one week or less, depending on the length of the course in which you are enrolled. I will not grade postings submitted after the deadline has passed.

What I want from you is informed and reasoned observations. What does "reasoned" mean? It means that you considered the question being addressed in the forum, and you contributed a thoughtful answer (or you responded thoughtfully to an observation posted by another student). It does not mean that you gave the" right" answer (there is no right answer in discussion forums), but it does mean that you provided a reasonable and thoughtful response.

How will I grade participation in the forums? I will try to balance several things as I grade the forums. I will look to see if the comments are thoughtful and coherent, if they are responsive to the questions asked in the forum, if they contribute something new to the discussion, if they reflect an effort to move the discussion along, if they reflect an understanding of the readings, and so forth. I will gauge whether the student is just posting something to get that particular requirement out of the way, or whether the student read the other comments and tried to advance the discussion in someway. In addition, while quality counts over quantity, a student who only posts one brief message to one forum will not receive as many points as someone who makes an effort to participate in more than one of the unit's forums or who participates more than once in a single forum. Bringing in information from other sources is also helpful.

Working with Blackboard

As with anything found through the course Blackboard page, participation in the discussion forums will require a username and password. Once you gain access, you should change your password to ensure your privacy.

The discussion forums will be accessed from the Communication icon of the course Blackboard home page. Go to the ACC Online page (then bookmark that page!) and log on. Once you have logged on, the PCM courses that you are currently enrolled in will come up on screen. Find this course and click on it, then click on the Communications icon. Check out the other icons for information about the course, your fellow students, how to use Blackboard.

Lesson plans for each lesson are found in the Course Documents tab. You will find the lesson plans in your class on Blackboard under Course Documents. Click on the Unit symbol (UNIT 1) , then page through using the arrows in the upper right corner until you reach the lesson plan.

Examinations must be taken within the time period scheduled for each test.  You may not take them early or late. You may take each exam only once.

You should also periodically check the Announcements that come up when you start on the course BB home page - this is how I communicate with everyone at once.

On-Line COURSE SCHEDULE

UNIT 1	Texas Background, Federalism, Local Government.
Chapter 1	Environment of Texas Politics
Discussion Board 1:	19 – 23 October
Chapter 2	Federalism & the Texas Constitution
Discussion Board 2:	24 – 27 October
Chapter 3	Local Governments
Discussion Board 3:	28 – 31 October
Examination on Unit 1 in Testing Centers Chapters 1,2,3 26 – 31 October

UNIT 2	Elections, Parties, & Interest Groups
Chapters 4 AND 5	Elections & Parties
Discussion Board 4:	01 - 04 November
Chapter 6	Interest Groups
Discussion Board 5:	05 – 08 November
Examination on Unit 2 in Testing Centers Chapters 4,5,6 02 – 09 November

UNIT 3	The Legislature & The Executive Branch
Chapter 7	The Legislature
Discussion Board 6:	09 – 13 November
Chapter 8	The Executive
Discussion Board 7:	14 – 17 November
Chapter 9	Public Policy & Administration
Discussion Board 8:	18– 22 November
Examination on Unit 3 in Testing Centers Chapters 7,8,9 16 – 23 November

UNIT 4	The Legal System & Fiscal Policy
Chapter 10	Law, Courts, and Justice
Discussion Board 9:	23 – 30 November
Chapter 11	Revenues, Expenditures, and Fiscal Policy
Discussion Board 10:	1 – 10 December
Examination on Unit 4 in Testing Centers Chapters 10,11 30 November – 07 December