TEXAS STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PCM Fall 2009- 2nd Weeks (010/19/09 - 12/13/09) GOVT 2306 - SECTION 43506-012 INSTRUCTOR: Frank J. Garrahan OFFICE: 2132-C Northridge OFFICE PHONE: 223-4805 FAX: 223-4310 E-MAIL ADDRESS: frankjg@austincc.edu URL www.austincc.edu/frankjg MAILING ADDRESS: 11928 Stonehollow Dr., Austin, TX 78758 OFFICE HOURS: Monday & Wednesday: 1:15pm - 2:15pm Tuesday & Thursday: 9:00am - Noon & 1:00pm - 2:15pm COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is an introduction to Texas state and local government and is designed not only to provide students with the basic facts about Texas government, but also to help students develop their ability to engage in the political deliberation that is central to our system of government. The textbook focuses on the reality of Texas government and politics to the democratic ideals of participation, majority rule, and protection of minority rights. TEXT Texas Politics Today, by Maxwell & Crain, 2009-2010 Edition, Thomson/Wadsworth. Texts may be purchased either by gong to an ACC or Bevo bookstores located near an ACC campus. GUIDE FOR STUDY Since this is a PCM course, so each student is expected to keep up with the assigned readings and to prepare thoroughly for each exam as scheduled. The learning objectives for the course will be the Review Questions found at the back on each chapter in your text. Review each chapter's objectives before you do your reading. When you feel comfortable with the materials complete the study quizzes found on the publisher's web site. The companion site on the publisher's web site also contains a crossword puzzle, flashcards, and a glossary which will also aid you with the course materials. The publisher's web site is: http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&flag=student&product_isbn_issn=9780495570257&disciplinenumber=20  COURSE REQUIREMENTS Each student should complete FOUR required exams (50 points each), particpate in at LEAST TWO discussion boards (each worth up to 5 points each), and complete ONE report (worth up to 20 points). Each exam will consist of 50 objective (that is, multiple choice & true/false) questions covering the material in that unit of study. In addition to the exams, there is one paper and two discussion boards. If you complete additional discussion boards these will count as exrtra credit (each will be graded on a scale of 0-5). Your course grade will be based on the total number of questions on the four exams which you answered correctly, plus your scores on the report, discussion boards, and any additional points earned as extra credit . The grading scale is as follows: A 198-230 B 176-197 C 154-175 D 132-153 COURSE DEADLINES EXAM 1 - Chapters 1, 2, 3 Thursday, 10/29/09 EXAM 2 - Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7 Monday, 11/09/09 REPORT due (maximum 20 points) Monday, 11/16/09 EXAM 3 - Chapters 8, 9, 12, 13 Wednesday, 11/25/09 WITHDRAWALS Monday, 12/07/09 EXAM 4 - Chapters 10, 11, 14 Monday, 12/07/09 ALL RETESTING (Except Northridge) Wednesday, 12/09/09 ALL RETESTING AT NORTHRIDGE Friday, 12/11/09 MANDATORY MEETINGS WITH INSTRUCTOR The Texas State Coordinating Board of Higher Education requires that, in order for an Open Campus course to be certified, instructors and students need to have at least two contacts with each other during the semester in addition to the orientation session. Therefore, for a student to get credit for this course, s/he must make contact, either in person, by phone, or e-mail, with the instructor on at least two occasions during the semester. (NOTE: A message left on my voice mail does NOT count as a contact.) When you send me an e-mail, please include your section number. TESTING AND GRADING Students must take four exams during the semester. Exams may be taken at the Testing Centers on the Northridge, Rio Grande, Pinnacle, Cypress Creek, Riverside, South Austin, and Eastview Campuses, at the San Marcos, and Fredericksburg High Schools, or at the Round Rock Higher Education Learning Center. Be sure to check your exam when you received it to be sure you have been given the right exam. On the top of the exam will be the instructor's name, test number & form, and GOVT 2306 PRN (at the Northridge Testing Center I also have in/class exams, these are marked in/class). Completed exams will be graded by Testing Center personnel while students wait for their results. Graded exams will then be sent to the instructor to be recorded. Students will receive a Feedback Sheet that will serve as a verification of their test results. Grades may also be obtained by meeting with your instructor during scheduled office hours or by e-mail. Grades will not be given over the telephone. Each exam will be based on the materials covered in each unit as defined in this syllabus. Each exam should be taken no later than the scheduled date. Exams may be taken any time before deadline dates. Contact the instructor if you are unable to take any of the exams by the specified date. Failure to take exams on time (without prior approval from the instructor) may mean that the results will not be accepted by the instructor. You can find the link to the locations and hours of operation for the ACC Testing Centers on my web page. Exam Chapters Discussion Board DEADLINES 1 1, 2, 3 1 Thursday, October 29 2 4, 5, 6, 7 2 Monday, November 9 3 8, 9, 12, 13 3 Wednesday, November 25 4 10, 11, 14 4 Monday. December 7 A student may retest on any TWO of the four exams without the prior consent of the instructor up until the scheduled retesting deadline dates. Whichever score is higher (the retest score or the original score) will be used to calculate your course grade. There is more than one set of questions for each exam. If you are retesting, you may not retest on the same form you have already taken. Inform the Testing Center personnel with your original testing Feedback Sheet that you are taking a retest and that you require a different test form. If you accidentally retest on the same form, it will not count, and you will have used up one of your retest tries. All retesting on any of the four exams must be completed by Wednesday December 9, 2009 at campuses other than Northridge . Any retesting after that date must be done at the Northridge Testing Center and must be no later than Friday, December 11, 2009. FINAL GRADE TOTAL POINTS A 198-230 B 176-197 C 154-175 D 132-153 F 132 and below Blackboard The platform ACC uses for its Web-Based courses is called Blackboard. While much of the online information needed for this course is available through various links on my ACC web pages, you will also need to familarize yourself with ACC's Blackboard page. This is the place you will go for course announcements from me and to see your progress in the course through grades on your tests, report, and Discussion Forums.You need to sign onto Blackboard during the first week of classes. To go to the student Bb page, click here. The first thing you need to know about Blackboard is that it requires you to log in. The student login is available at: http://irt.austincc.edu/blackboard/stlogin.html All Distance Learning students across the College are asked to visit this link to learn how to log in to Blackboard. Once you log in for the first time, you must enter your e-mail address into the Bb system by clicking on Student Tools. TESTING CENTER HOURS, Fall 2009 Please consult the Testing Center Web Site for details. Students with Disabilities: Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical 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 days before the start of the semester. SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY A grade of "F" will be assigned to any student involved in scholastic dishonesty Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thoughts research or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, or homework. INCOMPLETE GRADES A student may receive a temporary grade of 'I' (Incomplete) at the end of the semester ONLY if the following conditions are met: 1. There is a valid reason for needing the delay and the student has completed at least two exams, the required paper and one discussion board with a C grade average (that is, a student must have accumulated at least 90 points) by the end of the semester. 2. To request an Incomplete, a student must come in person to the instructor's office and complete the necessary forms. WITHDRAWALS A student may withdraw any time during the semester until Monday, December 7, 2009 without academic penalty. To withdraw from a class, you must do it officially by filling out the required form with Admissions & Records. The responsibility of officially withdrawing rests entirely with the student. The instructor will not withdraw any student from the course who attended an orientation or completed the online orientation process. If you stop taking the course and do not officially withdraw, you will then receive a grade of 'F.' A student who misses test deadlines will not be withdrawn by the instructor, but the instructor reserves the right to refuse to accept any late test unless the instructor was previously notified by the student that the exam would be delayed. If you need to postpone an exam deadline, please contact the instructor, relate your reasons for requesting an extension, and establish when the test will be taken. STUDENT ID CARDS To take an exam at any of the Testing Centers you will be required to prove that you are currently enrolled as a student at ACC and to show acceptable proof of identification. Any student wishing to use an ACC Testing Center must have a current ACC ID (which has no photo) along with a photo ID such as a driver's license or passport. No student will be allowed to test in the Testing Centers without these two IDs. You may obtain an ACC ID from any campus Admissions & Records office. HOW TO PASS THIS COURSE Any Open Campus course requires the student to be highly motivated and understanding of a non-traditional method of study. For the most part, you are on your own; there is no structured classroom or lecture in such a course. You are expected to meet all course requirements by meeting deadlines and due dates. Feel free to seek out the instructor to review exams and course requirements. The key to completing the course successfully is to follow the guidelines on the first page of the syllabus in how to use the text and maintain the course schedule. Also keep the lines of communication with the instructor open. If problems develop during the semester, contact the instructor as soon as possible to resolve any difficulties. DISCUSSION FORUMS For each of the four units I will post a question in the Discussion Board on Blackboard for students to participate. You must reply in a reasoned way, either in response to the forum question itself or in response to something one of your classmates has posted. "Reasoned" means you've thought about the question and present your ideas in a coherent fashion. You will encounter a variety of viewpoints on volatile topics over the course of the semester. You may disagree, perhaps strongly, with the opinions expressed by your classmates. As long as you treat each other with respect, these differences enhance class discussion and create an atmosphere where we learn from each other. Rest assured that your grades will not be influenced by beliefs or ideas expressed on the discussion boards. Each student should complete two of these four discussions for grade points (up to five points will be awarded for each Discusion forum). A student may complete additional discussions for extra credit points. The Discussion forums will be open from the beginning of each unit until 11:59pm on the test deadline for that unit. Participation is graded on whether your comments are thoughtful and coherent, respond directly to the question (or another post in the board), contribute something new to the discussion, reflect an effort to move the discussion along, and reflect an understanding of the course materials. REPORT ASSIGNMENT For this assignment you must visit three of the following political party Web sites and answer questions 1 and 2 below. You may choose from: Texas Republican Party - http://www.texasgop.org/ Texas Democratic Party - http://www.txdemocrats.org/ Texas Reform Party - http://www.texasreformparty.org Texas Libertarian Party - http://www.tx.lp.org/ Texas Green Party - http://www.txgreens.org/ Select two issues such as crime, the economy, education, social policy, taxation, etc. and look to see where the three parties that you've chosen stand on these issues. Each party Web site is different, so you might have to click on "on the issues" or "issues and positions" or "about our party" or something similar to get to the party's platform or issue stands. 1. Which three parties did you pick? What issues did you pick? Why did you pick these issues? In your own words, describe where each party stands on these issues, and be specific. What does each party promise to do on these issues? How will each party deal with these particular issues? 2. Look around the party Web site. Overall, what seems to be the central philosophy of each political party that you picked? In other words, what would they like to accomplish? What is their attitude towards government and its role today? Do the parties that you examined have a slogan? If so, what is it? Which party do you think you'd agree with more? Why did you pick that party?   GUIDELINES FOR REPORT In writing this paper, you must follow the guidelines provided here. Documentation. You must provide documentation for any quotations and/or paraphrased information found in your research and used in your paper. Documentation acknowledges the source of your information. (In other words, you must give credit where credit is due.) You must document all information that is not common knowledge that you acquired from another source. The documentation must be in the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. In the MLA style, parenthetical documentation in the body of the paper is used to briefly identify the sources of information that you have borrowed in writing your paper. An MLA style sheet is available courtesy of the ACC LRS or check link on my web page. Please consult this style sheet in order to correctly document your sources and format your works cited page. If the style sheet does not cover the types of sources used, or if you need further direction or clarification, go online and consult the MLA Web site. First Page. In the upper right hand corner of the first page of your report list the Title of the report, your name, the course number (GOVT 2306), and your section number. DO NOT put the paper in a folder or plastic cover. Staple the pages of the paper in their proper sequence. Format. Your paper must be three typed, double-spaced pages in length. Use standard margins of one inch (top, sides, and bottom) and standard font sizes. The first page of the paper may begin two inches from the top of the page. Papers which are too short or gratuitously too long will lose points. DO NOT use headings of any kind in the paper, or extra spaces between paragraphs. Remember each paper must be at least three full pages in length (not counting your works cited page). Works Cited. The last page of your paper will be entitled Works Cited and will list the articles that you used to write your paper. In preparing the works cited page, remember to use the Modern Language Association style, following the style sheet in this syllabus. Grading. The required paper will be graded on a 20-point scale according to the following criteria: I. Answering the all questions II. organization of the paper and writing style, including the proper use of grammar and punctuation III. proper documentation of your sources listed on the works cited page IV. format (for instance, the paper should be neither too short nor too long). Paper grading scale: A 18-20 points B 16-17 points C 14-15 points D 12-13 points To receive at least a C grade, the paper must adequately cover the "content" requirements above, be coherently organized and written, follow MLA style in source documentation, and use at lthe proper number of web sites. Report Due Date. Report will be due on Monday, November 16, 2009. Your paper may be either mailed using the US Postal Service (postmarked by the due date), placed in your instructor's mailbox in room 1107 at the Northridge campus (stamped by mailroom personnel with the date it was turned in), sent by intercampus mail (stamped with date), faxed (223-4310, be sure to put my name on the cover page), emailed (as an attachment in ms Word 97 (or later version - if I cannot read your attachment I'll email you and let you know), or turned in personally during your instructor's office hours. The paper must be mailed or presented to your instructor by midnight of the due date. Late papers will not be accepted.