American/Texas Government II

Course Details

Course Number: 1433 Section Number: 204

Spring 2012

Location: Prothro-Yeager Hall

Classroom Number: 200

Days & Times:

Tues./Thurs. 11:00am-12:20pm

Course Attachments

POLS 1433 SyllabusSyllabus for POLS 1433 POLS1433Syllabus.pdf

Textbooks

We The People: An Introduction to American Politic ISBN: 9780393935257

MSU Faculty Member

Dr. Jeremy Duff
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Course Objectives

This is an undergraduate honors course on the American and Texas system of governments. This course is meant to introduce the student to the how the American and Texas Governments work. In this course we will cover such topics as American and Texan political institutions and American and Texan public policy.

Grading Standards

The three exams will count 75% (25% a piece) toward your final grade. The quiz and project grades will be averaged. The average will make up 10% of your grade. Finally, the City Council Project will make up 15% of your grade.

Final Exam5/8/2012 1:00pm

Submission Format PolicyNote: You may not submit a paper for a grade in this class that already has been (or will be) submitted for a grade in another course, unless you obtain the explicit written permission of me and the other instructor involved in advance.

Late Paper Policy

Late assignments will not be accepted. They will receive a grade of 0. If you miss a quiz because you are late to class, you will receive a 0 on that quiz.

Plagiarism Policy Plagiarism is the use of someone else's thoughts, words, ideas, or lines of argument in your own work without appropriate documentation (a parenthetical citation at the end and a listing in "Works Cited")-whether you use that material in a quote, paraphrase, or summary. It is a theft of intellectual property and will not be tolerated, whether intentional or not.

Student Honor Creed

As an MSU Student, I pledge not to lie, cheat, steal, or help anyone else do so."

As students at MSU, we recognize that any great society must be composed of empowered, responsible citizens. We also recognize universities play an important role in helping mold these responsible citizens. We believe students themselves play an important part in developing responsible citizenship by maintaining a community where integrity and honorable character are the norm, not the exception. Thus, We, the Students of Midwestern State University, resolve to uphold the honor of the University by affirming our commitment to complete academic honesty. We resolve not only to be honest but also to hold our peers accountable for complete honesty in all university matters. We consider it dishonest to ask for, give, or receive help in examinations or quizzes, to use any unauthorized material in examinations, or to present, as one's own, work or ideas which are not entirely one's own. We recognize that any instructor has the right to expect that all student work is honest, original work. We accept and acknowledge that responsibility for lying, cheating, stealing, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty fundamentally rests within each individual student. We expect of ourselves academic integrity, personal professionalism, and ethical character. We appreciate steps taken by University officials to protect the honor of the University against any who would disgrace the MSU student body by violating the spirit of this creed. Written and adopted by the 2002-2003 MSU Student Senate.

Students with Disabilities The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Disability Support Services in Room 168 of the Clark Student Center, 397-4140.

Safe Zones Statement The professor considers this classroom to be a place where you will be treated with respect as a human being - regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, political beliefs, age, or ability. Additionally, diversity of thought is appreciated and encouraged, provided you can agree to disagree. It is the professor's expectation that ALL students consider the classroom a safe environment.

Contacting your Instructor All instructors in the Department have voicemail in their offices and MWSU e-mail addresses. Make sure you add your instructor's phone number and e-mail address to both email and cell phone lists of contacts.

Attendance Requirements

Class attendance is strongly encouraged. It has been my experience that those who do not attend class tend to have a difficult time with the course and generally receive lower grades. I will not regularly take attendance, however, throughout the course of the semester I may feel it necessary to take attendance in order to provide extra points on exams for those who are putting forth the effort to come to class.

Other Policies

Quizzes: There will be periodic “pop” quizzes given in class covering lecture and textbook material. This should encourage class attendance and also help make sure students are keeping up with the reading. If you are not present for a quiz and do not have a University approved excuse, you will be given a grade of ZERO on that quiz.

City Council Project: Students will work in groups in order to take part in a project to learn about the Wichita Falls City Government. Each group will attend a city government meeting or watch one on television, in order to get an understanding of how city government works in Wichita Falls. Each group will prepare a report on the meeting and present the results in class. I will provide additional guidelines in a separate handout.

Please note that for whatever reason you arrive late for an exam, you will not be able to take the exam once one student has “legitimately” taken the exam and left the exam room. I reserve the right to change any of the above dates as I feel necessary. This means that in some cases exams may be pushed back to later dates or moved forward to earlier dates.

Make-up Policy -- Examinations. If a student has a University-approved excuse AND if the instructor is notified IN WRITING, PRIOR to the examination, arrangements for a make-up will be made. If a student fails to notify the instructor, the student will receive a zero for the exam.

Exam, Quizzes, and Grading. If you are unhappy with your grade on a particular exam, please do not discuss it with me during or directly after any class period, and particularly the class in which I hand the exams back. I want you to take time to look over your exam thoroughly, outside of the classroom before you make an argument for a different grade. Any discussion of exam grades should take place within my office hours or by appointment in my office if you are not able to attend the scheduled office hours. If you feel that you and another student provided similar or equal answers to an exam question and you received a lower grade on that question, then both students must come to the assigned office hours with their exams in order for me to evaluate the answers equally and fairly. Keep in mind that in some cases I may lower the grade of the other student and not raise yours after reviewing both answers, if I feel that the situation deems it necessary.

Taking Exams Early. Only under extraordinary circumstances will a student be allowed to take an exam, including the final, early. Only university approved excuses, death in the family, illness, etc. will be considered for taking an exam early. You must request to take an exam early IN WRITING.

Wikipedia. At no time will a student be allowed to use Wikipedia as a source for any project or paper in my class. If it is determined that Wikipedia was used as a source for a project or paper, the student will be given a grade of ZERO automatically.

Writing Proficiency Requirement All students seeking a Bachelor's degree from Midwestern State University must satisfy a writing proficiency requirement once they've 1) passed English 1113 and English 1123 and 2) earned 60 hours. You may meet this requirement by passing either the Writing Proficiency Exam or English 2113. Please keep in mind that, once you've earned over 90 hours, you lose the opportunity to take the $25 exam and have no option but to enroll in the three-credit hour course. If you have any questions about the exam, visit the Writing Proficiency Office website at http://academics.mwsu.edu/wpr, or call 397-4131.