• Class Days:  Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Class Time: 9:30 - 10:50
• Class Location: CP 205
• Class Format: Web Enhanced 

Studies the historical and modern role of government in American life. Specific attention is given to constitutional development and the various mechanisms of contemporary American politics.

ACTS Equivalent: PLSC 2003

Prerequisites: None

Corequisites: None

Next Course in Sequence:  None

Purpose

National Park College (NPC) is committed to its mission statement, "Learning is our focus, student success is our goal."  NPC is dedicated to helping all students develop as communicators, critical thinkers, and professionals who behave ethically and recognize the diversity of the world around them. The General Education Objectives are designed to be an integral component of all courses at NPC.

General Education Objectives (GEO)

It is the expectation that upon successful completion of a certificate or degree program at National Park College, the student will be able to:

1. Communicate effectively using oral, written, and electronic methods.
2. Use critical and analytical thinking skills.
3. Demonstrate discipline-specific knowledge, skills, and competencies.
4. Exemplify professional demeanor, ethical behavior, and respect for diversity.

Course Equivalent

Course Title:       American National Government

Course Number:     PLSC 2003

Course Description

The introduction to the principles, structure, processes and functions of the United States federal government and other related political activities.

ACTS Course Objectives (ACO):

The student will be able to explain, discuss, recognize, and/or apply knowledge of the following topics:

1. Three branches of the American government (Executive, Judicial, Legislative) (CLO 2, 4)
2. Constitution (CLO 1)
3. Political Parties and interest groups (CLO 3)
4. Campaigns and elections (CLO 2)
5. Civil liberties and civil rights (CLO 5)
6. Federalism (CLO 2)
7. Public opinion (CLO 3, 5)

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the key elements of the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution (i.e., the Supremacy, Commerce, Elastic, and Full Faith and Credit clauses), and of the Bill of Rights. (GEO 3)
2. "Demonstrate knowledge of procedural democracy through an examination of the policymaking processes of the three branches of government, the separation of powers in the federal system, the electoral process and political parties, and the influence of interest groups. (GEO 3)
3. Demonstrate knowledge of procedural democracy through an examination of the policymaking processes of the three branches of government, the separation of powers in the federal system, the electoral process and political parties, and the influence of interest groups. (GEO 3)"
4. Apply critical thinking skills to understand how political socialization, the media and public opinion, and political ideology affect the individual student’s personal values of equality, order, and freedom. (GEO 2, 3)
5. Interpret data that relates to governmental functions and policymaking and integrate the data into written assignments, discussion board posts, or other classroom work. (GEO 2, 3)
6. Discuss the connection between the democratic process and questions of race, gender, and class through a review of civil rights, civil liberties, and current social equality issues. (GEO 1, 3, 4)

American Government, 2nd Edition By Gene Krutz

This textbook is provided free, online. 

Do not purchase a textbook for this course.

https://openstax.org/details/books/american-government-2e

Attendance Policy

The instructor will keep a record of all students in the classroom each day. However, attendance will be defined as submitting assignments on D2L. Simply showing up in the classroom or on Zoom will not count as attendance.

You must submit work on D2L each week to be counted present.

Fall 2020 Calendar – American Government

Assignment Due Dates Will Not Change – Unless Notice is Provided in a Class Announcement on D2L

Class Topics May Change Without Notice

Late and Make-up Work

If a student misses an assignment, they will receive a zero unless they can convince the instructor that they deserve a make - up opportunity. Opportunities to make up work will be by special arrangement with the instructor and may only be given if the student suffered from a legitimate, well documented, emergency as determined by the instructor. In extreme circumstances the instructor might consider allowing a student to reschedule an assignment. A student must have the instructor’s approval before missing an assignment they wish to reschedule. Contact after the fact does not constitute prior permission to miss an assignment and will result in a grade of zero for the missed work.

Acceptable reasons for missing an assignment may include but are not necessarily limited to serious illnesses, death of a family member, required court appearances, and mandatory school activities. Except in cases, such as military service, where a failure to report for work might be a felony, students will not be excused from class for work. In all cases, it is the student's responsibility to contact the instructor and arrange a make - up opportunity.

IMPORTANT: No student will receive an extension or a makeup opportunity due to technical problems. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have a reliable computer, internet connection, updated software, and the technical expertise needed to complete this course.

Extra Credit: Extra credit opportunities are listed under the extra credit folder in D2L.

                              No student will receive more than 200 points worth of extra credit.

Feedback

I will typically respond within: 24 hours, Monday-Friday, to messages or emails.

Instructions to Students regarding attendance:

1. Students are responsible to know and comply with syllabus attendance and coursework guidelines in each of their courses.
2. Students are expected to meet all attendance requirements and engage in coursework as outlined in the course syllabus. Failure to maintain satisfactory course participation is the equivalent of excessive absenteeism and may result in the student being dropped. To maintain good-standing in online courses, students are expected to submit assigned coursework in a timely manner per instructor requirements.
3. Students participating in athletics or a college-sponsored extracurricular activity are required to communicate scheduled absences ahead of time and to make arrangements with their instructors regarding missed coursework, including exams. The instructor determines how academic work associated with a college-sponsored absence(s) can be completed by the student.
4. Failure to meet a course’s attendance policy does not mean a student will be automatically withdrawn from a course. Students seeking to withdraw from a course should do so either online through the student’s account or in person by visiting Student Affairs.
5. Students who do not withdraw from a course by the published Academic College Calendar withdraw date will receive an earned grade.
6. A faculty member may administratively withdraw a student from a course, including online courses, any time during the semester up to the published Academic College Calendar withdraw date if attendance does not meet syllabus guidelines.
7. Students will not be administratively withdrawn by faculty after the published Academic College Calendar withdraw date except in life-changing circumstances or as a result of military orders.
8. The withdrawal of a student from all courses may require the student to repay all or a portion of the financial aid received as calculated by the Financial Aid Office in accordance with government grant guidelines.
9. Only in extraordinary circumstances may a student earn a grade of IP (In Progress) to defer course completion. Please see the Incomplete Grades policy in the Student Handbook located at www.np.edu.

The full attendance policy is available by clicking on this link to the Board Policy

National Park College considers honesty and integrity as essential qualities of any learning institution. The faculty and staff strive to live up to these qualities in all aspects of their lives and encourage their students to do the same. Integrity and moral values will carry over in to their professional lives and careers. NPC’s goal is to successfully prepare all students for their futures and equip them to handle whatever challenges they may face; therefore, NPC considers academic dishonesty as unacceptable.

Any NPC students who display dishonesty in their behavior while attending classes at NPC will be subject to disciplinary action to help the student first and foremost, but to also protect the rights, dignity, and property of others while maintaining an environment that fosters success and learning.

Violations of the Academic Honesty Policy will not be tolerated on the campus. Violations may range from receiving an “F” on the assignment in question up to permanent removal from the College.

1. Technology manipulation
2. Collusion
3. Deception
4. Misrepresentation and Lying
5. Cheating
6. Plagiarism
7. Fabrication and Falsification
8. Stealing, Defacing, and Destruction of Property

Please take time to read the entire policy, which can be found by clicking on this link to the Academic Honesty Policy.

Brightspace by Desire to Learn (D2L) is the official learning management system (LMS) for the College. All students are expected to complete the LMS Student Training prior to the first day of class during their first semester here. Below you will find various policies relating to the LMS.

Privacy Policy:  Links to the privacy policies for all external tools used in the course are provided in the LMS. You can find the various privacy policies by clicking in the Begin Here module in each of your courses.

Accessibility Statement:  Links to the accessibility statements for all technologies required in the course are provided in LMS. You can find the various accessibility statements by clicking in the Begin Here module in each of your courses.

Netiquette Policy:  The netiquette policy for this course is located in your course in the LMS. You can find the Netiquette policies by clicking on the Netiquette Link by clicking in the Begin Here module in each of your courses.

Flexibility Clause:  The aforementioned requirements, assignments, policies, evaluation procedures, etc., are subject to change. Learners’ experiences and needs, as well as emerging knowledge, will be considered in modifying this course syllabus.

National Park College (NPC) believes in providing equal access and opportunity to qualified persons with disabilities in compliance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990; and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008. It is our goal to ensure equal and comprehensive access to College programs, services, and campus facilities. It is the policy of NPC that no individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, and advantages or accommodations at the College. National Park College’s ADA statement may be accessed by clicking on this link to ADA statement.

The Disability Services office is located in Room 240 of the Gerald Fisher Campus Center Building. You are also welcome to call us at (501) 760-4227 or e-mail [email protected] for more information. Students with disabilities should visit our website using this link to disability services for more information.

Academic Success Center

The Academic Success Center provides tutoring and other resources to help students succeed. Visit our webpage at this link to the Academic Success Center.

Computer Services Department

The Computer Services Department provides computing resources for students including password resets. Visit our webpage at this link to the Computer Services Department.

NPC Library

The NPC Library provides a wide variety of services to students. Visit the NPC Library website.

LMS Support

Support for the LMS is available through NPC Online by email to [email protected], phone at 501-760-4292, or visit Charlotte Phelps Room 204.

Testing Center

The Testing Center provides test support for students and faculty. To learn more about the testing center visit our webpage at Testing Center.

The schedule for this course will be made available in the LMS.  The instructor reserves the right to modify the schedule as the semester progresses.

Students will be asked to evaluate their instructor and course near the end of the semester. These student evaluations are very important to the improvement in the quality of instruction and course materials. All results are anonymous and shared with the faculty only after the semester is over and grades have been posted.

The schedule, policies, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances or by mutual agreement between the instructor and the students. The instructor will always inform the students of any changes in a timely manner.

In the event of a community crisis the college reserves the right to change the mode of instruction for any or all classes.