CSI AND SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT COURSE SYLLABUS GUIDE

For Dual Credit Faculty

7/11

POLS 101AmerNatGovCraigMillsFall2011.doc

POLS 101 M04D

POLS 101 M06D

CREDIT HOURS: 3

Semester/year: Fall 2011

Office Location: BHS 101

Instructor: Mr. Craig Mills

Office Hours: 7:45 – 3:45

E-Mail Address:
Office Phone: 208.878.6606

The CSI Mission Statement

The College of Southern Idaho, a comprehensive community college, provides quality educational, social, cultural, economic, and workforce development opportunities that meet the diverse needs of the communities it serves. CSI prepares students to lead enriched, productive and responsible lives in a global society.

General Education Criteria: This course satisfies all eight criteria for general education. It is designed to:

  1. Provide a broad-based survey of a discipline and show the interconnectedness of knowledge.
  2. Develop a discerning individual.
  3. Practice critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
  4. Promote awareness of social and cultural diversity in order to appreciate the commonality of mankind.
  5. Foster the balance between individual needs and the demands of society.
  6. Reinforce reading, writing, speaking, and/or quantitative skills.
  7. Encourage and inspire life-long learning.
  8. Encourage creativity.

Social Science Department Mission Statement

The mission of the Social Science Department is to provide educational, social, and cultural opportunities which encourage enriched, productive and responsible lives primarily by instructing students to understand, interpret, and apply Social Science discipline coursework.

Social Science Department Goals: This course addresses the following Social Science Department goals:

  1. Help students understand important facts, concepts and theories of Social Science subjects.
  2. Help students acquire techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge in the disciplines.
  3. Help students learn to distinguish between fact and opinion.
  4. Teach students to use evaluation, analysis and synthesis to interpret and solve problems.
  5. Teach students to use different perspectives from the social sciences to make better-informed decisions.
  6. Help students acquire an informed understanding of various cultures.
  7. Prepare students to transfer to a university.

Political Science Program Mission Statement

Political Science Program Objectives: This course is structured upon the following goals:

  1. To comprehend political theories, structures, and processes.
  2. To prepare students to think, integrate, logically organize, and not just memorize political information.
  3. To encourage students to gather knowledge from other disciplines to interpret political situations.
  4. To apply insights from the study of political science to understand local, state, national, and international developments.

Catalog Course Description

A basic course in political science introducing the basic concepts and major structural elements of the National Government. Many aspects of American government are introduced and discussed in a way that will make the study of government more a part of the students’ world.

Course Outcomes (CO) Aligned with GE Criteria (GE) and Social Science (SS) and Program Goals.

Students will… / GE / SS / POLS
Understand the basic structure of American Government / 1,2,3,6 / 1,2,3,4 / 1,2,3,4
Be able to critically interpret and articulate thoughts about American Government and politics. / 1,3,5,6 / 1,2,3,4 / 1,2,3,4
Apply course concepts in a personal and everyday context. / 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 / 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 / 1,2,3,4

Assessment Method: Alignment of course outcomes with course assessment methods.

Multiple choice exams / Essay Questions / Assignments / Quizzes / Comp. essay
CO1 / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
CO2 / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
CO3 / √ / √ / √ / √ / √

Requirements: The text for this course American Government, Volkomer (11th Edition). In addition, several essays will be assigned to supplement the text. The readings serve as background to the lectures. Readings should be completed in advance of the corresponding lectures and discussions. Unannounced quizzes (or announced) covering assigned readings may be given at any time. Detailed schedules of assignments will be given in class. Participation in class is strongly advised.

Lectures will run in a logical sequence. Missing lectures will often lead to confusion later on. Attendance is extremely important, and you should make every attempt to attend class.

Tests will be composed of short answers and essays. They will be designed to test your ability to think, integrate, and logically organize. In class quizzes will be given occasionally to check students’ retention of learned material.

Grading Policy:

90% - 100% A

80% - 89% B

70% - 79% C

60% - 69% D

Below 59% F

Tests will be worth 45% of the overall grade. Quizzes, essays, and other assignments will be worth the other 45%. The final exam will account for the final 10%.

Topical Outline for the Course:

  1. Chapter 1 – Politics democracy and the American people
  2. Chapter 2 – From colonialism to Constitutionalism
  3. Chapter 3 – The Federal System
  4. Chapter 10 – The Judiciary
  5. Chapter 11 & 12 – Civil liberties and civil rights
  6. Chapter 6 – Nominations and elections
  7. Chapter 5 – Political parties and interest groups
  8. Chapter 4 – Public opinion and mass media
  9. Chapter 7 – Congress
  10. Chapter 8 – The President
  11. The Bureaucracy

CSI E-mail

E-mail is the primary source of written communication with all CSI students. Students automatically get a CSI e-mail account when they register for courses. Messages from instructors and various offices such as Admission and Records, Advising, Financial Aid, Scholarships, etc. will be sent to the students’ CSI accounts (NOT their personal e-mail accounts). It is the students’ responsibility to check their CSI e-mail accounts regularly. Failing to do so will result in missing important messages and deadlines. Students can check their CSI e-mail online at Student e-mail addresses have the following format: . At the beginning of each semester free training sessions will be offered to students who need help using their CSI e-mail accounts.

On-line course evaluation statement:

Students are strongly encouraged to complete evaluations at the end of the course. Evaluations are very important to assist the teaching staff to continually improve the course. Evaluations are available online at: Evaluations open up two weeks prior to the end of the course. The last day to complete an evaluation is the last day of the course. During the time the evaluations are open, students can complete the course evaluations at their convenience from any computer with Internet access, including in the open lab in the Library and in the SUB. When students log in they should see the evaluations for the courses in which they are enrolled. Evaluations are anonymous. Filling out the evaluation should only take a few minutes. Your honest feedback is greatly appreciated!

Disabilities:

Any student with a documented disability may be eligible for related accommodations. To determine eligibility and secure services, students should contact the coordinator of Disability Services at their home high school