Syllabus PLS 135 Fall 20

John
Tyler Community College

PLS 135 N02A American National Politics
Fall 2020

Professor: Ryan Leonard

Email: RLeonard@jtcc.edu

Office hours: By appointment.

Course Description:
This course will cover the political institutions and processes of the national government of
the United States. Focus will be given to the US Congress, Presidency, the Courts and their
interrelationships. The class will also give attention to political theory, public opinion,
suffrage, elections, political parties, interest groups, civil rights, domestic policy and foreign
relations.

Course Objectives:
Upon completion of the course it is expected that students will be able to:
-Define the central political values of American political structure.
-Understand vocabulary and technical terms of government and politics.
-Demonstrate the basic skills of citizenship.
-Articulate a position on the important issues of American politics.
-Comprehend political events reported in the media.
-Complete more advanced courses in political science.
-Critically analyze the general principles of the US Government and the
interrelationships among the three branches of government.

Required Text: The required textbook for this course is Benjamin Ginsberg, et. al., We the
People: An Introduction to American Politics, 12th Essentials Edition. Copies of this text are
available from the college bookstore.

Grading Scale:
A (90 – 100) B (80 – 89) C (70 – 79) D (60 – 69) F (0 – 59)

Grade Breakdown:
-Assignment*: 15%
-Midterm Paper*: 25%
-Final Paper*: 25%
-Discussion board (details below): 35%

*More information on the assignment, midterm, and final will be provided as we move
through the semester.
Discussion Board:
Write a post of 250 – 350 words giving your thoughts and analysis on the week’s lecture
and reading. You may relate the material in the reading and lecture to current events if
applicable. You may write on the reading and lecture as a whole or focus on some aspect
thereof that you found particularly interesting. Your posts should show that you have read
and understand the material. Upload your posts in the Discussion section of Canvas.

You will also be required to provide feedback to at least two of your classmates per
week. Read their posts and offer analysis, compliments, and constructive criticisms, as
appropriate. Your feedback should be approximately 75 – 100 words. Opinions are
welcome and passion is encouraged in both the posts and the feedback. However, there
will be no tolerance for insults or other forms of disrespect. For more details, see the
College policies on "Student Conduct" in the online Student Handbook.

Discussion posts and peer feedback must be uploaded by the due dates stated on the
syllabus (below). Late posts/feedback will be deducted 25% for each day late.

Attendance:
Attendance will be noted daily. Students who miss six or more classes will be dropped
from the course without credit, provided the date for withdrawal has not passed. A student
who accumulates more than eight absences by the end of the semester will receive a failing
grade for the course.

Academic Integrity:
Cheating, plagiarism, and any other form of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.
Consequences will be determined on a case by case basis and may include failure of the
exam/assignment, failure of the course, and/or suspension or dismissal from the College.

Course Withdrawal Policy:
Withdrawal from a course without academic penalty may be made within the first 60% of
the course, The student will receive a grade of "W" for withdrawal. After that time, the
student will receive a grade of "F." in case of mitigating circumstances documented by the
instructor, a grade of "W" may he awarded. Administrative withdrawal may be initiated by
an instructor in the event of excessive absences on the part of the student.

Title IX:
JTCC seeks to provide an environment that is free of bias, discrimination, and harassment.
If you have been the victim of sexual harassment/misconduct/assault, we encourage you to
report this. If you report this to a faculty or staff member, she or he must notify our JTCC
Title IX Coordinator or Deputy Title IX Coordinator about the basic facts of the incident.
Title IX sexual misconduct includes dating and domestic violence, stalking, sexual
harassment and sexual assault. For more information about your options at JTCC please
visit the following link: http://www.jtcc.eduiabout/title-ix-and-sexual-misconduct/

Students with Disabilities:
In keeping with the philosophy of providing educational opportunity for all individuals,
JTCC has a professional counselor who will assist disabled persons by acting as the liaison
between the students and the faculty/staff who will provide the support services needed.
These services are provided with the intention of helping students with disabilities to
achieve maximum independence and include such general services as assistance in course
selection, note taking, mobility assistance, academic counseling, modified curriculum
(major), and other services depending_ on individual needs and availability of resources.
Students with disabilities are responsible for making the College aware of their needs. Call
706-4226 or 594-1562 for additional information.

Closing and Emergency Procedures:
Information about the College's Inclement Weather/Closing Policy. Threat Assessment
Team and emergency procedures may be found online at www.jtcc.edu/safety. On this page
you will find several informational links as well as the In Case of Emergency Quick
Reference Guide, a downloadable and printable PDF that lists phone numbers and locations
for Security Services, emergency notification methods, evacuation assembly areas, severe
weather shelters and more.

Tyler Alert:
Tyler Alert is one of the many notification tools that the College will use to alert students,
faculty and staff of an emergency situation and of closings and delays due to inclement
weather. Tyler Alert allows the College to send urgent text messages and e-mails to those
who are registered in the system. This is a voluntary system, so if you would like to receive
these messages, you must register. There is no fee to register for Tyler Alert, but your
carrier may charge fees for receiving messages on your wireless device. To learn more or to
sign up, go to www.jtcc.edu/tyleralert
Academic Resource Center (ARC):

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) is the place for students to go for all their tutoring
needs. Tutoring in the ARC is a free service provided by John Tyler Community College.
Students can walk in at any time during the hours of operation for help with writing and
math. For assistance with lab and social sciences, language courses, etc., the ARC schedules
weekly recurring appointments through the Request for Tutoring Form
(www.jtcc.edu/services/advising-center/request-for-tutoring-form).

The ARC is located in Eliades 117 at Midlothian and in Moyar 222 at Chester. The hours are
posted at www.jtcc.edu/services/tutoring. For more information, send an e-mail to
arc@jtcc.edu, or call 594-1542 (Midlothian) or 706-5244 (Chester).
Writing Center:
We help students with all stages of writing for any assignment. Students can receive
specific feedback on their writing, including the following writing: brainstorming,
organizing, developing a solid thesis statement, citing sources, improving writing style,
addressing grammar problems.
Tentative Weekly Schedule:
Week of:
Aug. 24 – Lecture only (no reading)
Aug. 31 – Ch. 1 (Introduction: The Citizen and the Government)
Sept. 7 – Ch. 2 (The Founding and the Constitution)
Sept. 14 – Ch. 3 (Federalism)
Sept. 21 – Ch. 4 (Civil Liberties & Civil Rights)
Sept. 28 – Lecture only (no reading)
Oct. 5 – Ch. 12 (The Federal Courts), and watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaoLMW5AF4Y.
Oct. 12 – Ch. 9 (Congress) and Ch. 11 (The Bureaucracy)
Oct. 19 – Ch. 10 (The Presidency)
Oct. 26 – Ch. 7 (Political Parties & Elections), Ch. 8 (Interest Groups), and watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGEG3dDGiRw.
Nov. 2 – Ch. 13 (Domestic Policy)
Nov. 9 – Ch. 14 (Foreign Policy), and watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNSR7dXHdCY.
Nov. 16 – Lecture only (no reading)
Nov. 23 – No Reading.
Nov. 30 – Ch. 5 (The Media) and Ch. 6 (Public Opinion)

Discussion post due dates:
Wednesday 8/26 11:59pm (Lecture only)
Tuesday 9/1 11:59pm (Chapter 1)
Tuesday 9/29 11:59pm (Lecture only)
Tuesday 10/6 11:59pm (Chapter 12 and video)
Tuesday 10/13 11:59pm (Chapters 9 and 11)
Tuesday 10/27 11:59pm (Chapters 7 and 8, and video)
Monday 11/2 11:59pm (Chapter 13)
Tuesday 11/10 11:59pm (Chapter 14 and video)
Tuesday 11/17 11:59pm (Lecture only)
Tuesday 11/24 – None.
Tuesday 12/1 11:59pm (Chapters 5 and 6)

Peer feedback due dates:
Friday 8/28 11:59pm (Lecture only)
Thursday 9/3 11:59pm (Chapter 1)
Thursday 10/1 11:59pm (Lecture only)
Thursday 10/8 11:59pm (Chapter 12 and video)
Thursday 10/15 11:59pm (Chapters 9 and 11)
Thursday 10/29 11:59pm (Chapters 7 and 8, and video)
Thursday 11/12 11:59pm (Chapter 14 and video)
Thursday 11/19 11:59pm (Lecture only)
Thursday 11/26 – None.
Thursday 12/3 11:59pm (Chapters 5 and 6)

Other due dates:
Midterm Paper: Monday October 12, 11:59pm
Assignment: Monday October 26, 11:59pm
Final Paper: Monday November 23, 11:59pm

Syllabus PLS 135 Fall 20

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Syllabus PLS 135 Fall 20

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Syllabus PLS 135 Fall 20

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

John

Tyler Community College

Academic Resource Center (ARC):

You might also like