Active Citizenship and Civic Engagement
Political Science 110
American
National Government
Fall 2007
Syllabus, Section 4990
Class: 11:00- 11:50
Instructor: Brian Dille
Office: SCO 74
Office
Phone: 461-7065
Email: bdille@mail.mc.maricopa.edu
Web page: www.mc.maricopa.edu/~bdille
Office Hours: 9:30 – 10:30 daily or by appointment
Course
Description
What does it mean to be a citizen of the
In doing so,
we will attempt to answer these and other questions. We will examine the
theoretical foundations of our system of government, explore the workings of
its myriad actors and agencies, and highlight the many ways and means to both
create and block change in policy that affects every one of us. It is the goal
of this course to help you gain the tools necessary to be an active participant
in directing and shaping this public policy.
Required
Texts
A grasp of current events and their context is
essential to understanding public policy decisions. Daily reading of respectable newspapers is
therefore required. You will have
several assignments connected to current stories, so you will need to subscribe
to the
Shea, Green, and Smith. Living Democracy. Prentice Hall.
Course Requirements
Email Sign-up
Since we will be discussing issues that will
be changing day to day, I am planning on forwarding news articles and essays to
you. Class notes and presentations will
also be available for your review on-line.
In addition, you will be taking tests on-line on the course WebCT site
that requires you have an MCC account.
MCC provides a free email service to all its students. If you do not have an MCC account, see me at
the end of the first class and I will be happy to assist you in creating
one. It takes about five minutes. You will receive 10 points once I see that
you have accessed the Course WebCT page.
Attendance
As the focus of the course is on active participation, regular attendance is crucial to the quality of the class for both yourself and your classmates. If you miss more than five days you may be dropped from the course.
Quizzes
Because we will be relating theoretical concepts to real-world events, it is critical that you be informed of the issues and events occurring during the course. To encourage this, five current event quizzes worth ten points each will be given. These quizzes will cover current national political events and should be easily passed by the attentive, informed student.
Chapter Study
Guide
At the beginning of the semester you will pick one chapter in the text and write a study guide for that chapter. When the class schedule reaches that chapter, you will distribute a copy of the study guide to your classmates and give a brief presentation answering two questions: “HOW does the topic of this chapter apply to me, and WHY would anyone care about it?” If the class is large enough to have more than one student per chapter, you will produce one study guide together as a group project. The study guide will need to be uploaded to the class WebCT site. This assignment is worth thirty points.
Civic
Engagement Project
The best way
of learning is doing. This assignment is to put into practice what you are
learning by actively participating in the formation and promotion of public
policy in your community. More
information will be given regarding this assignment, but the overview is that
as a class you will identify a concern in your community, find out who is
affected and what government bodies are involved, determine a course of action,
then present that course to policymakers.
In short, you will actively engage your community to get the government
to do what you want it to. There will be
several components to this assignment, totaling 200 points.
Project Assessment Grade
You will be
working with your classmates to produce the Civic Engagement Project. Group dynamics can be one of the most rewarding
and most challenging aspects of this project.
To ensure that all members of the group contribute, it is possible to
fire a free rider from your group. If
your group decides this is necessary, here is the process: the group must submit in writing their
reasons for putting a classmate on notice.
All other members of the group must sign this complaint. Once submitted, the group member is placed on
notice and will meet with the instructor to determine if the situation can be
remedied. If, after a week, the
instructor is not satisfied, then the group member is considered no longer a
member of the group and must petition another group to join.
In addition
to the threat of dismissal from the group, you will be given the opportunity to
grade your group members on their participation at the end of the
semester. You will give a grade to all
members of your group. The instructor will assign a group participation grade
to you based on the average of the grades assigned by your peers. This grade is
worth 50 points.
Mid-term and
Final Exams
Each exam will be worth one hundred points. The exams will consist
of multiple choice, short answer, and short essay questions. They will cover
material from the text and lectures, important points brought up in class
discussions, and episodes from class games and simulations.
Late
assignments and make-ups
The deadlines set for course assignments are real. Assignments
turned in late will automatically be dropped one full letter grade for every
class held between the time they are due and the time they are turned in. Only
a doctor’s note will exempt you from this penalty, and then only for the
duration of the emergency. Similarly, missed exams can only be made up if
arrangements are made with the instructor PRIOR to the exam date, except with
proof of medical emergency. Missed current event quizzes, due to their nature,
cannot be made up.
Legal Stuff (Keeping the Lawyers Happy)
As a student, you are responsible for knowing the information in this syllabus. You are also responsible for the college policies included in the college catalog and the student handbook. If you have a disability, including a learning disability, contact me as soon as possible and I will make any needed accommodations. If you need tutoring or special assistance, please contact me as soon as possible. Please note the policy on plagiarism listed on page 124 of the MCC student handbook. Students will be notified by the instructor of any changes in course requirements or policies.