Instructor Information	Evaluation Procedures
Course Description	Grading Scale
Course Scope	Course Outline
Course Objectives	Policies
Course Delivery Method	Academic Services
Course Resources	Selected Bibliography

POLS210 American Government I (3 hours)

This is the first course in a two-course sequence in American Government. The course is designed to convey basic facts about the structure and functioning of the American political system. The philosophical foundation of the U.S. Constitution is explored and the federalist construct is examined. The functions of the three separate branches of government and their roles in policy making are a major focus.

After successfully completing this course, you will be able to:

CO-1 Explain the philosophical basis and functioning of the American republic.

CO-2 Describe the historical foundations of the American government.

CO-3 Explain the evolution of the U. S. Constitution.

CO-4 Describe the types of political participation in a democratic system. CO-5 Explain the power and roles of the three branches of government. CO-6 Define the purpose and functions of the federal bureaucracy.

CO-7 Explain the policy-making process in the federal system.

CO-8 Identify the influences on political beliefs and behavior.

This course delivered via distance learning will enable students to complete academic work in a flexible manner, completely online. Course materials and access to an online learning management system will be made available to each student. Assigned faculty will support the students throughout this eight-week course.

1. Lesson Notes
2. The e-textbook in this course is entitled American Government by Lenz and Holman.
3. Web resources and assigned readings
4. Students also must have a computer with access to the internet, per APUS guidelines, with Microsoft Office installed. If for some reason you do not have Office, please download Openoffice.org‘s productivity suite, which is compatible with it.
5. Please visit http://apus.libguides.com/er.php and search by the course number to access your required resources.

Grades for this course will be based upon three grading instruments; forums (8), quizzes, formal essays (3), and a final presentation. There are eight weekly discussion questions that are provided in the forums. A rubric explaining grading criteria is included in each weekly forum. The essays will cover functions of government in addressing public issues. The final presentation will be a PowerPoint presentation combining what was learned in the essays. Rubrics are included in the course. The grade scale for each of the evaluation tools is provided below:

Grade Instruments:	% of Final Grade
Forum Topics	50%
Weekly Quizzes	10%
Week 2 Essay	10%
Week 4 Essay	10%

Week 6 Essay                                                                                           10%

Final Presentation (Week 7)                                                                  10%

100%

Forums

The forums are the primary means of class. Each forum requires that the student post one original response to a forum question. See the forum rubric for evaluation standards. The forums are set up so students must post their responses before being able to read what other students have researched and submitted. Each week there is a choice of two forum questions. A response is only required to one of them, but replies to other students should address responses in both questions.

Please be sure that you have completed and proofread your work before posting it. You will not be able to delete or edit your work once you’ve submitted it, similar to the way exams and papers will not be returned for corrections after they have been submitted.

Note: Satisfactorily meeting forum minimum requirements will result in a grade of a C or higher (A, B, or C). It is not a guarantee that an A will be earned.

Quizzes

Each week has a ten-question quiz due. Questions are multiple choice and answers are taken from the readings in the lesson readings or the required textbook readings. All quizzes have a 30-minute time limit to complete them. Please study ahead of time because there will not be enough time to look up the answers to all ten questions during the quiz.

Class Project Assignments

Three short essays and a cumulative PowerPoint presentation summing up what you’ve learned. An overview of the assignments and more detailed instructions are found in the Assignments section of the classroom.

Submission Deadlines:

Your original response to the forum question is due Friday at 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time each week. Replies to classmates’ posts are due Sunday evening at 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time. Essays, quizzes, and your presentation are due 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time of their respective weeks. Any late submissions submitted will be subject to a late penalty, unless the student provides evidence to the instructor ahead of time about an extenuating situation and receives permission to submit work after the established course deadline. For each day that the assignment is late, the assignment is penalized 5% of the maximum grade. Repeated late submissions may result in failure of the course.

Citation and Reference Style

There is no required citation style for POLS210, but some valid style must be used, such as APA, MLA, Chicago, etc. In-text citations and reference lists are need to avoid plagiarism in the essays. In the case of web sources, URLs should be provided in addition to their complete reference information.

Forum discussions do not require formal citations, but there should be evidence that the required readings were consulted and independent research was conducted. Scholarly arguments must be

supported by more than “I think” or “in my opinion.” (It’s better to leave such phrases out altogether).

Writing Expectations

All written submissions should be submitted in a font and page set-up that is readable and neat. It is recommended that students try to adhere to a consistent format, which is described below.

• Readable style and font
• Black or blue color for text.
• Use a recognized format such as APA or Chicago/Turabian.
• Proper grammar and spelling. PLEASE AVOID ALL CAPS.
• Appropriate text size. Aim for text about the size used in the course. Remember that word count is what’s important, not page numbers, so there’s no point in submissions that

look like this.

Plagiarism Penalty: The instructor has the option of awarding any assignment that has been found to have been plagiarized a zero. Do not copy and paste from websites, even if the source is cited. Please be aware that the instructors are well aware of homework “help” sites too. It’s very likely a submission used from one will be familiar to the instructor. Subsequent violations may result in an F in the class and reports of plagiarism to the university.

Visit the APUS library for assistance in research, citations, and writing.

Week	Topic	Learning Objectives	Readings	Assignment
1	American Government: The Constitution	CO 1-3	LESSON 1 Lesson Notes – Week 1 American Government: Chapter 1-2, 6	Introduction, Academic Integrity, & Week 1 Forum Week 1 Quiz
2	Political Participation	CO 4, 8	LESSON 2 Lesson Notes – Week 2 American Government: Chapters 9-11 Nabatchi, Tina, and Matt Leighninger. 2015. Public	Forum: Week 2 Forum Week 2 Essay Week 2 Quiz

			Participation for 21st Century Democracy. Jossey-Bass. – Chapter 5
3	The Congress	CO 5, 7	LESSON 3 Lesson Notes – Week 3 American Government: Chapters 3, 14 Aikins, S. K. (2009). “Political economy of government intervention in the free market system.” Administrative Theory & Praxis, 31(3), 403-408. Clyburn, James E. “Developing the will and the way to address persistent poverty in America.” Harvard Journal on Legislation, 01/2014, Volume 51, Issue 1	Week 3 Forum Week 3 Quiz
4	The Presidency	CO 1-5	LESSON 4 Lesson Notes – Week 4 American Government: Chapters 4, 16-17 Ashbee, Edward and Alex Waddan. “The Obama Administration and United States Trade Policy.” Political Quarterly, 04/2010, Volume 81, Issue 2 Blecker, R. A., & Esquivel, G. (2010). “NAFTA, Trade, and Development.” CESifo Forum, 11(4), 17-30.	Week 4 Forum Week 4 Essay Week 4 Quiz
5	The Supreme Court	CO 5	LESSON 5 Lesson Notes – Week 5 American Government: Chapters 5, 18 Herman, Susan N. Taking	Week 5 Forum Week 5 Quiz

			liberties: the war on terror and the erosion of American democracy by 09/2011 – Chapter 11
6	Federal Bureaucracy	CO 6	LESSON 6 Lesson Notes – Week 6 Chapter 8: “Bureaucracy: The Real Government” American Government: Chapter 15 Sinha, G. Alex .”NSA surveillance since 9/11 and the human right to privacy.” Loyola Law Review, 12/2013, Volume 59, Issue 4	Week 6 Forum Week 6 Essay Week 6 Quiz
7	Public Policy	CO 7	LESSON 7 Lesson Notes – Week 7 American Government: Chapters 7, 13	Week 7 Forum Week 7 Quiz Final Presentation
8	Political Influences	CO 4, 8	LESSON 8 Lesson Notes – Week 8 American Government: Chapters 8, 12 Lobbying and Policy Change: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009. Read Chapter 1, pp 1-24	Week 8 Forum Week 8 Quiz

Please see the Student Handbook to reference all University policies. Quick links to frequently asked question about policies are listed below.

Drop/Withdrawal Policy

Plagiarism Policy

Extension Process and Policy Disability Accommodations Grading Scale

Netiquette

Online universities promote the advancement of knowledge through positive and constructive debate – both inside and outside the classroom. Forums on the Internet, however, can occasionally degenerate into needless insults and “flaming.” Such activity are not acceptable in a university setting – basic academic rules of good behavior and proper “netiquette” must persist. Remember that you are in a place for the rewards and excitement of learning which does not include descent to personal attacks or student attempts to stifle the forum of others.

Humor Note: Despite the best of intentions, jokes and especially satire can easily get lost or taken seriously. If you feel the need for humor, you may wish to add “emoticons” to help alert your readers: ;-), : ), J

The online library is available to enrolled students and faculty from inside the electronic campus. This is your starting point for access to online books, subscription periodicals, and web resources that are designed to support your classes and generally not available through search engines on the open Web. In addition, the online library provides access to special learning resources, which the University has contracted to assist with your studies. Questions can be directed to librarian@apus.edu.

• Charles Town Library and Inter Library Loan: The university maintains a special library with a limited number of supporting volumes, collection of our professors’ publication, and services to search and borrow research books and articles from other libraries.
• Electronic Books: You can use the online library to uncover and download over 50,000 titles, which have been scanned and made available in electronic format.
• Electronic Journals: The university provides access to over 12,000 journals, which are available in electronic form and only through limited subscription services.
• Tutor.com: AMU and APU Civilian & Coast Guard students are eligible for 10 free hours of tutoring provided by APUS. Tutor.com connects you with a professional tutor online 24/7 to provide help with assignments, studying, test prep, resume writing, and more. Tutor.com is tutoring the way it was meant to be.

Request a Library Guide for your course (http://apus.libguides.com/index.php)

The AMU/APU Library Guides provide access to collections of trusted sites on the Open Web and licensed resources on the deep web. The following are specially tailored for academic research at APUS:

• Program portals contain topical and methodological resources to help launch general research in the degree program.
  • The American Government I Lib-Guide can be found at: http://apus.campusguides.com/content.php?pid=93171&search_terms=american+governm ent.

Assignments are submitted to Turnitin.com, which analyzes submissions for potential plagiarism.

Corwin, Edward S. The President: Office and Powers, 4^th ed. New York: University Press, 1957.

Cronin, Thomas E. The Paradoxes of the American Presidency. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Dahl, Robert A. Democracy, Liberty, Equality. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.

De Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America, vol. 1, ed. Phillips Bradley. New York: Vintage, 1954. Lenz, Timothy O. and Mirya Holman. American Government. University Press of Florida. 2013.