POL 1020 Course Syllabus
Professor
Dr. Gay Lyons
B.A. English
M.A. English
Ph.D. Political Science
Email: Use the WebCT Email.
Course Description
Analysis of politics and political systems in various countries.
Entry Level Standards
You must be able to read and write at the college level. Being able to read
at the college level is crucial to your success in this course because all
of your instruction (the text, instructions from me, etc.) comes to you in
written form. If you learn best by hearing information or by interacting
face-to-face, this is not the best way for you to take this class.
You must be able to read well to do well in this online class,
Course Objectives
Acquire a general understanding of the key concepts and ideas upon which different systems of government are based
Understand the U.S. governmental heritage
Understand other countries' governmental heritage
Understand basic societal rules
Understand the mechanisms individuals use to influence their government
Understand how the electoral system operates in various political systems
Understand the balance of power in various political systems
Understand the purpose and function of political structures
Required Text
Magstadt, Thomas M. Understanding Politics: Ideas, Institutions, and Issues. 7th edition.
Course Calendar
All course deadlines are on the Course Calendar. Access the calendar by clicking on the ""Calendar" link on the course homepage. A deadline is defined as noon central time on the deadline date. The reason for this is that if you encounter a problem in the few hours before a deadline, chances are reasonably good you can reach me during that time. I'm generally not available in the hours just before midnight. If you are a night owl & prefer a midnight deadline, then think of a noon Monday deadline as midnight on Sunday (or better yet--Friday or Saturday). If you live in a different time zone, you are expected to determine how central time corresponds to your time & to adjust accordingly.
Course Units
The course has been divided into four units:
Unit 1 = Chapters 1, 3-6
Unit 2 = Chapters 7-9
Unit 3 = Chapters 10-12, 2, 13
Unit 4 = Chapters 14-18
For more information, go to Course Modules and click on the links to the course units.
Quizzes
There are 12 True/False quizzes, covering the assigned chapter reading. Be aware that with this type of question & answer format, you should select the BEST response. There may be some element of truth in each answer, but you need to select the BEST response. Avoid over-analyzing. The questions are pretty straight forward--but you do need to read questions carefully. Be aware of the significance of words such as "always" and "never."
No proctor is needed. These may be completed from anywhere the student has access to the internet. The text may be consulted during the quizzes & tests; however, because quizzes & tests are timed, there is limited opportunity for consulting the text. You won't have time to read the chapter AND take the test.
You must submit a quiz prior to deadline in order to receive credit. Missed quizzes may not be made up. Quizzes are worth up to 100 points each. I will drop your two lowest quiz grades and average your best 10 grades. Thus, you may opt not to take two quizzes or to drop your lowest two quiz grades. Quizzes will count 10% of your final course grade. Access quizzes by clicking on the "Tests/Quizzes" link.
Quizzes are TIMED. You will have a sufficient period of time to take each quiz. The time limit is intended to be generous enough to allow for thinking about answers & for quick references to the textbook but not for extensive reading of the text during a quiz. Read the chapters carefully prior to taking a quiz or test. Know where in the chapter to find information. The exact time limit for each quiz varies accordng to the number of questions on the quiz. Quiz length ranges from 10-20 questions.
Once you begin a quiz, you must finish it within the designated time period.
You may not access a quiz, exit the quiz, & return to the quiz. If a
technical problem occurs while you are taking a quiz, call the helpdesk.
If you enter a test or quiz by mistake, exit immediately & send me an Email message so that I can re-set the test or quiz. Do not try to take the quiz or test, & do not spend time examining the test. If you do either of these things, your mistaken attempt will have to count as your grade. If you exit immediately & get in touch, you'll get a second chance. Be careful! Look carefully at the link before you click. You don't want to click on "Test 2" when you meant to click on "Quiz 2."
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are not finished with the quiz by the time limit,
you will not be kicked out of the quiz. Thus, if you need a little more time
to finish or to check your answers, you should not feel compelled to exit
by the time limit. I will be told by how many minutes you exceeded the limit,
but there is no penalty for exceeding the time limit. If your time on a quiz
seems excessive, I will get in touch with you afterwards.
When you submit your quiz, click on the box "View Results." This will
result in your quiz being automatically graded and the grade being recorded.
If your quiz is not automatically graded, I will grade it manually
later. This is not a problem, but you should be aware that there will
be a time lag between you take the quiz & when I grade it. When this happens, if you'll let me know that a quiz grade is missing, I'll be glad to grade it for you.
Responses
There are four course "Responses." Note the separate forums for these at the Discussion Board: Response One Forum, Response Two Forum, etc. Each response has two parts: Part & Part B. In Part A, you will post a response to the assigned topic. In Part B, you will read other students' responses & participate in discussion.
To read the topic for each Response, go to the Assignments link & click on the assignment name--Response Topic One, Response Topic Two, etc. The topics will be available to you a few days before deadline.
NOTE:Because you are not actually submitting a Response assignment at the drop box, after the deadline, each Response Topic will be marked as a "late" assignment. Just ignore it. If you think this "late" mark will bother you, then submit a blank document at each Response Topic drop box.
You will receive a grade for your combined responses at the end of the semester. You will earn up to 100 points based on how well you meet these criteria:
1. Completion of all 4 Responses—both Parts A & B
2. Writing multiple, thoughtful comments in each Response forum
3. Engaging in active back & forth discussion & debate with other students
4. Demonstrating evidence of having read & understood the related chapter
5. Demonstrating familiarity with relevant current events
7. Maintaining a civil & respectful style & tone
You must demonstrate superior, thoughtful participation in order to earn an A or a B for this activity. Responses are worth 10% of your final course grade.
Responses must be posted prior to the deadline to receive credit. No late work is accepted. Discussions may continue past the deadline, but you will be evaluated based on participation up until the deadline.
Writing Assignments
There are four writing assignments. Access the directions to the writing assignments by clicking on the Assignments link & then on the link for each writing assignment. Submit writing assignments at this same location.
NOTE: The "unlimited cutoff" option visible on the "Assignments List" at the drop box is not generally available. This option is exercised only with my permission--& only in certain specific circumstances--such as an unreadable file format so that an assignment must be re-posted. Any time you have been given permission to post an assignment AFTER a deadline, you must do two things: 1) include at the top of the assignment a short note to me reminding me of your circumstances 2) send a message to let me know that the assignment is there.
Your answer should be well-developed, specific, clear, well-organized, & logical. Point deductions will be made for answers that are under-developed, general, unclear, poorly organized, and/or illogical.
Each writing assignment is worth up to 100 points. Writing assignments are worth 20% of your final course grade. Writing assignments must be submitted prior to deadline. No late work is accepted.
Project
You will complete one project during the semester. The maximum grade is 100 points. Detailed instructions are provided at the "Rapsani Project" link at the Course Modules link. The project is worth 25% of your course grade. 20% comes from the project itself; the other 5% is based on the accompanying peer review. The project must be received prior to the deadline to receive credit. No late projects will be accepted.
Rapsani
This activity is related to the project. You'll create a nation based on the society you decide to create for your project. For details, go to the "Rapsani Project" link at the Course Modules link & click on "Rapsani." You'll receive a grade of up to 100 based on your participation as a nation in the region of Rapsani throughout the semester.
Late in the semester, you'll be asked to submit an assignment summarizing your participation in the Rapsani activities. This assignment is worth up to 100 points. For directions, go to the Assignments link and click on "Rapsani Participation." You must submit this assignment in order to receive a grade for your participation as a nation of Rapsani. This grade will be worth 10% of your final grade. See the calendar for the deadline.
Tests
There are four multiple choice unit tests. There are 50 questions on each test. Deadlines are on the Course Calendar. You will take the Unit Tests online in WebCT anywhere you have access to the Internet. Links to the tests are found at the Tests/Quizzes link on the homepage. Missed tests may not ordinarily be be made up. Do not wait until the last minute to take a test. Last minute is defined as fewer than 24 hours before the deadline. Assume that emergencies will arise. Take the test as soon as you are ready. The tests are worth
up to 100 points. The four test scores are averaged. Tests are worth 25%
of the final grade. A study guide accompanies each test.
The Unit Tests are TIMED. You will have a sufficient period of time to take each test. You will have a sufficient period of time to take each quiz. The time limit is intended to be generous enough to allow for thinking about answers & for quick references to the textbook but not for extensive reading of the text during a test.
Once you begin a test, you must finish it within the designated time period.
You may not access a test, exit the test, & return to the test. If a
technical problem occurs while you are taking a test, call the Helpdesk.
If you enter a test or quiz by mistake, exit immediately & send me an Email message so that I can re-set the test or quiz. Do not try to take the quiz or test, & do not spend time examining the test. If you do either of these things, your mistaken attempt will have to count as your grade. If you exit immediately & get in touch, you'll get a second chance. Be careful! Look carefully at the link before you click.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are not finished with the test by the time limit,
you will not be kicked out of the test. Thus, if you need a little more time
to finish or to check your answers, you should not feel compelled to exit
by the time limit. I will be told by how many minutes you exceeded the limit,
but there is no penalty for exceeding the time limit. If your time on a test
seems excessive, I will get in touch with you afterwards.
When you submit your test, click on the box "View Results." This will
result in your test being automatically graded and the grade being recorded.
If your test is not automatically graded, I will grade it manually
later. This is not a problem, but you should be aware that there will
be a time lag between when you take the test & when I grade it. When this happens, if you'll let me know that a quiz grade is missing, I'll be glad to grade it for you
Miscellaneous
Communicating with Me
Generally, you should communicate with me at the Discussion Board. For private or confidential matters, write me using the WebCT Email. I always respond to student Email messages. If you send me an Email message, and I think your message and my response would be of general interest, I will post them at the Discussion Board rather than responding to you personally. However, I'll always let you know that you need to go to the Discussion Board to see my response NOTE: In an emergency, if WebCT is not available, you may contact me at glyons@pstcc.edu. In this case, identify yourself by full name & by course & section. My office phone is not the best way to reach me because I often teach away from the main campus, which is where my office is located. In an emergency, you may call my home phone 865-693-3653. However, the discussion board or Email is a better way to reach me than by phone.
Grading Scale
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
65-69 D
Deadlines
All deadlines appear on the Course Calendar. The deadline is defined
as noon central time on the deadline date.
The deadline for all assignments is firm. No late work is generally accepted. If you believe you have dire circumstances warranting an exception to this stated policy, you may appeal to me via Email. However, please be aware that my definition of dire circumstances is pretty narrow. Assume that emergencies & technical problems will occur. Work ahead of schedule. Stay informed about deadlines.
Announcements/Updates/Staying Informed
Check E-mail and the Discussion Board daily--Monday-Friday. I will communicate
with you one-on-one via E-mail and will communicate with the whole class
via the Discussion Board. I will post all important announcements at the Discussion Board. The links to WebCT Email and the Discussion Board are at the homepage. Check for announcements at least once a day Monday-Friday. It only
takes a couple of minutes to check for announcements, so please do so regularly.
This is my only way of contacting the entire class with important information,
updates, revisions, etc.
Posting of Grades
Access the online gradebook by clicking on the link to "Grades." Grades on quizzes, tests, writing assignments, & the project are automatically recorded as soon as they are graded. Generally, you can count on work being graded within 5-7 days. Grades for the Responses, Rapsani, & Ten Questions will be posted at the end of the semester. Grades on the peer reviews will be posted shortly after those are completed. The grade will be determined by the quality & thoroughness of your reviews.
Interacting with Other Students
Primarily, you will interact with other students via the Responses, the Rapsani discussions, & Peer Review. However, in addition, you are encouraged to
use the Discussion Board to express opinions and engage in political debate.
These will be informal, optional, student-led and student-based discussions.
Some semesters the Discussion Board becomes a very lively place.
What happens at the Discussion Board depends on YOU. Please do not post
“forwarded” messages.