Introduction to Politics
and Political Analysis
Welcome to POSC 120 Online. Online learning can be stressful because you are working on your own and not meeting with your instructor regularly. So, step One: relax. Pretty much everything you need to know can be found on this page. If anything is not clear, please let me know. If you have any questions, please contact me at joe.braunwarth@gcccd.edu. Something is due every week so don't fall behind.
Before beginning class, review the introduction, orientation and frequently asked questions.
Course information including assignment due dates can be found on this page. This course uses the Blackboard online platform for forum, email, quizzes and grades. You can access the blackboard system here: http://bb.gcccd.edu/. Your blackboard user name should be your firstnamelastname and your password should be your birth date mmddyy. Login and check your personal information. An email for you is listed. Is this the email you want blackboard to use? If not, change it AND send me the email so I can update my course roster.
This course will introduce you to the world of politics. Essentially, what you will learn in this course is how to "see politically". Politics is much more than the competition for office or what we see on the news. While these are of course important, they only represent the tip of the political iceberg. While you may find very few advertisements for political scientists in the want ads, the study of political science helps us to understand the deeper forces and structures that shape the world in which we live. This course will help you to make sense of how we arrived at where we are now, and where we might be or even should be going in the future. Indeed, this course assumes that there are alternative ways of looking at and dealing with fundamental sociopolitical issues and problems and will examine contemporary society in this context.
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Textbook: Van Belle and Mash. A Novel Approach to Politics. CQ Press, second edition, 2009. |
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Reader: American Government Examined: A Reader. Joseph Braunwarth, editor. First edition. NSS Press, 2005. This is sold as a CD. |
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Additional readings are assigned throughout the semester. These will be available on-line. |
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Watch or read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. You are required to obtain and watch or read (the film is good but the book is better) this work on your own during the first week of the semester. |
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120 points |
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20 points |
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95 points |
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100 points |
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315 points |
Your final grade is not curved and will be assigned according to the following table. Pluses and minuses will be awarded as appropriate:
| A = 90%+ | (outstanding work) |
| B = 80%-89% | (very good work) |
| C = 70%-79% | (average, satisfactory work) |
| D = 60%-69% | (below average, marginal work) |
| F = 0 –69% | (very unsatisfactory work) |
This course requires that you
keep up with readings and assignments on your own. Each week you are required to read some
chapters from the text as well as familiarize yourself with the on-line powerpoint
“lectures”. Then, each week, you are required to complete
some combination of quizzes, discussion boards, or essays as noted on the
schedule below. Everything must be completed by
Sunday at
Cheating and plagiarism (using as one's own ideas writings, materials, or images of someone else without acknowledgement or permission) can result in any one of a variety of sanctions. Such penalties may range from an adjusted grade on the particular exam, paper, project, or assignment (all of which may lead to a failing grade in the course) to, under certain conditions, suspension or expulsion from a class, program or the college. For further clarification and information on these issues, please consult with your instructor or contact the office of the Associate Dean of Student Affairs.
You can also access powerpoint presentations below. Although it may seem a bit odd at first, I highly recommend that you take notes with a pen and paper as you review the lectures. Simply reading or printing out lectures does not mean that you will remember the material. Writing down notes (they don’t have to be detailed) in longhand dramatically improves your retention of the material you will encounter. This is valuable not only for the exams but because you are a scholar and you are here to learn something.
In this course, participation occurs through on-line threaded discussions on a "discussion board" on the course Blackboard page. Periodically, the instructor will post discussion topics relating course materials to contemporary political events. Your participation is part of your grade and the more you include relevant course materials, the higher you will score.
To post your message, reply to the instructor discussion board posting for that topic (you may compose your answer on another word processing system and cut and paste). Follow the same process to respond to other student postings. Once something is posted, it is available for everyone to see. You are encouraged to challenge each other’s ideas but attacks directed toward individuals will not be tolerated.
Quizzes will be offered through Blackboard. There are six quizzes. Quizzes can be taken up to 2 times, only your best score will be recorded. Quizzes are worth 20 points each and will be scored out of a possible of 120 points. These quizzes must be done on your own and the advantage for doing them on your own is that many of the questions in these quizzes will appear on the final exam. Once a quiz is closed it is no longer available for review so you may want to write out the questions for future review. Please follow the instructions for the quizzes carefully. Fill in the blank questions must be spelled correctly. Separate the responses for more than one blank with a semi colon (;). Take joy in the fact that you are learning new things that you never knew before; way to expand that brain!
Instructions for essay assignments can be linked below. Essays must be submitted to the "Assignment" link on the course Blackboard page. Please paste your submission in the "comments" box. If you must attach a document, please save it in a .doc or .rtf format.
There is no single "right" answer to these essays; what matters most is a clear understanding and utilization of the materials assigned. Analytic rigor, thoughtfulness, and clear, persuasive writing will determine your grade. In addition to content, the essay assignments will be graded on grammar, style, and structure. This is one of the few opportunities I have to see if you are keeping up with the material so please integrate as many of the following readings in your essay. Please limit yourself to this material.
Writing Tips:
| If the questions asks you to refer to a particular reading, you must refer to that reading for full credit (author and page number are sufficient). |
| An above average paper will provide some insight or elaboration in addition to clearly presenting the topic assigned. |
| More general paper guidelines can be linked on the course web page. |
The final exam be held in person on the Grossmont College campus. The exam will consist of a combination of essay and multiple choice questions. Questions will cover material from the entire course, both "lectures" and readings. Please bring a grade master form 25420 to the final. You are required to show a picture ID to verify your identity when you arrive to take the final. Please note: your final grade will not be more than one grade level above your score on the final exam. In other words, to earn an "A" in the course you must earn at least a "B" on the final exam. This is to ensure that you do your own work over the course of the semester and if you do your own work the one grade level above your final exam rule will not be a problem for you.
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| Online Counseling: Students can address the web counselor with any questions or concerns regarding educational /career goals and plans at www.grossmont.edu/counseling/webcounselor |
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| Academic Counseling, Rm 118, 644-7208. Students can access a web counselor at www.grossmont.edu/counseling and clicking "Web Counselor on the left side of the screen. Another link that may be helpful is "College Success Profile" which enables students to identify their learning strengths and study behavior weaknesses. |
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| Transfer Center, Rm. 100, 644-7215 |
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| English Writing Center (EWC) provides tutorial and instructional support, word processing, grammar tutorials, and writing resources. Rm. 70-119, 644-7516 |
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| The English Reading Center (ERC) also provides tutorial support for vocabulary exercises as well as activities focus, Rm. 545, 644-7464 |
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| Students with disabilities who may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSP&S) early in the semester so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. Students may contact DSP&S in person in room 110 or by phone at 619-644-7112 (voice) or 619-644-7119 (TTY for deaf). |
You may enroll in the following supervised tutoring courses if the service indicated will assist you in achieving or reinforcing the learning objectives of this course:
| IDS 198, Supervised Tutoring to receive tutoring in general computer applications in the Tech Mall; |
| English 198W, Supervised Tutoring for assistance in the English Writing Center (Room 70-119); and/or |
| IDS 198T, Supervised Tutoring to receive one-on-one tutoring in academic subjects in the Tutoring Center (Room 70-229, 644-7387). |
To add any of these courses, you may obtain Add Codes at the Information/Registration Desk in the Tech Mall. All Supervised Tutoring courses are non-credit/non-fee. However, if you have no other classes, you will be charged the usual health fee.
| Power Point lectures can be linked below. If you do not have a Power Point Viewer you can download one at no cost here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Take notes! This will help you to learn the material. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paper assignments can be linked below but must be submitted to the Blackboard Assignment link | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quizzes and Discussion Discussion Boards can be found on
Blackboard
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Should you decide to stop attending class, it is your responsibility to officially withdraw from the course by using WebConnect (www.grossmont.edu) or by filing a drop card at the Office of Admissions and Records. If you do not officially drop the course, then your name will appear on the final grade roster and you will receive an F for the semester.
| This is a demanding course, so keep up with the reading. |
| Take notes on what you read. |
| Look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary. |
| Read the syllabus carefully to familiarize yourself with the course policies. |
How not to do well in this class