Instructor: Aaron Bryant Hughes, MA

Email: hughesab@lamarpa.edu

Phone: (409) 984-6581

Office Location and Hours: Student Center, Room 403; Tuesday and Thursday 10:00-1:15 and by appointment

Additional Contact Information: None

In this course, we will review and analyze:

●      The origin and development of The U.S. Constitution;

●      The structure of the powers of the government, including the legislative, executive, and judicial branches;

●      Federalism;

●      Political Participation;

●      The national election process;

●      Public Policy

●      Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

●      The rights and responsibilities of citizens;

●      Issues and policies in U.S. government, politics, and public policy

Required Textbook: American Government, 3rd Edition, by Krutz and Waskiewicz, free web version, ISBN 13: 978-1-951693-38-1, Openstax, Rice University, http://openstax.org/details/books-american-government-3e.

Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.

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Core Objectives:

●      Communication Skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral, and visual communication skills.

●      Critical thinking skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking and/or inquiry, analysis,evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.

●      Teamwork: Students will demonstrate their ability to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal and consider different points of view.

●      Social responsibility: Students will demonstrate intercultural competency and civil knowledge by engaging effectively in local, regional, national, and/or global communities.

●      Personal responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making.

Core Objectives:

●      Communication Skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral, and visual communication skills.

●      Critical thinking skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking and/or inquiry, analysis,evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.

●      Teamwork: Students will demonstrate their ability to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal and consider different points of view.

●      Social responsibility: Students will demonstrate intercultural competency and civil knowledge by engaging effectively in local, regional, national, and/or global communities.

●      Personal responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making.

Unit I: Students And The American System:

Readings: Chapters 1-4

EXAMINATION ONE

Unit II: Individual Agency And Action/Mediating Institutions:

Readings: Chapters 5-8

EXAMINATION II

Unit III: Mediating Institutions/The Institutions Of Government

Readings: Chapters 9-13

EXAMINATION THREE

Unit IV: The Institutions Of Government/The Outputs Of Government

Readings: Chapters 14-17

EXAMINATION FOUR/THE FINAL EXAMINATION

To be determined

According to the college's posted schedule

Your course grade will be the average of the scores that you earn on these 8 written products.

The grading scale is as follows:

90-100=A

80-89=B

70-79=C

60-69=D

Below 60=F

The Road To Success:

To earn a passing grade in this class, you must:

●      Pass all four of the examinations, the content of which will be based on a unit of material as outlined below;

●      Submit the four writing assignments that you will be given over the course of the semester. Each assignment will be based on a unit of the reading material.

Make-up work and examinations are given at the discretion of the professor. In cases of personal illness or emergency, with documentation, the professor may allow make-up work, but only if the student requests such immediately upon return to class.

Using AI to complete any assignment is strictly prohibited, including the use of Grammarly and other wordsmith websites. Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (to wit, the Section On Academic Dishonesty in the Student Handbook) for the severe consequences if you are caught cheating in any way. If you are found to cheat, you will receive an “F” for the course and will be reported to my department chairman, my dean, and the university president.

Inasmuch as this is an online class, I do not record attendance but you are strongly encouraged to keep up with the readings and otherwise participate in class activities.  

Please check your campus email and Course Homepage using the MYLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grade, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MYLSCPA

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Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.

Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Accessibility Services Coordinator, Room 119, in the Ruby Fuller Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.

No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.

This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.

As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.

LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.

For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.

If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.