RIO HONDO COLLEGE
Political Science 110
Fall 2021
CRN: 77321
8:05-9:30 am Tuesday & Thursday live over ConferZoom.
Instructor: Francisco Lopez
Email: flopez@riohondo.edu
This course surveys and analyzes the origins, principles, institutions, policies, and politics of U.S. National and California State Governments, including their constitutions. Emphasis is placed on the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and an understanding of the political processes and issues involved in the workings of government. This course fulfills the American Institutions requirement for the Associate Degree. It also is suitable for students wishing to expand their knowledge of local, state and national governments.
Please always feel free to reach out to me through Canvas messenger. I am here to support you.
I will do my best to respond to you within 24-hours Monday - Saturday. I reserve Sunday as a family day and any messages received on this day will be returned by Monday. If you do not receive a response from me please assume your message was not received and send again.
Lectures for this course will be delivered via Zoom meetings during the scheduled class times. The course assignments will be delivered entirely online through the learning management system, Canvas. You will use your Rio Hondo username and password to log in to the Canvas course.
In Canvas, you will access online lessons, course materials, and resources. At designated times throughout the semester, we will participate in a blend of self-paced and group-paced activities using Canvas, Zoom web-conferencing and other internet-based technologies. Activities will consist of online assignments, discussion forums, and announcements. All student work is submitted/posted online in Canvas.
This is a 3 unit course and will require approximately 9 hours of work per week in order to read course materials, watch course lectures, and participate in course assessment activities.
The Student Will Be Able To:
Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!
American Government from OpenStax (Links to an external site.), ISBN 1-947172-19-0
You have several options to obtain this book:
No make-up quizzes or exams are encouraged, however, exceptions will be granted on a case-by-case basis at my discretion. Any and all kinds of cheating and plagiarism are taken very seriously. If anyone is found engaging in these activities, they will receive a failing grade for the assignment and will be reported for academic dishonesty to the Student LifeOffice.
Measure understanding of course material through objective exams and quizzes containing multiple choice, true-false and/or short answer questions. Assess understanding of course concepts as demonstrated in short reports.
COURSE GRADING
The grading scale for the course is as follows: based on the total points offered. Canvas is +/- 2-3% accurate on your grade...there often needs your faculty member to manually manipulate grades and points. i.e. Canvas doesn't do extra credit well!
A 90-100% = A
B 80-89% = B
C 70-79% = C
D 60-69% = D
F 0-59% = F
The A range is considered excellent work.
The B range is considered good work.
The C range is considered satisfactory work.
The D range is considered passing, but less than satisfactory work.
CR (credit) is awarded for a grade of A, B, or C.
NC (no-credit) is awarded for a grade of D or F.
Points possible: 1000
30 Lecture participation activities: 10 points each
15 'Snow Ball' discussions: 10 points each
5 Quizzes: 30 points each
3 Exams: 100 points each
1 Course paper topic: 10 points each
1 Course paper: 90 points each
Extra credit: A few extra questions will be offered periodically on exams and quizzes that can be added to your overall score. My philosophy is that I want you to focus on class material and not on small time-consuming tasks that will not be tested.
Rio Hondo College policy states that students are expected to attend all class meetings/listen to recorded zoom meetings. While it is the student’s responsibility to officially drop a class whenever he or she determines that
he or she can no longer attend a class, students will be dropped from this class after the third unexcused absence.
Rio Hondo has many policies and procedures that cover all aspects of running the college. Below are the ones most relevant to students.
The faculty and staff of DSPS are committed to providing students with disabilities the opportunity to effectively matriculate into the mainstream of college and community life. We do this by providing services and instruction that promotes equal access to educational programs, self-advocacy, and personal growth opportunities that foster individual student success.
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Course Schedule |
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Date |
Day |
Chapter |
Discussion Topic |
Due |
|
AUG 24 |
T |
CHAPTER 1 |
Introduction (Nature of politics / Importance of civic engagement) |
|
|
AUG 26 |
TH |
CHAPTER 1 |
Ideology (Concepts) |
|
|
AUG 31 |
T |
CHAPTER 2 |
Constitution (Origin) |
|
|
SEPT 2 |
TH |
CHAPTER 2 |
Constitution (Structure of US Government) |
Quiz 1 |
|
SEPT 7 |
T |
CHAPTER 3 |
Federalism |
|
|
SEPT 9 |
TH |
CHAPTER 3 |
Federalism |
|
|
SEPT 14 |
T |
CHAPTER 4 |
Civil Liberties |
Quiz 2 |
|
SEPT 16 |
TH |
CHAPTER 4 |
Civil Liberties |
|
|
SEPT 21 |
T |
CHAPTER 5 |
Civil Rights |
Paper Topic Due |
|
SEPT 23 |
TH |
CHAPTER 5 |
Civil Rights |
|
|
SEPT 28 |
T |
|
Exam (Chapters 1 -5) |
Exam 1 |
|
SEPT 30 |
TH |
CHAPTER 9 |
Political Parties |
|
|
OCT 5 |
T |
CHAPTER 9 |
Political Parties |
|
|
OCT 7 |
TH |
CHAPTER 11 |
Congress (Legislative Branch) |
Quiz 3 |
|
OCT 12 |
T |
CHAPTER 11 |
Congress (Legislative Branch) |
|
|
OCT 14 |
TH |
CHAPTER 12 |
Presidency (Executive Branch) |
|
|
OCT 19 |
T |
CHAPTER 12 |
Presidency (Executive Branch) |
|
|
OCT 21 |
TH |
CHAPTER 13 |
Courts (Judicial Branch) |
|
|
OCT 26 |
T |
CHAPTER 13 |
Courts (Judicial Branch) |
|
|
OCT 28 |
TH |
CHAPTER 7 |
Voting / Elections |
Quiz 4 |
|
NOV 2 |
T |
CHAPTER 7 |
Voting / Elections |
|
|
NOV 4 |
TH |
|
Exam (Chapters 7, 9, 11-13) |
Exam 2 |
|
NOV 9 |
T |
CHAPTER 10 |
Interest Groups |
|
|
NOV 11 |
TH |
CHAPTER 10 |
Interest Groups |
|
|
NOV 16 |
T |
CHAPTER 6 |
Public Opinion |
|
|
NOV 18 |
TH |
CHAPTER 6 |
Public Opinion |
Course Paper Due |
|
NOV 23 |
T |
CHAPTER 8 |
Media |
Quiz 5 |
|
NOV 25 |
TH |
|
Thanksgiving |
|
|
NOV 30 |
T |
CHAPTER 17 |
Foreign Policy |
|
|
DEC 2 |
TH |
CHAPTER 14 |
State and Local |
|
|
DEC 7 |
T |
CHAPTER 14 |
State and Local |
|
|
DEC 9 |
TH |
|
Exam (Chapters 6, 8, 10, 14, 17) |
Exam 3 |