Course Information |
Assignments are as follows for the FIRST Semester (click link to read more detailed instructions):
Participation: 20% (including small in-class assessments) more...
Leading Discussion: 20% more...
Blog Entries: 10% more...
Campaign project : 20% more...
Congressional Watch: Consistent FULL participation (5%) total for semester grade) more...
Essays: 5% In class essays
Final Exam: 20% more...
Assignments are as follows for the Second Semester (click link to read more detailed instructions):
Participation: 25% (including small in-class assessments) more...
Blog Entries on Supreme Court case: 1 this semester (10%) more...
Congressional Watch: Consistent FULL participation (5%) total for semester grade) more..
National Policy Research Project: 35% more...
Presenting research in workshop: 10% more...
Final Exam: 15% more...
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Participation:
Participation will count for 20% of your overall grade in the first semester and 25 % in the 2nd semester and will be based on the following rubric. Please come to class prepared to participate in class activities. A major part of that preparation will be daily assigned readings from the required books and other reading and writing activities as assigned. We will rely extensively on student-led discussion so that the success of each class will depend on the level of each participant’s preparation and willingness to engage. Should you be curious at any point about what your participation/attendance grade is, feel free to ask!
Class Discussion and Blog
You will be asked to lead class discussion. You will lead class discussion with 2 partners and the weeks for which you lead class discussion, you will be responsible for writing a 1200 word response on your blog on Schoology that explains AND analyzes the readings on which you will lead discussion.
You will be required to coordinate your plan for discussion with your classmates (and Dr. Berry if you have questions). Be creative. Simulations, role-playing, power-points, etc. are all encouraged.
Caveat! Our class blog is a forum for us to continue our discussions outside of class. You must post at least 3 times during the semester IN ADDITION to your official blog entries!! We will discuss the decorum and the ethics of blogging early in the year. Any misuse of the blog or disrespectful blogging will result in the blog being taken down and the entire class having to write two, five-page research papers instead of the blog. Dr. Berry believes strongly in the potential of cooperative learning and open forum knowledge sharing. However, she is not so devoted to the technology that she will tolerate any baloney! She trusts the scholars in APGOV are mature intellectuals committed to enhancing their own education by learning from and teaching others.
The Entries! You may use your text book and lecture material for contextual support, but the bulk of each blog entry should be on the documents from Woll. These official blog entries will comprise 10 percent of your total grade for the 1st semester and 10 percent for the 2nd semester. Blog entries should be approximately 1200 words (which is 1.5-2 pages single-spaced) and MUST BE SUBMITTED TWO days before the scheduled discussion -- the late work policy applies to these blogs even if the deadline falls on a weekend!
Your blog is an informal response to the readings, but since you will be posting it in a public setting, and your classmates will be reading it, you must be certain that it is sophisticated and readable. Be sure, therefore, to spell-check and proofread your blog entry. You should provide AT LEAST 2 direct quotes from the reading. Any direct references you make should be cited with parenthetical references (name of document, name of book, page number). The blog must illustrate that you comprehended the who, when, and what of the readings, but it also must show that you are analyzing and thinking critically about the readings and the things you are learning in lecture. Making connections between the readings is a particularly good way to illustrate the breadth and depth of your comprehension and analysis. See the grading rubric for specific information on how your entry will be assessed. An excellent blog will demonstrate critical thinking about the documents on which you choose to write as well as help to elucidate the material for your colleagues. A short summary, followed by a critique
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Letter from Thomas Jefferson -- who was an avid reader and writer From: The American Memory site |
and/or comparison is the best way to approach the entries. Do NOT worry about grammar too much. This is to be an informal writing assignment – you will NOT be graded down for grammatical errors, unless the entry is incomprehensible. You may expound on your personal opinion as well, but the opinion must be based in evidence and should never be superficial or reactionary.
GRADING Rubric:
A = Every entry has at least 2 direct quotes from the readings. Writing is clear. Student has excellent grasp of the main points of the readings while also illustrating ability to analyze, evaluate and compare/contrast the relevant issues. Format (including citation of references) is followed with maybe one or two mistakes.
B = Every entry has 2 direct quotes from the readings. Writing is clear with some bumps. Student has good grasp of main points of the readings and some critical thinking and analysis is present. Format (including citation of references) is followed with maybe one or two mistakes.
C = Entry is particularly short . Student only provides one quote. Student summarizes readings only and does not provide evidence of critical thinking or analysis. Writing mechanics interfere with comprehensibility. Format is not consistent.
F = Student fails to turn in the blog. Student does not address any of the reading. Writing is incomprehensible. Blog entry is submitted AFTER the discussion.
We will be following 3-4 Congressmen every 1-2 weeks beginning in the middle of the semester. Our goal is to follow the Congressional Representative or Senator via their Twitter or their webpage/blog. In order to do this, you need to have a Twitter account. Please get one. Each time we have a Congressional Watch discussion, you need to post on Schoology BEFORE THE DISCUSSION your thoughts about what you have read about at least ONE of the Congress members in the past 2 weeks. If you do not post each time, you will lose 1% of the 5% that this assignment comprises. We will have 5 discussions. You can go on Schoology now to see an example of what these posts should look like. You must pose AT LEAST one question for debate (we as a class will decide on which questions we want to address). This is very much a "completion" assignment -- so just complete it! :~)
Please click here!
National Policy Research Project
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Segregated public spaces have comprised an important topic for the Supreme Court -- Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 and then Brown v. Board of Education in the 1950s are the two landmark cases that decided the question of equal access under the law. From: The Library of Congress |
Click HERE for assignment sheet.
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Flag-burning is one example of a current issue that touches on many of the themese we'll cover in this course -- especially since in June, 2006 a proposed Constitutional Amendment to prohibit burning fell a single vote short of passing the Senate. The above is the work of Clay Bennett, the editorial cartoonist at the Christian Science Monitor. From: Clay Bennett's Homepage |
Workshopping (10%) -- a portion of your grade for the paper is participation in our workshops for the projects. You will present your work twice before turning in the final project and you are responsible for offering 2, 1-page critiques of your peers' work. We will sign up for groups and partners later in the 2nd semester.
Your presentation at the end of the semester will be 10% of the grade and will be based on a rubric.
You, of course, should peruse the holdings in the school library, but using on-line resources also is required -- remember to be discerning in which sources you choose to use.
The End-of-Semester Exams will be worth 20% in the first semester. 10% will mimic the AP Exam (broad content free response questions) and 10% will be based on your Campaign Project. In the second semester, the final exam is your presentation of your research (s15%).
