This course meets entirely online.
The student will describe and analyze the basic principles of the U.S. Constitution, the role of voters, political parties, campaigns, and the structure and processes of the three branches of the national government.
Course Alignment
General Education Outcomes are the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, and student services, both inside and outside of the classroom. The General Education Outcomes specifically learned in this course are:
- Critical Thinking
Faculty Contact Information
Office Hours:
- Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays: 11:00 am – 11:55 am
- Tuesdays: 1:45 – 3:15 pm
I am also available for in-person, telephone, or video conferences by appointment.
I attempt to respond to emails received Monday through Friday within 24 hours. I try to check my e-mail at least once on Saturday, but do not check it on Sundays.
Scott Kistler
Email: skistler@kcc.edu
Course Information
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Explain the relationships between political life and the cultural ideas of American democracy
- Describe formal government institutions and legal structures and political behavior and processes
- Describe the political systems of other countries, identify international organizations, and explain the relationships between nations
- Analyze and evaluate political phenomena
- Demonstrate an understanding of and skill in the process of social scientific inquiry
- Make explicit and analyze value judgments about political decisions and policies
- Explain the social-psychological sources and historical-cultural origins of their own political attitudes and values, and analyze critically the personal and social implications of alternative values
- Demonstrate an understanding of the capacities and skills needed to participate effectively and democratically in society.
Materials provided by instructor
Check Assignments:
- Lesson checks: 48 points (12 checks, 4 points each)
- Discussions:
- Course Intro Discussion: 10 points
- Topical Discussions: 220 points (11 discussions, 20 points each)
- Choose a topic for the Module 5 Assessment: 5 points
- Module 5 Assessment: what are you learning?: 10 points
- Political Philosophy and Constitutional Interpretation Reflection: 50 points
Essential Assignments
- Syllabus Quiz: 8 points
- Academic Honesty and Artificial Intelligence Quiz: 5 points
- Political Philosophy: 15 points
- Political Values Analysis: 45 points
- Module Assessments
- Module 1 Assessment: 150 points
- Module 2 Assessment: 90 points
- Module 3 Assessment: 60 points
- Module 4 Assessment: 60 points
- Module 5 Assessment: 150 points
Grading Scale:
- To get a C, you need to pass each of the Essential Assignments with 70% or more either the first time or by improving your score on a revision or retake. The Essential Assignments must be turned in and passed by the dates specified in the Course Policies section below.
- To get a B, you need to meet the requirements for a C and earn 80-89% of the total points in the class. The Essential Assignments must be turned in and passed by the dates specified in the Course Policies section below.
- To get an A, you need to meet the requirements for a C and earn 90-100% of the total points in the class. The Essential Assignments must be turned in and passed by the dates specified in the Course Policies section below.
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Dean, Jennifer Huggins; 815-802-8484; R310; jhuggins@kcc.edu; Division Office- W102; 815-802-8700
When do the Essential Assignments need to be turned in if you want to pass the class?
Students must pass all Essential Assignments to pass the class. Students who do not pass the first time are able to revise their work to pass them. Mr. Kistler is glad to help with the revising process.
To keep students on track to pass the class and prevent a rush to turn in Essential Assignments at the end of the term, these are the deadlines:
- By 11:59 pm on Thursday, October 12, the Module 1 Assessment and Political Values Analysis must be turned in. Students not meeting this requirement will receive an F for the class. Please note, students who do not pass an Essential Assignment the first time are able to revise their assignments to get a passing grade. Mr. Kistler is glad to help you pass!
- By 11:59 pm on Monday, December 7, all Essential Assignments must be turned in. Students not meeting this requirement will receive an F for the class. Please note, students who do not pass an Essential Assignment the first time are able to revise their assignments to get a passing grade. Mr. Kistler is glad to help you pass!
- If you want to avoid getting an Incomplete grade for the class, all revisions of Essential Assignments must be turned in by noon on Thursday, December 10.
Any exceptions to these deadlines must be requested by the student and approved by Mr. Kistler. Documentation may be required.
Late Work Policy
Assignments of 30 points or more: There is an automatic 1-day grace period. After that:
- Up to 1 week late: 10% of points taken off
- Up to 2 weeks late: 20% of points taken off
- And so on, for each additional week late
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is defined in Code of Conduct in the KCC Catalog as "taking, reproducing, and/or using as one’s own, without proper attribution, the ideas, writings, paraphrases, data, reports, graphic designs, or computer codes of published or unpublished work of another person in completing an academic assignment. Prohibited conduct may also include the unauthorized submission for credit of academic work that has been submitted for credit in another course." All instances of intentional plagiarism on any assignment for this course will lead to the failure of the assignment. The instance of plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Student Development. If the student has a second instance of plagiarism reported to the Dean of Student Development, the student may be suspended from the institution.
Cheating (including using artificial intelligence tools on assignments in ways not allowed by the instructor), fabrication, intellectual property dishonesty, and facilitation of academic dishonesty are also violations of the Code of Conduct and have the same consequence as plagiarism. You can find the KCC catalog here: https://kcc.smartcatalogiq.com/current/Academic-Catalog. Search for the section on "Academic Misconduct."
Penalties for plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, or the inappropriate use of artificial intelligence tools on Region Checks or Essential Assignments:
- First instance during the semester: student receives a zero but can revise the assignment
- Second instance during the semester: student can receive a maximum grade of C in the course; if it’s an Essential Assignment, the student still must revise it to pass
- Third instance during the semester: student fails the course
Credit Hours and Coursework
This course earns those who complete it 3 credit hours. This means that you would expect to spend about 10 hours per week on work for this course (3.5 hours that you would normally spend in class and about 6.5 hours outside of class). It also may vary depending on your specific abilities relating to the class. I did not make up this ratio; it is the standard way of calculating out-of-class work in college-level classes. It's your responsibility to figure out if you have enough time to succeed in this course while also fulfilling your other responsibilities.
Make-Up Policy
If you miss a deadline due to an emergency and need more time to complete the work, you must have documentation and contact me beforehand, if possible, or as soon as possible after the deadline. Those not meeting these requirements will receive a late penalty of one grade or more at the discretion of the instructor.
Questions about Grades
If you have a question about a grade on an assignment or exam, follow the “1 day, 1 paragraph, 1 week” policy: wait one day before you contact the instructor, write one paragraph explaining why your grade should be changed, and contact the instructor within one week of the date on which you received your grade. The instructor will then consider your explanation and get back to you as soon as possible.
Incompletes
Incompletes are designed to help a student who is successfully completing a course deal with a personal emergency that arises at the end of the semester. A grade of Incomplete will only be assigned in the case of emergencies such as a death in the immediate family or an illness that requires hospitalization. The student must currently have a passing grade and must still meet the attendance requirements of the course. Official documentation will be required to verify the validity of the student's need for an incomplete.
Incompletes will NOT be given in the case of vacation plans, job conflicts, apartment lease problems, social engagements, missing too many deadlines, or forgetting to take exams. If you need an incomplete, you must speak with me and provide the necessary documentation so that I can make the decision.
Students and instructor are expected to follow the above policies and interact with each other respectfully.
Week of | Due Monday at 11:59 pm | Due Tuesday at 11:59 pm | Due Thursday at 11:59 pm |
8/31 | Syllabus Quiz Course Intro Discussion | Political Philosophy | |
9/7 | Academic Honesty and Artificial Intelligence Quiz | U.S. Constitution Check | U.S. Constitution Discussion |
9/14 | Federalism Check | Federalism Discussion | |
9/21 | Module 1 Assessment | Political Socialization and Media Check | Political Values Analysis |
9/28 | Interest Groups Check | Interest Groups Discussion | |
10/5 | Political Parties, Voting, and Elections Check | Political Parties, Voting, and Elections Discussion | |
10/12 | Module 2 Assessment | Congress Check | Congress Discussion |
10/19 | Presidency Check | Presidency Discussion | |
10/26 | Federal Bureaucracy Check | Federal Bureaucracy Discussion | |
11/2 | Module 3 Assessment | Federal Judiciary Check | Federal Judiciary Discussion |
11/9 | Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Check | Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Discussion | |
11/16 | Module 4 Assessment | Public Policy Check Choose a topic for Module 5 Assessment | Public Policy Discussion |
11/23 | Module 5 Assessment: what are you learning? | Foreign Policy Discussion | |
11/30 | Module 5 Assessment | Constitutional Interpretation Discussion | |
12/7 | Political Philosophy and Constitutional Interpretation Reflection |
College Policies, Resources and Supports
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
- Clubs and organizations
- Counseling and referral services
- Office of disability services
- Student complaint policy
- Transfer services
- Tutoring services, etc.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.