Fall 2025
Federal Government
Approved: Initials/date GOVT 2306 2A3 CREDIT 3 Semester Credit Hours (3 hours lecture, 0 hours lab) MODE OF INSTRUCTION Online PREREQUISITE/CO-REQUISITE: TSI Complete for Reading COURSE DESCRIPTION Origin and development of the U.S. Constitution; structure and powers of the national government including the legislative, executive, and judicial branches; federalism; political participation; the national election process; public policy; civil liberties and civil rights. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to 1. Explain the origin and development of constitutional democracy in the United States. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the federal system. 3. Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice. 4. Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government. 5. Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in the political system. 6. Analyze the election process. 7. Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens. 8. Analyze issues and policies in U.S. politics. INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Levi Morris Email: lmorris3@lit.edu Dept. Phone: (409) 257-0053 Office Hours: By Appointment Only REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS American Government 3rd Edition Krutz, Waskiewicz; Free Web Version ISBN-13: 978-1-951693-38-1 https://openstax.org/details/books/american-government-3e ATTENDANCE POLICY It is in the student’s best interest to log on at least once a day to review lecture notes, complete course assignments, and take exams. I monitor the amount of time that students spend in Blackboard and the number of logins throughout the week. If a student stops logging in, I will reach out to ensure that nothing has happened which prevented the student from continuing in the course. However, if you are experiencing difficulties, please be proactive and let me know that you need an extension. DROP POLICY If you wish to drop a course, you are responsible for initiating and completing the drop process. If you stop coming to class and fail to drop the course, you will earn an “F” in the course. COURSE CALENDAR DATE TOPIC READINGS (Due on this Date) ASSIGNMENTS (Due on this Date) Week 1 Oct 21-27 Course Introduction – Syllabus, instructor, etiquette, and course navigation. Political Socialization Roots of the Revolution Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Political Socialization 10/27 Section 2 Quiz 10/27 Discussion 2 10/27 Week 2 Oct 28-Nov 3 The Constitution and its Origins Exam I Chapter 2 AOC Venn Assignment 11/3 Discussion 3 11/3 Exam 1 11/3 Week 3 Nov 4-10 Landmark Supreme Court Cases Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Class PPTs Ch 4 & 5 Discussion 4 11/10 Discussion 5 11/10 KYRA Assignment 11/10 Week 4 Nov 11-17 Federalism: Forging A Nation Exam 2 Chapter 3 Section 6 Quiz 11/17 Discussion 6 11/17 Exam 2 11/17 Week 5 Nov 18-24 The Legislative Branch Balancing National Goals and Local Interests The Executive Branch The Presidency: Leading the Nation Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Discussion 7 11/24 Discussion 8 11/24 Core Assessment Activity #1 11/24 Week 6 Nov 25-Dec 1 The Judicial Branch The Federal Judicial System: Applying the Law Exam 3 Chapter 13 Discussion 9 12/1 Core Assessment Activity #2 12/1 Exam 3 12/1 Week 7 Dec 2-8 Interest Groups Monopolies & Patents Public Opinion Public Polls Chapter 10 Chapter 6 Core Assessment 12/8 Discussions 12/8 Week 8 Dec 9-12 Political Parties Voting and Elections The Media Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 7 Political Parties Assignment 12/10 Media Assignment 12/10 Exam 4 12/10 COURSE EVALUATION Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: Tests…………………………….….50% Core Assessment………………20% Daily Grades/Quizzes……….30% GRADE SCALE 90-100 A 80-89 B 70-79 C 60-69 D 0-59 F TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The latest technical requirements, including hardware, compatible browsers, operating systems, etc. can be online at https://lit.edu/online-learning/online-learning-minimum-computer-requirements. A functional broadband internet connection, such as DSL, cable, or WiFi is necessary to maximize the use of online technology and resources. DISABILITIES STATEMENT The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are federal anti-discrimination statutes that provide comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. LIT provides reasonable accommodations as defined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, to students with a diagnosed disability. The Special Populations Office is located in the Eagles’ Nest Room 129 and helps foster a supportive and inclusive educational environment by maintaining partnerships with faculty and staff, as well as promoting awareness among all members of the Lamar Institute of Technology community. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator at (409)-951-5708 or email specialpopulations@lit.edu. You may also visit the online resource at Special Populations - Lamar Institute of Technology (lit.edu). STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT STATEMENT It is the responsibility of all registered Lamar Institute of Technology students to access, read, understand and abide by all published policies, regulations, and procedures listed in the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook. The LIT Catalog and Student Handbook may be accessed at www.lit.edu. Please note that the online version of the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook supersedes all other versions of the same document. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STATEMENT Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) recognizes the recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, have changed the landscape of many career disciplines and will impact many students in and out of the classroom. To prepare students for their selected careers, LIT desires to guide students in the ethical use of these technologies and incorporate AI into classroom instruction and assignments appropriately. Appropriate use of these technologies is at the discretion of the instructor. Students are reminded that all submitted work must be their own original work unless otherwise specified. Students should contact their instructor with any questions as to the acceptable use of AI/ChatGPT in their courses STARFISH LIT utilizes an early alert system called Starfish. Throughout the semester, you may receive emails from Starfish regarding your course grades, attendance, or academic performance. Faculty members record student attendance, raise flags and kudos to express concern or give praise, and you can make an appointment with faculty and staff all through the Starfish home page. You can also login to Blackboard or MyLIT and click on the Starfish link to view academic alerts and detailed information. It is the responsibility of the student to pay attention to these emails and information in Starfish and consider taking the recommended actions. Starfish is used to help you be a successful student at LIT. *The professor reserves the right to change this syllabus or course schedule to address unforeseen circumstances. ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES/INFORMATION Respectful participation in class discussions is expected. At times, students may have differing viewpoints from those of their classmates. Disagreements lead to critical thinking, scholarly debates, and learning, however, disrespect for the opinions of others will not be tolerated. It is my policy that I do not accept late work. I also know that there are sometimes unforeseen circumstances that arise where exceptions should be made. Please contact me if something happens, so that arrangements can be made. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR HABITUALLY TURNING IN ASSIGNMENTS LATE. Assignments will be graded within one week of submission. Do not drop the course without talking to me first. I may offer extra credit opportunities throughout the semester. I also may be able to offer additional resources to help with areas of concern. Students have dropped in the past when there is a good chance that they would not fail. If a student does not log into Blackboard or stops turning in assignments, they are not automatically dropped. Please make sure that you take the appropriate measures to drop the class. Below are the drop dates for the course: Last Day to Drop Without Penalty: November 4, 2024 Last Day to Drop With Penalty: November 21, 2024 I prefer emails from your LIT Account. There is sometimes a delay with using Blackboard Messenger. I check all written assignments for AI generated content. I reserve the right to fail an assignment if I find it has been either plagiarized or AI generated. This is especially true on discussion posts. I am more interested that you understand the material. You can express this using your own words through discussion posts.