Spring 2026
Federal Government
Approved: Initials/date GOVT 2305 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. CORE OBJECTIVES MEASURED • Critical Thinking: To include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information. • Communication: To include the effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication. • Personal Responsibility: To include the ability to connect choice, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making. • Social Responsibility: To include demonstration of intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility and to engage effectively in regional, national, and/or global communities. INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Lindsey Grantham Email: lgrantham@lit.edu Office Hours: Virtual 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. I will review these requests on a case-by-case basis. DROP POLICY If you wish to drop a course, you are responsible for initiating and completing the drop process by the specified date as listed in the College Calendar on the Student Success web page. If you stop coming to class and fail to drop the course, you will earn an “F” in the course. COURSE CALENDAR ALL assignments are due at 11:59 PM unless noted otherwise! DATE TOPIC READINGS (Due on this Date) ASSIGNMENTS (Due on this Date) Week 1 Mar 23-29 Syllabus, The Roots of the Revolution The Constitution and its Origins Chapter 2 Syllabus Quiz • 3/29 Revolution Discussion 1 • Initial Post: 3/27 • Reply Posts: 3/29 AOC Venn Diagram • 3/29 The Constitution Quiz • 3/29 Week 2 Mar 30-Apr 5 Exam 1 Landmark Supreme Court Cases Class PowerPoints Exam 1 • 4/6 @ 11:59PM Court Cases Discussion 2 • Initial Post: 4/4 • Reply Posts: 4/6 Core Assessment Assignment 1 • 4/6 Week 3 Apr 6-12 Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Federalism: Forging A Nation The Legislative Branch Chapters 4 & 5 Chapter 3 Chapter 11 Civil Liberties and Rights Quiz • 4/12 Federalism Quiz • 4/12 The Legislature Discussion 3 • Initial Post: 4/10 • Reply Posts: 4/12 Week 4 Apr 13-19 Exam 2 The Executive branch and The Presidency The Judicial Branch The Federal Judicial System Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Exam 2 • 4/19 @ 11:59PM The Presidency Quiz • 4/19 The Innocence Project Discussion 4 • Initial Post: 4/17 • Reply Posts: 4/19 Week 5 Apr 20-26 Interest Groups Monopolies Patents Chapter 10 Core Assessment Rough Draft • 4/26 Patents, Monopolies, and Interest Groups Discussion 5 • Initial Post: 4/24 • Reply Posts: 4/26 Week 6 Apr 27-May 3 Exam 3 Political Socialization Public Opinion Public Polls The Media Chapter 6 Chapter 8 Exam 3 • 5/3 @ 11:59 PM Public Opinion and Polling Discussion 6 • Initial Post: 5/1 • Reply Posts: 5/3 Media Assignment • 5/3 Week 7 May 4-10 Core Assessment Week Political Parties Voting and Elections Foreign Policy Chapter 9 Chapter 7 Political Parties Assignment • 5/10 Voter Turnout Assignment • 5/10 Foreign Policy Quiz • 5/10 Core Assessment (20% of Grade) • 5/10 Week 8 FINALS WEEK Exam 4 May 11-13 Exam 4 Optional Final Exam • 5/11 Optional Final Exam • 5/12 COURSE EVALUATION Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: • Tests………………………….50% • Core Assessment……....20% • Assignments/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., review the Minimum Computer and Equipment Requirements on the LIT Online Experience page. 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. PROCTORING POLICIES All exams will be proctored using the Respondus proctoring system. Respondus will not be used for our quizzes or other assignments. Respondus is utilized for student identity verification and to ensure academic integrity. Responus provides student identity verification via facial and ID photos. You may also be asked to scan the room around you. Respondus employs AI technology to notify course instructors of potential academic integrity violations. If any violations are flagged by Respondus, I and/or my TAs will personally review the video of the potential violations to ensure that the incident actually is a violation of my academic integrity course policy. Depending on the type of violations that occurs, I will proceed with the steps outlined in the academic integrity policy. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY Academic integrity is essential to the mission of this course and the broader academic community. All students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of honesty and ethical conduct in their academic work. Academic dishonesty, including but not limited to plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, unauthorized collaboration, or facilitating others in dishonest practices, will not be tolerated. Examples of academic dishonesty include: • Plagiarism: Presenting someone else’s ideas, words, or work as your own without proper attribution. • Cheating: Using unauthorized materials or devices during an exam, quiz, or assignment. • Fabrication: Falsifying or inventing information, data, or citations. • Unauthorized Collaboration: Working with others on assignments or exams when collaboration is not allowed. • Facilitation: Helping another student commit academic dishonesty. Consequences for Academic Dishonesty: Violations of this policy will result in academic and disciplinary consequences, which may include: 1. Receiving a zero on the assignment, quiz, or exam. 2. Failing the course. 3. Referral to the college’s disciplinary process, which may lead to probation, suspension, or expulsion. Avoiding Academic Dishonesty: To avoid academic integrity issues: • Cite all sources used in your work. • Follow instructions for collaboration and use of materials. • When in doubt, ask the instructor for clarification. By enrolling in this course, you agree to uphold the principles of academic integrity. 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. ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES/INFORMATION *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. • I do not allow Makeup Tests. Should an appropriate unforeseen circumstance arise where an exception is needed, contact me immediately so that arrangements can be made. • It is the responsibility of the student to check their submission within 15 minutes of submission. Should there be issues with the submission, I must be notified within 1 hour of submission. • Work Submissions: All assignments must be submitted via Blackboard. Assignments submitted through any other method, such as email, will receive a “0”. Email submissions will only be taken if Blackboard is completely down. All assignments must be submitted in a word document format. NO google docs, PDF, or Pages submissions will be accepted. If I cannot access the assignment, it will not be graded. • Assignments will be graded within one week of submission. If an unforeseen circumstance arises that causes me to run behind on grading, I will notify the class ASAP. • 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 With Refund: March 30, 2026 Last Day to Drop Without Academic Penalty: April 8, 2026 Last Day to Drop With Penalty: April 24, 2026 • 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 and essay assignments. I am more interested that you understand the material. You can express this using your own words. EMAIL COMMUNICATION POLICY I prefer emails through your LIT email. Please use this platform to communicate any questions or issues you may have. My email is lgrantham@lit.edu. Effective and professional communication is essential in this course. Please follow these guidelines when contacting me via Blackboard Messenger: Response Time: • I will respond to emails within 24 hours (Monday–Friday) for messages sent during the weekday. • Emails received over the weekend may take up to 48 hours to receive a response. • If you do not receive a response within these time frames, feel free to send a polite follow-up. LIT Email: • Please email me using your LIT Email account. This is the most effective way to contact me. • You may use your Blackboard Messenger platform to contact me. However, I may not respond as quickly if you message me on this platform. • Due to FERPA regulations, I will not respond to emails sent from personal accounts (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo). • Include the following in your email for clarity: o A clear subject line (e.g., "Question about Assignment 3"). o Your full name and course information (e.g., "ENG 101, Section A"). Additional Notes: • Review the syllabus or class announcements before messaging or emailing to ensure your question hasn’t already been addressed. • For urgent matters, consider setting up a virtual appointment to speak with me. By following these guidelines, we can ensure clear and efficient communication. Make sure to follow the LIT Facebook and Instagram page to stay up to date on campus events and activities! I strongly recommend taking part in campus life in order to have the best college experience possible!