Pos 2112 Syllabus
Pos 2112 Syllabus
Pos 2112 Syllabus
POS2112 Syllabus
Email: Please contact me through the D2L email tool. Use my Broward College email only if you are
unable to access the course email. My Broward College email is ajencik@broward.edu
BC Online Phone: 954-201-7900
Online Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday: 11am-1:30pm; Tuesday & Thursday: 5-7:30pm*
Meeting Location: Virtual office hours take place via Zoom or phone. Please send me an email to receive
a Zoom link or to determine a convenient time to talk on the phone.
*Your success is my #1 priority. If these office hours do not work for you due to work, family, or personal
obligations, please email me via D2L and we will find a mutually convenient time to meet virtually.
Course Information
This is a 3-credit hour, fully online course with proctored exams. In this class, you will engage in
graded and non-graded activities. See the course schedule for a detailed description.
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to the principles and institutions of American state and local
government. It delves into the structure, functions, and decision-making processes of the 50 states
and the more than 85,000 localities (governments) within those states. The course also examines the
underlying social problems that required political solutions through dialogue. Issues are discussed
from several vantage points by examining opposing views to the great political issues of the day. View
the course description for more details.
Required Text
Free Download (PDF): Oregon State University Website
Webcam
Mirror
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Microphone
Google Chrome browser for proctored exams
In order for you to have the most effective learning environment, it is important that you are using the
right equipment. For this course, you will need:
Student Expectations
Attendance Verification
You are expected to participate in an academic activity to be considered “present” in the course. You
must complete an academic activity during the first week of the course so that it is done before the
attendance verification date. The academic activity is usually the syllabus or syllabus quiz or a
discussion post. Just logging into the course or sending an email to your instructor will not satisfy the
attendance requirement. Like your on-campus courses, if you are reported for non-attendance in an
online course and then withdrawn, you are still responsible for paying for the course. If for any reason
you cannot complete the attendance verification requirement before the deadline, make certain to drop
the course by the official drop/add deadline or you will still have to pay for the course.
Participation
To succeed in this course, log in and participate multiple times throughout the week (check email,
announcements, class discussions, feedback, etc.) so you do not miss critical course information and
updates. Additionally, communication with your professor is very important and plays a vital role in
your success.
Withdrawal policy
It is your responsibility to withdraw from this course. If you stop participating and do not withdraw by
the deadline, you may receive an F.
By taking an online course, your computer literacy skills will grow. Some of the skills that you will need
at the beginning of the course include:
working knowledge of how to use multiple web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) to
navigate the Internet and locate information.
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sending and receiving email using your D2L email (within the online course) and your BC email
address. You should only use your instructor’s BC email if you cannot access D2L.
file management skills including downloading and saving files on your computer, uploading files
to D2L, and sending email messages with attachments.
Class Activities
Discussions
Remember, discussions are public and everyone in your course can read what you post. Review
the D2L discussion tutorial for general support with the discussion tool.
Discussion Expectations:
Assignments
Assignments must be submitted by the due dates as specified in your syllabus. The submission of an
assignment is your sole responsibility. You should keep an electronic copy of all assignments. Review
the D2L assignment tutorial for general support with the assignment tool.
Assignment Expectations:
Quizzes
Quizzes and tests may be taken only during the availability dates as specified in the course schedule.
Give yourself plenty of time to complete assessments and pay close attention to the time limits. Make
sure you have a reliable Internet connection prior to taking quizzes or tests. Review the D2L quizzes &
tests tutorial for general support with quizzes and tests.
Quiz Expectations:
You have 2 attempts at each quiz with the highest grade being recorded in the grade book.
You have 45 minutes to take the quiz.
The score will be available immediately after completion.
Scenarios
Scenarios are short 'assignments' that only take a few minutes of your time and are meant to provide a
real-world, situational element to help you understand the content. Due to the small amount of time
they consume, scenarios will count as a pass/fail component in this course. If you complete the
scenario, you will obtain points, while if you do not complete the scenario, you will lose points.
Assignment Expectations:
Proctored Tests
Your exams this semester will be proctored by Honorlock. Honorlock is an online proctoring service
that allows you to take your exam from the comfort of your home. To use Honorlock, you will need a
computer, webcam, and a stable internet connection.
How It Works
Honorlock is very simple! All you will need to do is log into D2L and select a proctored assessment in
your course. You will be prompted to add the Honorlock Chrome Extension, which is required to take
your exam. You are required to use Google Chrome as your browser. Then, you will need to take a
picture, show your ID, and scan your room. Honorlock will be recording you and your screen via
webcam. They also have an integrity algorithm that can detect search-engine use, so do not attempt to
cheat or look up answers, even if it’s a secondary device.
1. Review the Honorlock technical requirements to make sure your computer, webcam, and
microphone meet the minimum requirements.
2. You will need to use Google Chrome and download the Honorlock Chrome Extension.
3. When you are ready to take your exam, log into D2L, go to your course, and click on your exam.
You will then be prompted to start the authentication process before you begin your exam.
4. If you see a page asking for an access code, it means that you did not install the Honorlock
Chrome Extension or you are not in Google Chrome.
24/7/365 Support is available. You can test your system or contact support before your exam by
visiting honorlock.com/support.
Remember, all Honorlock sessions are recorded and grades are considered tentative until your
instructor has finished reviewing the recorded sessions.
If you encounter issues with Honorlock during your exam, you may contact them at (844) 243-2500,
use the live-chat and/or email at support@honorlock.com.
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Notify your instructor at the beginning of the course if you have questions or documents
requiring special accommodations for proctored exams.
For this course, unless otherwise noted by the instructor, submitting work late will be permitted only
under qualifying circumstances and only with prior notification and supporting documentation (original
funeral notice, original doctor’s note, etc.). Computer and Internet connectivity problems are not valid
reasons for late work or missed exams. It is the student's responsibility to be technologically prepared
to take an online course.
Course Schedule
Read and refer to this section regularly. The submission of all work is the sole responsibility of the
student. Students should plan their workloads accordingly and not wait until the last minute to meet
deadlines. If you are unsure of a due date, contact your instructor for clarification.
Syllabus Quiz
PART I - CHAPTERS 1- 8
Unit 1: Politics in States and Communities Activities
Read
General Course Outcome
Chapter 1
Understand the main forces impacting state
and local politics. Scenarios
By the end of this unit, students will be able Due 01/31 @ 11:59 p.m.
to:
Discussions
1. Examine the changing socio-economic,
demographic, and technological forces Discussion #1 (Unit 1)
and how they affect local government. Due 01/31 @ 11:59 p.m.
2. Understand how many states and
Assignments
communities have responded
successfully to these forces to promote Assignment #1
Quiz #1
Assessments
Quiz #4
constitutionalism as discussed in
Due 02/20 @ 11:59 p.m.
assignment readings.
2. Illustrate how the Federal and State Assessments
Constitutions are similar and how they
are different. Quiz #5
By the end of this unit students will be able No scenario in this unit.
to:
Discussions
1. Analyze the structure and organization
Discussion #4 (Unit 7)
By the end of this unit students will be able Discussion #7 (Unit 11)
The students should be able to recognize the Why People Decide to Participate in
basic elements of participation in community State Politics
politics.
Watch
Specific Learning Outcomes
How Can We Increase Voter
By the end of this unit, students will be able Participation? (4m:16s)
to:
Scenarios
1. Understand identification and political
participation as discussed in assigned Scenario #6
Assignment #14
Assessments
Quiz #14
By the end of this unit students will be able Due 04/20 @ 11:59 p.m.
to:
Discussions
1. Describe through written assignments
the various influences on state and Discussion #10 (Unit 15)
Assignment #15
appropriate means.
Due 04/20 @ 11:59 p.m.
3. Explain through written assignments
how candidates are elected at the state Assessments
Grades
Grades
Grading Scale
Grades Percentage
Grade = A 90 - 100%
Grade = B 80 - 89.9%
Grade = C 70 - 79.9%
Grade = D 60 - 69.9%
Grade = F 59.9 - 0.0 %
Communication
During the semester, your communications concerning the course should be restricted to the D2L
email. As mentioned earlier, do not send class related emails to the instructor's BC email address.
It is recommended that you post class-related questions in the discussion area called the Course
Café. Other students may have the same questions as you or may even be able to answer your
questions.
Netiquette
In all online communications, it is expected that students will follow the rules of online netiquette,
a guideline for polite online behavior. Review some of the general netiquette rules.
Individuals who violate netiquette rules or engage in disruptive online behaviors, such as flaming
(posting disrespectful or hostile comments), posting inappropriate comments, or shouting
(posting messages using all capitals), may have their class access privileges revoked and/or
they may be referred to the Dean of Student Affairs. Students who continue to engage in
unacceptable online behavior even after being warned may be permanently denied access to the
class and/or may receive an F for the class.
Don't use email shorthand like ROTFLO (rolling on the floor laughing out loud), BTW (by the
way), or text-style writing like R-U thinking, etc. Not everyone knows what these abbreviations
mean. If you want to use emoticons (smileys) to convey feelings, stick with the basics happy :-)
sad :-( or wink ;-). Others are less well-known and are subject to different interpretations. The
idea is to be clear in your communications.
Use discretion when posting and/or sending emails. Make sure to check spelling, punctuation,
grammar, capitalization, and sentence structure.
Faculty Response
Class emails will be answered within 24-36 hours. If you need information related to a test or
assignment, plan ahead and submit your questions in advance of the due date. If for some reason the
class communication tools are unavailable for more than 24 hours, the instructor will communicate
with students (if necessary) via their BC email address. Once the semester has ended, and only if
necessary, you may contact the faculty member using the instructor’s email address.
You are responsible for being familiar with all BC Online policies and procedures related to your
activity in this course.
If you are requesting academic accommodations for this class, you must first register with Accessibility
Resources, who will evaluate your request and determine eligibility. To contact Accessibility Resources
either call 954-201-6527, or visit their website: www.broward.edu/accessibility. If approved, you will be
provided with an Accommodation Plan that you must deliver to me electronically. Once received, we
will discuss which accommodations you are requesting for this class, and in accordance with Broward
College policy 6Hx2-5.09 you will be provided with the appropriate accommodations. Students who
wait until after completing the course, or an activity, to request accommodations should not expect any
grade to be changed, or to be able to retake the course or activity.
Academic Honesty
When you log into D2L, you do so with the understanding and agreement that you will produce your
own work, complete class assignments and discussions yourself, and take class exams, tests, or
quizzes without the assistance of others. All academic work must be the result of your own thought,
research, or self-expression. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Sharing Access or Passwords to D2L: Keep your username and password confidential.
Cheating: Obtaining or attempting to obtain, or aiding another to obtain credit for work by
dishonest or deceptive means.
Plagiarism: Using the words or ideas of the original creator without attribution as if they were
your own. Plagiarism ranges from copying someone else’s work verbatim and elaborating on or
altering someone else’s work.
Self-Plagiarism: Submitting or reusing parts of a previous paper without referencing source it
was first submitted. This includes retaking a course and turning in previously submitted papers
and data.
Unacceptable Collaboration: Using answers, solutions, or ideas that are the results of
collaboration without citing the fact of the collaboration.
Falsification of Data: Making up or falsifying information and data. Examples include making up
or altering data for an experiment or citing references to sources you did not actually use.
Pay Services: Employing an assignment writing service or having another person/student write
the paper for you.
Enabling: Aiding and abetting another student in an act of academic dishonesty. Examples
include giving someone a paper to copy and/or allowing someone access to your account.
Unauthorized or Malicious Interference: Deliberately interfering with the work or activities of
another person on purpose to cause the other harm or irreparable damages.
Inappropriate Use of Course Materials: Distributing materials in this class and on D2L,
including the syllabus, exams, slides, handouts, study aids, and presentations, that may be
protected by copyright and are provided solely for the educational use of students enrolled in this
course. You are not permitted to redistribute them for purposes unapproved by the instructor; in
particular, you are not permitted to post course materials, quiz or exam questions, or discussions
on commercial websites. Unauthorized uses of course materials may be considered academic
misconduct.
Online courses use tools such as Turnitin and Honorlock to deter and detect academic dishonesty.
In this course, the first time you are found being academically dishonest, you will receive a zero for the
assignment. If you are found academically dishonest a second time, you will receive an F in the
course. Academic dishonesty may result in further disciplinary action and/or a referral to the Dean of
Student Affairs. For more information, refer to the Student Code of Conduct Policy and the Student
Code of Conduct section located in the Student Handbook.
The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the class syllabus. The syllabus is a guide and
every attempt is made to provide an accurate overview of the class. However, circumstances and
events may make it necessary for the instructor to modify the syllabus during the semester. In the
event changes become necessary, students will be notified through class email, the discussion board,
and/or the announcements tool.
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Safety is everyone’s responsibility, and it is essential that all members of the Broward College
community familiarize themselves with various safety tools, resources, and procedures to remain safe
both on and off campus. You are encouraged to visit the Campus Safety & Security website for a
wealth of information and resources as it relates to safety at Broward College. Included on the website
is a variety of information, videos, and resources on crime prevention, active shooter preparedness,
how to report suspicious activity, hurricane preparedness, services, and how to respond in an
emergency. Campus Safety is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be reached by calling
954-201-HELP (4357).
In the event of a school closing, due to weather or other major events that might impact class
schedules, the instructor will post an announcement and/or send an email indicating what changes, if
any, the event will have on the course schedule and due dates.
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