Welcome to the American Studies Institute
 

         AMERICAN STUDIES GRADUATE PROGRAM
                                     COURSE OUTLINE
                    AMERICAN GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

   COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVE:     The purpose of the course is to introduce students to American government and politics and to acquaint them with the American political system..

   COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADES: Students will be evaluated according to their performance on written assignments, mid term, a final exam and class discussions. Graded assignments include: a midterm (20%), quizzes (20%), a 12-15 type-written term paper (20%), and a comprehensive final examination (40%), which will consist of both essay and multiple-choice questions. Students who view movies dealing with American history will receive extra credit. Students are advised to retain copies of all their work until after final grades are received. No incompletes are issued in this course.

Course grades will be defined in these terms:

A-Excellent --              (Thoughtful, coherent, insightful, contributes)
B-Good --                   (Knows material well, lacks depth, not outstanding)
C-Fair --                      (Adequate, average, passing, little participation)
D-Poor --                    (Little understanding, little effort, incoherent)
F-Fail --                       (No evidence of understanding, no work, no learning)
Scale:                           A  90-100        B  80-89          C  70-79          D  60-69

  ATTENDANCE.        Students are expected to attend class regularly, and will be held responsible for all materials presented there. An attendance sheet will be available every class meeting, and students are expected to sign themselves "present" upon arrival in class. Student signature (first initial, last name) on the roll sheet is required as proof of attendance. Furthermore, in order for an assignment to be accepted, the student must be in class for the entire class period. It is critical that students recognize the importance of attendance and participation in determining their final grade.

ACADEMIC HONESTY.     All of the work students do in this course is expected to be their own. Students should not use the ideas or writings of others as their own. Plagiarism, or presenting the work of another student as one's own, warrants a failing grade in the course as well as sanctions from the university.