Week 1 -intro presentation POL 120
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Professor McManaway teaches POL 120, an introductory course on American national government and politics. The course is entirely online, using Blackboard and email for communication. Students will learn from textbook readings, supplemental readings, and PowerPoint presentations with audio. Participation through weekly discussion boards is required. Students must complete exams, analytical essays, a civic engagement assignment, and a position paper on a current political issue. The professor emphasizes respect and is available to help students through various means of communication.
Week 1 -intro presentation POL 120
- 1. POL 120—American National Government and Politics Introductory Presentation Fall 2014 Web course Prof. Kimberly A. Saks McManaway University of Michigan Flint
- 2. About me I have a complicated name, I know. You can call me Professor McManaway or Prof. M. I like letters behind my name and going to school. I have my Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science and French from Eastern Michigan University, my Juris Doctor (law degree) from the University of Detroit Mercy and my Master’s of Arts in Political Science from Wayne State University. I am currently pursuing my PhD in Political Science from Wayne State. I am interested in political behavior. Things like voting, running for office, and public opinion are part of my research along with gender. I enjoy good lawyer jokes. I practiced law for six years prior to teaching full time and still hold my law license. I am busy, just like you. I live in Royal Oak with my husband, twin daughters, two cats and a dog…in a tiny house. I love internet memes, reruns of The Golden Girls, Seinfeld and The Big Bang Theory. I do not like long walks on the beach…sand is tricky to walk on for any length of time. Follow me on Twitter @profmcmanaway
- 3. Structure of Course—Basic Requirements INTERNET. Seems obvious, but not everyone realizes it. This is a web course and there are no in-person class meetings. Other than your books, everything is online. BLACKBOARD AND EMAIL. Blackboard and your UM Flint email will be used regularly. It is YOUR responsibility to check your email frequently and respond to discussions on Blackboard. ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION. All of your assignments will be submitted through Blackboard. If you have problems using the SafeAssign feature on Blackboard, you MUST contact me ASAP and send a duplicate submission via email.
- 4. Course Materials Your knowledge will be gained from three sources: (1) the textbook readings (Fiorina book, Penguin style cover) (2)the supplemental readings from our reader (Hess book, green) and on Blackboard (under “Course Content”; and, (3) the PowerPoint presentations provided online that will include audio, links and text. Textbook Reader
- 5. Our goals 1. Create a basic understanding of our government’s structure, institutions and procedures; 2. Strengthen and develop the ability to critically evaluate issues of local, state and national importance; and, 3. Provide exposure to underlying primary documents involving American government and politics.
- 6. Participation—Weekly Discussion Boards...let’s make this easy and fun. What you post… There will be a prompt each week that relates to our reading but also requires you to think about your own part in the political process in America. Feel free to respectfully debate one another and challenge ideas. Also feel free to post links, videos, songs, memes and more. Be creative! When you post… Your first post MUST be up NO LATER THAN 11:59 pm on WEDNESDAY evening each week to ensure proper discussion and debate. Then follow up with at least TWO of your classmates’ posts by the end of the week (Sunday night at 11:59 pm).
- 7. Academic honesty Plagiarism is the taking of credit for someone else’s work or ideas or submitting a piece of work which is not entirely the student’s own work without fully and accurately attributing those same portions to their correct source. CITE EVERYTHING THAT YOU DIDN’T WRITE!
- 8. Grading Point based system Highest value items: participation, Position Paper Exams None of the work is extremely hard and it should all be interesting because you will be either discussing your beliefs (or lack thereof) or issues of your choosing.
- 9. Exams…yes, we must… • Non-cumulative (but may build on previous material) • Timed…two hours to complete each exam. • Short answer, multiple choice, fill in the blank, true/false (all non-essay) • You have one week to complete the exam and the Analytical Essay for that unit (for Essays 1 and 2)
- 10. • An alternative to essays on the timed exam. • Graded on your ability to understand the subject matter and concisely answer the question using our course material. • Based heavily on supplemental readings (the readings outside of Fiorina). • No outside research necessary. Analytical Essays
- 11. Civic engagement assignment • Active community engagement through an activity and brief paper…not hard at all and very rewarding! • Three possibilities: • Attend an event • Write a letter to the editor • Watch and review a documentary • All have an activity + written response component
- 12. Position paper • Four to six page paper that replaces the essays for Exams 3 and 4. • You will choose a current political and/or social issue that interests you and present a paper that provides: • (1) background on the topic; • (2) a review of the current US policy on the matter; and • (3) a critique of the US policy, including a proposed solution. • This is the only paper that will require the use of outside sources. (Remember to cite!)
- 13. Common read—EXTRA CREDIT • University-wide reading project with events, discussions and an author visit • Extra credit opportunities: • Read the book and do a short review (see syllabus) • Attend a Common Read program on campus and write a one page summary/review.
- 14. Other considerations LATE ASSIGNMENTS. Due dates are firm and remain unchanged from the syllabus unless announced on Blackboard. Penalties for late assignments are found in the class syllabus and will be enforced. ACADEMIC HONESTY. Plagiarism will NOT BE TOLERATED. Do not attempt it. If you have a question as to whether something constitutes plagiarism, ASK. RESPECT. Respect is required and disrespect will not be tolerated. Web-based environments tend to make people bolder in their criticism of one another. While it is important to engage in discussion, it is just as important to remain respectful of other people and their ideas. Disrespect will not be tolerated and may lead to your failing this course.
- 15. Final note… I am aware that some of you live near or on campus while others may not live in the state at all. I am available to you in many ways, including email (preferred), phone, in person meetings or we can even set up an online chat if need be. My goal for you in this course is that you get useful information out of it and that you enjoy it. Some of you may even go on to study government, politics or policy. I am open to discussing your future options with you as well. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
- 16. Presentations Your presentations will contain audio with a link. You must click on it for the audio to play. All audio links will look like this one. Click on it to test if the audio plays. Please let me know ASAP if the audio does not play.
- 17. It’s going to be a great semester! Email: kimsaks@umflint.edu Twitter: @profmcmanaway Office: 220M French Hall