GOVT2305: Federal Government
Course Introduction

First Two Week’s Agenda

• Today February 10

    - Introductions
    - Course Outline/Procedures
    - Questions

• Thursday February 12

    - Course Overview
    - Introduction to the topic of government: What is Government? What is Politics?
    - Walkthrough of Canvas Modules and e-book
    - Questions

Second Week Agenda

• Tuesday, February 17

    - Complete Module 0
    - Reading/Chapter Assignment: Chapter 1: Political Thinking and Political Culture: Becoming a Responsible Citizen should be 50% complete before class
    - Philosophies and Ideologies in American Government
    - Questions

• Thursday, February 19

    - Chapter 2: Constitutional Democracy: Promoting Liberty and Self-Government should be 50% complete before class
    - Constitutional Principles: Checks and Balances, Separation of Powers

Introduction

• Welcome to GOVT2305: Federal Government

• Instructor: Tom Hanna, MA

    - Office Hours: Wednesday 2:30 to 3:30 PM on Microsoft Teams or Zoom or in my office at UH
    - Office Hours Virtual by appointment: Friday 2 to 4 PM
    - Email: tom.hanna@hccs.edu
    - Office: University of Houston, Phillip Guthrie Hoffman Hall (PGH 391) - should you want to drive and meet in person

About me:

    - Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the University of Houston
    - MA in Political Science from the University of Houston, BS in Political Science from the University of Houston
    - I have been teaching at the University of Houston since July 2022, at Houston Community College since June 2023, and taught last fall at Our Lady of the Lake University (online). 
    - Courses taught: Statistics for Political Scientists; Argument, Data, and Politics, Introduction to Comparative Politics, and this course at UH; Federal Government and Texas Government at HCC; State Government at OLLU.
    - Research: My research focuses on the international behavior of dictators. I have a specific interest in threats to freedom and modern liberal democracy (aka Madisonian republics). 
    - Second/third career - former business manager and owner.
    - cooking, camping, kayaking, and computer gaming
    

Major course expectations

• I do not expect you to be experts on the course material at the end

• I do expect you to:

    - Respect other people, starting with your classmates and myself
    - Do the work
    - Do your best
    - Take responsbility for the work you did or not do
    - Take some time to seriously consider the implications of the material for your own life and the lives of people you care about
    - Come to class prepared

Come to class prepared

• To receive full credit for the in class work each day (20% of your grade), you must come to class prepared
• Part of this means at least reviewing the assigned chapter
• If you are not at least 50% finished with the assigned chapter by class time, you will lose at least some points
• If discussion reflects that people are prepared, we will not have to have quizzes and everyone will get full credit
• If discussion is bad, there will be quizzes

Course Outline/Procedures

• Please visit the Canvas Homepage for the Course

Course Outline/Procedures

• Please read the Canvas Homepage for the Course

• Please read the Syllabus

    - It is in Canvas! We will look at it now!

Course Outline/Procedures

• Please read the Canvas Homepage for the Course

• Please read the Syllabus

• Most of your work outside class will be done through the Canvas Modules - this includes accessing the textbook

    - We go over these next week

Course Outline/Procedures

• Please read the Canvas Homepage for the Course

• Please read the Syllabus

• Most of your work outside class will be done through the Canvas Modules - this includes accessing the textbook

• Complete Modules in order or you will be locked out of later assignments

    - We go over these next week

Course Outline/Procedures

• You must pass the Syllabus Quiz with a perfect score to continue with the rest of the course!
• You can retake it as many times as necessary

Course Outline/Procedures (Continued)

• Check Canvas Announcements for any updates, further instructions, etc.
• If class is cancelled, I will post this in Canvas Announcements and send to your official college email

My Eagle

Syllabus Quiz and Extra Credit Quiz

• The Syllabus Quiz is required

• The Extra Credit Quiz is extra credit AND it is required

    - Even if you miss everything, you get 1 point for taking it

Syllabus Quiz and Extra Credit Quiz

• No class September 4! Introduction Module Work Day!

• The Syllabus Quiz is required

• The Extra Credit Quiz is extra credit AND it is required

    - Even if you miss everything, you get 1 point for taking it
    - You are required to take it.

Syllabus Quiz and Extra Credit Quiz

• No class September 4! Introduction Module Work Day!

• The Syllabus Quiz is required

• The Extra Credit Quiz is extra credit AND it is required

    - Even if you miss everything, you get 1 point for taking it
    - You are required to take it
    - You can only take it once

Syllabus Quiz and Extra Credit Quiz

• No class September 4! Introduction Module Work Day!
• The Syllabus Quiz is required
• The Extra Credit Quiz is extra credit AND it is required
• Introduction Module complete by 11:59 PM, September 4…

Course Policies: Basics

• Number 1 Rule: Respect for other people

Course Policies: Basics

• Number 1 Rule: Respect for other people
• The policies exist to help me help you succeed
• I may update policies if things are not working
• You are responsible for keeping track of due dates and assignments

Time Commitment

• HCC is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)

Time Commitment

• HCC is accredited by SACSCOC
• Without accreditation an HCC degree is worthless - not good for transfer, not considered a valid degree by employers

Time Commitment

• HCC is accredited by SACSCOC
• Without accreditation an HCC degree is worthless
• Without accreditation HCC students can not receive federal or state financial aid

Time Commitment

• HCC is accredited by SACSCOC
• Without accreditation an HCC degree is worthless
• Without accreditation HCC students get no financial aid

Time Commitment

• HCC is accredited by SACSCOC

• Without accreditation an HCC degree is worthless

• Without accreditation HCC students no financial aid

• • According to SACSCOC:

    - 1 credit hour = 1 hour in class + 2 hours out of class

Time Commitment

• HCC is accredited by SACSCOC

• Without accreditation an HCC degree is worthless

• Without accreditation HCC students no financial aid

• • According to SACSCOC:

    - 1 credit hour = 1 hour in class + 2 hours out of class per week
    - This is a 3 credit hour course
    - 3 credit hour class = 3 hours in class + 6 hours out of class per week
    - This is a minimum, but the institution (UH) may set a higher standard!

https://sacscoc.org/app/uploads/2019/08/Credit-Hours.pdf

Commitment

Professionalism

• Professionalism is a graded component of this class.

Professionalism

• Professionalism is a graded component of this class.
• A major hallmark of professionalism is taking responsibility for doing what is expected of you and not blaming others for the consequences if you do not.

Professionalism

• In other words:

    - If you don't attend class and pay attention...
    - If you don't put in two hours a week of real work outside class...
    - If you don't do the assignments...
    - If you don't study for the exams...

Who is responsible for the consequences?

Your responsibilities

    - Time management
    - Your own learning
    - Doing the assignments (or accepting the zero)
    - Doing the assignments on time (or accepting the consequences)
    - Showing up and engaging
    - Applying brainpower
    - Working on the material
    - Following through on commitments
    - Taking responsibility for your own work and results!
    
    

My responsibilities

• I am responsible for

    - Providing you a structured environment to learn
    - Providing alternate explanations to help you understand the material (lecture, discussion, and question-answer)
    - Setting standards and goals
    - Challenging you to do your best
    - Holding you accountable
    - Providing you with resources to succeed
    - Assessing you fairly based on the standards and goals provided
    - Alerting you early if your work is not up to standard, so you can fix the problem
    - Offering suggestions to help you improve your work

My responsibilities

I am not responsible for:

I am not responsible for:

    - Forcing you to work
    - Doing your work for you
    - Navigating the HCC bureaucracy for you 
    - Anything your other professors require of you that may interfere with this class 
    - Giving credit for work that is not submitted
    - Granting extensions, makeups, or other exceptions to the syllabus
    - Negotiating excuses
    - Negotiating grades
    
    
    

Course Policies: Communications

• Face-to-face is the best communication

Course Policies: Communications

• Face-to-face is the best communication:

    - Office hours are your main communication to me outside class

Course Policies: Communications

• Face-to-face is the best communication:

    - Office hours are your main communication to me outside class
    - There will be a question period every class

Course Policies: Communications

• Face-to-face is the best communication:

    - Office hours are your main communication to me outside class
    - There will be a question period every class
    - Any important announcements will always be made in class

Course Policies: Communications

• Face-to-face is the best communication:

    - Office hours are your main communication to me outside class
    - There will be a question period every class
    - Any important announcements will always be made in class
    - There may be opportunities for extra credit or even regular credit that are only announced in class.

Course Policies: Communications

• Face-to-face is the best communication

• Announcements: Canvas

    - Since class cancellations can't be announced in class, you'll find them here if they happen
    - These are a good written place for recording important information - reiterating class announcements
    - That said, you still need to be in class. There may be opportunities for extra credit or even regular credit that are only announced in class.

Course Policies: Communications

• Face-to-face is the best communication

• Announcements: Canvas

• Email announcements

    - go to your official @hccs.edu email address

Course Policies: Communications

• Face-to-face is the best communication

• Announcements: Canvas

• Email announcements

• Emails to me - to ensure your privacy! - must:

    - come from your official @hccs.edu email address
    - come to my official tom.hanna@hccs.edu email address

Course Policies: Communications

• Face-to-face is the best communication
• Announcements: Canvas
• Email announcements
• Emails to me - to ensure your privacy!
• There will be little to no need to email me because…

Course Policies: Late Work and Makeups

• Late work is automatically accepted

    - 10% per day penalty
    - No exceptions, no excuses!!!
    - No need to email!!!
    - No need to apologize or explain!!!
    - All work must be turned in by May 4

Course Policies: Late Work and Makeups

• Late work is automatically accepted with penalty
  

• Makeups for exams

    - The final is your makeup for any missed exams
    - You will get the percentage score for the final applied to any missed exam
    - No excuses, no exceptions
    - This is completely automatic
    - No emails or apologies required
    - Let your grandmothers know their lives are safe from this class!

Course Policies: Late Work and Makeups

• Late work is automatically accepted with penalty
  

• Makeups for exams - the final is the makeup, automatic

• Makeup for in class work participation exercises, etc.

    - I will drop scores for three days work automatically
    - No makeups, no exceptions for any reason

Course Policies: Late Work and Makeups

• Late work is automatically accepted with penalty

• Makeups for exams - the final is the makeup, automatic!

• Makeup for in class work: three dropped, no makeups!

• This is already a very generous policy - No exceptions

• Asking for special treatment is asking me to do something unethical and may affect your professionalism grade

Course Policies: Attendance and Participation

• HCC requires attendance
• There will be almost daily short written exercises
• These will only be done in class
• I will drop the three lowest scores including missed classes
• No other makeups will be allowed

Course Policies: Academic Integrity

• Academic integrity is non-negotiable
• Do your own work

Study suggestions: The forgetting curve

The Forgetting Curve

Conquer the Forgetting Curve

• Study a few minutes a few times a week instead of 6 hours right before the test

• Start the Inquizitives early (see Syllabus for suggestions)

    - You have several weeks to do each set of 3 to 6 chapter assignments
    - Finish them ahead of schedule then use them to study by...
    - Revisiting the Inquizitives several times between finishing them and the exam to review

• Use the Flashcards a few minutes, a few times a week

Use a good notetaking system

• Use the lecture slides to organize your notes

    - Do not take pictures of the slides - they are published in Canvas with a PDF download option available

• Try rewriting concepts in your own words

    - If you don't understand something, use the index in the book to find more
    - Use a reputable dictionary such as https://www.merriam-webster.com/ or https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/ to look up words you don't understand
    - Come to office hours and ask
    - Ask in class

Use a good notetaking system

• Use a good notetaking system such as Cornell Notes

• Make a study guide: Making a study guide yourself (using a system like Cornell Notes) is much more effective than staring at a study guide prepared for you

• Take advantage of the Practice Exams after you do these other things

Major course expectations - revisit

I sincerely hope that all of you will succeed in this course, but HCC and I are not in the business of selling grades and degrees. You will get out of this course what you put into it, both in learning and your final grade.

Questions

Authorship and License

• Author: Tom Hanna

• Website: tomhanna.me

• License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.