POLI 1 - Introduction to American Government
Instructor: Zakia Isad
Email Instructor
zisad@chabotcollege.edu
Instructor phone: 510-723-6600
Course Description
Introduction to the historical development of American political ideals and
institutions including the Federal and California Constitutions, civil
liberties, civil rights, citizenship duties, political parties, participation
and elections.
Check the college catalog
for CSU/UC transferability and to see if this course meets AA/AS degree
requirements.
This class begins June 15th and ends July 24th
Optional On-Campus Orientations
There are no required on-campus meetings for this class. You can attend an OPTIONAL, on-campus
Orientation to Online Learning that
provides Blackboard log in instructions and help, an overview of the Blackboard
course management system, and tips on netiquette, time management, and study
skills for the online student.
Attend either of these sessions:
-
Monday, June 15th, 5:30-6:30 p.m., in Room 1618
-
Tuesday, June 16th, noon-1:00 p.m. in Room 1618
Learn more about these
orientations,
which are NOT course-specific.
How This Class Operates
This is not a self-paced class; there are due dates throughout the semester that
you are expected to meet, just like in a traditional, face-to-face class.
Hello and welcome!!
This course will primarily cover the
historical development of American political institutions such as; the United
States Constitution, three braches of government, civil liberties, civil rights,
political parties, participation and elections. We will also discuss California
government and institutions.
Requirements for Online Course and Attendance:
1. An updated computer.
2. Internet access with email address
3. A back-up system.
All assignments are due by midnight on the specified due date. Discussion on
each assignment is a part of the passage of this class. Discussion Board is a
place where you exchange and interact with your instructor and other classmates.
I am sure you will find this class intellectually challenging, interactive and
informative.
To begin this class, please read the following instructions:
A) Select Tools in the left hand corner: Go to Personal Information and enter
your correct email address.
B) Read and print a copy of the syllabus which is located in Course Information.
C) All assignments for this course will be in "Assignments" or in the
"Discussion Board" on the Blackboard. There will be assignments each week. Check
the
course
syllabus for due dates.
D) In addition to the text, we will be using www. resources. You will find the
links to these resources in Course Materials.
E) Course lectures are also found in Course Materials.
F) Test/quizzes are located in Assignments.
G) Survey questions are located in the Assignments.
H) To participate in discussions, go to the "Discussion Board."
More About the Course:
This course is entirely online which means all course work (100%) will be
conducted online. Expectations for performance in fully online courses are the
same as for traditional courses; in fact fully online courses require a degree
of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills skills. Fully online
courses are not independent study courses. You will be expected to interact
online with your professor and other students to do assignments, to meet
deadlines, and sometimes, to work in virtual groups. The Blackboard web site
contains all the information you will need for this course. You will see
Learning Modules that will contain a folder for each week, instructor's notes, a
study guide/reading for that week, web site links that you may need, sometimes a
movie to watch and its review and tests/quizzes/survey questions for that week.
All assignments of the week need to be completed during the same week.
Discussion Board will be our main communications tool. Most of the weeks, I will
be posting discussion questions for you related to each week's work to answer
and will ask you to share your thoughts/ideas with all of us. I am expecting
that you would participate in discussions actively to earn your points.
Posting Questions:
It is highly likely that any questions you have may also be of interest to
others students. Therefore, for efficiency purposes, all course and work related
questions should be posted in the discussion groups for all classmates to see.
In most cases, your colleagues can add value to, comment on, or answer the
questions. I will also respond and comment within a day to questions in the
discussion groups. Personal questions can be directed to me via email address
that is: zisad@chabotcollege.edu
To post your initial message:
1. In the appropriate forum, click on Add New Thread at the top of the screen.
2. A new window will open. Compose a subject line and your message.
3. Press the Submit button.
Your message will now appear in that forum.
To reply to an existing message:
1) Open the message to which you want to reply and read it.
2) Press the reply button at the bottom of the message. Do not close the
original message first.
3) A new window will open. Compose your reply message.
4) Press the submit button. Please note that no one will receive your
message/answer unless you press "Submit"
Textbook Information
"The Challenge of Democracy" by Janda,
Berry, Goldman. 8th Edition.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin. Check with Halfprice.com or Amazon.com. You may get
this book at a very cheap price.
I have reserved one book in the library for you to use. You should have your own
book by the second week to do your first assignment.
How Students are Graded
You will be able to track your
progress and grades in this class. I will update your grades on a weekly basis.
Please read the grading criteria for assignments and discussions in course
Syllabus. Your quizzes will be graded automatically.
Grading Criteria for Assignments
and discussions:
Logical statements with clarity and examples showing insight: 100%
Clear statements with proper explanations or examples: 80%
Clear statements with some explanation or examples: 70%
Some unclear statements with incorrect information or examples: 50%
No submission: 0%
Grading criteria for quizzes:
90% to 100%: A
80% to 89%: B
70% to 79%: C
60% to 69%: D
In case you need help:
If you face any technical problem with Blackboard, you can get help from the
Chabot College website at:
http://www.chabotcollege.edu/DistanceEd. If you are
unable to find an answer there, you may post a message to the Discussion Board
under the topic, "Technology Help". Either I or another student will respond.
Hints for successful learning
The online learning experience
can be very rewarding and successful. The online virtual world is yours to
control. You will determine when to log on, what comments to make in relations
to the topics, and how to actively participate in discussions. The freedom you
will experience in this online course may require you to set up a schedule for
logging in. Daily log in even for a brief period to check out what other
students have to say, and share your thoughts would be one of the best ways to
learn. Ask your classmates any feedback you may need or vice versa. Discuss with
your classmates why you are taking this class and what you want to accomplish
from it. It would be extremely helpful if you share your thoughts with me as
well regarding this class and providing any suggestions you might have to make
this course better. By the end of this class, I will include 10 points to your
total points for your constructive feedback on this class.
Be highly motivated and willing to form online friendship with other learners.
To check your first assignment for the week, go to "Course Information". You
will see all your assignments posted there.
Instructor-Student Interaction:
You may contact me through emails anytime you wish. I will respond within 24
hours or sooner as I check my emails quite frequently.
Wish you all the best!
Your instructor, Zakia Isad
Succeeding in an Online Course
Students who succeed in online courses tend to be independent, self-motivated
learners with good computer skills. If you are a procrastinator who relies
heavily on the instructor for motivation, or can't use a computer too well, you
should probably consider enrolling in a face-to-face course instead.
Or, you might consider enrolling in our
Introduction to Online Learning course (GNST-4910), which
provides an overview of online learning and equips you to succeed in your first
online class.
Don't enroll in this class if you believe the myth that learning
online requires less effort than learning face-to-face.
This course
covers the same content and has similar activities as the face-to-face version
of the course; only the method of delivery changes.
Blackboard
This course will use the Blackboard course management system as its virtual
classroom. To learn how to log in to Blackboard, go to the
How to Begin an Online Course page. Once you
enroll, you will not be able to log in until the first day of class.
Students are expected to become familiar with the use and operation of
Blackboard functions and are encouraged to attend an orientation session
provided by the Distance Education program at Chabot College. In addition, the
professor provides a general unit on "How to Navigate in Blackboard" for
students to understand how to use the major features the professor employs.
