Government

Ms. Rutherford
Email: ruth7492@vandals.uidaho.edu
Class website: http://aletarutherford.weebly.com
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is a study of the origins, development, structure, and functions of
American national government. Topics include the constitutional framework;
federalism; the three branches of government, including the bureaucracy;
civil rights and liberties; political participation and behavior; and policy
formation. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate an
understanding of the basic concepts and participatory processes of the
American political system. Basic concepts of state and local government and
their relationships with the federal government
are also examined.
B. METHOD OF INSTRUCTION
Grading will occur on a variety of assignments including reading,
creative writing or various short essay assignments, active class
participation, group work, hands-on projects, tests, quizzes,
presentations, study guides for tests, and video/DVD viewing.
C. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, the student will be
able to:
a. Demonstrate in writing a basic knowledge of the functions of
American government.
b. Discuss in writing the constitution, federalism, civil liberties, and
foreign policy in American government from development to the
present.
c. Recall elements of the constitution, civil liberties, federalism, the
functions of the three branches of government, and the expansion of
the role of government in American life

D. COURSE TOPICS
A. The vocabulary of American government and political process
B. The historical context of the constitution and the articles of
confederation
C. The three branches of government
D. Federalism vs. anti-federalism
E. The origin of political parties
F. The role of the individual in the American political process

G. Foreign policy
H. The expansion of the federal government in the twentieth
century
I. Developments since World War II
E. GRADING PLAN
1. Each part of the class will be important to your grade:
a. Bell Ringers, 15% of grade
b. Homework, 25% of grade
c. Group Projects, 10% of grade
d. Exams, 35% of grade
e. Essays, 10% of grade

2. Your participation points will come from filling out your Bell
Ringer notebooks each day. You will be granted 3 absences
before missing entries count against your grade.
F. COURSE SPECIFICS
PLAGARISM
Students are expected to cite each web page, book, or other sources
each time they include any information in an essay or project of their
own. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to the following guidelines:
o Including the words of another writer without including
proper citation. Copying and pasting from Internet or other
electronic sourceseven one sentenceis considered
plagiarism unless there are quotation marks preceding and
following the quoted material. Student writers must also
include a citation of the source (Works Cited page or
Bibliography) at the end of their paper. This applies to other
forms of expression as wellartwork, photography,
computer coding, mathematical calculations, etc.
o Citing the sources used but copying and pasting entire
sentences (or photos/graphics/code) without using
quotation marks or proper citation methods.

o Presenting the ideas of another writer (scientist, computer

programmer or artist) as ones own original thoughts (or a.
Unless a student attributes the ideas to the correct source
even if the wording is changedit can be considered
plagiarism. If the paper includes another author's ideas, the
student must indicate with footnotes or in a Works Cited
page where this source can be found. Writing is an
extension of ones thinking, and most assignments
challenge a student to articulate her own ideasto
differentiate between the opinions she arrived at through
her own analysis and those she concluded by consulting
other sources. Even if she shares the same opinion as
another writer, and all the words/images in her essay are
her own, she must give credit to the sources used. This
applies to music, artwork, coding, etc.
o Submitting another students work as ones own, for
example, an essay written by a sibling or another student.
o Submitting a paper or art work, etc. purchased from an
Internet essay site.

Cheating

The following are additional examples of cheating:

o Copying another students work or assignment (including
homework) to submit as ones own.
o Allowing another student to copy your assignment (including
homework) with the intention of submitting to a teacher for
credit.
o Using an unauthorized set of notes, cheat sheet, or other storage
device during a test or quiz.
o Helping another student without permission on a test or quiz.
o Stealing or borrowing or removing an exam from the classroom
or taking it from a teacher without explicit permission.
o Modifying or in any way altering a teachers grades or official
records.

o Using teachers notes, manuals, or guides without explicit

permission.

Classroom Rules
1. Respect your fellow students' opinions at all times.
2. Homework is due on its assigned due date. The only exceptions are
those with a school excused absences or doctor's note.
3. Always be prepared for class discussions.
4. I will be in the classroom from 7:30 each morning to 4:00pm each
afternoon. Please come talk to me during these hours if you need
help. If anything comes up that changes these hours, I will notify
you in class.
5. All students are expected to be on time. Learning will begin when
class begins and anybody who is late is missing out on important
class material.
6. If you are having problems in class, please come speak to me
directly. I will do my best to help you with whatever issues you may
be having in the most discrete way possible.
7. Students will be given 5 passes at the beginning of the semester.
These can be used for late homework assignments, tardiness to
class, missing assignments, or extra credit.
8. Cheating and plagiarism will NOT be tolerated under any
circumstances.