UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT – THURSDAYS – SPRING 2010

HIGHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

PERRY/LECOMPTON HIGH SCHOOL

PERRY

 

INSTRUCTOR:

            Mr. Robert J. Cucciniello

           

CONTACT INFORMATION:

E-MAIL ADDRESS

mrc@cucciniello.com

           

            WEB SITE:

                        http://www.cucciniello.com

 

TELEPHONE

                        785-969-2433

 

            IN-PERSON

                        PERRY:  Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays  6:15 - 9:00pm

                                               

 

REQUIRED TEXT:

James Q Wilson, American Government

 

 

CLASS OBJECTIVE:

We will be looking at the formation of United States government.  Starting with its foundation through its maturity and into it's present day structure.  Along the way we will look at the election of 1992 and 1996 in depth.  We will also discuss how government interacts with its citizens.

 

EVALUATION:                                             FINAL GRADES:

First Exam                                                        100-90 = A

Second Exam                                                   89-80 = B

Third Exam                                                       79-70 = C

Fourth Exam                                                     69-60 = D

Class Participation

 

 

CLASS PARTICIPATION

Though no written homework assignments are scheduled, there will be reading assignments.  Reading the chapter which will be discussed in the next class is very important to understanding the lectures.  The lectures are meant to be supplements to the text, not the other way around!  Reading the assigned chapter also makes it easier to participate in class.  Your class participation grade can be from 0 to 3 points added directly onto your final average.

 

 

EXAMS

            All exams will be 100 points and will be take home.  Exams are due by 7:15pm on the due date listed on the schedule.  No exams will be accepted after that time.  IF YOU ARE ABSENT the day an exam is due, it is your job to get the exam to me.  You may contact me for mailing information or you may email your answers to me.  IF YOU ARE ABSENT the day the exam is handed out, you will have one week from the time you return to class to complete the make up exam and return it to me.

 

Any student is exempt from the Fourth Exam if they meet the following requirements:

 

1)       Student must have an average of 90 or above on the day the Fourth Exam is handed out.

 

2)       Student cannot have missed more than two classes for the entire semester.

 

3)       Neither of the 2 missed classes may be the last two classes of the year.

 

 

ACADEMIC PROBLEMS **FROM HIGHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT HAND BOOK**

Feel free to with your instructor about any problems you may have with the course.  It is usually best to make an appointment to see him in an office rather than trying to get and answer to a question or to take care of a problem between classes.

                Faculty members are expected to provide information at the start of each semester on how the final grade will be determined.  Faculty members are very conscientious about determining student grades, but if you feel an error has been made, talk to the instructor.

                If you feel your concerns have not been addressed, you may speak with the Vice President for Academic Affairs on campus.  Although the practice is rare, a grade can be appealed.  Information on how to appeal can be obtained from the vice President for Academic Affairs on campus.

 

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Students are expected to attend every class.  Attendance will be taken in every class.  I recognize that legitimate reasons may force students to miss an occasional class.  The first 2 (two) absences will not negatively affect your grade.  The 3rd absence will cost 2 (two) points off your final grade.  The 4th absence will cost 4 (four) points; the 5th will cost 6 (six) points and so on.  THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS; THERE ARE NO EXCUSED ABSENCES.  Absences are counted from the first day of class, not when the student began attending the class.  Students who fall behind on absences can "make-up" missed classes by writing a brief report on the topic(s) covered that night.  See me for details.

 

 

LATE FOR CLASS

            Events may take place that cause you to be late for class.  This is understandable.  However, repeated tardiness is both detrimental to your grade and a disturbance to the rest of the class.  Therefore, the following penalties will apply:

 

                1st tardy – No penalty

                2nd tardy – 1 point off final average

                3rd tardy – 2 points off final average

 

                (NOTE: Late is defined as arriving to class more that 20 minutes after class starts.  No credit will be given for attending class if you arrive more than 40 minutes late.)

 

                (Note2: **FROM THE HIGHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT HANDBOOK** Students maybe dropped from a course when they are failing AND have absences totaling 20% of the class.  (20% of this class = 3 classes)

 

 

 

CLASSROOM DISRUPTIONS **FROM THE HIGHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT HANDBOOK**

                No acts of disruption in the classroom will be tolerated at Highland Community College.  If a student is being disruptive, they are violating the rights of others to an educational atmosphere, interfering with the operations of the College and /or being insubordinate to College authorities.

                Every instructor will:

·         State clearly in the first day handout their personal policy about disruptive acts in accordance with their expectations of their students.

·         List examples of disruptive acts and how those specific acts will be handled.  (Not all acts of disruption can be anticipated and this list is not all inclusive)

·         Send his policy (first-day hand out) to the Vice President fro Academic Affairs or appropriate Regional Coordinator for review and acceptance.

Situations which demean, embarrass, sexually harass, or threaten the life or physical safety of others will not be tolerated and the instructor will drop the student from the class.  A grade of “W” will appear on the academic transcripts.

For other such disruptive acts, removal from the classroom the first time will serve as a warning to the student to discontinue the offending behavior(s) in any and all future class operations.  Although no written record of this warning is required by the administration, in may be prudent for the instructor to keep one.  The student is encouraged to discuss the situation with the instructor before the next class session.

A second offense by the student of disruptive behavior (which may or may not be the exact same offense as the first) will result in the student being removed from the course for the semester.  A grade of “W” will appear on the academic transcripts.

When the instructor feels it is necessary to remove a student from the class, a drop/add form will be completed and forwarded to the Vice President of Student Services along with an explanation of the event.

The student may appeal the decision of the instructor to the Vice President for Student Service.  Thereafter, the student or instructor may appeal the decision of the Vice President for Student Services to the President of Highland Community College.  The President’s decision is final.

 

So, on that note, here is MR.C’s LIST OF DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIORS:

 

*Grandstanding – (defined as): Students who use a classroom discussion as a chance to speak about their favorite subjects despite the irrelevancy their comments may have in regard to the discussion of the class as a whole.  Students who use the classroom as a place to communicate to their peers, tales of their personal lives, which is also not appropriate to the setting.   

*Sleeping in Class

*Prolonged Chattering

*Excessive Lateness 

*Overt Inattentiveness

*Use of Pagers, Cell Phones, and Passing Notes

*Verbal or Physical Threats, to Students or Faculty

 

Any student found to be partaking in one or more of these specific disruptive behaviors – or any behavior considered disruptive will receive 1 (one) warning per class.  After that, if the behavior continues the student will be asked to leave the room.  The student will then receive an “absence”.  If the student refuses to leave the classroom, they will be immediately dropped from the class.

 

 

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE:

The following is a tentative class schedule of chapters and exams.

                                                            see attached schedule

 

 

 

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