Course Syllabus

American Politics & Government

Faculty

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General Education Requirements

Social Science

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

An examination of the theory and practice of the U.S. political system, from town meetings to Washington, D.C. Topics may include presidential elections, the role of Congress, the President and the Supreme Court, the growth of special interest groups and political action committees, and conflicts between local needs and national policies.

Essential Objectives

1. Describe the American political systems in relation to their cultural and historical environments.
2. Compare and contrast the constitutional roles of the legislative, executive, and judiciary branches of government.
3. Discuss the major concepts and structural principles in our form of constitutional government including federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, and judicial review.
4. Assess the relationship between the states and the federal government in American government and politics.
5. Explain how the political process can be influenced by citizens, interest groups and political campaigns.
6. Identify and evaluate the current issues and future trends in American government and politics.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations.

Fall 2026 textbook details will be available on 2026-05-18. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

Methods:

· Weekly lectures, readings, and discussions

· Weekly Retention Exercises

· Midterm and Final paper assignments

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation Criteria:

I will be grading your work based on a point system. This will consider your attendance and participation in our weekly on-campus classes and discussions, your weekly in-class Retention Exercises, and your midterm and final papers. The total point breakdown looks like this:

Weekly attendance and participation: 30 points

Weekly Retention Exercises: 30 points

Midterm paper perspective essay: 20 points

Final paper amendment proposal: 20 points

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Attendance Policy:

Consistent and informed participation in this class, completion of your weekly Retention Exercise, and timely submission of your midterm and final papers are requirements for courses at CCV. Please be aware that missing more than three (3) classes or failure to submit your midterm and final essays will result in a non-satisfactory grade. If you anticipate that life circumstances may cause you to miss an upcoming assignment, please communicate with me immediately so we may consider alternative means for you to complete the necessary assignments.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/student-support/accessibility-services/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

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