GOVT200-002Spring 2017 Syllabus PDF

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Liberty University Helms School of Government Constitutional Government and Free Enterprise GOVT 200-002 Spring Semester 2017 COURSE SYLLABUS MWF: 2:10-3:00pm DeMoss 1090 Dr. Gai Ferdon [email protected] Mr. David Vander Pluym (Course GSA) [email protected] 434-592-4827 GH 1652 Room 1661B Office Hours: M/W/F: 9:30-12:30pm T/R: 8:00-9:00am I. COURSE DESCRIPTION Diverse introduction to political and economic ideas, government institutions, free market processes, public issues, economic policy and political and economic activity, emphasizing the close relationship between a system of limited constitutional government and the free enterprise economy and providing an overview of the Christian worldview with regard to government and economics. II. RATIONALE Government and Business Majors, as well as others, need a philosophical foundation for the general concept of limited government and free enterprise economics. This course provides such a foundation, for students to understand that limited government and free workers are successful. From an ethical point of view, limited government and free workers are superior to other processes; historically they are the property of western Christian civilization. III.

PREREQUISITE STATEMENT: There are no prerequisites for this course.

IV. MATERIALS LIST Ferdon, Gai. Constitutional Government and Free Enterprise: A Biblical Christian Worldview Approach and Emphasis, Interactive Notes (1st Edition). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-4652-3885-6. Henry Hazlitt, Economics in One Lesson (New York: Arlington House Publishers, 1996 [1946]). ISBN: 0930073193. Glenn R. Martin, Prevailing Worldviews of Western Society Since 1500 (Marion, IN: Triangle Publishing, 2006). ISBN: 1931283168. James McClellan, Liberty, Order and Justice: An Introduction to the Constitutional Principles of American Government. 3rd ed. (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2000). ISBN: 0865972559. US Constitution – Pocket Constitution, Heritage Foundation Copyright Dr. Gai Ferdon, Spring 2017 Page 1

V. COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: A. B. C. D. E. F. VI.

explain the concept and application of limited government. list the major specific provisions of the U.S. Constitution in its context as a limiting device. discuss the ethics and workings of free market processes. analyze the moral arguments against capitalism. examine the American constitutional order and system as well as contemporary political and economic problems. apply the historical biblical Christian worldview while practicing the politics of grace.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS A.

Preparation/Participation:

1. Students are responsible for reading the textbook and the supplementary volumes according to the assignment sequence. 2. Students are expected to prepare for each class by studying the uploaded PowerPoint or lecture document uploaded to the blackboard course portal prior to the class lecture in order to take effective notes. Students are also expected to review their notes systematically—at least once a week. 3. Student must observe the following: ALL CELL PHONES should be TURNED OFF and put away before the start of class. Also, all I-PODS should be TURNED OFF and put away before class begins. B.

Evaluation Activities and Policies:

1. Exams: There will be four multiple-choice exams given during the regular semester, including the Final Exam. Exams will test students’ knowledge of both classroom lectures and the assigned readings. a. Review Sheets will be administered online one-week in advance of each exam. b. One hour Review Sessions will be offered for each exam, and scheduled within at least two days of each exam given room availability, and typically in the late afternoon. These sessions will be conducted by a TA and or GA. Review Sessions are voluntary. 2. The Final Exam will be administered during finals week on Monday, May 8, from 10:3012:30pm. All Exams are worth 25% of your overall grade. Students are expected to take the exams at the scheduled time. 3. There will be NO Make-Up Exams. The Final Exam is established through the office of the Provost and cannot be changed, so please ensure your travel schedule accommodates all your exams, including the Final. Do not message to request an exam schedule-change unless you are participating in a Liberty University sponsored event such as an athletic competition or other provost-approved event, you are experiencing a severe medical condition accompanied by a medical excuse, or, are suffering from a death in the family. Military personal may also be excused due to official training demands accompanied by an authorized schedule. 4. As grades are being calculated, do not message to request a “grade boost” due to financial aid reasons, or scholarship reasons, or for any other reason.

Copyright Dr. Gai Ferdon, Spring 2017 Page 2

VII. COURSE GRADING AND POLICIES Final grades for the course will be based on the students’ grades on the four exams and attendance. Again, there will be NO make-up exams. Grades will be determined using the following university-wide scale. Students will receive the higher letter grade should their numerical grade compute to an 895, 795, 695 or 595. What each evaluation is worth and Final Grade Tabulation Exam 1 = 250pts. Exam 2 = 250pts. Exam 3 = 250pts. Exam 4 = 250pts.

February 13 March 8 April 12 May 8

900 ─ 1000 = A 800 ─ 899.90 = B 700 ─ 799.90 = C 600 ─ 699.90 = D Below 600 = F

1. A consistent 1000-point grading scale will be adopted as follows: 900 – 1000 = A 800 – 899.90 = B 700 – 799.90 = C 600 – 699.90 = D Below 600 = F 2. A 1,000 point scale will be adopted for calculating student grades. For example, an assignment that is worth 40% of a student’s grade will be worth 400 points of the 1,000 possible. Moreover, all grades will be posted in the Blackboard grade center without exception and should normally be recorded within one week to ten days of those assignments being turned in. 3. All grades will be posted with numeric and not letter grades. VIII. ATTENDANCE POLICIES A. New Attendance Policy: Attendance Policies For the good of the Liberty University student body, a consistent attendance policy is needed so that all students in all majors will understand the expectations of faculty in all their courses. In general, regular and punctual attendance in all classes is expected of all students. At times, students will miss classes. Students will be permitted elective absences per the policy below. University-approved absences will not count towards these absences. Excused Absences: 1. Excused absences include all Liberty University sponsored events, athletic competition or other provost-approved event. 2. Absences due to medical illness that are accompanied by a doctor’s note will be excused. 3. Absences due to family situations such as a death in the family or a severe medical condition will be excused with accompanying evidence. 4. Students will not be penalized for excused absences and will be permitted to make arrangements to complete missed work.

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Student Elective Absences • Classes that meet: o Three times per week will be permitted four elective absences per semester. o Twice per week will be permitted three elective absences per semester. o Once per week will be permitted one elective absence per semester. • Penalties for each absence over the permitted number of elective absences per semester will be as follows: o 50 points for classes that meet 3 times per week o 75 points for classes that meet 2 times per week o 100 points for classes that meet once per week • Students who are late for class 10 minutes or less are considered tardy but present for the class. If a student misses in-class work due to tardiness, the faculty member may choose not to allow the student to make up this work. Three class tardies will be counted as one absence. • Students who are more than 10 minutes late for class are considered absent. • Questions regarding elective absences must be addressed by the student with the professor within one week of returning to class. In cases where this is not possible, the student must notify the Professor in writing of the circumstances impacting his or her absence. The student may appeal the Professor's decision in writing to the respective Chair within one week. Final appeals may be made to the Dean (Dr. Mark Tinsley) in writing within one week of the Chair's decision and the Dean's decision is final. • When circumstances result in excessive absences (e.g., serious medical illness, family crisis), upon return to campus the student shall communicate in writing with the Registrar's Office ([email protected]) and provide an explanation of his or her situation with appropriate documentation. The Registrar will consult with the faculty member before making the final decision and will notify, in writing, the student and the faculty member. • Work missed for University-approved absences may be made up. University-Approved Absences include only Liberty University sponsored events, to include athletic competition or other Provost-approved absences. Further Clarifications Relative to Attendance Policies: Medical excuses for absences due to severe sickness must be submitted within one-week of said absence(s). Students must make-up missed exams or quizzes at the Academic Success Center and within two days of returning from said absence(s). Absence notifications submitted beyond one week will not be accepted. If you are a member of a Liberty University sponsored organization (athlete, band member, etc.), then you are to present to me your official schedule for my records, as well as the official form for me to sign before the close of the first week of class. These schedules must include dates and times of events, as well as departure and return times, which will be squared with any absences. To maintain proper class decorum while avoiding non-essential disruptions, students who are in attendance are required to remain in class for the entire scheduled time, and are not allowed to leave except for medical emergencies. Absences will not be accompanied by private office lectures. You are encouraged to consult with students who have been in faithful attendance. With this, Exam Review Sheets are administered within one week of each Exam, and students will be allowed to ask questions relative to the Exam within that one-week time frame in class or during a scheduled review session. Your Blackboard grade book will contain an ‘Absences’ column, which will be updated weekly. You are responsible for recording your own absences to square with my official online record. Do not Copyright Dr. Gai Ferdon, Spring 2017 Page 4

message me to convey to you the dates of recorded absences and tardies, which are uploaded. Any date associated with such an upload refers only to the time and day of the upload, not that of the absence or tardy. The Final Exam will be administered to all students on the specified exam date of December 14, regardless of the number of exams which any student is required to complete on that day, with the exception of an absence status allowed in section VI-B, 3 and VIII-A. This policy also applies to students taking more than a 15 credit class-load where the possibility of three Final Exams scheduled for the same day is likely. Finally, students are not allowed to take their Final Exam at an alternate time, even given duplicate course sessions. IX.

OTHER POLICIES DRESS CODE Students are expected to come to class dressed in a manner consistent with The Liberty Way. HONOR CODE We, the students, faculty, and staff of Liberty University, have a responsibility to uphold the moral and ethical standards of this institution and personally confront those who do not. LIMITS OF CONFIDENTIALITY Students are encouraged to share prayer requests and life concerns with the professor in this class. Not only will the professor pray for and care for students, but can guide students to appropriate University resources if desired. However, in the event of a student’s disclosure, either verbally or in writing, of threat of serious or foreseeable harm to self or others, abuse or neglect of a minor, elderly or disabled person, victim or witness of a crime or sexual misconduct, or current involvement in criminal activity, the faculty, staff, administrator, or supervisor will take immediate action. This action may include, but is not limited to, immediate notification of appropriate state law enforcement or social services personnel, emergency contacts, notification of the appropriate program chair or online dean, or notification to other appropriate University officials. All reported information is treated with discretion and respect, and kept as private as possible. ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT Academic misconduct includes: academic dishonesty, plagiarism, and falsification. See The Liberty Way for specific definitions, penalties, and processes for reporting. DISABILITY STATEMENT Students with a documented disability may contact the Office of Disability Academic Support (ODAS) in Religion Hall 126 to make arrangements for academic accommodations. For all disability testing accommodation requests (i.e. quieter environment, extended time, oral testing, etc.) the Testing Center (Religion Hall 119) is the officially designated place for all tests administered outside of the regular classroom. DROP/ADD POLICY A Fall/Spring course may be dropped without a grade, tuition, and fee charges within the first five days of the semester. From the sixth day until the end of the tenth week (see academic calendar for exact date), a Fall/Spring course may be withdrawn with a grade of “W”. CLASSROOM POLICIES: ELECTRONIC DEVICES

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The inappropriate use of technology, such as cell phones, IPods, laptops, IPads calculators, etc. in the classroom is not be tolerated. Other disruptive behavior in the classroom is not tolerated. Students who engage in such misconduct will be subject to the penalties and processes as written in The Liberty Way. Further Clarification of Use of Electronic Devices for GOVT. 200 Students enrolled in the Government 200 Course are not allowed to use Laptops, Ipads, Tablets, Smart Watches or similar devices in class, or any portable digital camera and any other type of photographing device. You are also not allowed to use MP3 players to record lectures, or any other type of recording device. Exceptions are made for ODAS students. All ODAS students using such acceptable technology for in-class-use as recommended by ODAS and approved by the professor must sit in the front rows of the classroom. Foreign Nationals are allowed to use separate hand-held electronic dictionaries and language translators only, and which are unassociated with mobile/cell phones. All cell phones must be turned off. You are not allowed to leave the class to answer a message or make a call. If you are found to be using a cell-phone or Smart Watch—texting, monitoring messages, web-browsing and similar activity during lecture/class time—you will be immediately dismissed from class by a TA upon request of your name and student ID, as well as receive an absence for that class day. If you are found to be using a cell-phone or Smart Watch (or similar device) on a second instance, you will be required to meet with the Office of Student Conduct to receive the appropriate penalty. If you are found sleeping during class, you will also be dismissed and receive an absence for that class day. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY As a Christian community of scholarship, we at Liberty University are committed to the principles of truth and honesty in the academic endeavor. As faculty and students in this Christian community, we are called to present our academic work as an honest reflection of our abilities; we do not need to defraud members of the community by presenting others’ work as our own. Therefore, academic dishonesty is handled with serious consequences for two fundamental reasons: it is stealing – taking something that is not ours, and lying – pretending to be something it is not. In a Christian community, such pretense is not only unnecessary it is also harmful to the individual and community as a whole. Cheating should have no place at a campus where Christ is King because God desires us to be truthful with each other concerning our academic abilities. Only with a truthful presentation of our knowledge can there be an honest evaluation of our abilities. To such integrity, we as a Christian academic community are called. Copying answers from a classmate, using crib notes during an exam, or turning in work for another student is considered cheating. Anyone caught cheating or aiding someone in cheating will be given a zero. Copying material from another source (book, journal, newspaper, another student, etc.) for a paper without proper acknowledgment is considered plagiarism. Plagiarism and Multiple Submissions of Papers: Plagiarism is a serious offense and utilizing the work of others without proper citation is a clear violation of University policy. However, no clear directive has been established within the Helms School of Government as to the permissibility of a student submitting substantially the same paper to satisfy writing requirements in different courses.

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Effective spring 2007, any writing assignment required for a Helms School of Government course must be an original composition drafted specifically for the individual course. When a course requirement in an upper division course builds upon a previously researched topic, and the student desires to utilize his/her prior submission as a foundational document for the new course assignment, he/she may bring a copy of the previous paper to the current professor. The professor will review with the student the additional research and writing elements needed to complete the current assignment without violating this policy. “Although you may not currently be concerned about it, in the near future you will need faculty members to give letters of reference or recommendations for employment or letters of recommendation for graduate school. Your attendance, punctuality, appearance, and attitude will be areas of interest to those requesting these letters. In addition, some of you will need a security check for your future job. Be aware that cheating and plagiarism are causes for a permanent record being placed in your student folder, which will be checked during a background security check.” Dr. Parke, Associate Dean of the Helms School of Government. EMAILING YOUR INSTRUCTOR The subject line of all e-mail messages related to this course must include the course number (e.g., GOVT- 200-002), your name, and a brief of the question or concern being raised in the message, the answer to which cannot be found in the syllabus, course introduction, or other supporting documents located in Blackboard, or addressed by your TA/GSA. Following these directions enables the professor to quickly identify you and the course, facilitating a timely response. Again, only initiate an e-mail questions regarding the course if you are unable to locate the answer elsewhere, such as through materials, through a fellow classmate or the designated TA/GA. I will respond to all other e-mails submitted after 10:00pm., on the next day. COURSE GA Mr. David Vander Pluym, Graduate Student Assistant for the Helms School of Government, will be assisting the GOVT. 200 Course relative to record keeping and the recording of all exam grades, as well as absences and tardies into each student’s Blackboard Gradebook. Please contact Mr. Vander Pluym should questions arise relative to such. All hard copy class attendance rosters, as well as official medical and Liberty University approved excuses, will be collected after each class and submitted to Mr. Vander Pluym to be kept on file in Helms, and used to update student absences and tardies electronically through Blackboard Gradebook after each class, or by...