Faculty Syllabus
GOVT-2305 United States Government
Theodore Hadzi-Antich
Credit Spring 2026
Section(s)
GOVT-2305-079 (16921)
LEC DIL ONL DIL
GOVT-2305-083 (16924)
LEC DIL ONL DIL
GOVT-2305-084 (16925)
LEC DIL ONL DIL
Course Requirements
Discussion Board Posts
Each week, students will participate in online discussions focused on the material assigned for that week. Discussion forums will typically include starter posts associated with the study questions for the readings of that week. Overall, discussion forums are worth 30% of the course grade, and including the introduction forum, which must be a video post made and shared with Panopto.
Video Posts:
Posts must be between 30-60 seconds. Posts must directly address the discussion question or the post of another student and incorporate a quotation from the text in some way. I should be able to tell that you have read the assigned text and that you are responding, at least in part, to what one of your peers had to say in the forum. Do not read from a script. Just push record, look at the camera and talk. I’m looking for authenticity here. There are no wrong answers here other than submitting a scripted or highly rehearsed response. Students' faces should be visible and unfiltered in all video posts. I’m not looking for great production quality, it’s ok if you are not in a quiet place, so long as we can hear you.
Grading:
Discussion forums are worth 26% of the course grade. There are a lot of discussion forums; if you miss a few, you’ll still be able to get an A in this class. Discussion forums cannot be made up for credit after they are due. Generally speaking, discussion forums are each worth 2 points. Your grade is based upon your response to one of the discussion questions and your response to two of your peer’s posts. So long as you are not reading from a script or submitting a highly rehearsed response, I expect most to get full credit. Less than full credit or no credit means that you are either reading from a script or not reflecting on peer posts.
Making Connections Presentations
Each student will prepare two Making Connections Presentations, which include:
Explore the Making Connections lists and select something that interests you. Claim your topic as soon as you've decided on it by starting a new thread in the discussion board. If you see a topic you want already up in the discussion board, you are too late. It has been claimed by another.
Research your selection, beginning with the textbook.
Prepare a 3-4 minute presentation on this selection, which addresses the following questions:
What is your selection and why was it important for the development of US Democracy?
What is the historical context of this? What relevant things were happening in the US during this time?
How might the US be a different place today had this not taken place/existed? In what ways would we be better or worse off?
Create a simple slide that includes one image and three bullet points you’ll address in your presentation.
List all sources at the bottom of your slide
You will record a video of yourself giving the presentation. Don’t read from a script. You need to have researched your topic well enough so that you can talk without notes, while looking at the camera. Your slide will have three bullet points; discuss each of them. I’m not looking for a polished presentation. I’m looking to see that you are knowledgeable in the topic, and have researched it well enough where you can speak about it fluidly without notes. I’m not looking for you to ask AI to research this for you and then for you to read a presentation it creates. You are welcome to use AI to assist you in the research process, but your presentation needs to come from you in real-time during the recording. Look at the camera, click record and then tell us what you’ve learned about this topic and why that matters. If you do that genuinely, you’ll get full credit for this, however sloppy or awkward your delivery is.
After you have created your thread, now it’s time to join a conversation. For Making Connections, all students need to participate at least two times. You can earn up to 8 points on the presentation and 2 points on the responses. Each video response is worth 1 point. In your two video responses, you’ll need to:
Identify something specific you liked about the content of the presentation. Don’t just say that it is “clear”, “good”, or other general compliments. What is something you learned about the item the speaker presented on from watching this presentation.
Identify something specific that you wish the speaker would have said more about regarding the topic of the presentation.
Textbook Reading Quizzes
There will be 5 textbook reading quizzes. These quizzes are open note and book. You have as much time as you need to complete the quiz. However, you only have one attempt, and you cannot backtrack and change answers once you move forward. The best way to prepare for a quiz is to read the textbook chapters before completing it. If you do that, the quiz should be easy, and you should get most of the questions correct. If instead you try to search for the answers to each question as you go, the quiz will take you more time, you'll absolutely hate it and will likely also learn less. The choice is yours! Quiz due dates and chapter reading assignments can be found in the schedule below.
Section Wrap-ups
At the end of each section, you’ll record a 1-2 minute video discussing what you’ve learned in that section that helped you understand something better about our world today. In your wrap up you’ll need to do the following things:
Read a short quotation from one of the texts assigned for that section that you found interesting. Let us know the context of that quotation, what it means and why you connected with it.
What’s one thing someone else in the course posted in this section that you connected with? Tell us about that. Who shared it? What was it about, and how did you connect with it?
How has what you learned in this section helped you see something differently about our political or social lives?
Don’t read from a script. Get prepared to discuss these three points. When you are, look at the camera, click record and then discuss them. If you do that genuinely, you’ll get full credit for this, however sloppy or awkward your delivery is. This is not about getting a “correct” answer. It is about being honest and human in your response. If I hear someone speaking in unbroken sentences with a high degree of fluidity and using terms that seem to come from a researched presentation, I’m assuming that that person is either reading from a prepared script or has memorized something in advance. I’m looking for authenticity and in-the-moment thinking and speaking. The messier and real this is, the better you will do. I think this is the most important part of each section. Each Section Wrap-up is worth 6 points. The whole course wrap-up is worth 9 points. Highly scripted responses will get little to no credit.
Readings
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Topics and Assignments |
Due |
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Section One: |
Orientation Quiz and Introduction Posts |
Week One |
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Discussion and The Truth: Plato’s Apology and discussion posts Quiz 1: Textbook Chapters 1 and 2 |
Week Two |
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The Political Philosophy of The US Constitution: John Locke discussion posts Section One Wrap-up |
Week Three |
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Section Two |
Quiz 2: Textbook Chapters 3 and 9 and Declaration of Independence, and discussion posts |
Week Four |
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US Constitution discussion posts |
Week Five |
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The Ratification Debate (Anti-federalists and Federalists) Section Two Wrap-up |
Week Six |
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Section Three |
Quiz 3: Textbook Chapters 16 and 15 Making Connections One Presentation |
Week Seven |
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Tocqueville reading and discussion posts |
Week Eight |
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Fredrick Douglass reading and discussion posts |
Week Nine |
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Lincoln/Douglas Debate 7, reading and discussion posts Section Three Wrap-up |
Week Ten |
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Section Four |
Quiz 4: Textbook Chapters 10 and 14 Anna Julia Cooper reading and discussion posts |
Week Eleven |
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Civil Rights: Federalism and The Courts, reading and discussion posts |
Week Twelve |
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The Supreme Court and The US Constitution, reading and discussion posts Section Four Wrap-up |
Week Thirteen |
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Section Five |
Quiz 5: Textbook Chapters 7, 12 and 13 Who Represents Me, assignment, and discussion posts |
Week Fourteen |
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Making Connections Two |
Week Fifteen |
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Whole Course Wrap-up |
Week Sixteen |
Course Subjects
This course is a discussion-based introduction to the study of the United States Government, focused on the reading and discussion of core-texts. Core-texts are important primary documents, such as the writings of the framers of the US Constitution, Supreme Court cases, notable essays, speeches and political music and art. This class is mostly discussion-based. You are evaluated on your writing, active engagement in the course discussion boards, two online presentations and weekly reading quizzes. You will have extensive but fascinating readings to do during the week while preparing course assignments and engaging in the discussion boards. In addition to interacting with online discussion boards, you will also make and share video recordings of yourself talking about course material and giving presentations.
In this course, you will explore works by influential authors like Plato, John Locke, The Federalists and Anti-Federalists, Fredrick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the texts of many Supreme Court Cases, political works of art and music.
Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives
1. Explain the origin and development of constitutional democracy in the United States.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the federal system.
3. Describe separation of powers and checks and balances in both theory and practice.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government.
5. Evaluate the role of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in the political system.
6. Analyze the election process.
7. Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens
8. Analyze issues and policies in U.S. politics.
Office Hours
M W 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM HLC 4.2310.51
NOTET Th 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Online or in-person
NOTE Please email to set up modalityF 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM online or in-person
NOTE by appointment, please email to set it up.Published: 01/19/2026 20:11:02