communication

During This Term Students Will Complete Two Written Assignments

 

The assignments are geared towards enhancing understanding and application of core objectives as identified by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and to achieve specific student learning outcomes.

The core objectives are:

CORE OBJECTIVES:

CRITICAL THINKING:  Includes creative thinking, innovation, inquiry and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information.

COMMUNICATION:  Includes effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY:  Includes the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision making.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY:  Includes intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national and global communities.

The two assignments for this term are:

 

  1. The U.S. President is able to issue an executive order. After discussing what an executive order is, either select an issue you believe could be effectively handled by an executive order and explain why or selective an executive order that you believe was not appropriate and explain why you believe the president was in error in issuing the order.(Communications and Personal Responsibility )

 

  1. Should federal bureaucrats (employees) be granted discretion in the implementation of public policies? Using the  situation of former  government employee Edward Snowden 1)identify and explain in what capacity he worked for the U.S. government, explain what actions he took and where he is now, 2) outline the position of the federal government.  How does the government see his actions?  How does the government want to deal with him?  3) Place yourself in his (Snowden’s) position.  What would you do, if while working for the federal government, you came to question the legality of the work you did?  What specific actions would you take?  4) Identify what protections you have if you come forward.  5) Explain and justify YOUR decision. (Critical Thinking and Social Responsibility)

 

 

 

Specific guidelines for completing these two written assignments are below.

 

 

Both Written Assignments Are Due Apr 15

Each is worth 10% of your final grade ( 2 times 10% = 20%)

specific requirements – assignments are due at the beginning of class.

 

  1. each is required to be a minimum of 3 full pages ( total 6 pages)
    1. typed, with separate cover letter for each topic , Microsoft word
    2. cover  letter not included in paper page length
  2. due date for both assignments is Apr 15
  3. students must cite specific sources of their information with using APA or MLA guidelines
  4. bonus points: students who complete both assignments and turn them in to me a week before the due date will be awarded 20 additional total written assignment  points
  1. all papers are due at the beginning of class. if you do not turn them in the beginning of class they are considered late, therefore  no bonus points apply and one letter grade deduction for normal due date submission

Additional comments about your paper

  • your paper should be clearly organized
  • please use a spell check, please edit your papers
  • please be aware of the plagiarism and academic dishonesty issue as discuss and referred to in other parts of this syllabus[1]
  • note the due date and the bonus point due date etc.
  • Wikipedia and similar sources are not acceptable for a scholarly paper in this class, please see previous comments earlier in this syllabus
  • late papers will have one letter grade deducted per calendar day
  • you cannot use all web based sources and you must document newspaper, book and or scholarly journal articles appropriately, consistent with MLA or APA requirements
  • you must both web based and non-web based sources (books, articles from newspapers/magazines, scholarly articles) and you must include at least one citation from our class textbook for each of the two written assignments

 

Grade Evaluation Criteria (Rubric)

 

A:

  • paper address each area in an organized and detailed manner consistent with the questions requirements,
  • maximum of  three spelling and usage errors
  • Meets/exceeds minimum length criteria
  • Attention to academic referencing and standards clearly evident & comprehensive

 

B:

  • Discusses each area of the question
  • Lacks some detail that are relevant to a first class answer
  • Barely meets minimum length criteria
  • Obvious spelling and usage errors denote some carelessness in editing
  • Academic referencing acceptable

 

C:

  • Discusses each area of question
  • Significant detail omitted
  • Meets minimum length criteria
  • Spelling and usage errors denote inattention to editing
  • Academic referencing minimally acceptable, omitted some detail

 

D:

  • Omitted one or more of the question areas
  • Insufficient detail reflecting clear scholarship deficiencies
  • Excessive spelling and usage errors
  • Academic referencing seriously deficient in form, substance and detail
  • Does not meet minimum length criteria

 

F:

  • Omits one or more of the question areas
  • Lacks major portions of the details necessary to demonstrate even minimal understanding of the concept
  • Does not meet minimum length criteria by more than 50 %
  • Academic referencing virtually non-existent and poorly presented
  • Spelling and usage errors present with such frequency and magnitude that the overall presentation is degraded

 

[1] I may require you to turn your paper in to a plagiarism software program to validate its attribution of sources. Please keep this in mind and keep a copy of your paper in an electronic format.