Here's another brief course profile, this time from the Political Science Department.American Government
Really US Government
Taught at 2 yr and 4 yr schools
General Education requirement
Requirement for transfer to 4 yr schools
Lecture, quizzes, papers, mid-term, final
Textbooks
Brief
14 chapters, 380 pages, 25 pages per chapter
13 chapters government structure, 1 policy
Brief growing in popularity (due to lower cost)
Comprehensive
20 chapters, 650 pages, 32 pages per chapter
16 chapters structure, 4 chapters policy
Texas
Adds 7 chapters on Texas government
Professors
Both faculty and adjuncts
Most are education oriented
Often tech-phobic
Students
Both freshman and sophomores
Both non-majors (mostly) and majors
Some had HS Civics, others didn't
Many lack college reading and writing skills
Many are politically naive
Others follow Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert
Hmmm....are American Government faculty really as "tech-phobic" as I am?...I wonder if it is a function of real reluctance to use online materials, or just a function of being forced to use old methods that save time? Personally, that's always my problem when teaching, I don't want to re-invent the wheel every time a course is offered. I would have to agree that many students lack reading and writing skills, as well, at least at a college level. It's very difficult to get students to do homework other than the short papers listed above. Glad to see others feel the same way.
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