POLS-C1000 - American Government and Politics - Phil Gussin
| Course: | American Government and Politics |
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| Professor: | Phil Gussin |
| Email: | phil.gussin@canyons.edu |
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Introduction
The first thing I want students to know about my course is that they MUST log into the Canvas page on the first day of the semester or they will be dropped from the class. I know this might seem harsh but we are having a problem with people enrolling in the class fraudulently for the sole purpose of getting financial aid. They have no intention of actually taking the class. And since they are enrolling in classes all across the country, they do not take the time to read Orientation Letters. This is a problem because classes fill up with fraudulent enrollees, preventing actual students from enrolling in the class. Therefore, students who do not log into the Canvas page on the first day of the Canvas page becomes available will be dropped from the class to allow room for students who are interested in taking the class.
When I designed this course, I wanted students in my online classes to experience something similar to what happens in my face-to-face classes. To do that, I videotaped all of my lectures in 10 to 15-minute segments. When I was done, there were more than 120 videos on a variety of subjects related to American and California government. In many online classes, most of the material presented is text. In this class, while you still have to read the textbook, you MUST watch the lecture videos in order to succeed. When I grade answers to the essay questions on the exams, I look for specifically for information from the lecture videos. Since I have a unique take on most subjects, it is obvious when students rely on information from other sources. Therefore, the most important thing prospective students should know about this class is that they must watch the lecture videos. Based on past comments, students find the videos both informative and somewhat entertaining.
Course Description
The class covers a wide range of topics related to American and California government.
What to Expect in this Course
In past evaluations, students indicate that the workload is reasonable. In the past, I did not have many due dates for assignments. If you've heard about this feature of my class and appreciated it, unfortunately, things have changed. Since the class is entirely online -- including the exams -- you need to be familiar with Canvas, the learning management system that we use at College of the Canyons. If you want to meet with me during Virtual Office Hours, it would be nice if you had a webcam. While I understand the need for having online, asynchronous classes, one of the things I like the most about teaching is interacting with students. Therefore, if you want to meet during Virtual Office Hours, it would be nice to actually see you, as well as hear you. However, you are not required to have your webcam on.
Types of Assessments
In terms of assignments, there are 15 quizzes based on the readings in the textbook. I refer to these as the "Reading Questions." For each chapter, I provide approximately 25 Reading Questions. Canvas will randomly select 10 of the 25 Reading Questions for each chapter. Student can take each quiz twice. Canvas will only record your highest quiz score so you cannot possibly hurt your grade by taking the quiz a second time.
When calculating grades, I drop the five lowest quizzes.
There are 15 discussion board posts for each set of lecture videos. I have very specific instructions on the discussion boards, both in terms of content and citations. Basically, for each comment on the discussion board, you need to cite which lecture video you are writing about in your post. Be sure to read the instructions very carefully.
There are two exams. Most of the points on the exams (80%) are based on information presented in the lecture videos. This is why it is essential to watch the lecture videos. The exams will include 20 of the Reading Questions, selected at random by Canvas. As you will see when you log into Canvas, for each topic that I discussion, there are a set of Practice Quizzes. The Practice Quizzes are based on the information in the lecture videos. Canvas will randomly selected 30 of the questions from the Practice Quizzes. Finally, there are two essay questions on the exam: a 30 point essay and a 70 point essay. I provide a Study Guide that includes questions that might be on the exams along with a rubric for how to answer the essay questions. In some cases, the essay questions on the Study Guide are identical to the questions uploaded in Canvas. In some cases, the questions in Canvas are slightly different than the questions on the Study Guide. Be sure to read them carefully.
Invariably, despite my repeated warnings, students decide to use AI programs or alternative sources of information to answer my essay questions. Again, despite my repeated warnings, I guess they assume that I will not notice. While I am not opposed to ChatGPT or other programs, you cannot use them to answer my essay questions. I have many, many way to telling when students are relying on alternative sources of information. Two of the videos actually explain, in detail, ways that I can tell. And STILL students try getting away with using alternative sources. I have a zero tolerance for this kind of academic dishonesty. If you're not prepared to watch the lecture videos, do not take my class. It's really that simple.
Textbook Information
The textbook for this class is actually two books in one. The first book, which focuses on the federal government, is title “We The People” by Ginsberg, et al. The second book, which focuses on California government, is titled “Governing California” by Anagnoson, et al. You can purchase the book at the COC Bookstore. Having said that, the truth is that most of the class will focus on the federal government (which is covered in We The People). So if you can find an older edition of We The People, that will probably be sufficient. However, you should NOT by "The Essentials" version of We The People. Students have told me that it does not include the information you need to respond to the quizzes. You do not need to purchase "Governing California."
Other Relevant Course Information
My class is unusual in that students MUST watch the lecture videos in order to do well. When students use alternative sources of information (e.g., textbook, internet, ChatGPT or other AI programs), it is obvious, especially on the essays.
Everything else you need to know about the class will be included in the Syllabus.
Additional Resources
Canvas
This course can be accessed on the first day of class via Canvas at https://coc.instructure.com. Log into Canvas using your CanyonsID single sign-on:
- CanyonsID Username is your COC student email address (Ex: username@my.canyons.edu)
- CanyonsID Password is your COC student email password
Please visit the Get to Know Your Online Classroom page for help logging into Canvas and for tips on using Canvas and Zoom. Canvas Chat Support is also available 24/7 for any Canvas related issues.
Online Education
Check out the Online Education website for more information on a variety of topics that can help you be a successful online student such as: exam proctoring, learning styles, computer skills, and tips for student success. If this is your first online course, feel free to take our online learning readiness assessment to assess your skills.
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Last updated: 08/18/2025 Sub#: 1373 Sub ID: 141760