Assignment : Course-Level Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)

For all Assessments, the following general requirements hold:

(1) Assignments should be 2-3 double-spaced pages, with reasonable (12 pt.) font and reasonable (1 inch) margins.

(2) Citations to the material are required; in-text citations are preferred (MLA style).

(3) Assignments should be turned into eCampus (for the collection of artifacts for scoring).

Assignment Two:

SLO #2: Political Parties and Interest Groups. 70% of students will successfully research and evaluate how these intermediaries make their views known to government and try to influence public policy. [ SLO #2 fulfills the following Program Level Outcomes: Communication, Critical Thinking, Social and Personal Responsibility, as well as the following Course Level Outcomes: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8.]

Activity for assessment:

2) This part of the course included sessions on political parties and interest groups. Parties and groups are intermediaries-each is a way in which people can make their views known to government and can try to influence public policy.

In your view, which entity-parties or groups-has the greater influence on government policy? Explain the basis for your conclusion.

Course-Level Objectives met with this assignment:(CLO: 1,2,3,4,5,7,8)

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.

7. Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens

8. Analyze issues and policies in U.S. politics

SLO #3: The nature of party's coalition: 70% of students will successfully research and evaluate the nature of each party's coalition and explain the positions they take on policy issues.

[SLO #3 fulfills the following Program Level Outcomes: Communication, Critical Thinking, Social and Personal Responsibility, as well as the following Course Level Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.]

Activity for Assessment:

3) In the last section of the course, we examined the politics of policy issues.

In answering the question below, take the following two things into account:

1. The contrasting positions of Republican lawmakers and Democratic lawmakers on the various issues we examined.

2. The nature of the Republican Party coalition and the nature of the Democratic Party coalition. (Party coalition is the term for the groups that tend to support a particular party, such as the voting support that black Americans give to the Democratic Party.)

QUESTION: How does the nature of each party's coalition explain the positions that each party's lawmakers take on policy issues?

In your answer, provide an example from at least three of the five policy issue sessions (the five sessions were: social issues, fiscal and monetary issues, welfare and income issues, regulatory issues, and trade issues).

Course-Level Objectives met with this assignment:(CLO: 5,6,7,8)

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