Law and Government
Mr. Balazs
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Email stbalazs@darienps.org &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
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Phone 655-3981 ext 2205
In general i=
ts best to email since I am rarely in the office and will also be ab=
le to respond to your inquiries from home.
This course is intended to better understand how our country’s govern=
ment was intended to work and how it’s set up today. We will examine the role of Congress, the Pre=
sident, the Bureaucracy, Political Parties, the Press and the Court and how=
they were set-up, how they operate today and how they affect American soci=
ety.
As seniors, some of you are already legally considered adults with the righ=
t to vote and be drafted into military service. As a result to the extent possible you will be treated a=
s adults, not children, which entails certain obligations on your part. Since you are still in high school and =
therefore the State of Connecticut and Town of Darien requires me to meet certain obli=
gations I need to know the following: &nbs=
p;if you are not in class, where you are. This means attendance is t=
aken and missing students are reported to the administration and their pare=
nts; moreover, interim reports are sent to your parents so that they are aw=
are of your progress in the course.
What are your obligations as a student in this class? To take the course seriously and make a good faith effort to =
read and understand the material and submit assignments on a timely basis.<=
/span> In addition to learnin=
g about how this government was established, we will deal with current issu=
es such as; the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, the economic crisis, health ca=
re reform and the obligations of the government to deal with those issues a=
s well as other problems confronting the US, domestically and international=
ly. We will also learn about =
the legislative process and the judicial system, including the Bill of Righ=
ts (is school prayer constitutional? What are the limits to free speech? Un=
der what circumstances can a school administrator demand that I stop and se=
arch me). Some of these issue=
s are highly contentious and charged. =
; Believe it or not, some of you will become extremely emotional when learning and =
debating these issues; however you will have to temper your emotions and al=
low others in class to make their arguments regardless of how strongly you =
may feel.
You will be required to hand in assignments on a regular basis, some of whi=
ch will be individual assignments and others, group assignments. It is expected that the work you submit=
will be your own. Plagiarism will be treated severely (this incl=
udes homework) review your student handbook for the administrative process.=
Moreover it is expected =
that you will submit work that you would be proud of, which means that you =
have taken the time and effort to adequately study the materials and issues=
before writing a paper. You =
are expected to use the materials we will have studied in class as well as =
your own research to complete your assignments.( All submit=
ted work (homework, projects, etc…) unless otherwise specified, must =
be typed.)
Therefore if you are assigned a position paper on the Second Amendment and =
Gun Control, that means that you rehash the various arguments that you̵=
7;ve researched and we’ve learned about in class and submit your opin=
ion based upon that information. The difference between a well-learned and documented opinion and simply=
stating your beliefs/opinions based upon hearsay or anecdotal information =
is multi-fold.
Reflected below is the intended Syllabus for the Semester. This syllabus is not set in stone and subject=
to change; however I intend to do my best to teach consistency with it.
I. Nature of Man and Government
II and III Historical Background=
to the US Government as well as a study of the Constitution and Federalism=
IV The Three Branches of the Fed=
eral Government, Executive, Congress and Courts
V. Political Parties and Electio=
nsVI The Bureaucracy
VII the Press<=
/pre>VIII. Tow=
n GovernmentIX. Judicial System
X. The Bill of Rights=
Your Grade will be determined by the following:
1. Exams
2. Research Papers/Memoranda
3. Quizzes4. Journals5. In-Class participation, homew=
ork and other activities assigned
Three (3) tardies equal an unexcused absence (i=
n general 15 minutes late or more will be counted as an absence NOT a tardy=
) and Three (3) unexcused absences may result in your taking this course ov=
er again. If you are asked to=
leave the missed class will be treated as an unexcused absence. One excused absence will cause a 3 poin=
t loss in your average and a Second unexcused absence a 10 point loss in yo=
ur average. Please be on time. If you miss a test you are expected to complete the test during your free=
period or lunch the next day. For each day that you delay completing the test or handing in an assignme=
nt you will receive the loss of one full grade on that paper/test for the f=
irst day and 1/3rd of a grade for each day thereafter.
2009 Addendum- PDAs- MP3s/Cellphones and other electronic equipment.=
Please=
store all electronic equipment including headphones/earbuds prior to the beginning of class. Cellphones should be off, if your phone unexpectedly =
rings during class simply turn it off.&nbs=
p; If this is a regular problem than the phone will be confiscat=
ed. If you are found t=
o be using your electronic equipment during class, you will be given an une=
xcused absence for the day (see above) and the electronic equipment will be=
taken from you, a parent or guardian can come in to collect the device.
TEXT &nb=
sp; Magruder’s American Government, Prentic=
e Hall 1997
=
&nb=
sp; In addition there will be several handouts. Most of the handouts are articles from rece=
nt newspaper publications on law and government issues.
GRADING=
&nb=
sp; Generally, depending on the leve=
l of difficulty, 6 homeworks =3D 1 Test, 3 Quizzes =3D 1 Test, Project=3D 1=
to 2 Test Grades. Participat=
ion in class will be generously rewarded with up to 3 points added to your =
average. In contrast, negativ=
e participation will result in the loss of up to 3 points.