Voices of Democracy

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Critically analyze claims, arguments, artifacts or information.

• Construct coherent, evidence-based arguments.

• Evaluate key concepts, principles, arguments, and contexts in founding documents of the American republic, including the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and a representative selection of the Federalist Papers; and,

• Evaluate key milestones in progress and challenges in the effort to form a more perfect Union, including the arguments and contexts surrounding the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Letter from Birmingham Jail, as well as other texts that reflect the breadth of American experiences.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Essay assignments	20% each (40% total)
Presentations	5% each (10% total)
Brief written assignments	10%
Participation	15%
Final exam	25%

Grading Scale

Percentage	Letter Grade
93.0 and above	A
90.0 – 92.9	A-
87.0 – 89.9	B+
83.0 – 86.9	B
80.0 – 82.9	B-
77.0 – 79.9	C+
73.0 – 76.9	C
70.0 – 72.9	C-
67.0 – 69.9	D+
63.0 – 66.9	D
60.0 – 62.9	D-
Below 60.0	F

Attendance/Participation:

Students are allowed a maximum of 4 absences without a grade penalty. Each absence over 4 will result in a deduction from your participation grade. After a student’s 8th absence, the instructor will hold a mandatory attendance meeting with the student to establish an intervention plan. Students who do not attend the meeting or who do not follow the intervention plan risk failing the course. A student with 10 absences will receive a grade of F for the course.

Students must attend every class, arrive on time with the necessary assignments and course materials, and stay for the duration of the class. This attendance policy does not differentiate between “excused” and “unexcused” absences; it is your responsibility to reserve your absences for unavoidable occurrences, such as illness, work-related events, advising sessions, childcare concerns, car trouble, minor emergencies, etc.

State law requires that students be allowed two absences due to religious holidays; please notify me at least 48 hours prior to your anticipated absence. Intercollegiate athletes should provide official documentation of anticipated absences early in the semester. Absences for religious holidays and documented athletic events will not count toward the maximums described above.

If you have extenuating circumstances such as serious illness, chronic illness, an injury requiring prolonged medical treatment, prolonged psychological issues, etc., you should make your instructor aware of these circumstances as soon as possible and keep your instructor informed until you are able to return to class. You should also contact the Dean of Students Office, which can review documentation and notify multiple instructors on your behalf, especially if hospitalization or distress prevent you from doing so yourself. You should be aware, however, that the Dean of Students Office will not override any individual instructor’s attendance policy and that decisions about whether and how to accommodate students in distress are made by individual instructors. The Dean of Students office is located at 210 Elliott University Center and can be reached at 336-334-5514 or deanofstudentsoffice@uncg.edu.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

All course materials will be provided by the instructor. Students will not need to purchase any materials to complete the course.