Course Prerequisites and Descriptions

In order to successfully complete this course, you must demonstrate your understanding of the course materials by:

The assignments for the course allow you to explore the diverse array of governmental systems in the world. Here is an overview of all of the different types of assignments in the course. You can find detailed directions and the grading rubrics in the modules where they are assigned.

IMPORTANT: For all assignments in this class, proper citation guidelines should be followed.

NOVA’s Library team can help with this, and you can find out more about getting in touch with them on the NOVA Library website.

The Library has more specific help on how to cite sources and avoid plagiarism.

You will see a number of different guide options, like APA, MLA, and Chicago/Turabian. You can work with whichever one you like, but just be consistent with it in any paper or assignment. It is highly recommended to use parenthetical in-text citations with a “works cited” or “references” list at the end of the paper, rather than footnotes throughout the paper. The different guides will explain all of that. It is also important to follow these guides when it comes to properly formatting the overall paper or assignment (though paper formatting is not applicable for discussion board assignments, and only useful when submitting Word doc files).

Chapter Quizzes

The chapter quizzes check your knowledge of each chapter's main ideas and prepare you for the multiple-choice question section of the assessments.

Essays

The writing assignments allow you to develop and convey ideas in writing, as appropriate to a given context and audience in political science.

You are required to follow the requirements below to complete all of the writing assignments.

Length: Each essay should be at least two pages, or a minimum of 600 words (not counting title, heading, or citations)
Content: Each essay should focus on the questions at the end of the module chapter’s “Institutions in Action” section. Consider the questions to be your outline in forming the paper. In answering each question, you’re building an essay.
Format: Your paper should be double-spaced, size 11 Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins around the paper.
Citations/Quotations: You must follow a proper college paper format for citations, and you’re free to choose MLA, APA, Chicago, or Turabian. A fine essay can be based entirely off of the Institution in Action article and the related chapter, but bringing outside information into your essay is fantastic, but be sure to properly cite the textbook and any other materials you rely on. Keep quotations to a minimum: for such a short paper, quotations take on the appearance of filler. It’s best to put as much as you can in your own words, while still giving credit for the source of the ideas.

Discussion Activities

The discussions require you to analyze all aspects of different political regimes in various countries via the lens of current issues capturing the world to foster life-long learning. They are also an opportunity for you to interact with your classmates, learn various perspectives on different topics, and practice writing communication skills.

You are required to follow the general discussion guidelines for all of the discussions unless otherwise noted.

Please note that discussion initial responses and comments on classmates’ posts have different due dates. The initial responses are due earlier, so the class has enough time to review and comment on each other's posts. This is to ensure that you are fully engaged in discussions, as you would be in a live classroom.
Please pay attention to the due dates for discussion initial responses and comments.
Your initial responses will be submitted without you being able to see other posts. Once you have submitted your initial response, you will be able to view your classmates’ posts.
Keep your posts concise and to the point.
Each paragraph should concern itself with a single focus.
You may use examples.
Be sure to cite all sources.
All your posts including the initial response and the comments on other classmates should demonstrate your understanding of the key concepts.
Comment on the ideas in your classmates' posts, not on the classmates.
Be open to new ideas and use appropriate vocabulary.
Always refer to the discussion grading rubric to make sure you meet the criteria.
Follow the Communication Netiquette.
Remember to check back and monitor the discussion by answering questions and asking further questions.
Your instructor's role in the discussion will be to let you know when you are on or off track in following the assignment directions and in providing useful feedback to you and your classmates.

Video Project

You are required to create a 1-2 minute video presentation highlighting the reasons people or businesses should consider locating permanently in a country of your choice (do not choose the USA). This assignment provides you with an opportunity to review the wide variety of governments throughout the world and practice oral communication skills. You will consider different forces that impact governments around the world, such as public opinion, media, political parties, interest groups, protest movements, economics, and international relations.

Research Paper

Write a 4-7 page paper that compares three different countries across three different dimensions. Just hitting the minimum length of four full pages does not guarantee a great grade. That’s the minimum. Going beyond the minimum is almost certainly called for in order to receive good or excellent grades. Follow a proper paper format, like APA, Chicago, or Turabian, particularly with regards to citations, and make sure all pages have a one inch margin with size 11-12 font, Times New Roman. Grammar is very important, so spell check and proofread carefully. Do NOT plagiarize: all quotes and ideas must be properly cited and referenced. The paper will be analyzed by TurnItIn amongst online resources and other papers in a vast database.

Proctored Assessments

The proctored assessments provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of the course knowledge. You can find the information on how to take proctored assessmentms in the Taking Assessments section of the Syllabus.

Please note the average of both proctored assessment scores must be a passing percentage of 60 percent in order for you to pass the course regardless of your scores on other graded activities. Please refer to the information in the Course Grading section of the Syllabus.