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Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: Law, Courts and Social Change

Course Title: Department: Instructor:

PS309 - Law, Courts and Social Change Political Science & Public Administration Richard Healy, J.D. - E-mail | Vitae

Welcome

Thank you for using Canyon College for your education needs. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you and the chance to learn together in this and in all other disciplines. If you have special cares or concerns, please email me as soon as they arise so we have a chance to deal with them effectively.

You must have access to the Internet throughout this course. If you're accessing the Net from a computer that's not yours, such as a friend's machine or one at work, please be sure that you can get to it when you need to do so. Please be aware of potential firewall issues on any other machine, particularly on one from work.

It's a good idea to have a backup plan in case your computer fails. Where will you go to get online and for how long? Having a plan now may eliminate moments of terror and frustration later. We'll rely on the Net to discover additional information all through the term.

As soon as you enroll in PS309, please email me (rhealy@canyoncollege.edu) with the following information;

Your name, email address (or addresses), your registration number, your professional work history, current position, education to this point and any other items you believe may help me to know you better.


Useful Information

1. Faculty Contact Information
Personal Email Address	ivyhalls@attbi.com
Phone # (Optional)	603-880-1468 (This is my business phone and occasional Internet connection, which may be busy at times. I use a cable connection most often, but email may be preferable.)
Online Office Hours (if any)	As arranged on an individual need.
2. Distance Education Program Information
Canyon College Office # Tech Support	Voice: 208-455-0010 Fax: 208-455-0040
3. Textbook and Other Sources - Online Bookstore
Required	Bachmann, Steven, Lawyers, Law, and Social Change, Unlimited Publishing LLC, 2001. ISBN #: 1588320324
Special Instructions (if any) to Obtain Resources (e.g. XanEdu)	Folders or areas for discussion, and submission of assignments and further comment on them, may be created weekly at the Canyon site, if rolling enrollments have more than one person in the class at any time or if I choose to do so with an individual student . It's important for your comprehension and sense of community that you participate at least three times per week for a minimum of six posts per week. Regular, purposeful frequent communication adds to the depth of your understanding and makes the course more interesting.
4. College and Program Policies
Academic Honesty Policy	"Cheating" may be difficult to define and may depend on the context of the situation. Instructors have certain learning objectives in mind, and any attempt to dilute or cancel those objectives may amount to cheating. Ignorance does not equate to innocence. Plagiarism is not only using the work of another without proper attribution but also may be paraphrasing substantial amounts of the work of another without proper attribution. A better idea- document your sources! I reserve the right to fail anyone who submits any form of plagiarism. Attributing work will completely exonerate you from plagiarism.
Plagiarism Prevention Service	I use a plagiarism detection service where I may submit your work if I have any doubt as to its authenticity. I reserve the right to do that in any and all circumstances in my unfettered discretion.
Synchronous Communication Policy	All communication in the normal course of conducting any class in the course must be asynchronous. No live chats, office hours or other synchronous communication can be required, nor can any grading advantage be accorded to any student who has participated in synchronous communication.
Compliance: Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 and other Acts (ADA504 et.al.)	Canyon College is committed to meeting the needs of students who are challenged by physical, emotional and/or learning disabilities. The College encourages you to request accommodations to any of those disabilities as soon as you determine that you may wish to qualify under the law. CC recommends that you contact the main telephone number and explain your situation. Until that process is complete, no reasonable accommodations for a disability will be made, absent exigent circumstances.
Email Policy	Except for personal items and private issues, private email should not be used in the course as a primary communication tool. Where possible, please use the email function in the Canyon system, which will preserve the communication on CC servers and contribute to accurate record-keeping and retention.
5. Faculty Policies and Procedures
Course Participation Requirements	My minimum attendance policies are as follows. In the first week of the course, all students must sign in and then participate actively in course life. Course life may be defined as active communication with the Instructor and/or participation on the Canyon discussion forum boards on at least three separate days. Thereafter minimum participation is defined as logging on and actively participating at least three times per week on three separate days. Please note that this is a minimum and will not necessarily represent superior work. Also please note th discussion forum boards part applies only if you receive notice that we will use the discussion forum boards.
Course Objectives	At the conclusion of this course, you should be able to... Explore different definitions of, “social change”. To realize the implications of various theories and views about social change and social policy and how the law aids or hinders the applications of those theories/views to society. To discover how social change affects law and vice versa. To discover the impact of social change on courts. To explore the impact of social change on selected groups in society To appreciate fully, that ideology or a belief system is the primary motivator of people- the, "wellsprings of action" (not my phrase). Accordingly, people for the most part, act based on beliefs, not in a random manner. Therefore, what people believe is of paramount importance in predicting actions and in attempting to control behavior. To improve your communication skills. To involve you in your own learning.
Team (if required) Policies and Procedures	To be determined. You will be notified if this is the situation. It is rarely done and depends on the course enrollment at a particular time. Assume you are not on a team unless notified to the contrary.
Grading Policies	The grades weights are assigned as follows: 1. Class/participation/discussions: 25% 2. Assignments in the designated folders: 25% 3. Mid-term exam: 10% 4. Term Paper: 10% 5. Final Exam (non-cumulative): 15% 6. Positive attitude, timeliness, and cooperation (your workplace takes this into account, also): 15%
Late Assignment and Late Exam Policy	I am able to accept late submissions under most circumstances. There is a late penalty to be attached at the time of grading. This penalty varies from 10% to 25% of the late submission grade. A better tactic is to contact me in advance of any deadline and I'll work with you so there may be no penalty.
Other Faculty Policies	To be determined at the appropriate time as the issue arises.
6. Class Weeks By Date
Class Weeks	Begin on any Monday and end on the Sunday following.
7. Course Assignments and Deliverables
Week 1	Text, Introduction, definitions and websites to be discovered by learner. May have class discussion forums for all or any weeks. You'll be notified if there is an active class discussion forum.
Week 2	Text, Chapter 1 and websites (learner)
Week 3	Text, Chapter 2 and websites (learner). Mid-Term Exam distributed at the end of week 2 (Sunday).
Week 4	Text, Chapter 3 and websites (learner)
Week 5	Text, Chapter 4 and websites (learner). Mid-Term Exam due at end of week 5 (Sunday)
Week 6	Text, Chapter 5 and websites (learner). Final Exam distributed.
Week 7	Text, Chapter 6 and websites (learner).
Week 8	Text, Epilogue and websites (learner). Final Exam due on Sunday of the last week.

Getting Started In This Course

As soon as you enroll in PS309, please email me (rhealy@canyoncollege.edu) with the following information;

Your name, email address (or addresses), your student number, your professional work history, current position, education to this point and any other items you believe may help me to know you better.

Please let me know by email when you have the book and are ready to go.

Faculty Biography

I was born in Massachusetts and went to school there, being graduated from Worcester Academy, Tufts University (AB in Political Science/History), Boston University School of Law (JD) and have 7 of 10 courses for a Master In Education from Tufts. I expect to complete that degree. After working in law-related fields for six years, I started my own business and was self-employed for twenty-four years. I have taught in high school and adult education situations, as well as college settings. I have five adult daughters. I teach a total of 38 different courses in law, government, education, business and history, as well as public speaking at several colleges/universities in Day, DE, CE and 3-Yr. Business Degree programs, and on some California-based Internet commercial education sites and for-profit educational institutions. I have facilitated 148 online courses before this term.