Discussion 200 words

I’m studying for my Social Science class and don’t understand how to answer this. Can you help me study?

Post a message introducing yourself to the class; include your name, major or academic interest, what you’ve been doing the last few years, and anything else you want to share about yourself.

Texas Government is a required course. So, think about that for a minute. WHY does everyone have to take Government? (It isn’t just to torture you, I promise.) Since you HAVE to be here, think about what you expect to learn in this course. List at least two things about which you want to know more/learn in this class (these are your Learning Goals). Don’t put “I want to know more about government or how the government works, etc.” Make your goals SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely). Come up with two or three things that are broader than a question (in what year did Texas become a state?) but more focused than “more about how the state government works in general.” If you need help with this question, check the table of contents of your textbook to see a broad list of the things we will cover.

Next… Every semester, I have students who tell me that they don’t know ANYTHING about government. Most students don’t even realize how much they already know.

Let’s see how much you all know about Texas Govt. Include in your introduction JUST ONE THING that you know about STATE/Texas (not Federal/US) Government. The catch is that you cannot repeat something that another student has posted. You have to come up with something new. This isn’t a place to put your opinion about government. Your fact should be something concrete and verifiable. You may have to read everyone’s introduction to make sure you don’t duplicate an answer. (I’m really picky about this).

Lastly, respond to at least two other students’ posts. See if you can find some things in common with your classmates. (15 points each). This is the part of the assignment where most people lose points. Make sure you are having a “conversation” with each other. One or two line responses aren’t acceptable.

I have posted an introduction of myself in the discussion board. Please read this one before you post your own. You may have to scroll through to the bottom if you post late. There are 60 student in the class, and mine will be listed first. The program won’t let me freeze it to the top… sorry!

**With this, and ALL Discussion Board Posts, your initial post is due 72 hours before the final due date so that everyone has a chance to respond to others’ posts.

Assignment Grading: 80 pts for Introduction (30 pts for your introduction, 20 pts for your learning goals, 15 pts each for your responses to other students’ posts) and 20 points for What You Know About Government (no points if it is a repeated answer… this means you may have to read everyone’s introduction to make sure you are not repeating an answer).

To get started, click on the “CLICK TO LAUNCH” link above the instructions and create a new thread as directed above. Check out the Discussion Board grading rubric in Shared Files so you know how these types of assignments will be graded.

THIS IS A REQUIRED/MANDATORY ASSIGNMENT!

Due Dates:

Initial post – Thursday, August 27 at 11:00pm

Responses to others – Sunday, August 30 at 11:00pm