Syllabus

Course Description

American Foundations 101

The course includes a welcome section that can be completed first (this may be as few as two days). Each of the twelve lessons will be covered— one per week. The lesson will be available the Thursday prior to the week it starts to allow for additional preparation if desired.

Lesson Schedule

Lesson 1	Introduction
Lesson 2	Traditions and Principles
Lesson 3	Independence and Revolution
Lesson 4	Constitutional Development
Lesson 5	Power of Government
Lesson 6	Religion in America
Lesson 7	American Economic Development and Industrialization
Lesson 8	+ Market Challenges I
Lesson 9	Market Challenges II
Lesson 10	Inclusion and Exclusion
Lesson 11	Political Parties
Lesson 12	Technology, Communication, and Socialization
Lesson 13	America in the World
Lesson 14	Conclusion

Outcomes

Students will learn the basic principles of politics, government, and economics “in the tradition of the founding fathers” upon which the American experience was founded.
Students will prepare themselves to become both good citizens and members of the church. They will recognize their responsibility “to be full participants in political, governmental, and community affairs,” to understand that they “are under special obligations to seek out and then uphold those leaders who are wise, good, and honest,” and to follow the First Presidency’s counsel that members of the church “be willing to serve on school boards, city and county councils and commissions, state legislatures, and other high offices of either election or appointment, including involvement in the political party of their choice” (The First Presidency, 1998).
Students will be able to explain how the phrases “inspired Constitution,” “choice land,” and “the law will go forth from Zion,” from LDS Church tradition are related to and inform the basic principles of the American experience.
Students will engage the writings of prominent economic, political, and cultural thinkers and evaluate them in terms of the gospel and the insights gleaned from the words of the modern church leaders.
Students will develop critical thinking skills as they consider why American social, political, cultural, and economic systems developed, the alternatives to those systems, what the strengths and weaknesses of past and present systems are, and how this information helps them to better formulate and promote future policy.
This course will provide students with the tools to become informed, active participants in the American experience and be able to defend the foundational principles against forces that would erode and destroy them.

Description

American Foundations is a course designed to encourage students to explore the major historical, political, economic, and cultural themes in American life coupled with the insights of the restored gospel and the teachings of the living prophets. To ensure a common experience for all students and to encourage student discussions of the themes across campus, the American Foundations committee has developed a common teaching schedule and a list of twelve topics with outcomes to be covered in all sections of the class. Based on the assumptions of the BYU-Idaho Learning Model, the expectation is that students will prepare for each class by reading background information, considering case studies, or watching videos, and come to class prepared to teach each other what they have learned. The students should then be able to prove their learning experience by applying what they have learned to other events and circumstances in the American experience or to situations they face in their own life.

Learning Model Architecture

The basic format of the class will be a weekly schedule of “Preparation,” “Teach One Another,” and “Ponder and Prove.” Preparation will consist of reading the material assigned for each of the 12 topics and studying it with the goal of being able to teach the material to someone else. Teach One Another will consist of discussion boards and learning activities designed to help students discuss and explain what they have learned to other students in their assigned groups. Ponder and Prove will consist of a self-assessment, and a one-page essay question that encourages students to summarize what they have learned from the topic.

Each activity folder includes a time estimate for completion of the activities contained in that folder. Each lesson corresponds to one week and includes nine student hours.

Required Materials

There is no assigned text for this course, but there will be a significant reading and preparation requirement. The reading material for this course will be provided online via I-Learn. You should plan to access I-Learn as early as possible and become familiar with the way the system works. Any questions regarding difficulties with the online system should be directed to the computer help desk on campus at 208.496.3550. Questions concerning class content should be directed to your instructor.

It is important that you read, study, and understand the material provided for the class. Much of the material is thought-provoking if read with the intent to understand. The material has been carefully selected so that it presents ideas important to your study. If you prepare the assigned materials before you come to class, you will be better prepared to participate in class discussions.

Exams

There will be a pre-test and post-test at the beginning and end of the semester respectively to assess the level of students’ learning in the course. Only the post-test or final exam will count towards your grade. There will be a bi-weekly exam covering the reading materials from the prepare section.

Gateway Foundations Seminar Requirement

BYU–Idaho has developed four separate seminars that are foundational to a BYU–Idaho education. Each seminar is a requirement attached to one of four Foundations courses FDSCI 101, FDENG 101, FDMAT 108, and FDAMF 101. The Gateway Foundations Seminar assigned to FDAMF 101 is entitled: “Realize the Vision.” This seminar introduces you to the prophetic vision of BYU–Idaho and how to realize this vision now and throughout your life. Although students at the BYU–Idaho campus attend an actual seminar to complete this course requirement, you will complete the seminar online as part of your FDAMF 101 course.

This seminar consists of viewing a series of video segments narrated by BYU–Idaho students. Each video segment contains the principles and characteristics of BYU–Idaho’s vision, including quotes and video experts from our Church and Institutional leaders. Completing this seminar is worth 2% of your overall grade. The seminar can take up to 1½ hour to complete and must be completed by the end of the second week of the semester. The seminar assignment can be found on the left menu bar between the Course Introduction and Lesson One folders.

Grading Policies

93-100% 90-92%	A A-	Excellent: An honor grade indicating superior achievement
87-89% 83-86% 80-82%	B+ B B-	Good: An honor grade indicating commendable achievement
77-79% 73-76% 70-72%	C+ C C-	Fair: Indicates satisfactory achievement
67-69% 63-66% 60-63%	D+ D D-	Poor: Indicates substandard progress and insufficient evidence of ability to succeed in sequential courses
Below 60%	F	Unacceptable: Indicates a failure to master information and skills

Each activity is given a score and the final percent is the percent of total possible points. The score will tell you how much that activity is weighted. Here are some examples:

Activity	Point Value	Number of Assignments	Total
Syllabus Quiz	10	1	10
Discussion Boards	15	2	30
Exams	100	6	600
Peer Assessments	10	10	100
Gathering Activities	10	10	100
Essay Activity	20	5	100
Self Assessments	6	12	72
Pre Test	0	1	0
Mid-Course Feedback	1	1	1
Worksheets	5	3	15
Seminar Evaluation	10	1	10
Lesson Evaluations	1	12	12
Final Exam	225	1	225