WELCOME!
August 2005
Dear POS 105 Student:
Welcome to the class, and if you are a first-time student here at the college, then welcome also to MCC!
I wanted to share a few thoughts with you as we begin this fall session. First, do not fall behind on the readings, vocabulary assignments, etc.! For the most part, when students do poorly or fail these classes, it is because they do not do the assignments for a week or two and then find they are so behind that the quality of their work suffers, they give up, or the work begins to come in consistently late with the accompanying penalties…. Second, I do expect that you devote the time, energy and thought required to read, understand and apply the material. I will answer your questions, of course, but much of the burden in a class like this is on you. Third, I expect quality work, especially with the tests. This is a college-level introductory political science class, and one I believe is very relevant to our lives, so give me your best! Fourth, keep a copy of all the work that you turn in until those assignments are graded and returned to you (in case the material is lost). Fifth, tests are part of this class, so you will need to make arrangements for a testing center and notify me of that information (see the enclosed form). Sixth, read the syllabus carefully! Finally, I absolutely require that you contact me either in person or by phone within the first two weeks of class so that I can verify that you are attending; if you do not, I will attempt to contact you and if that fails, I will withdraw you from the class! (I also need both a phone number and e-mail address if possible for contacting you.)
I guess that’s all for now…. Check in with me that first so I know that you are with us, and good luck!
Sincerely,
David Heikes, Instructor, MCC
PS—I also recommend that you—when possible—to try watch the news, read newspapers/magazines, and try to keep up on what’s happening in the world politically to better apply the material in class.
Click on the link(s) below to download your course materials: