Why do extra credit?

There are two reasons why every student should do extra credit.

First, sometimes there are questions on the quizzes that you find confusing (as hard as I try to write clear questions, I don't always succeed) and this allows you to help "make up" some of those missed points.

Second, everyone has a "bad" day now and then and these points allow you to make up for one or two bad quizzes.

What is each assignment worth?

Each assignment is worth a maximum of 5 points; you may earn up to 15 points total

How do I submit the extra credit?

Submit all extra credit using Canvas (either upload it into the related assignment or copy & paste it into a Canvas email).  Any assignments due by the Final Exam must be submitted in Canvas BEFORE the beginning of the exam.

There are lots of Extra Credit Options -- you can find more details in Canvas

Typically, options for extra credit include:

On-Campus Event (1-2 event options; varies by semester) (events will be listed in Canvas)

Attend one of the following on-campus events/lectures (outside of regular class-time) & write a short summary of the discussion; discuss one or two things that you learned or found interesting in the presentation (1/2 - 1 typed page);

• Attend ANY of the following Democracy Days Events (schedule will be posted late)
• write a short summary & one or two things you found interesting or learned from it

• Attend one of the following International Education Week (events will be updated later)

Get to know you forum--Due by the deadline for the first quiz

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) 

View Roesler's discussion of the Affordable Care Act on my homepage and answer questions similar to the following:

• one reason why supporters wanted health care reform
• one thing that is NOT in the bill
• explain the 2012 Supreme Court ruling regarding either the Medicaid expansion or the Mandate
• one thing that happened in 2010
• one thing that happened in 2014 and
• one tool used to pay for the plan

Ideologies: https://www.idealog.org/

Go to the website https://www.idealog.org/ and take the ideologies Tutorial and Quiz (you may need to click on "view/take quiz").

• Why was it hard to answer questions 5 and 6 of the TUTORIAL?
• What is IDEAlog’s definition of a liberal (NOT the "popular usage" definition)? What is IDEAlog’s definition of a conservative?
• What are the two other types of ideology that IDEAlog discusses?
• Place the smiley face where you think you will fall and then take the ideology self-test. Did you score where you thought you would? What are the benefits of using this two-dimensional model as opposed to the linear (liberal-conservative) one?
• Is your understanding of liberals and conservatives better after doing this exercise?

Your Representatives 

use www.house.gov to find out your US representative; go to their homepage and write the answers to the following questions

use complete sentences to answer the following (except for your address & zip code)

• YOUR address including your 9 digit zip code
• YOUR United States House of Representative's (Congressman's) name & party affiliation
• your US Reps' position on Health Care reform (not too complicated -- 1 or 2 sentences)
• Go toCNN website on 2014 elections click on Missouri and find out the margin of victory of your congressman's 2014 election
• Write the names and party affiliation of your Missouri State Representative and Missouri State Senator (go here to find out that info:  http://www.moga.mo.gov/ ); Hint: go hMO House and State Senate
  • Note: I do NOT want your US Senators (McCaskill or Blunt), but your Missouri State Rep & Missouri Senator

Fact-check (typically during election years)

Go to the http://www.factcheck.org or http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/elections/2016/president-united-states/ and look up one claim for two different candidates (one must be a Democrat and the other must be a Republican).

Describe one claim by each candidate that was either false or misleading. Explain the claim. Why was it false/misleading?