United States History I Syllabus for 2015-2016
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Instructor Information

Office Location

Dutton Hall 202A

Office Hours

Tuesday-Thursday 1:30-2:00 and 3:15-3:45

Course Information

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (Student Service Center room 119, phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Administrative Drop Policy

N/A

Student Withdrawal Procedures

N/A

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students. If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

HIST-1301-DC003 United States History I

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: RDNG 0331-minimum grade of C or a score on a state-approved test indicating college-level reading skills

Course Description

A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural and intellectual history of the United States from the pre-Columbian era to the Civil War/Reconstruction period. United States History I includes the study of pre-Columbian, colonial, revolutionary, early national, slavery and sectionalism, and the Civil War/Reconstruction eras. Themes that may be addressed in United States History I include: American settlement and diversity, American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological change, economic change, immigration and migration, and creation of the federal government.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Dual Credit Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

American Destiny: Volume I - E-Book. 2nd Edition Bundled with Reader for History I (primary sources)
Compiled, Co-Authored, and Edited by Dr. Larry G. Adams

ISBN# 0-9767783-4-3 --www.utpublishing.com

Supplies

\ Access to a reliable computer and reliable internet. Smartphones have numerous problems with the Exams and Quizzes in this course. All students should have access to a desktop or laptop computer with a reliable internet access when taking Exams and

Student Performance

\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \

\ Trace the development of a stable, democratic political system flexible enough to address the wholesale changes that occurred since the founding of the nation.
\ Explain how this nation has been peopled from the first inhabitants to the many groups that arrived in slavery or servitude during the colonial period down to the voluntary immigrants of the Civil War era.
\ Evaluate economic and technological changes as they have affected daily life, work, family organization, leisure, the division of wealth, and community relations.
\ Delineate the role of religion in our nation prior 1877.
\ Recount how the recurring reform movements in U.S. history dealt with economic, political, and social problems in attempting to make their ideals congruent with reality.
\ Define the changes in our beliefs and values over time and describe how they have varied among different groups: women and men; non-whites and whites; and people of different regions, religions, and classes.
\ Describe the role of geographical factors in the history of the U.S.
\ Practice critical thinking and information retrieval skills.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

\ Students are expected to follow all Amarillo College policies and procedures.

\ During discussions in the course; students are expected to be professional and follow common courtesy. The discussions in this class are meant to bring up various positions and sometimes the debate can be heated; however, it is appropriate to attach a certain argument or point of view, but it is never appropriate to attach the person who is posting information with which you may disagree.

Grading Criteria

A = 90 - 100
B = 80 - 89
C = 70 - 79
D = 60 - 69
F = 0 - 59

Exams Average – 60%

Discussions Average – 30%

Course Paper – 10%

The makeup policy will be listed on the class site.

Attendance

\ The online US History course will not have any on campus meetings. Students must log on to this course in AC Online the first day of regular classes and follow the instructions for the course. If a student needs individual assistance they can contact me to work out the problems or schedule an appointment.

Calendar

A final exam will be administered to all students.

This Course outline will also be posted on the class site.

Date	Welcome to History 1301 Assignments and Exams
8-24-2015		Read all of the information and instructions regarding this course on this page. Be sure to read the whole page and not just the first few dates. This information will help save you time later in the course. Be sure you have also read all of the start here page and the syllabus.
8-24-2015		There is a Discussion tab on the left hand menu. Click on that tab and then click on the Topic for Introduction. Click on my introduction posting and then click on "reply". Write an introduction of yourself. It does not have to be long and is not graded. Simply state a few things about yourself for the class. Examples include: major, interests, family information, work, how far you live from campus, etc. There is no due date on this; but the quicker the better. This is just to let you get an idea of how the discussion works.
8-24-2015		As discussed in the Syllabus and the Start Here page, you will have 5 Exams total and 5 Discussions total. You will also have a short Course Paper in the later part of the semester. Those are all of the grades for this class. Those are the only grades that will be used to compute your overall average for the course. Each Chapter Assignment is the same as far as the reading and study material are concerned. The Chapter 1 Assignment explains what that assignment includes, including introduction material and reading material. It also lists some study material. Most of these assignments will also have specific readings from the Reader in US History I. The rest of the Chapter Assignments are the same as the first except when there is a discussion question added to the assignment. In such case, the discussion question is added to the assignment with a due date stated. You generally have at least 5 days to participate in each discussion, so there are no excuses for not being able to complete one on time. In addition, I drop one of the five discussion grades. The Course paper will be assigned toward the end of October and you will have approximately four weeks to work on this assignment. It will not be a detailed research paper, but must be done in the same manner as a paper done for an English composition class. Style and grammar will count in addition to the content of the paper. There will be detailed instructions when the paper is assigned. The average of the four main exams left after dropping the lowest will count 60% of your overall average in the course. The average of the four discussion grades after dropping the lowest will count as 30% of your overall average. The Course paper will count 10% of your overall course average. The Chapter Assignments completed before a Graded Exam is what you are responsible for reading, studying and preparing for that Graded Exam. Therefore, each Graded Exam just covers the chapters and readings assigned up to that exam and after the previous exam. The last Graded Exam is the Final and is only over the last few chapters assigned after Exam 4. It is not comprehensive of the whole course material. I drop one of the exam grades. The chapter assignments come from the chapters in the main text, The Philadelphia Project. The specific individual readings assignments come from the Reader in US History I.
8-25-2015		Chapter 1 Assignment (From the Beginning-The Americas) - All of the assignment material is found under the Course Materials icon in the Lessons Tab. If you have not purchased access to the E-Book and materials you will not have this icon. The assignments for Chapter 1 are as follows: Read the Preface to the text. Get an understanding of where we are going. Read the Chapter Objectives and go through the Chapter Outline for Chapter 1. Read Chapter 1 of the Text. Focus on the main text, that is the most important information. Work through the Study Guide questions and the Practice Quiz for Chapter 1. Working on these other exercises will help with your understanding and retention of the material. You should review the chapter outline with the reading materials to study for the exam.
8-31-2015		Chapter 2 Assignment (European Exploration, Discovery, and Contact) w/ discussion - Each chapter assignment is the same as the first unless there is a Discussion Topic assigned with that chapter’s assignment. When there is a Discussion assigned, it will be added to this assignment and the days the discussion will be open will be listed. The first graded Discussion Question is included with this assignment. - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #1 posted on the Discussion Board. These Discussions are threaded so you are to also comment on a couple of the other student's responses as well as making your own response. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, September 6th. If you want any credit for this question, be sure to have something posted by the deadline. These instructions apply to all of the discussion questions in this course. Readings from History I Reader - 1, 2
9-3-2015		Chapter 3 Assignment (Colonization) Readings from History I Reader - 3, 4
9-8-2015		Chapter 4 Assignment (Origins and Nature of Slavery) Readings from History I Reader - 5, 6, 7
9-13-2015		Exam 1 First day - EXAM 1 will be posted this morning. The exams are all 50 multiple choice questions and you will have 50 minutes from the time you begin. Once you go into the test you must complete your work in the 50 minute time frame. You cannot save your exam somewhere in the middle and come back to it later. Once the clock starts, it does not stop until the end of the time limit. If you get disconnected from the exam, you should try to log back in as soon as possible. This should be plenty of time for all students. Be sure to read all of the instructions before beginning the exam. The Exam will be open through Tuesday. All Exams must be submitted by 10:30pm the last day the exam is available.
9-14-2015		Exam 1 continued today
9-15-2015		Exam 1 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
9-16-2015		Chapter 5 Assignment (Colonies and the Empire) - - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #2 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, September 20th. Remember to follow the same instructions as those listed under the first discussion question.
9-18-2015		Chapter 6 Assignment (Road to Independence) Readings from History I Reader - 10, 11, 12
9-21-2015		Chapter 7 Assignment (The Early Governments) - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #3 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, September 27th.
9-24-2015		Chapter 8 Assignment (Miracle in Philadelphia) Readings from History I Reader - 13, 14, 15
9-28-2015		Chapter 9 Assignment (The Federalists Begin) Readings from History I Reader - 16, 17
10-4-2015		Exam 2 First day - EXAM 2 will be posted this morning. All Exams are set up the same as the 1st Exam. All Exams must be submitted by 10:30pm the last day the exam is available.
10-5-2015		Exam 2 continued today
10-6-2015		Exam 2 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
10-7-2015		Chapter 10 Assignment (The Peculiar Institution) -
10-12-2015		Chapter 11 Assignment (Jeffersonian Republicans / Democracy) - In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #4 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, October 18th. Readings from History I Reader - 18, 19, 20
10-15-2015		Chapter 12 Assignment (The Era of Good Feelings)
10-19-2015		Chapter 13 Assignment (Jacksonian Democracy)- In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #5 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, October 25th. Readings from History I Reader - 21, 22
10-25-2015		Exam 3 First day - EXAM 3 will be posted this morning.
10-26-2015		Exam 3 continued today
10-27-2015		Exam 3 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
10-28-2015		Chapter 14 Assignment (Antebellum Culture) Readings from History I Reader - 23, 24, 25
11-2-2015		Chapter 15 Assignment (Antebellum Reform)
11-5-2015		Chapter 16 Assignment (Beginning to Go West) Readings from History I Reader - 26, 27, 28
11-9-2015		Chapter 17 Assignment (Religion in the New Nation)
11-15-2015		Exam 4 First day - EXAM 4 will be posted this morning.
11-16-2015		Exam 4 continued today
11-17-2015		Exam 4 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
11-18-2015		Chapter 18 Assignment (Early Foundations of Economic Growth) Readings from History I Reader - 29, 30
11-21-2015		Course Paper Due
11-23-2015		Chapter 19 Assignment (Antebellum South)
11-25-2015		Chapter 20 Assignment (Divided Nation) Readings from History I Reader - 31, 32
11-30-2015		Chapter 21 Assignment (The Cousin's War) Readings from History I Reader - 33, 34, 35
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United States History I Syllabus for 2015-2016 Return to Syllabus List