United States History I Syllabus for 2016-2017
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Course

HIST-1301-009 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

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Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

There is one textbook used in this course: The American Nation: A History Of The U.S., 15th Edition Volume 1 by Mark C. Carnes and John A. Garraty

You will receive an unbound paper copy of your textbook that you can place in a 3-ring binder and a card with an access code for REVEL. You will be using both during the course.

REVEL is a web based content delivery platform. You will be experiencing your textbook through REVEL: in addition to the written text, REVEL includes multimedia such as videos and interactive maps, the option to listen to the text being read by a narrator, and quizzes that will help you learn the material. You are required to use the REVEL version of your text.

Exams will be open book and open note. It is important that you have a paper copy of your text because you will not be able to access REVEL or any other resources on your computer when you take the exams due to Respondus Lockdown Browser. Additionally, you may find it easier to review using a paper book.

If you cannot obtain your text immediately, REVEL provides a 14 day free temporary access period, so not having your text will not be an acceptable excuse for missing assignments.

Supplies

You are required to have regular access to a reliable desktop or laptop Macintosh or PC computer and a reliable internet connection.

You must use a desktop or laptop Macintosh or PC to access Blackboard, which is where you will be taking your exams, completing homework discussions, and submitting your paper. Blackboard has limited compatibility with smartphones or tablets, so you should only be accessing blackboard with a PC or Mac. You may use a tablet computer or smartphone to access REVEL if it meets Pearson's system requirements (listed here).

You must install Respondus lockdown browser on your computer and use lockdown browser when you take the quiz on your knowledge of the syllabus and the two exams. Respondus lockdown browser is a free download through Amarillo College.

Although you will be using Respondus lockdown browser, you will not be using Respondus monitor, so no webcam is required.

Student Performance

Learning Outcomes  

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
2. analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources.
3. analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on this period in United States history.

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

You are expected to follow all Amarillo College policies and procedures, particularly those relating to academic integrity and personal conduct. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be dealt with harshly; of particular importance is properly citing the sources you use in written work. You will be respectful of your peers during class discussions.

It is only acceptable to use outside sources when specifically instructed: your textbook provides plenty of material to work with. It is never acceptable to use non-scholarly internet sources: use of unauthorized sources in an assignment will result in it receiving a failing grade.

Course materials, including assignments, handouts, lectures, and similar materials and derivative works such as course notes are protected by copyright and for personal educational use only, and may not be reproduced, distributed, sold, bartered, or publicly posted to the Internet without your professor’s express written permission.

You are responsible for taking the proper steps to solve technical problems with technology used in the class: a list of support resources has been provided for you under the “help” section of the course’s Blackboard site. It it particularly important to give yourself enough time to work through technical issues before due dates because technical problems will not usually be an acceptable excuse for late work.

Your professor is not a technical support person and will simply refer you to the “help” section if you come to him with technical problems; it is appropriate, however, to speak with him if you are unable to reach a resolution after consulting the appropriate resources.

The best way to get in touch with your professor is through email. Please use Blackboard’s email tool, linked to in the course menu, not your personal email or school email through ACConnect.

Please observe the proper etiquette for business emails when contacting your professor: provide a descriptive yet concise subject in addition to a professional salutation (such as Hi) and closing (such as Sincerely); additionally, you should write in complete sentences and avoid net- or text-speak. Your professor earned his PhD, so it is appropriate to address him as Doctor (abbreviated Dr.). Most workplaces use email, so this should be good practice for you.

Email is not an instantaneous form of communication, so give your recipient time to respond. Dr. Fauss checks his email at least once a day Monday through Friday, which means that usually, but not always, you will get a response within 24 hours.

Grading Criteria

You will take a 10-question quiz on your knowledge of the syllabus. The quiz will be 5% of your course grade.

You will complete 12 assignments in REVEL, each corresponding to a chapter in the textbook. Each chapter is broken into sections, each containing a 15-point quiz, and each chapter has a 75-point quiz at the end. The average of the REVEL assignments will be 15% of your course grade.

Every two weeks there will be a discussion of the material covered in your text to help you prepare for the exams. Each discussion will have three questions: you will be assigned one of the questions to write a response to; you will then reply to students’ responses to the other two questions, writing one for each. The average of the 3 best discussions will be 15% of your course grade (the lowest grade will be dropped).

You will complete a course paper project. You will first learn how to research journal articles and find one you will use to help write your paper. You will then write your paper, which will be a reflection on how you would make a decision that poses an ethical dilemma, noting what experiences or personal values you would draw upon to resolve the dilemma. The ethical dilemma paper project will be 15% of your course grade.

Finally, you will take 4 exams on Blackboard. Each exam will have 45 multiple choice questions. You will have one hour for each exam. You may use your textbook and notes during the exam to help you. Exams will be available for a specified 72-hour period and must be taken during that time. The average of the best three exams will be worth 50% of your course grade (the lowest grade will be dropped).

There will be no extra credit awarded. 

You may turn in your ethical dilemma paper up to two days late: late papers will receive a one letter grade penalty.

REVEL assignments and discussions completed past their due dates will receive no credit.

You may not make up missed exams or the syllabus quiz.

If you fall behind, it is important to get in touch with your professor as soon as possible in order to work out a plan for catching up: being an 8-week course, the course moves very fast.

You may view your grades and course average any time using the “My Grades” link in the course menu.

Work will usually be graded within a week of receipt. 

Each assignment will be evaluated using rubrics: you will be able to view the rubric used before and after you submit your work in order to understand how specific things will be/were assessed.

Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria:

90-100 = A

80-89 = B

70-79 = C

60-69 = D

Below 60 = F

Your final grade will be rounded to the next highest integer.

Attendance

This course will not have any on-campus meetings. Failure to complete a graded component of the course by census day (3/27) will result in you being administratively dropped from the class.

Calendar

Additional Information

This course has been designed to be every bit as rigorous as an in-person course. Expect to put in at least 10-12 hours of work each week: this breaks down to to 6 hours for REVEL assignments (3 hours per chapter); 2-3 hours for discussions, exams, and the paper project; and another 2-3 hours reviewing material already learned.

You will need to spread the number of hours you work on the course throughout the week: you will probably not be successful if you only spend one night a week working on the course.