United States History II Syllabus for 2016-2017
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Course

HIST-1302-008 United States History II

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 Civil War/Reconstruction era to the present. United States History II examines industrialization, immigration, world wars, the Great Depression, Cold War and post-Cold War eras. Themes that may be addressed in United States History II include: American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological change, economic change, immigration and migration, urbanization and suburbanization, the expansion of the federal government and the study of U.S. foreign policy.

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 2 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 an online 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. Instructions for accessing REVEL will be provided in the course's Blackboard site.

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 desktop or laptop Macintosh or PC computer: due to limited compatibility with smartphones and tablets, you must use an actual computer to access Blackboard, which is where you will be taking your exams and participating in online discussions.

You must install Respondus lockdown browser on your computer and use lockdown browser when you take the quiz on your knowledge of the syllabus as well as the exams. Respondus lockdown browser is a free download through Amarillo College. Installation instructions will be provided in the course's Blackboard site.

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. The following are of particular importance:

• Don't commit plagiarism: you must properly cite sources used in your work. Failing to provide citations will result in significant grading penalties. If willful plagiarism is involved the assignment will receive a failing grade and at the instructor's discretion you may fail the course and receive further disciplinary action.
• Show respect: we will be addressing some controversial issues during the course, so to provide an environment that encourages free expression we must treat each other with respect.
• Do your own work: while it is perfectly acceptable and encouraged to study together, you may not collaborate with others on any work that receives a grade unless specifically authorized. It is never acceptable to pass off others' work as your own, including having others take exams for you, buying papers, etc. Cheating will result in harsh penalties imposed at the instructor's discretion including failure of the assessment, failure of the course, and further disciplinary action.

You may only use outside sources when specifically instructed. The use of unauthorized sources in an assignment will result in significant grading penalties.

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 you will be given ample time to complete your work, technical problems will not be an acceptable excuse for failing to meet deadlines. 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, but you are encouraged 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: 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 grade.

You will complete 8 assignments in REVEL, each consisting of one or two chapters in the textbook and reading quizzes. Your performance on the quizzes will be 15% of your grade.

There will be four online discussions. You will be graded upon the completeness and quality of your contributions. You will first respond to a prompt, then compose a reply to one of your peers' posts. You will be expected to use copious material from your textbook and properly cite the information you include. The average of the discussions will be 20% of your grade.

Finally, you will take 4 exams on Blackboard. Each exam will consist of 45 multiple choice questions. You may take each exam twice, with the highest score counting as your grade. You will have one hour for each attempt. You may use your textbook and notes during the exam to help you. Exams will be available for 72 hours before the due date and must be taken during that time. Each exam will be 15% of your course grade.

There will be no extra credit awarded. 

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

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

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. 

Written work 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 integer.

Attendance

This course will not have any on-campus meetings. Failure to complete at least one of the graded components of the course during the first week 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 and exams, and another 2-3 hours reviewing material already learned.

Although you will be typically be given a week to complete REVEL assignments and discussions, you are strongly encouraged to spread your work throughout the week: waiting until the last minute will not allow you to effectively learn the material. As in any class, you should be practicing good study skills such as taking notes, reviewing the material, and asking questions when you need clarification.