United States History II Syllabus for 2017-2018
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Instructor Information

Office Location

<p>Dutton Hall 202H</p>

Office Hours

Summer I 2023: M - TR 8:30 - 9:30 AM

Course Information

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Course

HIST-1302-007 United States History II

Prerequisites

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

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 ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact your advisor, the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

You are required to obtain the following book at the beginning of the semester:

Give Me Liberty! Brief Fifth Edition Volume 2 by Eric Foner

  • You will obtain a paper copy that includes an access code to InQuizitive, an online tool to help you better learn the material. If you rent or buy a used copy, you will probably not get a valid code, requiring you to buy access to InQuizitive for $20 directly from the publisher.
  • Your code will also give you access to the ebook version of the text, which you may use if you wish, but keep in mind that exams are open book, requiring you to be familiar with the paper copy of your text.
  • If you wish to save money you have the option of buying access to the ebook and InQuizitive directly from the publisher for $35 (simply follow links to either in Blackboard), but know that you will not be able to access the ebook on your computer while you are taking your exams, which will leave you at a significant disadvantage.

Supplies

You are required to have regular access to a mac or pc computer with reliable internet access. You will be able to do some things on tablets and smartphones, but exams must be taken on a mac or pc due to compatibility issues.

Student Performance

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  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: to provide an environment that encourages free expression we must treat each other with dignity and 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 not use outside sources such as Wikipedia and other websites for assignments. The use of unauthorized sources will result in significant grading penalties.

Course materials created by your professor, 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 and closing; 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.

You should check your school email each weekday and regularly read the course's announcements page on Blackboard: Dr. Fauss will occasionally send out reminders and other important information via email.

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. Emails received over the weekend may not be replied to until the following Monday.

Grading Criteria

Graded components

The first graded component of the class is a short quiz on the syllabus consisting of true/false questions. The quiz will be 2% of your course grade.

You will be completing a number of assignments in InQuizitive. If you keep at it long enough, you can eventually earn a perfect score for every single InQuizitive assignment as long as you meet the due dates. The average of all of the InQuizitive assignments will be 15% of your course grade.

You will be taking 4 exams. The exams will cover 3-4 chapters each and have 10 multiple choice and true/false questions per chapter. You may take each exam twice, with the highest grade counting. The average of the best 3 exams will be 52% of your course grade.

You will be participating in 4 online discussions. Each discussion will ask you to respond to a couple of questions about original sources from history and then critique one of your peers' posts. You will be expected to draw upon your textbook to prove your assertions. The average of the discussions will be 16% of your course grade..

Finally, you will write a paper detailing how you would respond to a situation that poses an ethical dilemma, meaning that no choice is without ethical difficulties. There will be three possible due dates for the paper, so pay close attention to which one you have been assigned. The paper will be 15% of your course grade.

Late policies

Because you are given many days to complete the assigned tasks in this class, late InQuizitive assignments, discussions, and missed exams and quizzes will receive no credit. Late papers will receive a 2-point penalty for each day past the due date. Papers handed in more than one week past the due date will receive half of the points they would have earned.

Grade calculation

You may view your grades and course average any time using the “My Grades” link in the course menu on Blackboard; your course average is calculated as a running weighted total.

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 is an online course, there are no on-campus meetings

Calendar

NOTE: Not all tasks you will need to accomplish are listed here, only graded components of the class

Week one: October 23 - 29

Topics

America's Gilded Age

Assignments Due

By 11:59 PM on Sunday you will complete the following tasks:

  • Read the syllabus and take a quiz on your knowledge of it
  • Work through chapter 16 in Give Me Liberty! and complete the respective InQuizitive assignment (in addition to "How to use InQuizitive")
  • Participate in the first discussion

 

Week two: October 30 - November 5

Topics

Freedom's Boundaries: At Home and Abroad; The Progressive Era

Assignments Due

By 11:59 PM on Sunday you will complete the following tasks:

  • Work through chapters 17 and 18 in Give Me Liberty! and complete the respective InQuizitive assignments
  • Take the first exam
  • Turn in the Ethical Dilemma Paper (if due)

 

Week three: November 6 - 12

Topics

World War One; The Twenties

Assignments Due

By 11:59 PM on Sunday you will complete the following tasks:

  • Work through chapters 19 and 20 in Give Me Liberty! and complete the respective InQuizitive assignments
  • Participate in the second discussion

 

Week four: November 13 - 19

Topics

The New Deal; World War Two

Assignments Due

By 11:59 PM on Sunday you will complete the following tasks:

  • Work through chapters 21 and 22 in Give Me Liberty! and complete the respective InQuizitive assignments
  • Take the second exam
  • Turn in the Ethical Dilemma Paper (if due)

 

Week five: November 20 - 26

Topics

The United States and the Cold War

Assignments Due

By 11:59 PM on Sunday you will complete the following tasks:

  • Work through chapter 23 in Give Me Liberty! and complete the respective InQuizitive assignment
  • Participate in the third discussion

 

Week six: November 27 - December 3

Topics

An Affluent Society; The Sixties

Assignments Due

By 11:59 PM on Sunday you will complete the following tasks:

  • Work through chapters 24 and 25 in Give Me Liberty! and complete the respective InQuizitive assignments
  • Take the third exam
  • Turn in the Ethical Dilemma Paper (if due)

 

Week seven: December 3 - 10

Topics

The Triumph of Conservatism; From Triumph to Tragedy

Assignments Due

By 11:59 PM on Sunday you will complete the following tasks:

  • Work through chapters 26 and 27 in Give Me Liberty! and complete the respective InQuizitive assignments
  • Participate in the fourth discussion

 

Week eight: December 11 - 14

Topics

A New Century and New Crises

Assignments Due

By 11:59 PM on Thursday you will complete the following tasks:

  • Work through chapter 28 in Give Me Liberty! and complete the respective InQuizitive assignment
  • Take the fourth exam

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 reading and InQuizitive assignments (3 hours per chapter), 2-3 hours for discussions and exams, and another 2-3 hours reviewing material already learned.

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.

The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus and calendar if needed.

Syllabus Created on:

10/22/17 3:13 PM

Last Edited on:

10/22/17 9:09 PM