United States History II Syllabus for 2017-2018
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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

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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

Give Me Liberty!: An American History, Brief 5th Edition Volume 2 by Eric Foner

• If you buy your text new from the bookstore, you will be supplied with an access code to WW Norton's InQuizitive, an adaptive review system. Use of InQuizitive is required: if you buy a used copy, you will need to purchase access to InQuizitive directly from WW Norton

Supplies

You are required to have regular access to a mac or pc with reliable internet service. Although resources used by the class may work with some smartphones and tablets, a desktop or laptop computer is generally more reliable.

You are required to install Respondus Lockdown Browser on your computer or have access to a computer with Respondus installed on it (some computers at Amarillo College labs have it). The program is a free download. You will receive instructions for this the first week of classes.

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

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:

• 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.
• 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.

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 may not use outside sources such as Wikipedia and other websites for assignments. The use of unauthorized sources will result in significant grading penalties.

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 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 5-question quiz on the syllabus to ensure that Resondus LockDown browser is working correctly and that you understand course policies. The quiz will be 5% of your course grade.

You will be completing 12 chapter reviews in InQuizitive. If you keep at each review long enough you will be able to earn full credit. The 11 best InQuizitive reviews will count 11% of your course grade

You will be taking 4 exams. The exams will cover 3 chapters each and consist of 45 multiple choice questions. The exams will be 60% of your course grade.

You will be participating in 7 online discussions. After the first week, where the instructor will model what will be expected of you, you will be both responding to a prompt and then critiquing posts done by your peers. The discussions are intended to help you better learn the material in your text. The average of the best 6 discussions will be 24% of your course grade.

Late policies

Late InQuizitive reviews, discussions, and quizzes will receive no credit.

If you have an emergency and are unable to take an exam, you must contact your instructor before the exam due date and arrange to take the exam no more than 1 week later. You may do this once during the semester.

Extra credit

There will be no extra credit awarded in the class.

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, meaning that an 89 will round up to a 90, 79 will round up to an 80, etc.

Attendance

This is an online course, so there are no on-campus meetings. Failure to complete a graded component of the class on or by the census date will result in you being administratively dropped from the course. Logging in is not enough to count as attendance for the purpose of the census.

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 reading and InQuizitive reviews (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.