United States History II Syllabus for 2017-2018
Return to Syllabus List

Instructor Information

Office Location

<p>Dutton Hall 202H</p>

Office Hours

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

Course Information

COVID-19 Protocols

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Student Service Center office 112. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

Amarillo College Web Accessibility Policy Statement

Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.

If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

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

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

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-1302-006 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

Hybrid

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

The American Nation: A History Of The U.S., 15th Edition Volume II by Mark C. Carnes and John A. Garraty.

  • You will be using an electronic version of this book, accessed through REVEL. REVEL is an online content delivery platform. 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 may access REVEL from the course's Blackboard site using a computer or by using the REVEL app, available on tablets and smartphones.
  • Access to your textbook will be obtained by purchasing an access card with code from the bookstore.
  • 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.

Paterson, 1913 by Mary Jane Treacy

Chicago, 1968 by Nicholas Proctor

  • Paterson and Chicago are both spiral bound volumes only available at the bookstore

Supplies

You are required to have regular access to a mac or pc computer with reliable internet access.

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:

  • Be respectful: to provide an environment that encourages free expression we must treat each other with dignity and respect. Do not engage in behaviors such as texting, napping, speaking with your neighbors while others are talking, etc. because it is disrespectful and distracting to your peers and instructor.
  • 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.
  • 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 unless specifically authorized. 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. Do not record the class without your instructor's 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. Most workplaces use email, so this should be good practice for you.

You should check your school email each weekday, particularly before leaving for school: Dr. Fauss will occasionally send out reminders and other important information via email. If class is cancelled, an email will be sent out as early in the day as possible.

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

Each week you will be completing homework assignments and discussions to help you better understand the reading and prepare for class discussions. The average of the 6 best homework assignments and discussions will be 30% of your course grade. Homework assignments and discussions will be marked as good (100%), satisfactory (85%), or unsatisfactory (70%); good responses will answer the questions in detail and utilize appropriate material from class readings as supporting evidence, providing citations as needed.

You will be completing REVEL assignments, consisting of the quizzes found within the various chapters, counting 7% of your course grade (1% per chapter).

You will be graded on participation during the games, counting 35% of your course grade (14% for Paterson, 21% for Chicago). You will hand in a self-assessment of your participation to Blackboard after each game to help your instructor evaluate your performance. The grading criteria will be explained in a rubric posted to Blackboard.

You will also be graded on participation and attendance during classes when the games will not be going on, counting 8% of your course grade. The grading criteria will be explained in a rubric posted to Blackboard.

Finally, you will write a position paper to help you collect your thoughts for Chicago: 1968. The position paper will be submitted to Blackboard and will be 20% of your course grade. The grading criteria will be explained in a rubric posted to Blackboard.

Electronic submission policies

It is your responsibility to submit work to Blackboard in the correct format, docx (Microsoft Word). Google Docs, which every Amarillo College student has access to, has the ability to export files to this format, so there is no reason why anybody will not be able to meet this requirement.

It is also your responsibility to verify that your paper was submitted correctly. After submission, you will be able to see your paper in the Box viewer (in the middle of the web page). If something is amiss, you will be able to see it there. Submitting your work incorrectly is not an excuse for lateness: contact Dr. Fauss ASAP if something is not right.

Late policies

Late homework assignments and discussions will receive no credit.

Late papers will receive a 2-point penalty for every day handed in past the due date; papers handed in after the beginning of class on the due date will be counted as one day late. Papers handed in more than five days late will receive a 20-point penalty. Late papers may not receive written feedback. 

Unless otherwise specified, all work must be submitted no later than 7:00 AM of the Thursday of the last week of 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.

Attendance

The instructor will take attendance at the beginning of class. If you are more than 10 minutes late, you will be marked as absent. Students who come in after attendance was taken are required to report their presence to the instructor at the end of class, otherwise, your attendance may not be counted.

Calendar

Each day of class has the topic of that day's meeting listed first, then any assignments due that day will be printed in bold below. Assignments due on different days will also printed in bold under the respective week.

Week One: 7/2 – 7/8

M: Introduction to the class

W: NO CLASS: INDEPENDENCE DAY

Week Two: 7/9 – 7/15

M: Reforming industrial America

  • Complete CHs 21 and 22 in REVEL before class today and complete the associated discussion

W: Paterson game setup

  • Read pp. 6-15, 29-54 in Paterson, 1913 before class today
  • Read your Paterson, 1913 role sheet (will be handed out on Monday) before class today

Week Three: 7/16 – 7/22

M: Paterson session 1

  • Read pp. 16-22, in Paterson, 1913 before class today
  • Read the texts noted on your role sheet under "responsibilities" before class today
  • Submit the Paterson, 1913 homework assignment to Blackboard before class today

W: Paterson session 2

  • Read pp. 23-28 in Paterson, 1913 before class today
  • Turn in your self-assessment of participation for Paterson, 1913 to Blackboard by 11:59 PM today

Week Four: 7/23 – 7/29

M: World wars and the Great Depression

W: Chicago game setup session 1

  • Read pp. 53-67, 75-93, 107-109 in Chicago, 1968 before class today
  • Submit Chicago homework #1 to Blackboard before class today

F: Complete CHs 26 and 27 in REVEL before 11:00 AM today and complete the associated discussion by 11:59 PM (optional; for extra credit)

  • Complete CH 28 in REVEL before 11:00 AM today and complete the associated discussion by 11:59 PM (mandatory)

Week Five: 7/30 – 8/5

M: Chicago game setup session 2

  • Read pp. 67-74, 93-103, 110-117 in Chicago, 1968 before class today
  • Submit Chicago homework #2 to Blackboard before class today
  • Complete CH 29 in REVEL before class today and complete the associated discussion

W: Chicago game session 1

  • Read pp. 4-48 in Chicago, 1968 before class today
  • Read any texts suggested under "relationships to the texts" on your role sheet before class today

Week Six: 8/6 – 8/9

M: Chicago game session 2

  • Submit your position paper to Blackboard before class today

W: Chicago game session 3

  • Turn in your self-assessment of participation for Chicago, 1968 to Blackboard by 11:59 PM today

TR: NO CLASS, but be sure to complete CH 30 in REVEL by 11:00 AM on Thursday and complete the associated discussion

Additional Information

This class features two Reacting to the Past games, where you will step into the shoes of people in history and engaging in structured roleplaying.

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

Syllabus Created on:

07/01/18 1:28 PM

Last Edited on:

07/25/18 9:28 AM