United States History I Syllabus for 2018-2019
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Course

HIST-1301-016 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

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:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact 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

Patriots, Loyalists, and Revolution in New York City, 1775-1776 Second Edition by Bill Offutt; this is required.

You will also be using a free online textbook, The American YAWP, accessible on the web.

Supplies

You are required to have regular access to a personal computer with reliable internet access.

Students who own laptops and tablets are encouraged to bring them to class.

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. In addition to treating other students with respect when interacting in class, students should be aware that certain behaviors can be distracting, particularly the inappropriate use of technology. Students who behave inappropriately will receive no participation credit for the day and in more extreme circumstances may face disciplinary action from the college.
• 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/or face disciplinary action from the college.
• 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 disciplinary action from the college.

You may not use outside sources such as Wikipedia and other websites for assignments unless specifically authorized. Your instructor is occasionally amenable to students conducting research if you clear it with him in advance. 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 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. Additionally, note the numbers of you class and section (i.e. 1301-005).

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

You will be taking three online exams, consisting of multiple choice and true/false questions. The first exam will be 10% of your course grade, and the remaining two exams will be 20% of your course grade each. The exams will be found in the "content" folder in Blackboard.

You will be completing a source analysis paper. The paper will be 21% of your course grade. The assignment will be handed out in hard copy in class and can also be found attached to the dropbox in Blackboard (this will be located in the "content" folder). You will be able to see the rubric used to grade the paper in "my grades" in Blackboard.

You will be completing homework assignments. The homeworks will be found in the "content" folder. Some assignments will be worksheets that pose questions about the readings, others will be online discussions. Worksheets must be turned in at the beginning of class in hard copy; email submissions will not be accepted. Online discussions will require you to do an initial post and to read and respond to what other students have posted by specified deadlines. The 10 best (out of the 12 total) homework assignments will be 10% of your course grade. Homeworks will be graded as good (100 points); satisfactory (85 points); needs improvement (70 points); or deficient (50 points).

Finally, you will be expected to participate in class.

During regular (non-Reacting to the Past game) class sessions, you will listen, ask questions, and contribute to discussions. As long as you are focused on class activities and are adequately prepared (i.e. you did the reading and homework assignments, you will earn full participation for the day. Students who are unable to contribute knowledge of the reading when called upon will receive no participation credit; it is expected that you will not understand everything after doing the reading, but there is a clear difference between being prepared and not prepared. Participation during regular classes will be 10% of your course grade.

During Reacting to the Past game sessions, the standard for participation will be higher: you will be expected to be working towards your character's objectives, contributing to discussions, asking questions, making scheduled speeches, etc.; simply listening will not earn you a high grade. Participation during the game sessions will be 9% of your course grade.

Electronic submission policies

You must submit your source analysis paper to Blackboard in Microsoft Word format. 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 you will be unable 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 resubmit your work once, but must do so within one hour; attempts submitted after one hour will not be assessed.

Late policies

Late homework assignments will receive no credit.

Late papers will receive a 2-point penalty for every day late; the first day will be considered the remainder of the day after the start of class. 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.

Missed class policies

If you are absent, you cannot participate. Absences during regular classes will not be excused. ONE absence during the RTTP game sessions may be excused if the following conditions are met: 1) the student contacts the instructor in advance (this requirement will only be waived if the student faced a serious emergency, such as being in the hospital); 2) the student is missing class due to circumstances beyond their control (you may be asked to provide documentation of the need to miss class at the instructor's discretion); 3) you agree to submit a paper in lieu of the missed class no later than 1 week after the missed class (you will be informed of the specifics by your instructor).

There is no need to contact your instructor regarding a missed class unless you are seeking to have an absence excused; please consult the calendar for upcoming due dates. Your instructor will not provide notes for missed classes, so if you wish to obtain them you must speak with another student.

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.

Withdrawal policy

You must get your instructor's permission before you may withdraw from the class. You must initiate the withdrawal process on or before the withdrawal date (noted on the calendar in the academic catalog): after obtaining permission, you must complete a withdrawal form (your instructor will provide this to you) and submit it to the registrar. The withdrawal process can be handled in person or via email.

Attendance

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class. If you come in late after attendance is taken, it is your responsibility to inform your instructor that you were present.

Students who are more than 10 minutes late will be counted as absent.

Students who leave early without speaking with the instructor first will be counted as absent.

Calendar

Additional Information

This class is a hybrid class: this means that we will be meeting half as much as a regular class. In lieu of those meetings, you will be doing work in an online environment, from completing readings to participating in discussions and taking exams. Hybrid classes allow greater flexibility than traditional schedules but require more discipline from the students to keep up.

This class features Reacting to the Past game(s), where you will step into the shoes of people in history and engaging in structured roleplaying. Most students find Reacting to the Past to be fun and engaging, but because it requires public speaking, some students may be anxious about this particular format. If this is you, please speak with your instructor as soon as possible. Nearly every student who has come to Dr. Fauss with these concerns in advance has been able to develop strategies to successfully participate in class and complete the requirements for the game(s).

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