United States History I Syllabus for 2024-2025
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Instructor Information

Course Information

AI Statement

Collusion is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to create a document is considered colluding. <strong>The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor. </strong>

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Recording Policy

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Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

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.

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Course

HIST-1301-020 United States History I

Prerequisites

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 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:

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

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Textbook-  The textbook is required for this course.  David Shi, America:  The Essential Learning Edition, vol.I  2022 (third edition). It can be a new, used, or digital copy.

ISBN:  978-0-393-42299-3

It is the student's responsibility to purchase the correct textbook. If you are unsure about which textbook to buy please email the instructor. 

Supplies

Textbook (eBook or hard copy) and access to a computer with reliable internet.

Student Performance

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

Behavioral Expectations/Classroom Ground Rules

Cheating IS NOT permitted! Students caught cheating on exams, quizzes, or other assignments will receive an automatic failing grade (F) for that quiz or assignment and may face institutional discipline. 

Plagiarism IS NOT permitted, and will result in a failing grade (F) and may result in institutional discipline. What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is presenting another person's work as your own without giving them appropriate credit. There are many forms of plagiarism. For more information and guidance, please refer to Blackboard under the "What is Plagiarism" link. If you feel your work is questionable, please contact the instructor before turning it in. 

Generative AI—Artificial Intelligence—Artificial Intelligence is not permitted in this course. Writing and critical thinking skills are part of the learning outcomes of this course. Therefore, employing generative AI in this course is a violation of academic integrity. Be forewarned: If the use of AI is suspected, the assignment will go through an AI checker. If AI is detected, the students may receive a failing grade. 

Etiquette—Students are expected to always be respectful of themselves and others and refrain from anything that may distract other students.            

• Choose your words wisely and appropriately.                                                                     
• Profanity and derogatory comments are not allowed.                                

NOTE—The student must log in to Blackboard and check email regularly for news or updates about this course. 

Withdrawals- The last day to withdraw is February 25, 2025.

To initiate the withdrawal process, you must fill out the required form. You can access the form in your Blackboard class under the "Withdrawal Form" tab. You will need to get the instructor's signature to drop the class.

Administrative Drop—The Registrar's Office will administratively drop any student who has not completed a graded assignment, such as the introduction discussion post or a graded quiz, by the census date (Jan. 21, 2025).
 

Departmental Tutoring Policy:  If a student scores below 70% on an exam or writing assignment, he or she will be required to attend tutoring per the instructor’s directions before being allowed to complete the next assigned work.

Grading Criteria

A combination of the following determines final grades: 15 chapter quizzes= 60% of the final grade (600 points total) 1 homework assignment= 10% of the final grade (100 points) 1 common assessment paper= 10% of the final grade (100 points) Discussion assignments= 20% of the final grade (200 points)   The grading scale is as follows: A = 900-1000 B = 800-899 C = 700-799 D = 600-699 F = below 600 Chapter Quizzes (60% of grade): There will be 15 chapter quizzes throughout the course. Quizzes are timed. It is the student's responsibility to allocate enough time to take each quiz in a distraction-free zone. Students can not restart the timer once they start the quiz. There is not a pause button. The quizzes must be finished in one sitting. The quizzes are publisher-generated, meaning it IS essential to read each chapter to be successful in this course! QUIZZES WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE ON BLACKBOARD [SEE CLASS SCHEDULE FOR DATES]. Students will have 2 attempts each quiz. The highest grade of the two will go in the grade book.    Common Assessment (10% of grade):  There will be one written assignment over two primary source documents.  The instructor will distribute the topics and instructions later in the semester. Late papers will NOT be accepted. PLEASE NOTE: You will submit this assignment in Blackboard using the Safe Assign tool. You must receive a Safe Assign score of 20% or less, scores of 40% or higher are considered plagiarism. The Safe Assign tool only allows one submission per assignment. It is the student's responsibility to submit the correct assignment. Safe Assign only accepts .doc and .pdf formats. Any paper submitted via email will NOT be accepted. The paper must be an original one used only for this course.  It cannot be a paper from another class.   Homework Assignment (10% of grade): One homework assignment will be given. The purpose of this assignment is to help prepare the student for the document paper. It will help strengthen the student's historical knowledge and critical thinking skills. The due date is listed on the course schedule and Blackboard. There are two parts to this assignment. Students will access Part 1 through the digital resources provided by the textbook's publisher. Please Note- Each student will submit this assignment in Blackboard using the Safe Assign tool. You must receive a Safe Assign score of 20% or less; scores of 40% or higher are considered plagiarism. The Safe Assign tool only allows one submission per assignment. It is the student's responsibility to submit the correct assignment. Safe Assign only accepts .doc and .pdf formats. Any assignment submitted via email will NOT be accepted. This assignment WILL NOT be accepted past the due date UNLESS the student contacts the instructor within 24 hours of the due date and receives consent from the instructor.    Discussions (20% of grade)- There will be 4 discussions throughout this course.  Introduction post- 50 points.                                                                                            3 discussions- 50 points each.  Discussion assignments will vary. Instructions for each discussion assignment will be posted in the discussion forum. Be forewarned: discussions are graded based on writing level, critical thinking scores, and following instructions-- Minimum effort = minimum grades. Some discussions will have two parts and some will only have one part. Part one will be due on the Thursday of the week and part two will be due on the following Sunday. At the end of the term, I will replace your lowest discussion grade with your highest discussion grade from weeks 3, 5, and 7.  Grading for Safe Assign scoring is as follows:                                                                  20% or less= no extra deductions                                                                            21%-30%= one letter grade deduction                                                                    31%-40%= two letter grade deduction                                                                        Please don't panic right away. As long as a student correctly cites sources, their paper is written in their own words, there is not an abundance of quotes from other sources, they do not copy and paste someone's work, and they do not buy a paper online, their Safe Assign score should be good.   Late Work Policy:  Quizzes WILL NOT be accepted late!  Discussion Assignments will not be accepted late. The homework assignment will only be accepted after the due date with consent from the instructor. The student must contact the instructor within 24 hours of the due date. The assignment will not be accepted if the student does not contact the instructor within 24 hours. The document paper WILL NOT be accepted late! UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES- THERE WILL NOT BE ANY LATE WORK ACCEPTED AFTER March 2, 2025, 2024.

Attendance

Calendar

Additional Information

Contacting the instructor- The best way to contact the instructor is through email at abennert23@actx.edu. Please allow at least 48 hours to receive a response.  The Instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus and/or the calendar if needed.