United States History I Syllabus for 2021-2022
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Instructor Information

Office Location

Dutton Hall 202A

Office Hours

Tuesday-Thursday 1:30-2:00 and 3:15-3:45

Course Information

COVID-19 Protocols

Recording Policy

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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.

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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.

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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

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The Tutoring for Success policy applies to any student whose grade or performance in the course falls below a departmentally determined minimum threshold. In either of those cases, the instructor will direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. Under this policy, the instructor will follow specific departmental guidelines governing the use, duration, and grade component of the tutoring need.

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-DC001 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

Dual Credit Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

American Destiny: Volume I, 2nd Edition Bundled with Reader for History I (primary sources)

ISBN# DC-0-976-778-3-0-0

Supplies

Access to a reliable computer and reliable internet. Smartphones have numerous problems with the Exams and Quizzes in this course. All students should have access to a desktop or laptop computer with a reliable internet access when taking Exams and Quizzes.

Student Performance

 

  1. Trace the development of a stable, democratic political system flexible enough to address the wholesale changes that occurred since the founding of the nation.
  2. Explain how this nation has been peopled from the first inhabitants to the many groups that arrived in slavery or servitude during the colonial period down to the voluntary immigrants of the Civil War era.
  3. Evaluate economic and technological changes as they have affected daily life, work, family organization, leisure, the division of wealth, and community relations.
  4. Delineate the role of religion in our nation prior 1877.
  5. Recount how the recurring reform movements in U.S. history dealt with economic, political, and social problems in attempting to make their ideals congruent with reality.
  6. Define the changes in our beliefs and values over time and describe how they have varied among different groups: women and men; non-whites and whites; and people of different regions, religions, and classes.
  7. Describe the role of geographical factors in the history of the U.S.
  8. Practice critical thinking and information retrieval skills.

 

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

Students are expected to follow all Amarillo College policies and procedures.

During discussions in the course; students are expected to be professional and follow common courtesy. The discussions in this class are meant to bring up various positions and sometimes the debate can be heated; however, it is appropriate to attach a certain argument or point of view, but it is never appropriate to attach the person who is posting information with which you may disagree.

Grading Criteria

A = 90 - 100
B = 80 - 89
C = 70 - 79
D = 60 - 69
F = 0 - 59

Exams Average  –  60%

Discussions Average  –  30%

Course Paper  –  10%

The makeup policy will be listed on the class site.

Attendance

The online US History course will not have any on campus meetings. Students must log on to this course in AC Online the first day of regular classes and follow the instructions for the course. If a student needs individual assistance they can contact me to work out the problems or schedule an appointment.

Calendar

A final exam will be administered to all students.

This Course outline will also be posted on the class site.

Date

Welcome to History 1301

Assignments and Exams
 

8-23

 

Read all of the information and instructions regarding this course on this page. Be sure to read the whole page and not just the first few dates. This information will help save you time later in the course. Be sure you have also read all of the start here page and the syllabus.

 

8-23

 

There is a Discussion tab on the left hand menu. Click on that tab and then click on the Topic for Introduction. Click on my introduction posting and then click on "reply". Write an introduction of yourself. It does not have to be long and is not graded. Simply state a few things about yourself for the class. Examples include: major, interests, family information, work, how far you live from campus, etc. There is no due date on this; but the quicker the better. This is just to let you get an idea of how the discussion works.

 

8-23

 


As discussed in the Syllabus and the Start Here page, you will have 5 Exams total and 3 Discussions total. You will also have a short Course Paper in the later part of the semester. Those are all of the grades for this class. Those are the only grades that will be used to compute your overall average for the course. 

Each Chapter Assignment is the same as far as the reading and study material are concerned. The Chapter 1 Assignment explains what that assignment includes, including introduction material and reading material. It also lists some study material. Most of these assignments will also have specific readings from the Reader in US History I. The rest of the Chapter Assignments are the same as the first except when there is a discussion question added to the assignment. In such case, the discussion question is added to the assignment with a due date stated. You generally have at least 5 days to participate in each discussion, so there are no excuses for not being able to complete one on time. In addition, I drop one of the three discussion grades. The Course paper will be assigned toward the end of October and you will have approximately four weeks to work on this assignment. It will not be a detailed research paper, but must be done in the same manner as a paper done for an English composition class. Style and grammar will count in addition to the content of the paper. There will be detailed instructions when the paper is assigned. The average of the four main exams left after dropping the lowest will count 60% of your overall average in the course. The average of the two discussion grades after dropping the lowest will count as 30% of your overall average. The Course paper will count 10% of your overall course average.

The Chapter Assignments completed before a Graded Exam is what you are responsible for reading, studying and preparing for that Graded Exam. Therefore, each Graded Exam just covers the chapters and readings assigned up to that exam and after the previous exam. The last Graded Exam is the Final and is only over the last few chapters assigned after Exam 4. It is not comprehensive of the whole course material. I drop one of the exam grades. The chapter assignments come from the chapters in the main text. The specific individual readings assignments come from the Reader in US History I.  

 

8-24

 


Chapter 1 Assignment (From the Beginning-The Americas)

      - All of the assignment material is found under the Course Materials icon in the Lessons Tab. The assignments for Chapter 1 are as follows:

  1. Read the Preface to the text. Get an understanding of where we are going.
     
  2. Read the Chapter Objectives and go through the Chapter Outline for Chapter 1.
     
  3. Read Chapter 1 of the Text. Focus on the main text, that is the most important information.
     
  4. Work through the Study Guide questions and the Practice Quiz for Chapter 1. Working on these other exercises will help with your understanding and retention of the material. You should review the chapter outline with the reading materials to study for the exam.
 

8-30

 


Chapter 2 Assignment (European Exploration, Discovery, and Contact)   

Readings from History I Reader - 1, 2

 

9-2

 


Chapter 3 Assignment (Colonization) 

Readings from History I Reader - 3, 4

 

9-6

 


Chapter 4 Assignment (Origins and Nature of Slavery) 

Readings from History I Reader - 5, 6, 7
 

 

9-11

 


Exam 1 First day      - EXAM 1 will be posted this morning.  The exams are all 50 multiple choice questions and you will have 50 minutes from the time you begin. Once you go into the test you must complete your work in the 50 minute time frame. You cannot save your exam somewhere in the middle and come back to it later. Once the clock starts, it does not stop until the end of the time limit. If you get disconnected from the exam, you should try to log back in as soon as possible. This should be plenty of time for all students. Be sure to read all of the instructions before beginning the exam. The Exam will be open through Tuesday.

All Exams must be submitted by 10:30pm the last day the exam is available.

 

9-12

 


Exam 1 continued today
 

 

9-13

 


Exam 1 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
 

 

9-14

 


Chapter 5 Assignment (Colonies and the Empire) –
 

 

9-20

 


Chapter 6 Assignment (Road to Independence)

In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #1 posted on the Discussion Board. These Discussions are threaded so you are to also comment on a couple of the other student's responses as well as making your own response. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, September 26th. If you want any credit for this question, be sure to have something posted by the deadline. These instructions apply to all of the discussion questions in this course.

Readings from History I Reader - 10, 11, 12
 

 

9-23

 


Chapter 7 Assignment (The Early Governments) 
 

 

9-27

 


Chapter 8 Assignment (Miracle in Philadelphia)

Readings from History I Reader - 13, 14, 15
 

 

10-4

 


Chapter 9 Assignment (The Federalists Begin)

Readings from History I Reader - 16, 17
 

 


Exam 2 First day      - EXAM 2 will be posted this morning. All Exams are set up the same as the 1st Exam. 

All Exams must be submitted by 10:30pm the last day the exam is available.
 

 

10-10

 


Exam 2 continued today
 

 

10-11

 


Exam 2 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
 

 

10-12

 


Chapter 10 Assignment (The Peculiar Institution) –
 

 

10-14

 


Chapter 11 Assignment (Jeffersonian Republicans / Democracy) 

 

In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #2 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, October 17th.

Readings from History I Reader - 18, 19, 20
 

 

10-18

 


Chapter 12 Assignment (The Era of Good Feelings)
 

 

10-25

 


Chapter 13 Assignment (Jacksonian Democracy)

Readings from History I Reader - 21, 22
 

 

10-30

 


Exam 3 First day      - EXAM 3 will be posted this morning.
 

 

10-31

 


Exam 3 continued today
 

 

11-1

 


Exam 3 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
 

 

11-2

 


Chapter 14 Assignment (Antebellum Culture) 

Readings from History I Reader - 23, 24, 25
 

 

11-4

 


Chapter 15 Assignment (Antebellum Reform)

In addition to the reading, respond to Discussion question #3 posted on the Bulletin Board. You may participate in this Discussion through Sunday, November 7th. 
 

 

11-8

 


Chapter 16 Assignment (Beginning to Go West) 

Readings from History I Reader - 26, 27, 28
 

 

11-11

 


Chapter 17 Assignment (Religion in the New Nation)
 

 

11-13

 


Exam 4 First day      - EXAM 4 will be posted this morning.
 

 

11-14

 


Exam 4 continued today
 

 

11-15

 


Exam 4 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest.
 

 

11-16

 


Chapter 18 Assignment (Early Foundations of Economic Growth) 

Readings from History I Reader - 29, 30
 

 


11-21
 

 

Course Paper Due

 

11-22

 


Chapter 19 Assignment (Antebellum South)
 

 

11-24

 


Chapter 20 Assignment (Divided Nation)

Readings from History I Reader - 31, 32
 

 

11-29

 


Chapter 21 Assignment (The Cousin's War)

Readings from History I Reader - 33, 34, 35
 

 

12-6

 


Chapter 22 Assignment (Reconstruction)

Readings from History I Reader - 36, 37
 

 

12-11

 


Exam 5 - Final- First day   - EXAM 5 will be posted this morning.
 

 

12-12

 


Exam 5 continued today
 

 

12-13

 


Exam 5 continued today
 

 

12-14

 


Exam 5 continued today
 

 

12-15

 


Exam 5 - last day. The Exam will end at 10:30 pm, you should begin the exam by 9:30 pm at the latest. This is Tuesday of Finals Week. This is the last day to take the final in this class.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Information

There is a Start Here page under the Lessons Tab when you log in to the course. All students should read and understand ALL of the information that is contained on that Start Here page. This will save ALL students a lot of time and frustration.

http://www.actx.edu

Syllabus Created on:

08/21/21 12:48 PM

Last Edited on:

08/21/21 1:03 PM