United States History I Syllabus for 2023-2024
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Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

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.

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Course

HIST-1301-002 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

Required: REVEL E-Book, The American Nation: A History of the United States Combined Volume or Volume I. The link to join the REVEL course can be found through the textbook tab on Blackboard. 

Supplies

E-book and assignments can be accessed via a smart phone, tablet, or computer. 

Student Performance

 Assignment Breakdown

*25%: REVEL Assignments. There are 16 chapters in the REVEL e-book. Each chapter consists of activities- short quizzes over the reading material and a chapter quiz. There is also a journal or short answer section- but that does NOT count towards your grade. If you do not get the answer correct on the first attempt, it will allow you another attempt. At the end of the semester, the overall average for REVEL counts as 25% of your course grade. Although self-paced, you will have assignments due every Monday at 11:00 pm, with the exception of the first week. Don't sweat losing a few points- 300+ points are usually available each week, but keep up with the assignments or your grade will be negatively effected by the end of the semester!

*40%: Blackboard Exams. Four Blackboard exams comprise 40% of your course grade. Each exam covers four chapters and consists of 50 multiple-choice questions, which you have 1 hr to complete. You can use your textbook/notes but the exam will automatically submit after 1 hr, so use your time wisely! You are required to use a special browser (Respondus Lockdown Browser) in order to take the exam. You can use an on-campus computer or download the software onto your computer. You MUST use the link that I have provided in Blackboard in order to put the program on your computer! Amarillo College has a license with Respondus for online classes and the link will provide the free version that we have. There is an optional 100 question comprehensive final that can be used to replace your lowest exam grade. You will have a minimum of four days to complete each exam- usually Saturday-Tuesday, with the exception of the optional final where you only have two days. 

15%: Blackboard Discussions. There are a total of four Blackboard discussions throughout the course of the semester, which generally fall between the exams and are due every other Friday. The introductory discussion is graded on a complete/incomplete basis. Discussions #2-4 utilize primary sources in the REVEL e-book and are graded based on use of document(s) and coherent arguments. Responding to two classmates is a part of your grade for discussions 2-4.  

15%:Course Paper.  The state of Texas requires an ethics paper for this course. This is a research paper and you are required to use at least two academic sources, including a primary source. This is a department-wide assignment. Be sure to read the department-wide rubric which can be found on Blackboard! 

5%: Homework assignments: These are interactive homework assignmnets through SoftChalk, which can be accessed through the Learning Modules.

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

Although an online class, you are expected to be polite and respectful to your classmates in online discussions. 

Grading Criteria

A: 90-100

B: 80-89

C: 70-79

D: 60-69

F: <60

Attendance

This is a self-paced class, but assignments must be completed by the due date! I open assignments early to give you as much flexibility as possible. If you miss an exam, you have the option of replacing the 0 by taking the optional Comprehensive Final Exam. For the ethics paper, I will subtract one letter grade for each day the assignment is late.   

REVEL assignments can be submitted after the due date, but you will only be given 50% credit. Please note that REVEL will penalize you for work that is submitted after 11:00 pm on the due date. For example, if you open the chapter quiz at 10:58, you will only get credit for the first couple of questions that are answered before 11:00. Do them as early as possible! 

However, Blackboard tests only need to be started by the due date. For example, exams have to be started BY 11:30 pm on the due date. However, the Discussion Board will disappear after 11:30, so make sure to submit all of your responses before then!  Since Discussion Board assignments are done as a class-wide assignment, you cannot submit them late! 

Calendar

Discussion Board Assignments: 

  • #1: Due Friday August 25th
  • #2: Due Friday September 8th
  • #3: Due Friday September 22nd
  • #4: Due Friday October 6th

Blackboard Exams

  • Test #1: Available Saturday September 2nd-Tuesday September 5th.
  • Test #2: Available Saturday September 16th-Tuesday September 19th
  • Test #3: Available Saturday September 30th-Tuesday October 3rd
  • Test #4: Available Monday October 9th-Thursday October 12th
  • OPTIONAL Comprehensive exam: Available Wednesday October 11th-Thursday October 12th

Research Paper: Due Wednesday September 27th @ 11:59pm

REVEL Assignments: 

Week 2: Due Monday August 28th (11:00pm CST) 

  • CHAPTER: 1: Beginnings
  • Introduction: Beginnings
  • 1.1: The First Peoples (15 points)
  • 1.2: The Maize Revolution (15 points)
  • 1.3: The Collapse of Urban Centers (15 points)
  • 1.4: Eurasia and Africa versus North America (15 points)
  • Summary: Beginnings
  • Chapter 1 Quiz (75 points)
  • CHAPTER: 2: Alien Encounters: Europe in the Americas
  • Introduction: Alien Encounters: Europe in the Americas
  • 2.1: Spanish Colonization of the Americas (15 points)
  • 2.2: Spain’s European Rivals (15 points)
  • 2.3: Early English Colonization (15 points)
  • 2.4: Puritan New England (15 points)
  • 2.5: English “Proprietary” Colonies (15 points)
  • 2.6: Indian and Colonist Intersections (15 points)
  • Summary: Alien Encounters: Europe in the Americas
  • Chapter 2 Quiz: Alien Encounters: Europe in the Americas (75 points)

Week 3: Due Monday September 4th

  • CHAPTER: 3: The Making of Society in the Colonial Era
  • Introduction: The Making of Society in the Colonial Era
  • 3.1: French and Spanish Settlements Falter; English Settlements Flourish (15 points)
  • 3.2: Life in the Southern Colonies (15 points)
  • 3.3: Puritan New England (15 points)
  • 3.4: The Middle Colonies (15 points)
  • 3.5: Becoming Americans (15 points)
  • Summary: The Making of Society in the Colonial Era
  • Chapter 3 Quiz: The Making of Society in the Colonial Era (75 points)
  • Chapter 4: America in the British Empire
  • Introduction: America in the British Empire
  • 4.1: The British Colonial System (15 points)
  • 4.2: Colonial Religion and Thought (15 points)
  • 4.3: The First Global War (15 points)
  • 4.4: Making the Colonists Pay (15 points)
  • 4.5: Violence Erupts (15 points)
  • Summary: America in the British Empire
  • Chapter 4 Quiz: America in the British Empire (75 points)
  • CHAPTER: 5: The American Revolution
  • Introduction: The American Revolution
  • 5.1: Preliminary Hostilities (15 points)
  • 5.2: The Question of Independence (15 points)
  • 5.3: Towards Victory (15 points)
  • 5.4: The United States under the Articles of Confederation (15 points)
  • 5.5: American Nationalism (15 points)
  • Summary: The American Revolution
  • Chapter 5 Quiz: The American Revolution (75 points)

Week 4: Due Monday September 11th

  • CHAPTER: 6: The Federalist Era: Nationalism Triumphant
  • Introduction: The Federalist Era: Nationalism Triumphant
  • 6.1: A Patchwork Nation (15 points)
  • 6.2: The Constitution (15 points)
  • 6.3: Washington and the First Congress (15 points)
  • 6.4: Washington and Foreign Relations (15 points)
  • 6.5: John Adams as President (15 points)
  • Summary: The Federalist Era: Nationalism Triumphant
  • Chapter 6 Quiz: The Federalist Era: Nationalism Triumphant (75 points)
  • CHAPTER: 7: Jeffersonian Democracy
  • Introduction: Jeffersonian Democracy
  • 7.1: Jefferson and the Rise of the Republicans (15 points)
  • 7.2: Jefferson’s First Term (15 points)
  • 7.3: Jefferson’s Second Term (15 points)
  • 7.4: The Looming Dangers of the Napoleonic Wars (15 points)
  • 7.5: The Legacy of Jeffersonian Democracy (15 points)
  • Summary: Jeffersonian Democracy
  • Chapter 7 Quiz: Jeffersonian Democracy (75 points)

Week 5: Due Monday September 18th 

  • CHAPTER: 8: National Growing Pains
  • Introduction: National Growing Pains
  • 8.1: Madison and the March to War (15 points)
  • 8.2: The War of 1812 (15 points)
  • 8.3: Monroe and American Aspirations (15 points)
  • 8.4: Sectional Divisions Intensify (15 points)
  • 8.5: John Quincy Adams as President (15 points)
  • Summary: National Growing Pains
  • Chapter 8 Quiz: National Growing Pains (75 points)
  • CHAPTER: 9: Toward a National Economy
  • Introduction: Toward a National Economy
  • 9.1: The North Industrializes (15 points)
  • 9.2: Cotton Revolutionizes the South (15 points)
  • 9.3: The Revival of Slavery (15 points)
  • 9.4: The Transportation Revolution (15 points)
  • 9.5: Economic Development Under the Marshall Court (15 points)
  • Summary: Toward a National Economy
  • Chapter 9 Quiz: Toward a National Economy (75 points)

Week 6: Due Monday September 25th

  • CHAPTER: 10: Jacksonian Democracy
  • Introduction: Jacksonian Democracy
  • 10.1: Jackson’s New Political System (15 points)
  • 10.2: Jackson “Kills the Bank!” and Chills the Economy (15 points)
  • 10.3: Jackson Expels the Indians (15 points)
  • 10.4: States’ Rights versus the Federal Union (15 points)
  • 10.5: The Twilight of Jacksonianism (15 points)
  • Summary: Jacksonian Democracy
  • Chapter 10 Quiz: Jacksonian Democracy (75 points)
  • CHAPTER: 11: The Making of Middle-Class America
  • Introduction: The Making of Middle-Class America
  • 11.1: An Emerging Middle Class (15 points)
  • 11.2: The Age of Reform (15 points)
  • 11.3: The Romantic View of Life (15 points)
  • 11.4: Education for Democracy (15 points)
  • Summary: The Making of Middle-Class America
  • Chapter 11 Quiz: The Making of Middle-Class America (75 points)

Week 7: Due Monday October 2nd

  • CHAPTER: 12: Westward Expansion
  • Introduction: Westward Expansion
  • 12.1: Expansion by Manifest Destiny (15 points)
  • 12.2: Expansion by Negotiation and War (15 points)
  • 12.3: New Territories: Slave or Free? (15 points)
  • 12.4: Clay’s Welcome Compromise of 1850 (15 points)
  • Summary: Westward Expansion
  • Chapter 12 Quiz: Westward Expansion (75 points)
  • CHAPTER: 13: The Sections Go Their Own Ways
  • Introduction: The Sections Go Their Own Ways
  • 13.1: The South (15 points)
  • 13.2: The Northern Industrial Juggernaut (15 points)
  • 13.3: Building a Global Transportation Web (15 points)
  • 13.4: The Economic Surge on the Eve of the Civil War (15 points)
  • Summary: The Sections Go Their Own Ways
  • Chapter 13 Quiz: The Sections Go Their Own Ways (75 points)

Week 8, due Monday October 9th

  • CHAPTER: 14: The Coming of the Civil War
  • Introduction: The Coming of the Civil War
  • 14.1: Antislavery Sentiment Deepens (15 points)
  • 14.2: Slavery Crisis Temporarily Evaded (15 points)
  • 14.3: Political Parties Fracture over Slavery (15 points)
  • 14.4: Hopes for Compromise Wane (15 points)
  • 14.5: The Antislavery Lincoln Emerges (15 points)
  • 14.6: On the Brink of Disunion (15 points)
  • Summary: The Coming of the Civil War
  • Chapter 14 Quiz: The Coming of the Civil War (75 points)
  • CHAPTER: 15: The War to Save the Union
  • Introduction: The War to Save the Union
  • 15.1: War Commences (1861) (15 points)
  • 15.2: Stalemate and Slaughter (1862) (15 points)
  • 15.3: Lincoln Frees (Some) Slaves to Win the War (15 points)
  • 15.4: Turning Point (1863) (15 points)
  • 15.5: Strangling the South (1864) (15 points)
  • 15.6: Final Reckoning (1865) (15 points)
  • Summary: The War to Save the Union
  • Chapter 15 Quiz: The War to Save the Union (75 points)
  • CHAPTER: 16: Reconstruction and the South
  • Introduction: Reconstruction and the South
  • 16.1: Presidential Reconstruction (15 points)
  • 16.2: Radical Republicanism (15 points)
  • 16.3: The Southern Economy during Reconstruction (15 points)
  • 16.4: The End of Reconstruction (15 points)
  • Summary: Reconstruction and the South
  • Chapter 16 Quiz (75 points)

Additional Information

Please thoroughly go through the Blackboard sections and send me an email with any questions that you might have!

Tutoring policy: 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 students 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.

 

Syllabus Created on:

08/16/23 3:40 PM

Last Edited on:

08/18/23 10:18 AM