United States History I Syllabus for 2023-2024
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Course Information

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Course

HIST-1301-018 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: David Emory Shi, America: The Essential Learning Edition. 3rd edition, volume I. ISBN 978-2-393-54279-0.

Supplies

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

Student Performance

Course Outcomes: 

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 of United States history

 Assignment Breakdown

*25%: Textbook Assignments. There are 15 chapters in the textbook. Each chapter has assignments consisting of an interactive quiz and an interactive primary source exercise. Some chapters also have a Journal entry response to primary source documents. Although self-paced, you will have assignments due every week (Wednesdays, with the exception of the first week) at 11:59pm. The Journal entries are graded on a complete/incomplete basis and must be completed by the end of the Learning Module. If scored as incomplete, they will be deleted and you may re-do the entry.    

*40%: Blackboard Exams. Four Blackboard exams comprise 40% of your course grade. Each exam covers the chapters within that unit and consists of 50 multiple-choice questions, which you have 75 minutes to complete. You can use your textbook/notes but the exam will automatically submit after your time is up. 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- 1pm Sunday-Thursday, 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 your textbook and are graded based on use of document(s) and coherent arguments. See the rubric for additional details. 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 assignments through SoftChalk, which can be accessed through the Learning Modules prior to the exam start date. These are designed to serve as a study aid for the exams. They do not have a due date, but you will receive a 0 if you do not complete them by the end of the semester. 

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. 

Scholastic dishonesty, punishable as prescribed by Board policies, shall include, but not be limited to plagiarism, collusion, and cheating on a test or written assignment.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as “using exact words from any outside source without using quotation marks or properly citing them; paraphrasing words from any outside source without citing them; or using research from any outside source without citing it.”

Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism is defined as turning in your own previous work to meet a current assignment. This policy will be amended at the discretion of each individual instructor.  

Collusion

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 Bard) to create a document is considered colluding. The use of Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor.

Cheating

“Cheating on a test” shall include:

• Copying from another student’s test paper.
• Using test materials not authorized by the person administering the test.
• Collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test without permission from the test administrator.
• Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, or soliciting, in whole or in part, the contents of a pending test.
• The unauthorized transporting or removal, in whole or in part, of the contents of the pending test.
• Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for one’s self, to take a test.
• Bribing another person to obtain a pending test or information about a pending test.

Statement of Consequences

If you plagiarize, cheat, or collude, you will face consequences. Ignorance of the policy is not an excuse. Any work produced in part or in whole through plagiarism, collusion, or cheating may receive a penalty up to and including a zero for the assignment. After assigning a zero, a subsequent infraction will result in a meeting the head of the Department and possible expulsion from the class. Another incident will result in a referral to the Vice President of Enrollment Management.

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. If you experience technical difficulties, I can reset the exam for you, but if the exam has already been released to your classmates, you will be required to take the optional final. For the ethics paper (common assessment), I will subtract one letter grade for each day the assignment is late.   

Textbook assignments can be submitted late with instructor approval, but you will only receive 50% credit and you may only do a late submission once during the semester.

Blackboard exams and discussion boards will automatically submit at the due date, so complete your assignments early if possible! 

Calendar

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 Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) will direct the students to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. 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.