HIST2111-SPRING2014-OL-Syllabus

ALTAMAHA TECHNICAL COLLEGE HISTORY 2111: U.S. HISTORY I

Course Syllabus -‐ Addendum -‐ Spring 2014

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Class Meets: Online Instructor: Michael Taylor, Adjunct Instructor of History Office Hours: By email Email: Email me through ANGEL Text: Alan Brinkley, Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People Volume 1, 7th edition. ISBN: 978-‐0-‐07-‐741229-‐6 Other course materials: I have posted REQUIRED course readings on ANGEL (see weekly course schedule). You can print these out or read them online, but you must read these documents as they are the basis for our discussion board, and they support the information on the exams. COURSE GOALS: The study of history involves a quest to discover who we are as a people. History, to borrow a phrase, is a story of US. An overarching framework that connects the various facets of American History, in this class, is the examination of how we govern ourselves. The imperial crisis leading to the American Revolution was based in a conflict over constitutional interpretations between people on both sides of the North Atlantic. As we examine these conflicts and others that recur throughout our history, we are able to see the evolving definition of who US encompasses. This class will be more than just me, as the instructor, imparting knowledge to you that may or may not appear on a graded assignment. We will try to connect events in our past with issues relevant to our lives in the 21st century. History is best experienced as a series of stories, stories of real people, and as such we will read their words, try to see the world through their eyes, and construct our own stories through writing and discussing our shared history as Americans. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is a survey of U. S. History from the pre-‐Colombian period to 1877. The course focuses on the periods from the Age of Discovery through the Civil War to include geographical, intellectual, political, economic and cultural development of the American people. Topics include: colonization and expansion, the Revolutionary Era, the New Nation, nationalism, sectionalism, and reform, the Era of Expansion and crisis, and the Civil War. UNIT OUTLINE: I. From Colonialism to Independence II. The Early Republic III. Nationalism and Sectionalism IV. Mexican-‐American War, American Civil War and Reconstruction



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Course Mechanics: Since this is an online course, we must try to recreate the rich, intellectually stimulating environment of a classroom. Therefore, the activities of this course will be a mixture of readings, online discussions, and guided research. Participation in the online discussions is vital to your success in the class and will count as 100 points of your final grade.

Assignments and Grading: Grading Scale: Breakdown of Points: Range: Letter: Point Total: Area: Points: 90-‐100 A 900 to 1000 Quizzes (5 of 9) 200 80-‐89 B 800 to 899 Discussion Assignments 100 70-‐79 C 700 to 799 Writing Assignment 200 60-‐69 D 600 to 699 Exams (2 of 3) 300 Below 60 F Below 599 Final Exam 200 Total: 1000 Quizzes: There will be 9 quizzes during the semester. 5 quizzes will count towards your grade and the lowest quizzes will be dropped. Each quiz will be worth 40 points, for a total of 200 points. Online Discussion Board Assignments: We will use our discussion board to discuss the primary documents and videos in their historical contexts. Please read the chapters in your textbook first, then the documents (or sometimes watch videos that are in the PowerPoints). The textbook material will give you the historical context for the documents and videos. The more you read and interact in our virtual classroom, the more you will get out of the class, the more interesting the class will be, and the easier the exams will be. Your participation in online discussions will be graded based on your active involvement in these course discussions. This assignment is worth 100 points. • Each student must log on to the discussion board each assigned week and participate in the

online discussions that I will set up for you. • My expectations are that you post a response to the initial question or topics I present on the

discussion board AND that you then respond to each other’s posts. • Your posts and responses must be on time and must directly respond to the questions and

topics for that week in order for you to receive full credit. • For each week, I will indicate how many times you must post and how many responses to

other posts you are responsible for. Of course, you may always go beyond that number.



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Online Etiquette: One of the virtues of an online class discussion is that no one is too shy to talk!!! I will ask you, though, to please be respectful and civil to each other and to use appropriate language (no cursing, degrading, or insulting individuals or the whole class or the teacher!!). The discussions should stay on topic and be historical in content. I will read and join in the discussions, when appropriate, so please discuss in a language and tone that you would use if you were in the classroom. If I feel that you have exceeded the boundaries of proper discussion board etiquette, I will delete your post and contact you individually by ANGEL email with an explanation. Any subsequent offenses will result in your being banned from the discussion board, which would impact your grade negatively. Writing Assignment: You will find this information under the LESSONS tab on ANGEL in the folder labeled WRITING ASSIGNMENT. Please read ALL MATERIAL in the folder. The rough draft for the writing assignment will be DUE on March 21 by 11:45pm. This is worth 50 points. The final writing assignment is worth 150 points and is DUE on April 25 by 11:45pm. Exams: There will be four exams, 3 exams worth 150 points each will be during the semester. The three exams will be timed, comprised of multiple choice questions and fill-‐in-‐the-‐blank questions covering only the textbook chapters indicated on the course schedule. The tests will be available for several days, but once you begin the test, you will have only 120 minutes to complete it. You cannot logout and go back to the test. Once you begin, the 120 minutes also begins. Study guides for each exam can be found in the LESSONS folder the week of the exam. Of these three exams, only the top 2 exams will count towards your grade. The final exam will be worth 200 points and will not be cumulative. It will be structured just like the previous 3 exams and will also be taken on ANGEL. Grading Policy: Students must wait 24 hours from the return of a graded assignment to contact the instructor about the grade. If no contact is made regarding a grade within 7 days from the return of the graded assignment, the grade becomes final.



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Late Policy: You will have 3 days to complete each test, but there are no make up exams allowed. The discussion board must also be completed in a timely manner according to the instructions each week. Once a discussion board is closed for the week, you will not be able to go back and participate and will thus lose the points for that week. The discussion board is an opportunity to get an easy part of your grade, so please be diligent about this part of the course. The essays are due at the times stated in the week-‐by-‐week assignment syllabus. Ten points will be taken off the final essay grade every day after the due date. Syllabus - Addendum Revisions The syllabus - addendum may be revised from time to time. In the event of a change to the syllabus -‐ addendum, a student may learn about the change in one of two ways: an announcement will be posted at the top of the class ANGEL page and an email will be sent to all students' ATC email accounts. Important Points and Dates:

∗ Emails and Announcements: Please check your ANGEL email and announcements regularly, every day if you can. I will communicate with you often by email and on the course announcements to notify you of any changes or new postings or reminders.

∗ Last day to withdraw and receive a grade of W: February 27. ∗ Midpoint of Term: February 27. ∗ Final Exam: April 30.



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COURSE WEEKLY SCHEDULE Week One (January 12 -‐ 18)

• Introduction posting on Discussion Board • Obtain Textbook • Look over materials for the class on ANGEL

Week Two (January 19 -‐ January 25)

• Read Chapter 1: The Collision of Cultures • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 1 and watch relevant videos. • Read Chapter 2: Transplantations and Borderlands • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 2 and watch relevant videos. • Take the PRACTICE QUIZ for Chapters 1 & 2 on ANGEL. The PRACTICE QUIZ will be

available from 12pm on Tuesday, January 21 until Friday, January 24 at 11:45pm. • No Discussion Board for this week. • Look over materials on ANGEL for the WRITING ASSIGNMENTS.

Week Three (January 26 -‐ February 1)

• Read Chapter 3: Society and Culture in Provincial America • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 3 and watch relevant videos. • Read Chapter 4: The Empire in Transition • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 4 and watch relevant videos. • Participate in the Discussion Board for Week Three. • Take Quiz #1 (Chapters 3 & 4). Quiz will be available from Tuesday, January 28 at 12pm

until Friday, January 31 at 11:45pm. Week Four (February 2 -‐ February 8)

• Read Chapter 5: The American Revolution • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 5 and watch relevant videos. • Participate in the Discussion Board for Week Four. • Take Quiz #2 (Chapter 5). Quiz will be available from Tuesday, February 4 at 12pm until

Friday, February 7 at 12pm. • Prepare for Exam #1: Chapters 1-‐5. • Exam #1 will be available from Friday, February 7 at 12pm until Monday, February 9 at

11:45pm. Please refer to the Exam #1 Study Guide that is on ANGEL. There is also a review quiz for you to take advantage of, it consists of all questions from previous quizzes and has examples of the short-‐answer questions on the exam. You will have 2 hours to take the exam.



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Week Five (February 9 -‐ February 15) • Read Chapter 6: The Constitution and the New Republic • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 6 and watch relevant videos. • Participate in the Discussion Board for Week Five.

Week Six (February 16 -‐ February 22)

• Read Chapter 7: The Jeffersonian Era • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 7 and watch relevant videos. • Participate in the Discussion Board for Week Six. • Take Quiz #3 (Chapters 6 & 7). Quiz will be available from Tuesday, February 18 at

12pm until Friday, February 21 at 11:45pm. Week Seven (February 23 -‐ March 1)

• Read Chapter 8: Varieties of American Nationalism • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 8 and watch relevant videos. • Read Chapter 9: Jacksonian America • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 9 and watch relevant videos. • No Discussion Board for this week. • Take Quiz #4 (Chapters 8 & 9). Quiz will be available from Tuesday, February 25 at

12pm until Friday, February 28 at 11:45pm. • Prepare for Exam #2: Chapters 6-‐9. • Exam #2 will be available from Friday, February 28 at 12pm until Monday, March 3 at

11:45pm. Please refer to the Exam #2 Study Guide that is on ANGEL. You will have 2 hours to take the exam.

Week Eight (March 2 -‐ March 8)

• Read Chapter 10: America's Economic Revolution • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 10 and watch relevant videos. • Take Quiz #5 (Chapter 10). Quiz will be available from Tuesday, March 4 at 12pm until

Friday, March 7 at 12pm. • Participate in the Discussion Board for Week Eight.

Week Nine (March 9 -‐ March 15)

• Read Chapter 11: Cotton, Slavery, and the Old South • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 11 and watch relevant videos. • Participate in the Discussion Board for Week Nine. • Take Quiz #6 (Chapters 11). Quiz will be available from Tuesday, March 11 at 12pm

until Friday, March 14 at 11:45pm.



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Week Ten (March 16 -‐ March 22) • Read Chapter 12: Antebellum Culture and Reform • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 12 and watch relevant videos. • Participate in the Discussion Board for Week Ten. • Take Quiz #7 (Chapter 12). Quiz will be available from Tuesday, March 18 at 12pm until

Friday, March 21 at 11:45pm. • Writing Assignment Rough Draft Due by 11:45pm on Friday, March 21.

Week Eleven (March 23 -‐ March 29)

• Read Chapter 13: The Impending Crisis • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 13 and watch relevant videos. • Participate in the Discussion Board for Week Eleven. • Take Quiz #8 (Chapter 13). Quiz will be available from Tuesday, March 25 at 12pm until

Friday, March 28 at 11:45pm. • Prepare for Exam #3: Chapters 10-‐13. • Exam #3 will be available from Friday, March 28 at 12pm until Monday, March 31 at

11:45pm. Please refer to the Exam #3 Study Guide that is on ANGEL. You will have 2 hours to take the exam.

Week Twelve (March 30 -‐ April 5)

• SPRING BREAK Week Thirteen (April 6 -‐ April 12)

• Read Chapter 14: The Civil War • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 14 and watch relevant videos. • Participate in the Discussion Board for Week Thirteen. • Take Quiz #9 (Chapter 14). Quiz will be available from Tuesday, April 16 at 12pm until

Friday, April 19 at 11:45pm. Week Fourteen (April 13 -‐ April 19)

• Reading Chapter 15: Reconstruction and the New South • Go through the PowerPoint for Chapter 15 and watch relevant videos. • Participate in the Discussion Board for Week Fourteen.



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Week Fifteen (April 20 -‐ April 26) • Writing Assignment Due by 11:45pm on April 25. • Prepare for Final Exam: Chapters 14 & 15.

Week Sixteen (April 27 -‐ April 30)

• Take the FINAL EXAM (Chapters 14 & 15) on April 30. Exam available on ANGEL from 8am to 11:45pm.

Documents

HIST2111-SPRING2014-OL-Syllabus