OFFICE HOURS

MW 10:30 am — 12:00 noon

TH 9:00 am — 11:00 am

You can contact me via e-mail at:

dlauderb@austincc.edu 

or leave a message at:  223-3397

We can also meet by appointment. Just ask!

email: dlauderb@austincc.edu 

Office

Peach Street Offices (PSO) Room 2C
603 W. 13th Street
Above the UPS Store
NOTE:  My Office Is Inside
Go into the Building through the Door on the Bottom Right
Upstairs to the Second Floor Interior Hallway

email: dlauderb@austincc.edu 

This course surveys the major developments in the history of the United States and its people from 1492 to 1877.  It also includes examples of conflicting interpretations of the progress of that history and a program of historical research.

This section is a self-paced version of the standard United States History survey course.   The student will be required to do the same amount of work and the same quality of work as students enrolling in the classroom equivalent of the course.   This self-paced course is designed for mature and capable students endowed with a great degree of self discipline and responsibility.  If this description does not sound like you, then you should consider dropping this section.  YOU WILL NEED maturity, ability, and self discipline to successfully complete the requirements of any self-paced  course.

Course Objectives

The objectives for this course are detailed in the Study Guide.  For the Course Rationale, go to the History Department Webpage.

Required Reading

The text for this course is:

Robert A. Divine, et al., America Past and Present, vol. I, To 1877, 8th edition (New York: Harper/Collins, 2007).

Course Orientation

Each student MUST fill out the Online Orientation form to be enrolled in this class. You MUST complete the Online Orientation form and e-mail this form to me by the date listed in the Course Schedule.  If you do not email this form to me or contact me by the date listed in the Course Schedule WILL BE DROPPED from the course.

Student Contact

The student's final course grade is determined by the quality and quantity of the student's work.   The following requirements are non-negotiable:  For the grades of D, C, B, and A YOU MUST CONTACT ME, either in person or by telephone, TWICE during the semester:  once after the completion of Exam #3 and once after the completion of Exam #5.  Anyone failing to make these contacts may not receive credit for the course.  See the Course Schedule for those deadlines.

Grading Policy

NOTE:  you do not need to meet the requirement for each grade before you progress to the next.  For example, in order to receive an A, you do not need to meet the requirements of D, C and B; you need only meet the requirement for the A.

For the grade of D

In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 exams and make an overall course average of 60% (18 correct out of 30 questions). Failure to meet these requirements will result in the grade of F.  There are no further requirements.  But you should recognize that a D may not transfer to other colleges or universities as a history credit.  See the Course Schedule for the exam deadlines.

For the grade of C

In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 exams and make an overall course average of 70% (21 correct out of 30 questions).  There are no further requirements.  See the Course Schedule for the exam deadlines.

For the grade of B

Option One:  In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 exams, and make 24 or better ON EACH TEST.  See the Course Schedule for the exam deadlines.

If you do not score at least 24 on each of the 5 exams, then see Option Two.

Option Two:   In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 exams, make an overall course average of 80% (24 out of 30 questions)

AND

complete one B-Level objective:  analytical Book Review.  See the Course Schedule for the exam deadlines and the deadlines by which you must:

a.) submit your choice for the analytical book review;
b.) submit your completed Outline for the analytical book review; and
c.) turn in the completed book review.

For the grade of A

In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 exams, make an overall course average of 80% (24 out of 30 questions)

AND

complete the A-Level objective:  a second analytical Book Review.  See the Course Schedule for the exam deadlines and the deadline by which you must:

a.) submit your choice for the analytical book reviews;
b.) submit your completed Outlines for the analytical book reviews; and
c.) turn in the completed book reviews.

Remember, in addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 exams, and make an overall course average of 80% (24 out of 30 questions) to be eligible to complete one (1) Book Review for a B AND a second (2) Book Review for an A.

Testing Policy

Students must take all exams at any one of the ACC Testing Centers.  And you MUST have an ACC ID before you can take an exam at one of the ACC Testing Centers. You may take the exams as soon as you are ready and you may take an exam at any time during the semester up to and including the deadline date.  Students must take exams no later than the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.  For hours and locations see the ACC Testing Centers.

Each unit has a 30 question exam that focuses on the learning objectives found in the Study Guide.  You MUST score 21 correct answers out of 30 (70%) to pass each exam.  (Remember it is your overall course average which determines your final grade.  In that sense, you may fail one or more exams and still pass the course provided that your average of all 5 grades is 21 or better.) 

Re-testing

If you do not pass any or all of the five exams the first time you take the exam, then you may retest each exam once (and only once).  There are two restrictions on the retest:

• The highest grade possible on the retest is 21 (70%).  Only a grade of 21 will be recorded for scores higher than 21 out of 30 (70%) earned on the retest.  YOU CANNOT make a score higher than 70% on the retest.  Therefore, if you have passed the test the first time with a score of 21 out of 30 (70%) or greater, there is no point in retaking it.

• YOU MUST RETEST BEFORE THE DEADLINE date for the test. YOU MAY NOT RETEST AFTER the deadline date even if you took the test for the first time before the deadline date.   NOTE:  ACC Testing Center policy  prohibits anyone from retesting an exam on the same day they took it for the first time.  Therefore, if you feel you may need to retest, you should take the exam for the first time AT LEAST one day before the deadline date.

After you turn in your exam or retest, the Testing Center will give you a "feedback" form with your score.  KEEP THIS FORM!!!  If, as very occasionally happens, your exam is delayed in the intercampus mail, the feedback form is your ONLY proof that you completed the test at the appropriate time.  DO NOT THROW AWAY ANY FEEDBACK FORM UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR FINAL GRADE AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER!!!!

WARNING:  If you use the RGC Testing Center for this self-paced course, please be sure to mark the Testing Center Student Request Form for "self-paced."  Otherwise, you may receive my classroom test that is all essay.

You MUST complete the Online Orientation form and e-mail this form to me no later than 5:00 pm on the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.  If you do not email this form to me or contact me by the deadline listed in the Course Schedule you WILL BE DROPPED from the course.

YOU MUST take all exams in the ACC Testing Centers at the RGC, NRG, RVS, CYP, SAC, ROR, EVC, SMC, PIN, or FBG campuses.  You may take the exams as soon as you are ready.

YOU MUST take the exams by the DEADLINES listed in the Course Schedule. 

YOU MUST contact me after you take the THIRD and FIFTH exam no later than 5:00 pm on deadline listed in the Course Schedule.

YOU MUST submit the book choice for the B-Level Objective (the analytical Book Review), and submit the book choice for your A-Level Objective (the second analytical Book Review), for approval by the instructor no later than no later than 5:00 pm on the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.

YOU MUST submit the Outline for the B-Level Objective (the analytical Book Review), and submit the Outline for your A-Level Objective (the second analytical Book Review), for approval by the instructor no later than no later than 5:00 pm on the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.

YOU MUST turn in your B-Level Objective (the analytical Book Review) and your A-Level Objective (the second analytical Book Review) no later than 5:00 pm on the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.

Course Completion Verification

Each student is REQUIRED to contact the instructor, either in person, via e-mail, or by telephone, after they have completed test #3 and test #5.  The contact after test #5 will serve as a course completion verification and must be done no later than the deadline listed in the Course Schedule.  During this conference, we will verify your test scores, review any projects submitted for and A or B, and determine your course grade.  FAILURE TO COMPLETE THIS CONFERENCE REQUIREMENT MAY IMPERIL THE PROMPT REPORTING OF YOUR GRADE!!!   This is as much a requirement of the course as any other grading requirement.

Students with Disabilities

Each Austin Community College campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office of Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take a majority of their classes.  Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester.

Scholastic Dishonesty

WARNING:  Scholastic dishonesty will NOT be tolerated.  Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, included but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work.  Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework.  Any student guilty of scholastic dishonesty will automatically receive an F in the course and be remanded to the appropriate Austin Community College authorities for disciplinary action.  See the ACC Student Handbook for details on scholastic dishonesty.

Incompletes

Incompletes will be given ONLY with a medical excuse certified by a physician.  All incompletes MUST be completed within the first four weeks of the following session.  THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS POLICY.

Withdrawals

Student Withdrawals:

A grade of F on a transcript never looks good.  Further, bringing your grade point average back up after receiving an F takes a very long time.  To avoid that scenario, students who are in danger of earning less than a D will have the option to withdraw from the class.

Student withdrawals must be completed according to the guidelines of Austin Community College.  See the ACC Catalog procedures for withdrawing from a class and the Course Schedule for the deadline by which you must withdraw from a class.  Students may also withdraw from the course for non-academic reasons.  Once again, see the guidelines in the ACC Catalog for details.

Instructor Withdrawals:

The instructor will NOT withdraw students for failing to fulfill any of the course requirements, see above.  Instead, students will receive a grade based on their performance in the course.  Students who fail to fulfill any of the course requirements will receive a F.  Therefore, if a student registers for a course it is the student's responsibility to satisfy the course requirements.  See the ACC Catalog procedures for withdrawing from a class and the Course Schedule for the deadline by which you must withdraw from a class.

Office Hours

It is essential that students and the instructor make a concerted effort to maintain open lines of communication.  In other words, talk to me.  Problems generally are easier to solve BEFORE they happen.  You are encouraged to discuss any questions you may have regarding the course, the material, and your performance.  To that end, I have scheduled time to meet with students.  My office hours are listed above and on my home page.  If those times do not fit your schedule, please feel free to make an appointment.  You may also contact me via e-mail at:  dlauderb@austincc.edu.  I do have one request.  If you make an appointment, please make every effort to keep that appointment.

Last Words of Caution

If you use the RGC Testing Center for this self-paced course, please be sure to mark the Testing Center Student Request Form for "self-paced."  Otherwise, you may receive my classroom test that is all essay.

GO TO THE STUDY GUIDE