TEXTBOOK: H.W. Brands, American Stories vol. II,
4th ed. This is an electronic textbook and the cost has already
been added to your tuition payment. I will send you an email
"invitation" that provides a link to give you access to this
online text. I think most students will prefer the online e-text,
but you can opt out of this fee and receive a refund, and then
purchase a loose leaf printed version of the text for $27. Opt-out
requests must be received prior to the official reporting date for
a full refund. For more information on opting in and opting out go
HERE.
You can also find more information at www.austincc.edu/firstday
Your text includes quizzes to check your knowledge of the material
that you have just read. While I encourage you to take these
quizzes they do not factor in to your grade.
COURSE ORIENTATIONS: Each student MUST COMPLETE the Online Orientation within the FIRST WEEK of class. If you do not, your position in the course and your STUDENT AID MAY BE IMPERILED.
COURSE RATIONALE AND DESCRIPTION: This course surveys the
major developments in the history of the United States and its
people from 1877 to the present and partially fulfills the
legislative requirement. It also includes examples of
conflicting interpretations of the progress of that history and a
program of historical research. this course offers students
opportunities to pursue historical topics of individual interest
and enhance their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.
You should be aware of the expectations
that the History Department has for all students. See the History Department
Webpage.
COURSE METHODOLOGY: This section is a self-paced version
of the standard United States History survey course. We will not
meet as a class, but students 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. On BLACKBOARD
I will post occasional notices and your grades once I
receive them. Consult the History Department
Webpage for more information.
COMMON COURSE OBJECTIVES: Can be found here.
TESTING POLICY: All exams are taken in ACC Testing
Centers. The policies can be found here. Each unit has a
30 question test that focuses on the Learning Objectives found in
the History 1302 STUDY
GUIDE. You may TAKE EXAMS AS SOON AS YOU ARE READY. You do
not have to wait until the deadline to take exams. I STRONGLY
ENCOURAGE NOT TO WAIT UNTIL THE DEADLINE to take exams. You
should take exams ASAP so that you do not miss a deadline for
illness or some other unforeseen issue and also to make sure you
are clear about your position in the course. Remember it is your
overall course average which determines your final grade. In
that sense, you may fail one test and still pass the course if the
average of all 5 grades is 21 or better. If you do not pass the
test the first time you take it, then you may retest, but you may
re-test only once per exam. The highest grade possible on
the retest is 70%. Therefore, if you have passed the test
the first time, there is no point in retaking it. YOU CANNOT
make a score higher than 70% on the retest.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 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, by
email, phone, or in person TWICE during the semester: once
after the completion of Test #3 and once after the completion of
Test #5. The purpose of these contacts is to make sure that
you understand your position in this course. If you leave a
message (phone or email) make sure to:
1.) INCLUDE YOUR
FULL NAME
2.) WHICH COURSE YOU ARE IN (History
1302-097 for example)
3.) indicate whether or not you are clear about your
position in the course and that you understand what you need
to do to make the grade that you are trying to achieve.
Anyone failing to make these contacts may not receive credit for
the course.I will respond to ALL EMAILS as quickly as I can. In
most cases, if you have not heard back from me in 24 hours you can
assume that I did not receive your email. You should then re-send
it.
For the grade of D:
In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 tests and make an overall course average of 60% (an average of 18 correct out of 30 questions on each test which is a a total of 90 points for the 5 exams). 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 as a history credit.
For the grade of C:
In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 tests and make an overall course average of 70% (an average of 21 correct out of 30 questions on each test which is a total of 105 points for the 5 exams). There are no further requirements.
For the grade of B:
Option One: In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 tests, and make an overall course average of 80% (24 out of 30 questions on each test which is a total of 120 points for the 5 exams) AND complete one B-level objective: the Analytical Book Review.
Option Two: In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 tests, and make 24 out of 30 questions or better ON EACH TEST.
For the grade of A:
In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all
5 tests, and make an overall course average of 80% (24 out of 30
questions on each test which is a total of 120 points for the 5
exams) AND produce one A-level Objective: Research
Paper.
Recognize that GRADES ARE NOT ROUNDED UP. You
must have a minimum of 105 points to earn a C in the class. You
must have a minimum of 120 points on the 5 exams to be eligible to
write either the A of the B papers.
DEADLINES: All tests must be taken in the ACC
Testing Centers. I encourage you to take the
exams BEFORE THE DEADLINE just in case something
unforeseen arises. You may take the tests as soon as you are
ready, however, to receive full credit YOU MUST take the
tests by the following DEADLINES:
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YOU MUST have the topic for your A-Level Objective (the term paper) approved by me on or before APRIL 8. Your topic must have WRITTEN APPROVAL from me before you may proceed with your paper. Any paper submitted to me on a topic that was not approved will not be graded.
YOU MUST turn in your B-Level Objective (the analytical book report) OR your A-Level Objective (the research paper) by MAY 13. Papers submitted after this deadline will not be accepted.
All these DEADLINES WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED! If
an exam is taken after the deadline FOR ANY REASON
the highest grade you can earn is a 21/30 (70%). Recognize that
this is not a question of excused or not-excused. For this reason
I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU TAKE EXAMS BEFORE THE DEADLINES.
All exams must be taken by May 4.
Any exam taken after that date WILL NOT BE COUNTED.
Recognize that Testing Centers get very busy at the end of the
semester and there may be long waits to take exams. That will not
be an excuse for missing the deadlines.
WITHDRAWAL POLICY: If you determine during the
course of the semester that you will not be able to successfully
fulfill the requirements for this course, YOU SHOULD WITHDRAW
FROM THE COURSE! The deadline for withdrawing is
APRIL 23.
No withdrawals will be made after this deadline. The instructor WILL NOT retroactively
withdraw students from this course FOR ANY REASON.
COURSE COMPLETION VERIFICATION: The contact after test #5 will serve as a course completion verification and must be done no later than MAY 17. FAILURE TO COMPLETE THIS CONTACT REQUIREMENT MAY IMPERIL THE PROMPT REPORTING OF YOUR GRADE!!! This is as much a requirement of the course as any other grading requirement.
INCOMPLETES: The grade of I (Incomplete) will only be awarded for medical reasons verified by a satisfactory letter from a physician. All Incompletes must be completed within four weeks in the following semester. There are no exceptions to this policy.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Academic dishonesty WILL NOT BE TOLERATED! The college policy states: "Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty. including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression. 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 found guilty of academic dishonesty (cheating or plagiarism) will automatically be assigned a failing grade for the course. No notes of any kind may be used when taking exams in ACC Testing Centers. See the Student Handbook for details on scholastic dishonesty. Recognize that students can not withdraw from the course when under investigation for scholastic dishonesty.
STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: Each ACC campus offers
support services for students with documented physical or
psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must
request reasonable accommodations through the Student
Accessibility Services Office on the campus where they
expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are
encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the
semester.
STUDENT PRIVACY: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act (FERPA) requires that student privacy be preserved. Grades can
not be given over the phone, through a fellow student, spouses,
parents or by email.
USE OF ACC EMAIL: ACC sends all email communication solely
to the student's ACCmail account and expects students to read the
messages in a timely manner. So that means all important
information and emergency details will go only to your ACCmail .
Students should expect to receive from, and send email to, their
instructors from their ACCmail account. To set up an account,
students can go to ACCmail
for instructions.
SAFETY STATEMENT: ACC is committed to providing a safe
and healthy environment for study and work. Students are expected
to learn and to comply with ACC environmental, health, and safety
procedures and to follow ACC safety policies. See the Environmental Health and
Safety link for more details. The College also asks that
each student become familiar with the Emergency Procedures and
Campus Safety Plan map in each classroom. See ACC Emergency Alerts
to sign up for electronic notices in the event of a serious
emergency.
BUILDING REGULATIONS: ACC regulations prohibit smoking,
drinking, and eating in classrooms. This prohibition includes
E-cigarettes.
LEGAL NOTICE: All course materials, including the
syllabus, study questions and exam questions are copyrighted
material. Copying or posting all or part of these materials online
to Facebook, Quizlet, or any other site is a violation of
copyright and is expressly forbidden.
HISTORY TUTORING: ACC History Department faculty are available for additional tutoring assistance at different Learning Labs at different times. See the schedule.
CAMPUS CARRY:
The Austin
Community College District concealed handgun policy ensures
compliance with Section 411.2031 of the Texas Government Code
(also known as the Campus Carry Law),
while maintaining ACC’s commitment to provide a safe environment
for its students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: Learning is a skill. The more you practice, the easier and more enjoyable learning becomes. Learn all you can. Ask questions. Challenge yourself. Stay informed. While we will not meet as a class I do want to remind you that in our discussions and conferences there are bound to be differing viewpoints. These differences enhance the learning experience and create an atmosphere where students and instructors alike will be encouraged to think and learn. On sensitive and volatile topics students may sometimes disagree not only with each other, but also with the instructor. It is to be expected that faculty and students will respect the views of each other when expressed in classroom discussions. We will, therefore, vigorously defend the principles of free speech so every student should feel comfortable in expressing his or her opinions.
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 "Distance Learning." Otherwise, you may receive my classroom test that is all essay.