COURSE OBJECTIVE: This course surveys the major developments in the history the Cold War.  It also includes examples of conflicting interpretations of the progress of that history and a program of historical research.

COURSE RATIONALE:  Students taking History 2341 can expect to improve their reading and writing competencies, critical thinking skills, research skills, etc. all of which help students better succeed in life outside academia.  This course also helps satisfy the 6 hour American history requirement mandated by the Texas legislature.

COMMON COURSE OBJECTIVES: Please consult http://www.austincc.edu/history.  For learning objectives specific to this section, please consult course learning objectives on Blackboard.

COURSE ORIENTATIONS: Each student must orient online by January 21, 2011, or you will be dropped from the course. WHEN ORIENTING, PLEASE INCLUDE THE WORD "ORIENTATION" IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF THE EMAIL TO AVOID HAVING THE COMPUTER TRASH YOUR ORIENTATION AS SPAM.

OFFICE HOURS:
             MW 8-9, 10:30-12 noon, Attaché 216
     
             TTh 8-10:30am  Attaché 216

OFFICE PHONE:  223-3399  or 223-3385

E-MAIL: mrebhorn@austincc.edu to be used for contacts and questions, but not papers

WEBSITE: www.austincc.edu/rebhist.   Be sure to choose the PCM format rather than the inclass one.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This section is a self-paced version of the classroom Cold War course, covering the diplomatic conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union after 1945.   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 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.  The student must contact the instructor, either in person, by email, or by telephone, twice during the semester: once after the completion of Test #3 and once after the completion of Test #5.   Anyone failing to make these contacts may not receive credit for the course.

For the grade of D: In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 multiple choice tests 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

For the grade of C: In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 multiple choice tests and make an overall course average of 70% (21 correct out of 30 questions).  There are no further requirements for the grade of "C."

For the grade of B: There are two different options available to earn the grade of "B:"

          Option One: In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 multiple choice tests and make an overall course average of 80% (24 out of 30 questions) AND complete one analytical book report as described on Blackboard. This means you can go below 24 on some tests, provided your average is 24 or better.

          Option Two: In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 multiple choice tests and make a 24 or better on each test.  There are no further requirements for the grade of "B" with this option. This means you may not go below 24 on any test.

For the grade of A:  There are two different options to earn the grade of "A."

         Option One: In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 multiple choice tests and make an overall course average of 80% (24 out of 30 questions) AND produce two analytical book reports as described on Blackboard. This means you can go below 24 on some tests, provided your average is 24 or better.

         Option Two: In addition to the two course contacts, the student must take all 5 multiple choice tests and receive 24 or better on each test, AND the produce one analytical book report as described on Blackboard. This means you may not go below 24 on any test.

Please note: papers must be submitted by US mail, ACC intercampus mail or in person, but not by fax or as an email attachment.

TEXTBOOK
The textbook is located on Blackboard. You will need your ACCeID and password to log in.

DEADLINES:  All tests must be taken in the ACC Testing Centers at the RGC, NRG, RVS, CYP, ROR, RRH, EVC, SMC, FBG or PIN campuses.   The student MAY take the tests as early as he/she is ready; however, the student MUST take the tests by the following deadlines:

 Test 1 January 27, 2011 Thursday
  Test 2 February 10, 2011 Thursday
  Test 3  March 3, 2011 Thursday
  Test 4  March 31 , 2011 Thursday
  Test 5  April 21, 2011 Thursday

You must take the test on the deadline day before the testing center closes. Be sure to check for operating hours of the testing center you plan to use.

You MUST turn in your analytical book report(s) by Monday, April 25, 2011. Reports must be submitted in person, by US mail to my attention at 1212 Rio Grande, Austin 78701, dropped off at my office, or sent by intercampus mail to me at RGC from the mail room at other campuses. The papers must be in my office by 5pm on the date in question, not in the mail. I do not accept email attachments.

All these deadlines will be strictly enforced!  There will be no extensions for these deadlines, and you will NOT receive credit for any work (either tests, retests, or book reports) submitted after the forgoing deadlines.

TESTING POLICY:  Each unit has a 30 multiple choice question test that focuses on the learning objectives found in the History 2341 PCM learning objectives  available on Blackboard.  You MUST score 21 correct answers out of 30 (70%) to pass the test.   (Remember that it is your overall course average which determines your grade.  In that sense, you may fail one of the tests and still pass the course if the average of your five grades is 21 or better.)

The first test is the map test.  The other four tests, over the online textbook and sidebars on Blackboard, are much more difficult.  DO NOT JUDGE THE DIFFICULTY OF THE COURSE BY THE FIRST (MAP) TEST!!!

If you do not pass the test the first time you take it, then you may retest once.   There are three restrictions on the retest:

 1. You can only retest ONCE on each test.

 2.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.

3. 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.  If you feel you may need to  retest, you should take the test for the first time AT LEAST two days before the deadline date.

Remember: You cannot go "down" on a retest.  If you score less than you did on the primary test, I will not count the lower score.  It is in your best interests to attempt a retest, since there is no penalty for getting a lower score.

After you test or retest, the Testing Center will give you a "feedback" form with your score.  KEEP THIS FORM!!!  If, as very occasionally happens, your test is delayed in the intercampus mail, the feedback form is your 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!!!!  Also, the Testing Center will need to see the yellow feedback form to be able to give you the right form of the test for your retest.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY  If you fail to meet the test deadlines, you ARE SUBJECT to being withdrawn from the course by the instructor.   This is at the discretion of the instructor.  If you determine during the course of the semester that you will not be able to successfully fulfill the requirements of this course, YOU MAY WITHDRAW YOURSELF!   The deadline for withdrawing is Monday, April 25, 2011.   No withdrawals or reinstatements may be made after this deadline.

COURSE COMPLETION VERIFICATION:  Each Student is REQUIRED to CONTACT the instructor, either in person, by email, 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 May 9, 2011, Monday.  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.

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.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students with disabilities registered with the Office of Student Affairs should meet with the instructor to determine what reasonable accommodations, if any, need to be made.  Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus they expect to take the majoirty of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester.

SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY:  Any form of scholastic dishonesty by the student will automatically earn the grade of F for this course.  This includes both cheating on tests as well as plagiarism on the book reports. A handout containing further information on plagiarism may be obtained in any Learning Resource Center.  College policy reads:

"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."

STUDENT PRIVACY: The federal government requires that student privacy be preserved.  Thus the posting of grades, even by the last four digits of the social security number, is forbidden. All communication will remain between the instructor and the student, and the instructor will not be able to share details of the student's performance with parents, spouses, etc.

ACADEMIC FREEDOM: The free and open exchange of ideas is vital to the pursuit of learning.

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 slightly different from the test you are prepared to take.   (A quick way to tell the difference is the self-paced tests all have 30 questions and my classroom tests have 25.)