COURSE OBJECTIVE: This course surveys the major developments in the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union after 1945. It also includes examples of conflicting interpretations of the progress of that history and a program of historical research.
COURSE RATIONALE: The Texas legislature requires students to take 6 hours of American history to graduate from an institution of higher learning in Texas. This course helps fulfill that requirement. Students taking History 2341 Cold War 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.
COMMON COURSE OBJECTIVES: Please consult http://www.austincc.edu/history For learning objectives for this section, see course learning objectives under HIST 2341 inclass on Blackboard.
COURSE METHODOLOGY: This course uses the lecture method. Detailed outlines of each lecture are provided.
OFFICE HOURS: M-Th, 8-10:30 am, RGC Attaché 216
OFFICE PHONE: 223-3399 or 223-3385
EMAIL: mrebhorn@austincc.edu
WEB PAGE: http://www.austincc.edu/rebhist
TEXTBOOK: The textbook is available online at the Blackboard site for this course. You will be responsible for both the textbook materials in red and the sidebar materials in blue. Two copies of the complete material are on reserve at the RGC library.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: These are the rules by which this course will be governed. They may appear complicated and a bit frightening, but as you come to read them you will see, I hope, that they are designed to be fair and to keep you from getting a low grade in the course.
How do I earn a grade in the course?
This course will assess students' skills in three areas: one is substantive information that will be assessed through objective tests; the second is analytical skills that will be assessed through short essays; and the third is research skills that will be assessed through a book report. The grade you earn will depend on your performance in these three areas.
You will take four objective tests, one for each unit in the course. All objective tests contain 25 multiple choice questions and one essay. YOU MUST RECEIVE CREDIT ON EACH OF THE FIRST TWO TESTS (15 OUT OF 25 RIGHT ON THE TEST OR RETEST) OR YOU WILL BE WITHDRAWN FROM THE COURSE. You cannot "flunk" one of the first two tests and pass the rest. You must pass all the first two tests in the order in which they are given. You will have one week from the day the test is given in class to receive credit or you will be withdrawn.
For test numbers 3 and 4, you should still receive credit for each test (receive 15 out of 25 right on the test or retest). You will be given an opportunity to retest to make a maximum of 18 (see section on retesting). If you fail to receive credit on either of these last two tests, the highest grade you receive on the test or retest will be averaged in with your other grades to determine your grade for the course.
To earn a D:
1. You must maintain an average of 15, 16 or 17 on the objective
tests.
2. You must pass each of the first two tests (receive 15 or better)
on the test or retest within the allowed time or be withdrawn from the
course.
3. If you retest, the highest grade you can receive is an 18.
To earn a C:
1. You must maintain an average of 18 or 19 on the objective tests.
2. You must pass each of the first two tests with a 15 or better
on the test or retest within the allowed time or be withdrawn from the
course.
3. If you retest, the highest grade you can receive is an 18.
To earn a B:
1. You must maintain an average of 20 or better on the objective
tests.
2. You must receive credit for three of the essays within one
week of the time each test is given in class. For example,
if you choose to write the essay for test I, the essay must be accepted for credit within one week of the time Unit I test is given back
to the class. If you hand it in and need to rewrite, but do not complete
the rewriting within one week, or if the rewriting is not acceptable,
the essay will not be accepted.
3. You must pass each of the first two tests with a 15 or better
on the test or retest within the allowed time or be withdrawn from
the course.
4. If you retest, the highest grade you can receive is an 18.
To earn an A:
1.You must maintain an average of 22 or better on the objective
tests.
2. You must pass each of the first three tests with a 15 or better
on the test or retest within the allowed time or be withdrawn from the
course.
3. If you retest, the highest grade you can receive is an 18.
4. You must receive credit for 3 essays within one week of the
time each test is given back to the class. For example, when you
write the Unit I essay, the essay must be accepted for credit within one
week of the time the Unit I test is handed back in class. If you
hand it in and need to rewrite but do not complete the rewriting within
one week, or if the rewriting is not acceptable, the essay will not be
accepted.
5. You must have an analytical book report accepted as OK for
credit by the date mentioned in the course calendar.
BOOK REPORT: To earn an A in the course, you will need to submit an analytical book report by the date noted on your course calendar, and have it OK for credit by the date noted in the course calendar. You will need to choose a book from the list supplied to you, read it, and write a book report of 1500 words (6 pages double-spaced). It must be typed or word-processed and will follow the format of the book report handout which will be provided to you. Full information on the book report is available as well on my website and on Blackboard.
ATTENDANCE POLICY: A close relationship has been shown to exist between regular attendance and successful completion of the course. To facilitate your successful completion of the course, the following attendance policy will be in effect:
For a class which meets 2 times a week, you will be permitted 6 absences.
MORE THAN THIS NUMBER OF UNEXCUSED ABSENCES WILL RESULT IN YOUR BEING WITHDRAWN FROM THE COURSE.
If you exceed the allowed number of absences after the last date for withdrawal, your final grade for the course will be lowered according to the following formula: for every two absences beyond the allowed limit, your final grade for the course will be lowered by one full letter grade.
LATENESS: You are expected to be on time for class. I will take attendance during the first few minutes of class, make whatever announcements are appropriate, and quickly review material from the previous class meeting. At that point, I will shut the door. If you enter class after that point, you will be counted as absent for the day. After the appropriate number of absences, you will be withdrawn from the course.
DEADLINES: All tests must be taken in class on the dates specified in the calendar. See below.
TESTING POLICY: The day each test is given is clearly marked on the course calendar. YOU ARE EXPECTED TO TAKE THE TEST IN CLASS WITH YOUR CLASSMATES. Failure to do so may hurt your grade and ultimately have you withdrawn from the course. For each test there is ONE AND ONLY ONE RETEST. You must retest if:
1. You received 14 or less on one of the first two tests in class.
2. You missed the test in class.
You will have only one chance to retest. If you miss the test in class, take it in the testing center and receive 14 or less, you fail the test. If that was one of the first two tests, you will be withdrawn from the course. If you take the test in class, get a 14 or less, retest in the testing center and make 14 or less, you fail the test. If that was one of the first two tests, you will be withdrawn from the class. The retest is different from the test given in class although it covers the same material. The highest grade you can receive on any retest is 18, a minimal passing grade. If you get a 7 the first time, retest and make a 20, you will only get credit for 18.
If you have an excused absence from the test in class, you will have two opportunities to retest. I will excuse you from testing with the class for reasons like death in the family (with proof) or severe illness (with proof). I will not excuse you from testing with the class for reasons like having another test the same day, you forgot, or were unprepared. All excused absences for tests must be approved by me the day of the test. You will not be given an excused absence if you contact me later in the week. Without an excused absence you will be able to take the test, but you will be on retest mode, meaning the highest grade you can receive is an 18.
If you receive a 15, 16 or 17, you do not need to retest, but you are urged to retest to raise your grade to a 18, a minimal passing grade. If you retest and get a grade lower than that you received in class, I will only count the higher grade in determining your average. You cannot go down on a retest!
TESTING CENTER RULES : Please consult http://www.austin.austincc.edu/testctr
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 last date to withdraw in Fall 2014 is November 20, 2014..
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: Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities 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.
ACADEMIC FREEDOM: The free and open exchange of ideas is vital to the pursuit of learning.
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.
SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY: Any form of scholastic dishonesty by the student including cheating on tests as well as plagiarism on the book report, will result in the automatic grade of F for the course. College policy reads as follows:
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."
CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR: It is far preferable to speak to me before you have a problem than it is to pick up the pieces afterwards. To that end, I hold office hours at scheduled times and I check my email regularly. Feel free to contact me with any problems you may be having.
COURSE CALENDAR
date
activity
Aug 26 Unit I Setting the Stage, introduction
Aug 28 Unit I Setting the Stage, introduction, Soviet Perspective
Sept 2 Unit I Setting the Stage, Soviet Perspective
Sept 4 Unit I Setting the Stage, American Perspective
Sept 9 Unit I Setting the Stage, World War II and break-up of alliance
Sept 11 Unit I Setting the Stage, World War II and break-up of alliance, Declaration of Cold War
Sept 16 Unit I Setting the Stage, Declaration of Cold War
Sept 18 Test Unit I
Sept 23 Unit II Early Cold War, Reconceiving the Cold War
Sept 25 Unit II Early Cold War, Reconceiving the Cold War, Asia in the Early Cold War
Sept 30 Unit II Early Cold War, Asia in the Early Cold War
Oct 2 Unit II Early Cold War, Eisenhower and Khrushchev, Eastern Europe
Oct 7 Unit II Early Cold War, Eastern Europe, New Approaches
Oct 9 Unit II Early Cold War, New Approaches,
Oct 14 Test Unit II
Oct 16 Unit III Rise and Fall of Détente, Kennedy
Oct 21 Unit III Rise and Fall of Détente, Kennedy
Oct 23 Unit III Rise and Fall of Détente, Kennedy
Oct 28 Unit III Rise and Fall of Détente, Vietnam
Oct 30 Unit III Rise and Fall of Détente, Vietnam
Nov 4 Unit III Rise and Fall of Détente, Détente
Nov 6 Unit III Rise and Fall of Detente, Détente, Fall of détente
Nov 11 Test Unit III
Nov 13 Unit IV Struggle and Collapse, Carter BOOK REPORT DUE TODAY
Nov 18 Unit IV Struggle and Collapse, Reagan
Nov 20 Unit IV Struggle and Collapse, The Cold War Evaporates
Nov 25 Unit IV Struggle and Collapse, The Cold War Evaporates, Middle East ALL CORRECTIONS TO THE BOOK REPORT DUE BY THIS DATE
Nov 27 no class Thanksgiving
Dec 2 Unit IV Struggle and Collapse, Middle East
Dec 4 Unit IV Struggle and Collapse, End of the Cold War
Dec 9 Test Unit IV
ALL TESTS TO BE COUNTED FOR CREDIT MUST BE INTO THE RIO GRANDE TESTING CENTER OR MY OFFICE BY NOON, WEDNESDAY, November 10