Welcome to HIST 1302 ONL – History 2 Independent Study Using Computer Section/Synonym 03097-003 Orientation & Course Syllabus –
Summer 2016 8-week Session Begins June 15th ** Dr. T. Thomas, Professor Austin Community College All Materials Copyright, Dr. T. Thomas, 2016 |
** Even though this course officially
begins June 17th, you MAY start early – you may begin taking
exams as early as June 1st
Ø This is an INDEPENDENT
STUDY COURSE and is designed for students who can work independently, from home
or other location, accessing course materials from my instructional website.
Ø This is independent study
BUT if you need assistance in person, you must be able to meet with me
at PIN Campus during WEEKDAY business hours.
Ø This course does NOT USE
BLACKBOARD. Course materials are
accessed via my instructional website.
Ø This course will acquaint
students with the basic processes of United States History, from 1877 to the
present, using a textbook and study guide, with
opportunities for historical research.
Ø The course fulfills the
Texas legislative requirement for one semester of U.S. history.
Instructions: This is the orientation
for my HIST 1302 online course. Read
through this entire orientation. It takes about 20 minutes. At the end is a
Student Information Form that you are REQUIRED to fill out and email to Dr.
Thomas by June 17th.
If you fail to send me this form, your
Financial Aid may be in jeopardy, as the federal government now requires proof
of “attendance”.
Link
to ACC’s Student
Success Resources for Distance-Learning Students
BLACKBOARD |
This
course does not use Blackboard.
COURSE HIGHLIGHTS |
v independent-study - you work on your
own. HOWEVER, if you need in-person
assistance I am available but you MUST be able to meet in my office, at
Pinnacle (PIN) Campus during weekday business hours.
v there are no classes to attend
– you work on your own and seek assistance when needed.
v 5 exams, each exam 30
questions, multiple choice (no essay exams).
v exam deadlines about every 10
days.
v exams must be taken in one of
the ACC Testing Centers
v study
questions for
each exam (available to download from this website)
v one textbook (James Roark et al, The
American Promise, Volume 2, Sixth edition–
see “Textbook” section below for ISBN numbers)
v research paper required for an
"A" – due MONDAY, August 8th at noon (TOPIC approval deadline is
August 1st)
v book analysis required for some
students for a "B" (see “Grades” section below for details) – due
MONDAY, August 8th at noon.
v communicate with Dr. Thomas via
email, by phone, or in person (at PIN Campus)
§ You can register for this course online. § To check on the availability of this course, see the Course Schedule. § If you are already registered for this course, please continue with this ORIENTATION |
TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE ORIENTATION, YOU MUST: |
v
first, make SURE you are registered for this course
(see top of page for section number).
v
read
this orientation/syllabus
v
fill out and return the Student Information Form
(located on the last page of the syllabus).
v
Return
the Student Information Form by email to Dr. Thomas at tmthomas@austincc.edu by June 17th. If you don’t submit the form,
your financial aid may be in jeopardy (due to federal reporting
regulations).
v
download the study questions.
You will need them to pass this course
v
contact Dr. Thomas with any questions you might have.
YOUR PROFESSOR |
NOTE: After you have taken an exam, you are
ALWAYS welcome to come in and look over your exam to see what you got wrong and
to see the correct answers. In fact, I recommend you do this BEFORE you take
the retest. Contact me to set up an appointment.
Mailing
Address: Dr.
T. Thomas ACC
– History 7748
Hwy 290 West Austin,
TX 78736 Office
Hours: By
appointment - for appointment, email: tmthomas@austincc.edu My
office is at Pinnacle Campus (PIN)
Room 815. (Driving instructions at
bottom of my homepage: www.austincc.edu/tmthomas) |
Email: (the fastest way to communicate with me) Phone
& voicemail: (512) 223-8164 Urgent
message: call ACC History
Department at 512-223-3385 FAX: (512) 223-8900 (make
sure my name is on cover page as the recipient) Website: www.austincc.edu/tmthomas |
A NOTE
ABOUT EMAIL |
Any
“official” ACC notification will be sent to you using your ACC email ID - so, DO
check your ACC email on a regular basis.
I
reply to ALL emails, usually within 24 hours.
Ø If you send me an email,
please type something in the "Subject" space, such as "History
course". If you leave the Subject blank, your email will automatically be deleted
as spam ("junk" email).
Ø In your email message,
please give your first AND last name - as I cannot always tell by your email
address what your NAME is.
Ø If you do NOT get a reply,
please assume I never got your email and - either email me again - or CALL me.
You can leave a voice message at (512) 223-8164.
For URGENT messages, call
the ACC History Department at (512) 223-3385.
The FASTEST way to contact
me is via email: tmthomas@austincc.edu
THIS COURSE |
This section is
an independent study version of the U.S. History survey course offered in the
classroom. You will be required to do the same amount of work and the same
quality of work as students in the classroom equivalent of this course. This
self-paced course is designed for mature and capable students with
self-discipline, the ability to work independently, and self-motivation.
v
This is a very challenging and time-consuming,
“independent-study” course. v
Your success in this course does require TIME, maturity,
ability, self-discipline & time management skills. v
It MAY also
require that you are able to travel to the PIN campus during normal business
hours to meet with Dr. Thomas IF YOU NEED assistance in this course. So you should have access to
transportation. v
If you have ANY problems with the course and would like help
with additional study tips and methods, please contact Dr. Thomas as soon
as possible. Don't wait until the semester is almost over. |
PREREQUISITES |
You must be able
to read, comprehend, and write in English at the college level. This is a very
reading-intensive course. If you can’t
read well, you won’t do well in this course.
In order to enroll in this course, you MUST be in
compliance with the reading and writing portion of your TSI (Texas State
Initiatives)-approved standardized test – unless you are exempt from the
TSI testing.
Ø If you are TSI-compliant in
reading and writing OR if you are TSI-exempt, you can take this class.
Ø Check with an ACC Counselor if
you are unsure of your TSI status.
OTHER
PREREQUISITES: In order to achieve success in this course, you must:
v
have
a desire to learn
v
have
a desire to achieve
v
be
willing to accept personal responsibility for your success in this course
v
make
a commitment to fulfilling the requirements of the course
v
read
and understand English at the college-level
v
have a college-level reading comprehension and
vocabulary. If you cannot yet read at this level, it’s not likely that you’ll
pass this course; and so I recommend you first take developmental reading courses to improve your
reading skills, THEN come back and take this course
v
have
an understanding of basic geography concepts (e.g., hemispheres, longitude,
latitude, & difference between continents, countries, & cities)
v
have
a basic knowledge of world geography
v
have
a knowledge of basic political science concepts (e.g., legislative, executive,
judicial, monarchy, imperialism, impeachment, nationalism, suffrage, veto)
Please note that
you can take History 1 and History 2 in ANY order. You can take both
history courses at the same time, BUT it is a LOT of work – so don’t attempt to
do this unless you have 8 hours a day to devote to reading and studying.
TEXTBOOK |
REQUIRED: James Roark et al, The
American Promise, Volume 2, Sixth edition.
Ø It is your responsibility
to locate and purchase a copy of the textbook.
Ø If you cannot afford to
purchase the textbook right away, there is an older version on reserve in
some ACC Libraries
- for use in the Library. You can use it
until you’re able to acquire
the current edition of the textbook.
Ø Ø I recommend you rent or
purchase the textbook BEFORE the course begins so that you will have it on the first day of the semester.
Ø Ø There are TWO VERSIONS of the
textbook. You may choose EITHER one.
Ø Ø WHEN ORDERING ONLINE, USE THE ISBN NUMBER (below) to make sure you have the right textbook.
VERSION |
WHERE TO
PURCHASE |
ISBN-10: 1-4576-6839-4;
ISBN-13: 978-1-4576-6839-5 Full
color paperback for about $160 new (used versions for less $ are also
available) |
Full
color paperback. Available at ACC bookstores and other Austin and online
booksellers. Also
available directly from the publisher at: http://www.macmillanhighered.com/Catalog/Product.aspx?isbn=1457668394 You
might be able to locate a USED copy for less money, at ACC Bookstores and
elsewhere. |
ISBN-10: 1-319-00817-8;
ISBN-13: 978-1-319-00817-8 Electronic
book (E-book) – same as the paper copy of the textbook, but accessible ONLY
online for about $38. |
Interactive
ELECTRONIC book, available ONLINE from the publisher at: http://www.macmillanlearning.com/Catalog/Product.aspx?isbn=1319008178 About
$38 for a 6-month subscription (access from date of purchase). |
OPTIONAL: John Trimble, Writing
with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing. ISBN # 013025713. This
small, inexpensive book is especially helpful for those who plan to write a
research paper. You are not required to purchase this reference book.
ORIENTATION AND REQUIRED CONTACTS |
v You are required to complete this online orientation and
to email me your Student Information Form (at the end) by June 17th.
v You are required to
contact me after you have completed your third and your fifth
exams, for the purposes of verifying your exam grades. You may contact me by
email, by phone or in person.
When you send the email or leave the phone message, please include the following information: § Your name, § which class you are in, and § the grades you have received so far. |
WITHDRAWAL
FROM THE COURSE – Deadline is August 4th |
If
you find that you are unable to meet course requirements, you should consider
withdrawing from the course to avoid any possibility of being assigned a
failing grade.
Ø BEFORE you consider
withdrawing, see a counselor or read the state law (“Six-withdrawal Limit”) on
withdrawals from Texas public colleges/universities, located in the ACC Student
“Need to Know”
section, online at: http://www.austincc.edu/current/needtoknow/
Ø Withdrawal is accomplished
by completing a withdrawal form online at the “Online Services” web page (http://www.austincc.edu/onlineservices/)
Ø It is your responsibility to complete the
withdrawal process.
Ø The deadline for
withdrawing is August 4th.
You can withdraw ON August 4th.
IMPORTANT: I don’t withdraw students
from my courses - Withdrawing from the course is YOUR responsibility and it
MUST be done by the withdrawal deadline, August 4th. If
you enroll in the course and fail to take the exams or fail to otherwise
complete the course, you will receive the grade of F for the course. |
STUDENTS
WITH DISABILITIES |
For
students with disabilities, ACC is committed to providing an equal opportunity
to access benefits, rights, and privileges of college services, programs, and activities
in compliance with state and federal law.
Ø Students with disabilities
who need accommodations must request reasonable accommodations through ACC's Student
Accessibility Services (SAS) offices are located on each of the ACC
campuses.
Ø Students are encouraged to
do this before the semester begins.
Ø Please let me know as soon
as possible how I can accommodate your special needs in this class.
Link
to all student
services at ACC
YOUR RIGHT TO
PRIVACY |
In
compliance with the Family
Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, I will not give
information concerning your grades, academic progress, attendance, address,
phone, or email address to anyone (including your parents) unless you give your
written permission. In addition, I will not give grade information over the
phone.
FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION |
The
free exchange of ideas is vital to learning. Your comments and ideas, if
expressed respectfully, will be met with respect from your professor. I welcome your comments on this course.
HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS TAKING THIS COURSE |
This
is a college course and all students enrolled in this course will be treated as
college students. If you are taking this course, you are considered a college student.
Ø Regardless of your age or high school status, you
are enrolled in a college course and your privacy is protected by the Family
Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974,
Ø Unless there is an emergency, I
will not communicate with your parents or guardians. It is a violation of federal law for me to
communicate with anyone other than you.
Ø If there are any problems or
issues, you need to speak with me or correspond with me yourself.
Ø All sections of this syllabus
and orientation pertain equally to all students in this course, regardless of
age or educational status.
ACADEMIC
INTEGRITY |
WARNING: Any type of academic dishonesty will not be
tolerated. Any act of plagiarism and/or other type of academic dishonesty will
result in you receiving the grade of "F" for the course.
If
you violate Testing Center policies, you WILL FAIL this COURSE. This includes
bringing a cellphone or other computer device into the Testing area.
Academic
dishonesty – cheating - is defined as fraud, deceit, or
dishonesty in an academic assignment. It includes:
v
Copying or attempting to copy from others during an
examination;
v
Copying or attempting to copy from others an assignment;
v
Communicating examination information to, or
receiving such information from, another person;
v
Violating
v
Using, attempting to use, or assisting others in
using materials that are prohibited during examination in question, such as:
books, Web sites, prepared answers, written notes, or concealed information;
v
Allowing others to do one's assignment or a portion
of one's assignment;
v
Using a commercial term paper service or otherwise
acquiring a term paper and submitting it as your own;
v
Purchasing or otherwise acquiring written work that
is not your own
Plagiarism
is defined as using another's work (whether printed, electronic, or spoken)
without crediting him or her. All of the following are considered plagiarism:
v turning in someone else's work as your own;
v copying words or ideas from someone else without
giving credit;
v failing to put a quotation in quotation marks;
v giving incorrect information about the source of a
quotation;
v changing words but copying the sentence structure
of a source without giving credit;
v copying so many words or ideas from a source that
it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not;
v copying from a website without giving credit
“Giving credit” means citing the source of your information. This is usually done using a footnote. If you use material from a website, book or
other source, you must give credit to that author by citing the source in a
footnote. See Dr. Thomas for assistance
with footnotes.
Any act of
plagiarism or other type of academic dishonesty will result in you receiving
the grade of "F" for the course.
(Above
definitions copied &/or adapted from http://www.laspositascollege.edu/facultystaff/honesty.php
and from http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html)
YOUR
GRADE AND HOW YOU EARN IT |
The
quality and quantity of the work done by YOU determines YOUR final grade.
Ø You decide which grade you
want to earn and then devote the time and effort necessary to attain that
grade.
Ø Every student must complete all
5 exams.
To calculate your exam average: add up the scores on your 5 exams. Then divide that total by 5 (which is the
number of exams you’ve taken).
Example:
Your
exam grades are 100, 90, 80, 70, and 87.
Add them up. The total is
425. Divide 425 by 5 (425 ÷ 5). The result is 85. Your overall exam average is 85.
You must take all 5 exams.
For
the grade of "A",
There
are TWO REQUIREMENTS for an A:
v you must have an
overall average on the five unit exams of 80% or above AND
v you must submit an acceptable
RESEARCH PAPER (see instructions
below) - deadline is THURSDAY, August 11th at NOON.
For
the grade of "B",
There
are TWO REQUIREMENTS for a B:
1. you must have an
overall average on the five unit exams of 80% or above AND
2. you must submit an acceptable
BOOK ANALYSIS (see instructions below) - deadline is THURSDAY, August
11th at NOON.
EXCEPTION
If you
score 80% or above on ALL FIVE EXAMS - then you do NOT have to do the
Book Analysis for a B. You will have an
automatic B.
For
the grade of "C", you will have an overall average on the five unit exams of
70% or above with no additional requirements.
For
the grade of "D", you will have an overall average on the five unit exams of
60% - 69.9%.
Ø
A
grade of D does NOT fulfill the state requirement for U.S. History, so if you
earn a D you will have to take the course again in order to graduate (from a
public college or university in Texas).
For
the grade of "F", you will have an overall average on the five unit exams less
than 60%.
Ø
A
grade of F does NOT fulfill the state requirement for U.S. History, so if you
earn a D you will have to take the course again in order to graduate (from a
public college or university in Texas).
For
the grade of "I" ("Incomplete"), the student
Ø
must have a medical excuse certified by a physician,
sent to Dr. Thomas no later than Monday, August 1st.
Ø
must have completed and
passed at least 3 exams before being eligible for an
"Incomplete".
Ø
IMPORTANT:
If an "incomplete" is not completed by October 1, 2016, the
"I" will automatically become an "F" on your transcript.
Ø
It
is YOUR responsibility to complete the course in time to avoid the
"F".
Ø
Contact
Dr. Thomas to arrange the Incomplete grade and to
arrange a deadline for completing the course.
WARNING: Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Any act of scholastic dishonesty will result
in you immediately receiving the grade of "F" for the course.
THE
EXAMS |
Ø ALL exams are available in ALL ACC Testing Centers beginning
June 1st.
Ø You may take ANY exam at
ANY ACC Testing Center.
Ø There are five exams, each
consisting of 30 multiple choice questions. There are no essay questions.
Ø Each correct question is
worth 3.33 points. So a score of “25”
correct equals 83.25%.
Ø Each exam must be taken
at one of the ACC Testing Centers and may not be taken at any other college
or university.
Ø
You may take an exam BEFORE the
deadline date.
Ø
You may take an exam ON the deadline
date
Ø You may take several
exams on one day.
Ø You must take tests by the
testing deadlines (See “When to Take Exams” section below).
Ø Every student must
complete all 5 exams by the exam deadlines.
Ø NOTE: If needed, for
exams 2 through 4, each student gets a one-time exam deadline extension, for any
reason - no need to get permission. Just take it when you can.
Ø
Any
additional exam deadline extensions are given only in extraordinary or
exceptional circumstances.
Ø
There are NO
EXAM DEADLINE EXTENSIONS FOR EXAM #1 (the Map Test) or EXAM #5.
Ø After you have taken an
exam, you are ALWAYS welcome to come in to my office and look over your exam to
see what you got wrong and to see the correct answers. In fact, I recommend you
do this BEFORE you take the retest. Contact me to set up an appointment.
Ø The exam questions are
taken from the HIST 1302 study questions available
to download from this website. The Study Guide is for your use, to help you
prepare for the exams - and is not to be turned in to Dr. Thomas.
Ø A passing grade (70%) on
an exam equals 21 correct out of 30 questions.
Ø You may take each exam
twice. If you fail it the first time, you may take it again - the second time
is called a "re-test". (See the “Re-test” section below)
See
the section below "When to Take Your Exams" for more
information about test deadlines.
See
the section below "Where to Take Your Exams" for more
information about the Testing Centers.
Link to Testing Centers
(locations, hours of operation)
RE-TESTS
- - Deadline for retests is August 6th. |
If
you score below 70% (less than 21 correct) the first time you take your exam,
you may retest.
Ø There is a restriction on the retest, however. The highest
grade possible on the re-test is 70% (a 21).
Ø This means that if you
score 22 or above on the retest, you will get credit for only 21 points
(a 70%) for that retest.
Ø The highest of your
grades (either the test or the retest) will be used to calculate your average.
To
re-test, go to any ACC Testing Center anytime ON or BEFORE August 6th and ask
for a re-test for the exam. The re-test is also 30 questions, multiple choice
and is taken from the Study Guide questions.
Ø You can retest anytime
during the semester, but all Retests must be completed by on or by August 6th.
Ø You cannot test AND retest
for the same exam ON THE SAME DAY. You must wait 24 hours to retest.
Ø You can retest ONLY ONCE
for each exam.
Here
are four Examples of how retesting works:
1. You score a 16 on Unit 2 Exam. You take a
retest and score 24. The grade that will be recorded for you for Unit 2 exam
will be 21 (since the highest grade possible on a retest is a 21).
2. You score 24 on the Unit 3 exam. You should NOT
take a retest! Why? Because the highest grade possible on a retest is a 21 -
and you already scored higher than that (a 24) on your exam. Do NOT
retest if you scored 21 or above the first time you took your exam.
3. You score 17 on your Unit 4 exam. You score 16
on your Unit 4 retest. The grade that will be recorded for you for Unit
4 is the 17 (the higher of the two grades).
4. You scored 11 on your Unit 2 exam. You scored
26 on the retest. The grade that will be recorded for you for Unit 2 is 21
(since 21 is the highest possible grade on a retest).
CALCULATING
YOUR EXAM AVERAGE |
All
five exams will be averaged at the end of the semester, to determine
your average Exam grade.
Ø To calculate your exam
average:
Add up your exam grades and divide that total by
5.
Ø To pass this course, you
need an exam AVERAGE of 21 or above.
Reminder: You must score 24 (80%)
or above on ALL FIVE EXAMS in order to get an "automatic" B for the
course. You must complete an acceptable research paper for an A.
WHERE
TO TAKE YOUR EXAMS |
Ø All tests and retests must
be taken at ACC Testing Centers.
Ø You can begin taking exams on JUNE 1st.
Ø Please read the Guide to Student Use of
Testing Centers for rules and regulations concerning the testing centers.
Ø In order to test, you will
need to bring an ACC ID to the Testing Center.
Ø You can get an ACC ID at
the Admissions and Records Office at any ACC campus (after you have registered
and paid for the course).
Ø Try to get your ACC ID
before the semester begins - to avoid long lines in the first week.
Ø If you ALREADY HAVE an ACC
ID - you don’t have to do anything!
When
you get to the Testing Center, you will show your ACC
Photo ID and the testing center staff member will give you the exam.
Ø There is no time limit on
the exam BUT you must get there in plenty of time before the testing center
closes. So plan accordingly.
Ø When you’re done with the
exam, the testing center staff member will grade it and give you a receipt with
your test grade. The testing center also
sends a copy of your grade to me.
Ø Keep track of your grades
- since I don’t post them on Blackboard.
Do
you have an ACC Student ID? You MUST have
one in order to use the ACC Testing Centers, Libraries, and other ACC
services. |
You must obtain your ACC Student ID cards at the Admissions
& Records Office on any ACC campus. They will not be sent to you in the
mail. The ACC photo Student ID card is permanent; it does not expire
at the end of each semester, so you only need to visit campus one time. You
can come to any campus Admissions & Records Office as early as one day
after registering for classes to obtain a Student ID card. A valid state or
federally issued photo ID, such as a Driver's License, must be presented. |
WHEN
TO TAKE YOUR EXAMS - EXAM DEADLINES |
This course is
very challenging and time-consuming. In
order to be successful, you MUST plan and manage your time wisely.
Ø
You can begin
taking exams as early as JUNE 1st.
Ø
Follow
the deadline schedule below.
Ø
Complete
each exam by the deadline.
Ø
NOTE:
If needed, each student gets a one-time exam deadline extension, for exams 2 through 4 - for
any reason - no need to get permission. Just take it when you can.
Ø
Additional
exam deadline extensions are given only in extraordinary or exceptional
circumstances.
Ø
There are NO
EXAM DEADLINE EXTENSIONS FOR EXAM #1 (the Map Test) or EXAM #5
It
is YOUR responsibility to check when the Testing Center is open.
Ø Some are open weekends,
some are not. Some are open nights, some are not. Some close early on Fridays.
Ø Please check ahead of time
and plan accordingly.
Ø Note that some testing centers are VERY crowded at the
end of the semester and you may NOT be able to get in on the day you show up.
Ø So, I recommend you either
show up to take the exam a day or two EARLY or try to take the exam at one
of the smaller, less-crowded testing centers.
Ø Remember, you CAN take
exams BEFORE the deadline date.
GET A CALENDAR AND MARK THESE DEADLINES:
Exam Number |
Text Chapters |
Deadline |
|
Exam 1 |
none (Map test) |
June 20th
(Monday) |
|
Exam 2 |
Chs. 17 - 20 ** |
June 29th (Wednesday) |
|
Exam 3 |
Chs. 21 - 24 |
July 9th (Saturday) |
|
Exam 4 |
Chs. 25 - 27 |
July 20th (Wednesday) |
|
Exam 5 |
Chs. 28 - 31 |
August 5th (Friday) |
|
RETEST deadline for ALL exams |
Chs. 17 - 31 |
August 6th (Saturday) |
|
** NOTE: Chapter 16 is in the textbook BUT it is not
covered in this course; it’s covered in HIST 1301.
After you have taken your
exam, the
Testing Center staff member will grade the exam for you and give you a receipt
with your grade written on it.
Ø The grade will be recorded
as the number CORRECT out of a possible 30 questions.
Ø The grade will look like
this: “22/30” which means, 22 correct
out of 30.
Ø Since each question is
worth 3.33 points, a 22 correct out of 30 means you scored a 73.26%.
Ø If you want to review the
questions that you got wrong, please contact Dr. Thomas.
Ø Testing Center staff
CANNOT allow you to review your exam, or even tell you which questions you
missed - so please do not ask them.
Ø Contact Dr. Thomas for
that information. You are always welcome
to review your exams. Email to request
an appointment.
STRATEGY
FOR TAKING EXAMS |
Ø The exam questions are
taken from the Study Guide, available to download
from Dr. Thomas’ website. So you will
need to download and use the Study Guide.
Ø The first exam is a Map
Test – what you need to
know for the Map Test is in the Study Guide, page 2.
Ø The remaining 4 exams are
from materials in the textbook. For each
chapter, there are study questions. These
are found in the Study Guide.
Ø You will take the Map Test
(test #1) within the first few days of the semester, then spend the rest of the
time studying for the other 4 exams.
Ø The Map Test is somewhat
easy; but the other four exams are much harder - so spend MOST of your time on
the LAST FOUR exams.
Ø The Map Test requirements are found on page 2 of the Study
Guide.
Ø Remember, you do NOT have
to “wait” until the deadline to take an exam – you CAN take it BEFORE the
deadline.
WRITING
ASSIGNMENTS (RESEARCH PAPER & BOOK ANALYSIS) INFORMATION |
Objectives:
The writing assignments are designed to:
Ø acquaint you with
historical scholarship addressing some aspect of U.S. history from 1877 to the
present;
Ø provide an opportunity for
you to acquire in-depth knowledge of a specific historical topic;
Ø provide you with tools to
develop analytical thinking abilities;
Ø enhance your ability to synthesize
large amounts of written material, in order to critically examine a historical
topic;
Ø develop your knowledge of
library resources (specifically: card catalog, computer search, reference
materials, reference personnel, style manuals);
Ø assess your ability to follow
directions and meet deadlines.
WARNING: Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated.
Any act of scholastic
dishonesty will result in you receiving the grade of "F" for the
course.
Ø READ
above section, “ACADEMIC INTEGRITY” for further definitions.
Ø Writing assignments must
be written by YOU. Purchasing or otherwise acquiring writing that is not your
own will result in you receiving the grade of "F" in this course.
Ø If you copy from a book or
other publication, use quotation marks to indicate the passage that you copied
and a footnote to cite the source of the text.
Ø If you copy from someone
else without acknowledging the source, you are plagiarizing.
Ø As with other types of scholastic
dishonesty, plagiarism will result in the student receiving the grade of
"F" for the course.
DUE
DATE
The
Writing Assignments (Research Papers and Book Analyses) are due on or before
NOON on MONDAY, AUGUST 8th and will not be accepted late.
Ø You may turn in your paper
early (by August 1st). If there are any problems with it, I will give/send it
back to you to correct.
Ø I will also be happy to
look over DRAFTS of your outline, thesis statement, bibliography, etc. and send
you comments and corrections at any time during the semester.
HOW
TO SUBMIT
Please submit your Writing Assignment
as a Microsoft Word for Windows email attachment (do
NOT send “Wordperfect”, rtf, pdf or any other format).
Ø I will send you a reply,
acknowledging that I have received your paper.
Ø After I've read your
paper, I WILL email you to let you know if the paper was or was not accepted.
RESEARCH
PAPER INSTRUCTIONS |
Do this paper ONLY if:
Ø you hope to earn an
"A" for the course AND
Ø you have an overall
exam average of 80% or above
ASSIGNMENT:
Prepare
a 7 to 10 page, type-written research paper on an approved topic, following
the guidelines below.
Ø See the special “RESEARCH INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE”
section on my homepage for additional HELP with this assignment.
TOPIC:
You
MUST get Dr. Thomas' approval on a research topic BEFORE you begin, but NO
LATER THAN August 1st.
Ø Choose a topic that
interests you, covering some aspect of U.S. history from 1877 to the present.
Ø Choose a narrowly-defined,
manageable topic, rather than a very general, broad topic.
Ø For example, you would not
want to define your topic as "World War II"; but you could define the
topic as "The Role of Women on the Home Front in World War II". (Yes, you can use this topic if you’d like)
Ø If you are not sure which
topic you'd like to work on, thumb through the textbook and see which subject
inspires you.
Ø Contact Dr. Thomas if you
need help choosing a topic.
FORMAT: Research papers must include:
Ø A COVER PAGE with your name, paper title, and semester.
Ø An OUTLINE PAGE with
your THESIS STATEMENT
§
1
page or less, with a thesis statement (saying what your paper will show or what
it will prove about your topic).
§
An
outline showing how you plan to develop your topic is required and
should be placed at the beginning of your paper.
§
The
outline shows, in abbreviated form, how your paper will be organized.
§
It
should be a page or less. SAMPLE OUTLINE.
Ø 7 to 10 PAGES OF TEXT (typed, double-spaced).
§
Do
not submit less than 7 pages.
§
You
must have at least 7 full pages of TEXT + notes. SAMPLE PAPER with
endnotes.
§
If
you type footnotes at the end of the paper, this page DOES count as part of
your 7 pages.
§
Your
Bibliography does NOT count as part of the 7 pages.
§
Any
quotes in your paper that are over 3 lines must be INDENTED AND
SINGLE-SPACED.
Ø FOOTNOTES or ENDNOTES (no
"parenthetical" citations).
§
The
paper must include at least three PRIMARY and four SECONDARY sources (see explanation
below).
§ You MUST cite the source
for any material that is not your own.
§ This is done using a footnote
("endnotes" are also acceptable).
§ Use the footnote form in
either the Chicago
Manual of Style or Kate Turabian's A Guide for
Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
§ Do not use parenthetical
citations (that is, an author's name and a page number in parentheses at the
end of a sentence).
§ Ask Dr. Thomas or a reference
librarian for assistance.
Do not use encyclopedias.
§ § Do not use online encyclopedias, such
as about.com or Wikipedia
§ USE ONLINE SOUCES THAT END
IN
.org
.edu
Or
.gov
§ SAMPLE FOOTNOTES
format
NOTE: If you use Microsoft Word to write your
paper, there is a FOOTNOTE function that will allow you to insert a footnote
and will automatically keep track of the numbering of footnotes. In later editions of Word, use the
“REFERENCES” Menu and select “INSERT FOOTNOTE”.
I am happy to show you how this works - and you can also get help with
this at any ACC Learning Lab.
Ø A BIBLIOGRAPHY PAGE with Primary and Secondary sources separately.
§ A Bibliography is
different from Endnotes or Footnotes.
§ A Bibliography goes at the
very end of your paper, on a separate page - AFTER the Endnotes.
§ Follow the bibliographic
form found in either the Chicago Manual of
Style or Kate Turabian's A Guide for Writers of Term
Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
§ A bibliography is
alphabetized by author’s last name.
§ For THIS paper, you must
separate the bibliography into Primary and Secondary sources. But for most research papers, you do not do
that.
§ Ask Dr. Thomas or a
reference librarian if you need assistance.
§
SAMPLE BIBLIOGRAPHY
(scroll down ½ page).
Ø Writing assignments must
be typed and double-spaced.
§ ACC Learning Resource Centers (libraries) have computers available to students.
THESIS:
Your
paper must argue a thesis -that is, something you are trying to prove about
your topic.
Ø It is not enough to say
what happened and when - you must argue the historical significance of your
topic.
Ø For example, if you are
writing about Women on the Home front during the Civil War, you could argue
that women played roles critical to success, such as working in government offices,
growing crops, running businesses, and providing critical nursing care for
soldiers.
Ø Your paper would then
discuss and support this argument by giving evidence (examples) from historical
sources. State your thesis on the OUTLINE page.
Ø Example of a thesis
statement:
§
"This
paper will prove that women on the home front played a critical support role
during the Revolutionary War, by supporting boycotts, raising money, making or
rationing critical supplies, and participating in recycling campaigns."
SOURCES:
The
paper must include at least three PRIMARY and four SECONDARY sources.
Ø A primary source is
something written (or left) by someone who lived at that time in history
and took part in the events that you are writing about.
§
Examples
of primary sources are: diaries, letters, legislation, tax records; property
deeds; business ledgers; newspapers, government documents, autobiographies. The
following are good starting points for primary sources:
§
My
homepage with Links to Other Primary
Sources
Ø Secondary sources are
accounts of the event that take place sometime after the event has been completed.
§
These
are often books or articles, written by scholars, to analyze the importance of
some historical event.
§ Do not use encyclopedias.
§ Do not use online encyclopedias, such as about.com or
Wikipedia.
§ USE ONLINE SOUCES THAT END
IN
.org
.edu
Or
.gov
§
A
good starting place for secondary sources is the bibliography at the end of
each chapter in your textbook.
§
Another
good place is the library’s card catalog.
Do a search on your subject. Ask
a librarian for help.
Ø You CAN use online sources - documents
or scholarly books online. You cannot
use online encyclopedias, such as Wikipedia.
Look for websites that end in .edu or .org. or
.gov College
and university libraries are useful. History museum websites are useful,
as are government websites, such as the Library of Congress (www.loc.gov).
GRADING:
Your
research paper will be graded "ACCEPTABLE" or "NOT
ACCEPTABLE". Only "ACCEPTABLE" papers will be counted towards
the grade of "A". You will be graded on
Ø the thoroughness with
which you cover your chosen topic;
Ø your ability to present
your topic and supporting evidence logically and clearly; and
Ø your ability to follow
directions.
You
may turn in your paper early (by August 1st). If there are any problems with
it, I will give/send it back to you to correct.
SUGGESTIONS:
For
your research, you must use college or university libraries, as
opposed to public libraries.
Ø The college/university
libraries will have a greater selection of scholarly (non-fiction),
research-oriented sources on a particular topic.
Ø Perhaps the best way to
start is to jot down some questions about your topic that you would like to
answer in your paper. This will help you to develop an outline.
Ø Your outline should be a
logical progression of ideas that explains your topic.
Ø Next, compile a
bibliography of possible sources, then consult your sources to see if they are
suitable for your paper.
Ø After you have written
your paper, be sure to proofread for typos, misspellings, grammatical errors,
etc., as these will seriously detract from the quality of your paper.
HELPFUL LINKS
Ø University of Texas Libraries (including
on-line catalogs)
Ø Texas State University Library
Ø Help with Choosing a
Topic & All Other Aspects of Writing a Research Paper
Ø My homepage with special
section on RESEARCH INFORMATION AND
ASSISTANCE.
BOOK
ANALYSIS |
Do this book analysis ONLY if:
Ø you hope to earn a
"B" for the course AND
Ø you have an overall exam
average of 80% or above, AND
Ø you scored below 80 on any
of your exams
Ø If you scored 80% or above on ALL FIVE exams, you do NOT
have to complete this assignment for a B. You have an "automatic" B.
ASSIGNMENT:
Ø Read
a book from the approved list (below) and answer the questions from the Book
Analysis Questions Form, found below.
Ø Your
finished product will be a series of typewritten questions and answers.
Ø There
is no required length but your assignment will probably be about 7 to 10
pages in length.
WHICH
BOOKS CAN YOU READ?
Ø Click
here for Approved Book List
FORMAT:
Your
Book Analysis must:
Include your name and
semester.
Ø be typed and double-spaced
Ø be in Question/Answer
format (that
is, make sure you type EACH question, then your answer immediately following)
Ø If you quote from your book,
please put quotation marks around the quote and put the page number in
parentheses after the quote.
Ø Book analysis SAMPLES (done by
other students in the past) are available for your to review at Dr. Thomas’s
office at PIN campus.
Ø HINT: copy the questions from
this syllabus and PASTE them into a Word document. Then you can type your
answers under each question.
GRADING:
Ø The Book Analysis will be
graded "ACCEPTABLE" or "NOT ACCEPTABLE".
Ø Only
"ACCEPTABLE" writing assignments will be counted towards the grade of
"B".
Ø You will be graded on
§
the
thoughtfulness and thoroughness of your answers; and
§
on your ability to follow directions.
Ø Please contact Dr. Thomas
if you have any questions concerning the assignment.
DUE DATE:
Ø The assignment is due at
noon on MONDAY, AUGUST 8th (send via email as a Word attachment
to Dr. Thomas).
Ø You may turn in your paper
early (by August 1st). If there are any problems with it, I will give it back
to you to correct.
Ø At any time during the
semester, you can email a DRAFT or partial draft of your assignment to Dr.
Thomas for review.
BOOK ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
Ø Read the questions below
carefully then give complete answers to each of the following.
Ø Briefly TYPE the QUESTION, then your answer.
BOOK
ANALYSIS QUESTIONS |
Read the questions
carefully then give
complete answers to each of the following. Briefly TYPE
the QUESTION, then your answer.
1. General Information – give the following
information: |
v
the
full book title (NOTE that book titles are italicized
or underlined)
Examples:
Reconstruction:
or
Reconstruction:
v
author
v
publisher
& year first published
v
in general, what is the book about (3 - 5 sentences
giving basic information such as who, what, when, where)?
2. PREFACE |
|
|
What
does the author say in the “Preface” (in a few sentences, summarize the
Preface)? If the book has no “Preface”, then use the
"Introduction". If the book
has neither, then just say “the book has no Preface and no Introduction”. |
3. THESIS |
|
|
In the Introduction
or the first chapter, the author usually says what he/she will be trying to
prove in the book; that is, what the book will prove to the reader about a
particular topic. List and
Discuss
each of the points that the author will try to prove in the book (major and
minor points. These are usually stated either in the Introduction or in
the first chapter; but sometimes they are discussed throughout the book). Your answer may begin with "In this book, the author hopes to prove that......." and then discuss the several points that the author hopes to prove about the subject of the book. |
|
|
|
4. INDIVIDUAL CHAPTERS ANALYSIS – in depth analysis for ANY 3 chapters in the book |
Give the following information for any THREE chapters from the book:
v
Chapter
NUMBER and TITLE.
Type chapter titles in
quotation marks.
Example:
Chapter 1: "
v
Chapter
SUMMARY
In one short
paragraph, summarize the chapter (a good summary gives the reader basic information,
such as WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY. Think of how you would summarize the plot
of a movie to a friend who has not seen the movie )
v
Chapter
THESIS
In a couple of sentences,
explain the main idea that the author was trying to get across in this chapter. That is, what does the author
hope to PROVE in this chapter. (Hint: Look at the
chapter title. It often is related to the main idea of the chapter)
Your answer may begin
"In this chapter, the author hopes to prove that......"
Example: "In this
chapter, the author asserts that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves (with the
Emancipation Proclamation) because of political, not humanitarian,
reasons."
v
Chapter
ARGUMENT. In a couple of sentences,
restate the argument that the author used to prove the main idea
(what did the author argue, in order to convince you that his/her main
idea was correct)
Example: “The author states that
because he wanted the support of
the English government. Freeing the
slaves accomplished both of those political goals.”
v
Chapter
CONCLUSION. I a few sentences, discuss
the conclusions at which the author arrives at the end of the
chapter. (Hint: the conclusions usually are related to the Main Points.) I
don't want to know what HAPPENED; I want to know what the author CONCLUDES
ABOUT what happened.
Example: "The author concludes that the
accusations of witchcraft in
v
Chapter
SOURCES/EVIDENCE. Look in the chapter’s
footnotes (sometimes these are listed on the bottom of each page; sometimes
they are listed at the back of the book).
If there are no footnotes, look in the Bibliography or “works Cited”
section at the back of the book.
ü
cite
one primary source footnote from this chapter (a Primary Source
is something written by someone at that time in history; such as a
diary, a letter, a piece of legislation, a tax record; a deed; a business
ledger; newspapers) Cite the source.
For example, your citation
might look like this:
"Custer Defeated at
Little Big Horn," The New York Times, April 14, 1876.
or, like this:
Jennifer Jones, ed., Diary
of Anne Frank, 4th edition (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1977).
ü
cite
one secondary source footnote from this chapter (a secondary
source is one written by someone at a later date; usually a book or article by
a historian about that historical event) Cite the secondary source; that is,
make it look like a footnote (i.e., author, title, publisher, place and date of
publication).
Your citation should look
something like this:
Michael Smith, Witchcraft
in the Later Middle Ages (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1980).
or
Julia Juarez, "Mayan
Hieroglyphs Decoded," Journal of Latin American History (June
1994), pp. 366-396.
ü
What
TYPE of source or what type of evidence would have made the author's
argument/main idea more convincing? (Don't say "the argument was
convincing enough".)
On a book about slave
life, an example might be "If the author used letters or diaries written
by slaves, his argument about the hardships of slave life would have been
stronger."
Remember to answer the above
questions for any THREE chapters in your book.
Now that you have completed answering questions for three individual
chapters, please answer the following questions regarding the book, as a
whole: |
5. Overall Conclusions |
|
List and discuss
at least 3 conclusions at which the author arrives. These are usually found
in the concluding chapter, and are usually related to the points the author
sought to prove throughout the book. Example: “The
author concludes that the witchcraft hysteria in Give 3
conclusions for your book. |
6. Sources – to answer
these questions, look at the author’s footnotes and/or Bibliography. |
v
PERIODICALS.
List 5 periodicals that the
author cites in his/her Bibliography or in the Footnotes. (Periodicals are
newspapers, magazines, & professional journals). Just list the periodical
by name - you do not have to cite the entire article. How do you know which
items are periodicals? Hint: Periodical titles are
italicized, so look in the footnotes and bibliography for items that are
italicized and find the items that are newspaper titles or professional journal
titles.*
Here are some examples
(note that the titles are italicized):
Journal of Early American
History
American Historical Review
Latin American Research
Review
William & Mary
Quarterly
The New York Times
Austin American-Statesman
Ladies' Home Journal
Psychology Today
* Remember that book
titles are also italicized - so learn
to distinguish between books and periodicals. Periodicals will usually have a
volume number or date, but not a publisher's name. Books will have a publisher,
publication place and publication date.
v
PRIMARY
SOURCES. List three types
of primary sources the author uses (e.g., letters, diaries, journals,
interviews, legislation).
v
BENEFITS
OF PRIMARY SOURCES. In a sentence or
two, tell why, if you were writing a history book about some subject in the
past, WHY would it benefit from using PRIMARY sources (letters, diaries, etc.
from that time period)?
v
PROBLEMS
OF PRIMARY SOURCES. In a sentence, tell, if you were writing a history book,
what might be a problem in using primary sources?
v
BOOKS
ON SAME SUBJECT. List 3 books
that deal with the same subject matter as your book. Give author, title,
place of publication, publisher, and date of publication - just as this
information would appear in a footnote.
Hint: use the
"subject search" feature of the library's computerized card catalog
to find these books. Consult with a
librarian if you need help.
v
ARTICLES
ON SAME SUBJECT. List 3 articles (from scholarly publications or newspapers)
that deal with the same subject matter as your book. Give author, title
of article, publication in which article appears, date of publication, and page
numbers - just as this information would appear in a footnote.
Hint: do a subject search
in an on-line "periodicals index" to find articles. On ACC's library
webpage, there is a link to various periodicals indexes. Choose "social
and behavioral sciences" category and then do a subject search. For
example, if your book was about the
7. YOUR IMPRESSIONS and
OPINIONS – answer these questions thoughtfully and thoroughly: |
v
what did you like best about the book? what did you like least about the book?
v
did you feel that the author was biased in
presenting the subject matter? How so?
v
List
3 facts that you learned from the book. (List 3 FACTS, not
"impressions" or interpretations.)
An example of a FACT is:
"George Washington was the only president unanimously
elected".
An example of an IMPRESSION (or INTERPRETATION)
is:
"George Washington was the best military
commander of all time."
v how does our textbook’s
treatment of the topic compare with the author’s treatment of the topic (list
and discuss at least 3 similarities and 3
differences)? Discuss content, not form or format.
DON'T say: "The book gave a more in-depth
view of Franklin's life, while the textbook was more general." That is a
statement of form, not content.
DO say: "My book discussed Franklin's
diplomatic efforts in France, while the textbook did not mention his work in
France." This compares content.
v would you recommend the book to
someone else? Why or why not?
v if you could write a book on
some historical topic, what topic would you choose, and why?
OK,
Congratulations - You are DONE with the Book Analysis!!
HINTS, TIPS
AND ADVICE FOR SUCCESS IN THIS COURSE: (You are
almost done with orientation!) |
These
have worked for other students and may help YOU to achieve success in this
course.
TEST-TAKING:
Ø Read each question very
carefully and completely;
Ø know what the question is
asking.
Ø Read each response.
Ø Eliminate responses that
you know are wrong.
Ø When you have completed
the exam, go over it again and verify your answers.
Ø Answer the questions you know
first, then go back and answer the rest.
Ø Take your time – don’t
rush.
WRITING
ASSIGNMENTS:
Ø For those students who
complete the Writing Assignments, have someone proofread your typed
assignment for typos, misspellings, incorrect grammar, etc.
Ø These types of errors
seriously detract from the quality of your writing assignment.
Ø Read over the Book Review
Analysis questions before you read your chosen book.
Ø It will help you to focus
your reading efforts. ACC has Writing
Labs on each campus that can also help you.
STUDY
QUESTIONS:
Ø Read over the Chapter
once, then re-read the chapter and complete the
Study Questions.
Ø Work on the study
questions gradually; that is, work on several each day.
Ø Don't wait until the night
before the exam to complete all the questions.
Ø "Cramming" is
not an effective study method.
YOUR PROFESSOR:
Ø Do not hesitate to consult
with Dr. Thomas if you have any problems, questions, doubts or uncertainties.
Ø Seek help early in
the semester.
Ø Emailing is a perfectly
acceptable way to communicate, so don’t hesitate to email.
HIST 1302
ONL STUDENT INFORMATION
FORM SUMMER 2016 |
Please
fill out (copy & paste into an email message, or send as an attachment)
this form and send it to
Dr. Thomas by email by June 17th.
Ø Email to tmthomas@austincc.edu
Please PRINT the following information. This
information is for the instructor's use only, is kept confidential and is not
given out to anyone without your written permission.
HIST 1302 ONL -
SUMMER 2016
Your Name:
School/College
you most recently attended:
In
this space, please write any special information about you that I should know, that may affect your performance in this course:
My signature below
indicates that:
1. I have confirmed that I AM registered for
this course;
2. I
have completed orientation for this course by reading through the material on
this webpage;
3. I
have read this syllabus/orientation and fully understand its contents;
4. I
have read the section in this syllabus entitled “ACADEMIC INTEGRITY”, and fully
understand its contents;
5. I
understand that if I engage in ANY form of academic dishonesty, I WILL receive
the grade of "F" for the course;
6. I
understand that a "D" or "F" grade will NOT fulfill the
Texas Legislative requirement for a semester of U.S. History credit.
7. I
understand that the deadline to withdraw from this course is August 4th, 2016
and that it is MY responsibility to withdraw myself from the class by this
deadline.
8. I
understand that the deadline for the last exam is August 5, 2016 and that I
will NOT be given permission to take the exam after this date. (The retest
deadline is August 6th.)
9. I
understand that the deadline for research paper and book analysis assignments
is August 8th at noon and that I will not be given permission to submit my
assignment after that date/time.
10. I understand that I get a one-time
exam deadline extension for exams 2 through 4 and that any other deadline
exceptions are made for exceptional circumstances, at Dr. Thomas’ discretion.
11. I understand that the materials for
this course are copyrighted and may NOT
be posted online in Quizlet, Study Blue or ANY OTHER online site.
Student's
Signature: electronic signature (type your name) is OK:_____________________________________Date: _______________________________
Please open the study guide and copy it to your computer. Exam questions are taken from this study guide. All or portions of Study Guides may NOT be posted to social media sites such as Facebook as this is a violation of the copyright. |
WRITE DOWN THESE IMPORTANT DATES:
Friday June 17th Complete the course
orientation and email your Student
Information Form to Dr. Thomas.
Monday June 20th Exam 1 (Map Test) test
deadline.
Wednesday June 29th Exam
2 test deadline.
Saturday July 9th Exam 3 test deadline.
Wednesday July 20th Exam
4 test deadline.
Saturday August 1st Approval for Research Paper Topic
must be acquired by
this date (only for students working towards an A).
Thursday August
4th Deadline to
withdraw from this course.
Friday August 5th Exam 5 test deadline.
Saturday August 6th RETEST deadline for all exams.
Monday August 8th Writing
assignments (either Book Analysis OR Research
Paper) due at NOON (only for students working
towards an A or a B)
Congratulations!
You have now
completed Orientation. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Thomas at tmthomas@austincc.edu
or at (512) 223-8164.
Thank you and have a great semester!