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Course Information |
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Course Description:
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Course Description: This course is a
continuation of HIST 2010 (American History 1) covering American
civilization from the end of Reconstruction to the recent past. The course
seeks to give students a perspective on the position of the United States
among the nations of the world and on the controversies and agreements among
Americans concerning the desired attributes of their culture, government,
and ideals. The course will focus on central themes and issues in the
development of American society and institutions. It will raise questions
about human values, economic growth, institutional change, cultural
development, political democracy, and the place of the United States in the
world. Themes that we will address in this course include: industrialization
and its effects on American society, economy, and political processes;
immigration, urbanization, and the changing demographics of the United
States; Progressivism and the struggle for social justice; change and
continuity in U.S. foreign policy; World War I; social changes in the 1920s;
the Great Depression and the New Deal; World War II; post-war affluence and
social change including the Cold War, anti-communism, and civil rights; the
Vietnam War and the Great Society; and the political realignment of the
Reagan years and other historically recent events.
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Course Objectives: |
Upon completion of this course the
student should be able to:
1.
Develop the ability to assess and think critically about historical issues
and how people interpret these issues.
2.
Gain a basic factual
knowledge of this historical period.
3.
Develop skills in analyzing historical data and reaching informed
conclusions about these data.
4.
Sharpen your ability to convey your analyses in written essays and
online discussions.
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Prerequisites: |
None |
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Textbooks, Hardware and Software
Requirements |
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Required Textbooks: |
Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to
obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com |
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Hardware Requirements: |
486
Pentium class computer or Macintosh PowerPC class computer, 8Mb RAM (16 Mb
or more recommended), 28K modem (56K recommended).
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Software Requirements:
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No specific software is required,
though some of the links to other web sites may require software that allows
for sound and video play capabilities (Shockwave, Quicktime, Realplayer,
etc.). These are available as free downloads from a number of Internet
sites. For additional information regarding software and hardware
requirements, see the Regents Standard. |
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Assessment and Grading |
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Testing Procedures: |
Testing Procedures: Both exams
(midterm and final) are essay format and open book. The midterm is due by
the Wednesday of week 7. The final exam is due on the Monday following the
conclusion of week 12. Exact dates will be specified in the Course Calendar.
Within the constraints of the due dates, you may take the exams at a place
and time of your convenience. Email your finished exam to the instructor
either in RTF format or as text.
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Grading Procedure: |
Exams
The exams will
cover material from the online lessons and the assigned chapters from the
textbook. Each exam will consist of several essay questions, of which you
must answer two. The instructor will post a several possible questions in
advance of the exams to help you study. The first exam will cover the period
from Reconstruction up to and through the 1920s. The final exam will cover
the period from the Great Depression to the end of the course. An excellent
essay must: 1) directly address the question; 2) present a clearly defined
thesis or main point, which is stated at the beginning of the essay; and 3)
support this thesis with sound logical arguments, which cite relevant facts
and data. Remember that the prime concern of history is to analyze change or
changes through a period of time. History is not a mindless collection of
names, dates, places, and events. When, why, and how changes occurred, and
the significance of these changes to American history are the concerns at
the center of each question you will be asked in this course. As you study
through the semester, try to use this framework. In other words, you need to
understand why and how things happened, not simply that they did.
The Term Paper
You are required
to complete one term paper on a topic approved by the instructor. It must be
based on one of the following: newspaper research, reading a single book (a
book review), or reading several academic articles on a particular subject.
Specific instructions for each of the three options will be posted in the
schedule of assignments.
This paper must
be 5-6 pages in length and written within proper academic criteria. It will
be graded according to the content and aptness of your ideas, and the
quality and accuracy of your prose and thought. It should be centered on a
specific historical argument that you support with evidence in the body of
your paper. No paper will be accepted after the due date without prior
arrangement. The term paper is due by the end of week 10. The exact date
will be specified on the Course Calendar.
Your papers must
be double spaced, written in clear, correct prose, and submitted in RTF
format via email. You should have one-inch margins and use normal-sized
fonts. On issues of style and grammar, consult such manuals as Kate Turabian,
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations; Strunk and
White, The Elements of Style; The Chicago Manual of Style; or The MLA
Handbook. Please feel free to show me drafts of the paper or to discuss the
assignment with me. Papers that have clearly not been edited will be reduced
by one full letter grade (in exceptional cases even more!).
When you use
another person's ideas you must have a citation, either in the form of a
footnote, endnote, or MLA style citation. Borrowing the ideas or words of
others without acknowledgement is plagiarism and will be handled through the
appropriate channels. You should quote only when necessary and keep quotes
short. Do not turn in a paper that is merely a collection of large block
quotes interspersed with your own words.
Short Writing
Assignments
Over the course
of the semester you need to complete six short (2-3 paragraph), writing
assignments based on the readings in the textbook. These papers are intended
to support class discussion, are due as specified in the schedule of
assignments, and may not be made up for any reason. Eight are scheduled in
the syllabus (plus an extra credit assignment), so this should not be a
problem for anyone. They will generally be due on the Wednesday of the week
for which they are assigned. Any exceptions will be listed in the Course
Calendar. These are to be posted to the course Discussion Board as your
position on the topic. In writing these papers you must do two things: 1)
prove you have actually done the reading for that week, and 2) articulate
and support a clear thesis. Students who take these seriously generally do
better on the exams.
Class
Participation
Students will
participate in class discussion through the discussion board. At periodic
intervals during the semester the instructor will post questions concerning
a specific topic on this board and students will be expected to respond to
them or to other students' responses to these questions. Your initial
response is the short (2-3 paragraph) paper described above. The discussion
will flow from these papers as you comment on the positions of other
students and they comment on yours. The questions are listed in the Schedule
of Assignments. Participation in these discussions comprises 10% of your
grade. Failure to actively and intelligently participate in at least some of
these discussions will result in a zero for that part of your grade. |
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Grading Scale: |
Students enrolled
in this course will be evaluated in the following manner:
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Midterm exam: |
250 points |
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Term Paper: |
250 points |
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Short writing assignments: |
100 points |
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Participation: |
100 points |
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Final Exam: |
300 points |
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Total: |
1000 points |
A=900+, B=800+, C=700+, D=600+, less
than 600 points will result in an F. |
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Assignments and Participation |
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Assignments and Projects: |
Assignments and Projects: Students
must complete the assigned readings including the lessons in the course
content page and the assigned chapters in the American Pageant.
The course calendar will specify these readings and a recommended completion
date for each reading assignment. This course calendar will also list the
due dates and the essay questions for each of the written assignments.
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Class Participation:
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Students must participate in the
discussion board and may participate in one of the chat rooms. The
instructor encourages all students to contact the instructor during the
virtual office hours to ask questions or receive feedback. |
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Punctuality:
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Students need to check the course
calendar frequently so that they are aware of the dates for the exams as
well as the due dates for written assignments. |
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Course Ground Rules |
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The instructor has the following
recommendations for students:
1. Allow
yourself sufficient time to read and study the assigned readings so that you
are not feverishly reading the material just before a scheduled exam.
The instructor strongly suggests that students follow the suggested
completion date for each reading assignment in the course calendar.
2. Check
the discussion board frequently so that you respond to all questions posed
by the instructor under a given topic.
3. Learn
to navigate WebCT
4. Keep
abreast of course announcements.
5.
Use the assigned college or university e-mail address as opposed a
personal e-mail address
6.
Address technical problems immediately
7.
Observe course etiquette at all times. |
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Guidelines for Communications |
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Email: |
Examples:
Always
include a subject line.
Remember
without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be
careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some
cases.
Use
standard fonts.
Do not
send large attachments without permission.
Special
formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be
avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
Respect
the privacy of other class members. |
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Discussion Groups: |
Examples:
Review
the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a
lurker then a discussant.
Try to
maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
Do not
make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion
group. Be respectful of other's ideas.
Be
patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before
entering your remarks.
Be
cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
Be
positive and constructive in group discussions.
Respond
in a thoughtful and timely manner. |
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Chat: |
Examples:
Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.
Be
polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.
Be
concise in responding to others in the chat session.
Be
prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.
Be
constructive in your comments and suggestions. |
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Web Resources: |
Examples:
Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor
Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html\ |
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Library |
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The
Tennessee Board of Regents
Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents
Degree Program.
Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases,
interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and
librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete
online assignments and as background reading must be included in all
courses. |
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Students With
Disabilities |
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Qualified
students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary
academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability
services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability
accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written
verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the
disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's
responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability
services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the
accommodation notice sent to the instructor. |
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Syllabus Changes |
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The instructor reserves the right to
make changes in the syllabus if necessary due to time constraints or other
unforeseen events. If this is necessary, members of the class
will be notified as soon as possible BY E-MAIL and posted on the BULLETIN
BOARD. |
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