University of North Texas
History 2610.032 and 2610.889 (combined course)
United States History to 1865
Fall 2016 Course Syllabus
ANY QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY CONTACT BLACKBOARD
Email: Phone: (940) 565-2324
This class operates best with Firefox. Do not take quizzes using Internet Explorer
Instructor: Dr. Deborah Liles. Office is in Wooten Hall 229
E-Mail:
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8am – 9am, 1pm - 3pm. Via email throughout the semester.
Teaching Assistant (TA): Please put HIST 2610 Online in the subject heading of all emails.
A – C Matt Alexander:
D – L Aaron Miller:
M – R Tiffany Smith:
S – Z Lora Tompkins:
Course Description: This course provides the student with a basic knowledge and understanding of American History to 1865. Topics covered are race and gender, economics and politics, religion, and the many different cultures that came together to create the United States of America.
Course objectives: By the end of this class students will be able to:
· Identify, explain, and contextualized social, political, religious, and economic changes and themes during the pre-Columbian, early colonization, American Revolutionary, early Republic, Jacksonian Democracy, Westward expansion, and the Civil War periods in North America.
· Students will have a clear understanding of the role of slavery in the United States and its influence on all aspects of life.
· Students will be able to analyze and contextualize a combination of sources, both primary and secondary documents.
Mandatory Texts:
The American Journey: A History of the United States, Vol 1. 8th edition plus revel-access card Package (ISBN: 9780134591872) (The 7th edition will also work).
Reader in American History, Vol 1 (ISBN: 9780738074641)
Go here: http://unt.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TBWizardView?catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=71237
Grading:
15 weekly quizzes. (100 points each). 1,500 points
4 quizzes over readings in Reader in American History (200 pts each) 800 points
Four discussion postings (50 points each) 200 points
Mid Term (500 points) 500 points
Final (500 points) 500 points___
3,500 points total
Point breakdown (your final numeric grade/3500):
A= 3,150 – 3,500 pts. B= 2,800 – 3,149 pts. C= 2,450 – 2,799 pts. D = 2,100 – 2,449 pts.
F= less than 2,099 pts.
Weekly Quizzes: Weekly quizzes come from Goldfield’s The American Journey. Each quiz is available for two weeks and is multiple choice. Quizzes open every Thursday at 12:01a.m. and are due by 11:59 p.m. two Wednesday’s later. You will have 90 minutes and two chances to take each of them; they will not reopen for any reason. Consult the schedule at the end of the syllabus for due dates. Please note that there are several weeks when multiple assignments are due at the same time so plan ahead.
Reading Quizzes: These questions come from Reader in American History. There are 4 of these quizzes worth 200 points each. They all have different due dates--see schedule at end of this syllabus--but open on the first week of class so that you can take them early. You will have two hours and two chances to take them.
Discussion postings: There are four graded discussion postings during the course of the semester. Several primary (first hand) document postings have be made by the instructor in the appropriate discussion forum (Discussion Forum #1, #2, #3, or #4. See bottom of this syllabus for each due date). You will write a posting (approximately 200 words) that explains how that document compares or contrasts to readings in your text book, reader, or both. You will also reply to a classmate’s posting. Your posting is worth up to 25 points and your reply is worth up to 25 points; no late postings will be accepted.
There are two other forums in the Discussion folder: The Professor’s Forum is for discussions between the prof and multiple students—much like in a regular classroom setting.
The Student Forum is for you to introduce yourself, communicate with classmates, arrange study sessions, etc.
Mid-Term and Final Exams: You will be given the choice of three essay questions for each exam based on your readings from The American Journey and Reader in American History. You are required to answer two of these questions. No multiple choice questions from weekly quizzes are included in the exams. The mid-term will cover the first half of the class; the final will cover the last half of the class. You will have 2 hours to take your exams. You will get one attempt. Consult the schedule at the end of the syllabus for due dates. Please note: Exams open on Thursdays and close on MONDAYS, not Wednesdays.
Taking Exams: Before each exam, instructions will be posted about taking and submitting them on the class home page. We use a program called Turnitin, which checks extensively for Plagiarism. If you are caught using someone else’s work (cheating) you will fail the exam and possibly this whole course. Per the University of North Texas Undergraduate Catalog “Code of Student Conduct and Discipline,” incidents of cheating, plagiarism (presenting another person’s work as one’s own), or other academic misconduct may be punishable by the assignment of a grade of zero, failure in the course, or expulsion from the university. Don’t do it, it’s just not worth it.
Returning Exams to Students: Students will receive access to graded exams and comments when all of the exams are graded (usually a little over a week). Any questions concerning your exam score must be made during the two day period after results are released. Please make sure you check daily to know when that day occurs.
Make-Ups: Due to the simple fact that programming is involved in every aspect of this class, no make-up quizzes are offered. An extra credit quiz is offered at the end of the semester, which can substitute for one missed chapter quiz or can serve to boost your grade. A mid-term exam make up is offered BUT only at my discretion, only for two days after the exam is over, and with a possible letter grade penalty. There will be no make-up exam for the final.
Disabilities: The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. Students are strongly encouraged to deliver letters of accommodation during faculty office hours or by appointment. Faculty members have the authority to ask students to discuss such letters during their designated office hours to protect the privacy of the student. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at http://www.unt.edu/oda. You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.
Additional Resources: The University of North Texas provides students a number of resources to enable them to succeed in their studies. The Department of History also provides the History Help Center and History Department Library that are staffed by graduate students who can assist students with tutoring and essay writing advice. Below is contact information for helpful student resources:
· History Help Center, Wooten 220, (940) 565-4772
· History Dept. Library, Wooten 267, (940) 369-7681
· UNT Writing Lab – for help with all aspects of writing. Open from 9am to 10pm most weekdays. http://www.unt.eud/writinglab/
· UNT Learning Center. Offers specialized tutoring, help with topics such as time management and different approaches to test taking. http://learningcenter.unt.edu/
· Advising for College of Arts and Sciences: https://cas.unt.edu/advising/advisor-contacts
· Advising for History majors: http://history.unt.edu/undergraduate-program
Assignment Schedule – Please pay attention to the due dates!
Readings and Quizzes Due Date
Ch 1: Worlds Apart------Sept 7
Ch 2: Transplantation and Adaptation 1600-1685 ------Sept 7
Ch 3: A Meeting of Cultures ------Sept 14
Ch 4: English Colonies in an Age of Empire 1660s-1763------Sept 21
Discussion forum posting #1------Sept 21
**Reading quiz #1. Chapters 1 – 5 in Reader in American History ------Sept 21
Ch 5: Imperial Breakdown 1763-1774------Sept 28
Ch 6: The War for Independence 1774-1783------Oct 5
Ch 7: The First Republic 1776-1789 ------Oct 12
Discussion forum posting #2------Oct 12
**Reading quiz #2. Chapters 6 – 10 in Reader in American History ------Oct 12
****MID-TERM (Over Ch 1– Ch 7 and disc forums) Open Oct 13-Oct 17*****
Ch 8: A New Republic and the Rise of Parties 1789-1800------Oct 19
Ch 9: The Triumph and Collapse of Jeffersonian Republicanism 1800-1824-- Oct 26
Ch 10: The Jacksonian Era 1824-1845 ------Nov 2
Ch 11: Slavery and the Old South 1800-1860 ------Nov 9
Discussion forum posting #3------Nov 9
**Reading quiz #3. Chapters 11 – 15 in Reader in American History ------Nov 9
Ch 12: The Market Revolution and Social Reform 1815-1850------Nov 16
Ch 13: The Way West 1815-1850 ------Nov 23
Ch 14: The Politics of Sectionalism 1846-1861------Nov 30
Discussion forum posting #4 ------Nov 30
**Reading quiz #4. Chapters 16 – 20 in Reader in American History ------Nov 30
Ch 15: Battle Cries and Freedom Songs: The Civil War 1861-1865 ------Dec 7
Extra credit quiz------Dec 7
****************FINAL (Covers Ch 8- Ch 15) Open Dec 8- Dec 12*************
****Important****
· Please pay attention to due dates. Remember no make-ups once the assignment is closed.
· All work may be turned in early but if it is late you will earn zero credit. No exceptions.
· You are given 2 chances on quizzes in case you have technical problems. If you have technical problems, please do not email me asking for a third chance.
· The Extra Credit quiz is not mandatory; it is worth 100 points. Questions on the quiz come from all of the chapters read in the class. This is a great option to use if you miss a quiz or need a few extra points to boost your grade to the next level. J It is only open on the last week of class-work, and due at the same time as chapter 15. Plan ahead and you should have no trouble. Your grade is still calculated out of 3,500 points.