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HIS 121 Course Bulletin Board |
Current Reading Assignment: This is the reading assignment for Test 6 Chp. 21 -- The Collapse of the Union
TuTh Class: have your critiques of essays posted by class time
Test 6 on the above reading assignments and class material Publisher's Online Study Guide: |
Fall, 2011 Class Photos
MWF Class:
TuTh Class:
United States History I HIS 121
Fall, 2011-- MWF Section:
11:00-11:50, Rm 649; TuTh Section: 11:00-12:15, Rm 649 &
Elluminate
John Barnes Office: 650
College Phone: 540-863-2886 / Toll Free
877-73DSLCC
Home Phone: 862-1271
Cell: 540-691-7763 Email:
jbarnes@dslcc.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
HIS 121-122 -- United States History I, II (3cr) (3cr). Surveys United States history from its beginning to the present. HIS 121 covers from the beginning to Reconstruction.
Developmental Prerequisites: ENG 01 & 04 Developmental Corequisites: ENG 03 & 05
This course is taught as a hybrid course which includes meetings at the same time and same place just like a conventional class, but with additional course components.
Hybrid courses use the world wide web, Blackboard course management system, video and audio pod casts, and Elluminate web conferencing software to provide lectures, group discussion, interactive links, email communication, testing, homework assignments, study sessions, virtual office hours, and discussion board as well as assignments and other course information. Class attendance (in person or via Elluminate) is required because much of the course content is still provided in classroom activities and some of the Bb and computer activities occur in a monitored classroom setting.To take this class you will need:
1.) a college
email address to receive course communications and
access Bb and other features (This detail will be taken care of the first day of class if
you don't already have one.);
2.) access to the internet (Not necessarily from your personal home
computer--you may use computers available at the college) so you can use
Bb, Elluminate, Podcasts, and web pages;
3.) the textbook;
4.) a set of
headphones with microphone attached if you are taking the Elluminate section;
5.) Lockdown
Browser installed on any computer used to taking tests or exams.
To take advantage of the distance or e-Learning components of this class you must have reliable equipment and internet connection. You should have a plan B in place in case of equipment problems. Often, you will have the option of participating class, using college equipment, in Room 649. Non-proctored tests require that you use Lockdown Browser. Mid-Term and Final Exams must be taken in a proctored location.
INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS:
This course will introduce you to the study of history as a professional social science discipline. Lessons and generalizations will be drawn from history and whenever possible applied to other eras. The course will present an outline of the nature of "historical-mindedness"--of the historian’s perspective on human behavior.
This is a hybrid course and will include traditional classroom format (same time, same place), plus the use of web conferencing software, BlackBoard instructional elements, and video pod casts to present class activities.
For many of you, this survey of U.S. History will likely be the start of a fundamental
reshaping of historical insights and attitudes. To accomplish this, critical and
imaginative thinking is far more important than even total recall of every name and date
in the textbook. History treated as rote memory can be deceptive; inherent patterns of
reasoning may escape the uninitiated completely. They may see only facts that must be
learned. You are expected to mature to the point where you will read between the lines and
see social forces in action, the complexity of causation in an event, the strands of
continuity, and the relevance of the past to the present. You will be encouraged to
acquire the critical perspective and other skills of the historian through classroom
activities, reading assignments, and research and writing projects.
The course instructional procedures include reading, writing, discussion, lecture, audio-visual presentations, research, testing, homework, projects and individual conferences with me. To a great extent, classroom activities will be independent of the text and other readings. I will not attempt to "cover" or duplicate reading assignments in class. You are expected to complete all reading and related homework assignments before we cover a topic in class so you can better understand classroom activities and participate meaningfully in them. It is important that you take good notes of classroom activities to use as you prepare for tests and exams. You should make arrangements for someone to tape class and/or provide you a copy of their notes for any classes you must miss since you will be responsible for all material covered.
EXAMINATIONS
--There will be two examinations, a mid-term and a final exam. The mid-term will cover material for the first half of the term and the final will cover material for the second half of the term. Each of these exams will count for twenty percent (20%) of your course grade. The exams will consist of questions taking from the tests for each half of the course plus essay questions which will be provided in advance on a study sheet, which will contain all the possible essay questions. The exams and tests will be taken in a proctored environment.TESTS-- The remaining sixty percent (60%) of your course grade will be the average of your test scores. There will be about six tests during the term. Each test will consist of multiple choice, true-false, and short answer questions. They will be based on the reading assignments plus notes from classroom material. After the tests are graded, a score for the test will be entered in the Bb grade book. We will go over each test in class or via a recording and it is important that you take good notes on this review because some of the test questions will also be on the exams.
No make-up tests are permitted. If you have a compelling reason for missing a test, you must communicate it to me before the test is scheduled, unless that is manifestly impossible to do. I might agree to schedule an early test for you, or if I agree to excuse the test, you will take a special mid-term or final exam that will count as both an exam grade and for the missed test, or some other assignment that I determine will substitute.
Two Test Grades will be entered for class participation (therefore, you will have approximately eight test grades). Class participation includes attendance for the entire class session and participating in all activities (counts as one test grade), and all other assignments and projects (counts as another test grade). Projects and activities have to be submitted in full by the due date and time to receive credit. I assume you registered for this course intending to master the content and earn credit for the class. To accomplish this will require a significant investment of time and effort on your part. If your personal circumstances won’t allow this level of effort, perhaps you should reconsider your decision to enroll at this time.
The Attendance Test Grade is determined as follows: If you miss no classes: 100%. Missed classes are not excused and will negatively affect your attendance grade. A week of accumulated absences results in a grade of 90%; more than a week = 80%; Two weeks = 70%; more than two weeks = 60%; three weeks is 50%; and so on.
The key to success is to attend every class session (much of the information you will need for quizzes, homework and examinations will come only from classroom activities), take good notes, study all assigned readings, thoroughly prepare for each test and examination, and successfully complete all writing assignments, projects, and homework on time. Take advantage of my office hours and study sessions, as well as the services of the Achievement Center, to get all the individual help you need.
Classroom Conduct
--Students must assume a great deal of the responsibility for maintaining a good teaching/learning environment in the classroom. Your contribution needs to include:1. Arrive on time and don’t leave until class ends;
2. Remain awake, alert, participate, and arrive prepared;
3. Don’t carry on side conversations, pass notes, or induce other distractions including beepers, cell phones, irrelevant computer activities, and text messaging;
4. Don’t bring children to class.
The grading scale is:
Below 60%=F; 60-69%=D; 70-79%=C; 80-89%=B; 90%+=A.OFFICE HOURS:
My office is located in Room 650, ACC. A copy of my class
schedule with office hours marked is posted there and on my home page. I will
also schedule virtual office hours online. Please feel free to
call or email me if that’s more convenient.
WITHDRAWAL POLICY:
Withdrawal from the class with no penalty may be made up to the end of the eighth week of regular class, The withdrawal date for this session is Monday, October 31, 2011. You will be allowed to withdraw from the course with a grade of W after this date only if you have a documented mitigating circumstance. Initiating a withdrawal is your responsibility. I will not initiate the Administrative Withdrawal procedure.
Warning! VCCS policy prohibits enrolling in
a course more than twice unless mitigating circumstances exist. A W grade counts for
an enrollment.
HIS 121 Course
Topic Sequence, Fall, 2011
Below is a list of the topics we plan to discuss this semester in the approximate
sequence. You are responsible for the chapter assignments for the topics as we come to
them in classroom activities. The chapter assignments are in the required textbook for the
course, The American Past by Joseph R. Conlin, Ninth Edition.
A. European Origins of American Culture
Chp. 1 -- Discoveries
Chp. 2 -- Settlements Across the Sea
B. Colonial America
Chp. 3 -- Thirteen Colonies
Chp. 4 -- English Intentions, American Facts of Life
Chp. 5 -- Other Americans
C. Revolutionary America
Chp. 6 -- Competition for a Continent
Chp. 7 -- Family Quarrels
Chp. 8 -- From Riot to Rebellion
Chp. 9 -- The War for Independence
D. The Federal Period
Chp. 10 -- Inventing a Country
Chp. 11 -- We the People
E. The Revolution of 1800
Chp. 12 -- Jeffersonian America
F. Jacksonian Democracy
Chp. 14/13 -- National Awakening /
Nationalism, Culture, Politics, Diplomacy
Chp. 15 -- The People's Hero
Chp. 16 -- The Shadow of Old Hickory
G. Sectionalism, Manifest Destiny, Slavery, and the Civil War
Chp. 18 -- The Peculiar Institution
Chp. 19 -- From Sea to Shining Sea
Chp. 20 -- Apples of Discord
Chp. 21 -- The Collapse of the Union
Chp. 22 -- Tidy Plans, Ugly Realities
Chp. 23 -- Driving Old Dixie Down
Course Calendar Fall, 2011
MWF First Class . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monday, Aug. 22
TuTh First Class . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tuesday, Aug.
23
Last Day to Add Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Friday,
Aug. 26
Last Day to Drop with refund .. . . . . . . . . . Wednesday, Sept. 7
Six Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .To Be
Announced
Projects & Other Assignments . . . . . . . . . To Be Announced
Mid-Term Exam, MWF Classes . .. . . . . . . . . . . . Friday, Oct. 14
Mid-Term Exam, TuTh Classes . . . . . . . . . . Thursday, Oct. 13
Last Day to Drop with W . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . Monday, Oct. 31
Thanksgiving Holiday (No Classes) . . . . . . . . . . . Nov. 21 – 25
Last Class Meeting, MWF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Friday, Dec. 9
Last Class Meeting, TuTh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thursday, Dec. 8
Final Exams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..To Be Announced, Dec. 12 - 15