NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title:	United States History II
Course Prefix & Number:		HIST1302	Section Number:	233	Semester/Year:	DEC. MINI 2018-2019
Semester Credit Hours:		3	Lecture Hours:	3	Lab Hours:	0
Course Description (NCTC Catalog): A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of the United States from the Civil War/Reconstruction era to the present.  United States History II examines industrialization, immigration, world wars, the Great Depression, Cold War and post-Cold War eras.  Themes that may be addressed in United States History II include:  American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological change, economic change, immigration and migration, urbanization and suburbanization, the expansion of the federal government, and the study of U.S. foreign Policy.
Course Prerequisite(s): None
Required Course Materials: Brinkley, Alan.  The Unfinished Nation:  A Concise History of the American People. 8th edition. McGraw-Hill. 2016 ISBN 978-1259969118   The Web-based material is unique to NCTC.  You must purchase it from the NCTC bookstore or directly through Canvas, to the McGraw-Hill publishing Connect website.

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Jason Scheller, M.A.
Campus/Office Location:	Online
Telephone Number:	940-733-5808 (cell)
E-mail Address:	jscheller@nctc.edu

 

OFFICE HOURS

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
9am-1pm	9 am-1pm	9am-1pm	9am-1pm

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog)

At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
	Create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
	Analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources.
	Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on this period of the United States History.

 

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
2	Test (Midterm and Final)	500 points (250 points each)
10	Chapter Reflections/Understand, Analyze and Evaluate	350 points (35 points each
1	Syllabus Sign in Sheet	50 points
1	Final Essay	100 points

 

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)

 

THIS IS A DECEMBER MINI MESTER.  YOU HAVE 4 WEEKS TO COMPLETE 16 WEEKS OF WORK.  MY SUGGESTION IS TO COVER AT LEAST 4 MODULES A WEEK TO STAY AHEAD OF THE JANUARY 10, 2019 11PM DEADLINE.

 

ALL DUE DATES FOR ASSIGNMENTS AND TESTS CAN BE FOUND IN CANVAS BY LOOKING AT THE MODULES, OR THE CALENDAR.

 

FAILURE TO COMPLETE ALL ASSIGNMENTS BY THE JANUARY 10, 2019 11PM END OF THIS COURSE WILL RESULT IN A FAILING OR LOWER THAN EXPECTED GRADE IN THIS COURSE.

 

IN SHORT, GET IN THERE AND GET IT DONE.

 

You, the student, are responsible for all materials presented in this class.  These materials include, but are not limited to: class lectures, notes, assigned reading, handouts, materials posted to Canvas.

 

Your grade is based solely on your work in this class. 

 

Your status (Dean’s list, Who’s Who, Prom King/Queen, Visiting Royalty, etc.) has no bearing on your grade for this class.  If you do not perform as well as you expected on an exam, the time to see me is as soon as possible after the exams are returned.

 

CALLING WITH QUESTIONS:

 

The phone number is like a Mogwai from the movie Gremlins, it comes with rules.  The rules are:

 

1.  No calls after 9pm.  I have a wife and a five-year old daughter.  We like to sleep, please be respectful.

 

2. I love my weekends.  Please try to refrain from calling or texting on the weekends.  Unless it is an absolute emergency, do not call or text.  I will not reopen any work you missed on Monday after the weekend either way.   Remember, procrastination/laziness on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

 

3. If you would like to text me, that is fine.  Please provide your name and which class you’re in so that I can help you better.  Also, please observe rules 1 and 2 when texting.

 

 

WHEN WILL YOU SEE GRADES?

 

I will do my level best to get you grades in a timely manner.  For weekly work it will be at least a 48-hour turnaround time for me to get you those grades.  For tests expect at least 72 hours for me to begin to get everything back to you.

 

REMEMBER, HOPEFULLY YOU TOOK YOUR TIME TURNING IN A STELLAR FINISHED PRODUCT.  I WANT TO MAKE SURE I GIVE YOU ALL THE CREDIT YOU’RE DUE.

 

I teach for two different schools and have over 500 students just for me.  Where’s my teaching assistant you say?  There isn’t one.  So I have to grade all of that stuff myself.  Please be patient when checking grades.  Text me if you want an update.  I will be happy to give it to you.

 

All the above being said, I will be grading constantly for four weeks straight.  Check back a couple of times each day to see updates to your overall grade.

 

 

 

COURSE GRADE: 

 

Chapter Reflections/Understand, Analyze and Evaluate:                  350 points

 

Midterm Exam:                                                                                      250 points

 

Final Exam:                                                                                             250 points

 

Final Paper:                                                                                         100 points

 

Syllabus Sign In Sheet:                                                                           50 points

                                                                                                            __________

                                                                                                                  

Total:                                                                                                      1000 points

 

 

THIS CLASS IS A RACE TO 1000 POINTS.  YOUR GRADE IS BASED SOLELY ON THE TOTAL POINTS YOU ACCUMULATE DURING CLASS, NOT THE PERCENTAGE.  THUS, IF YOU HAVE 790 POINTS TOTAL, BUT A 91.2% COMPLETE, YOU GOT A “C” BECAUSE YOU HAVE 790 TOTAL POINTS.

 

REMEMBER TO ALWAYS LOOK AT TOTAL POINTS ACCUMULATED TO DETERMINE YOUR GRADE AND NOT PERCENTAGES.

 

 

If you miss an exam, your grade is “0”.  If an exam falls on a day that is inconvenient for you because of a prior academic commitment, please see me ASAP to reschedule your exam! 

 

Failure to do so will result in you receiving a “0” for that exam.  If you miss the final without an excuse you fail.

 

 Forgetting the final or oversleeping is not an excuse.  With an excuse you will receive an incomplete until the final is made up. 

 

You cannot receive a grade of incomplete if you are failing.

 

Semester Grading Scale:

 

A= 900-1000 points

 

B= 800-899 points

 

C=700-799 points

 

D= 600-699 points

 

F= below 600 points

 

 

LATE WORK ACCEPTANCE POLICY:

 

 

WE WILL BE ACCEPTING NO LATE WORK IN THE DECEMBER MINIMESTER.  NEITHER YOU NOR I HAVE THE TIME FOR THAT.

 

MAKE-UP EXAMINATIONS:   NO MAKE UP EXAMS IN A DECEMBER MINI-MESTER

 

MCGRAW-HILL ONLINE ASSIGNMENTS AND YOU:

 

We will not be using any Learn Smart assignments for a grade.  Therefore, you need not complete any assignments in McGraw-Hill.  I give you access to supplement your understanding of weekly assignments, but nothing in McGraw-Hill Learn Smart activities is for a grade.

 

 

[instructor-specific upload]

 

HANDLING HOMEWORK (CHAPTER REFLECTIONS/UNDERSTAND, ANALYZE AND EVALUATE:

 

For the answer to each question there needs to be at least two paragraphs of information to answer it (1 paragraph= 4 sentences).  Additionally, there needs to be at least one paragraph of critical thought about the information.

 

Answering questions in this manner will prepare you for the test where essays are required, and for answering short answer ID questions.

 

TESTS:

 

There will be two tests during the semester a Midterm and a Final.  The sections of the test are as follows:

 

IDENTIFICATIONS (ID’s) 100 total points:

 

These are short answer questions where I am looking for a short answer to describe/define the thing in question, and then a sentence or two about the historical significance of the thing in question.

 

There are typically fifteen ID’s on the test and you only need to complete ten of them.  It is up to you which ten you complete.

 

AN EXAMPLE OF A BAD ID:

 

George Washington:  Commander of the confederate army in the Vietnam War, and writer of the Declaration of Independence.

 

EXAMPLE OF A GOOD ID:

 

George Washington:  First President of the United States under the Constitution.  Commander of the Continental Army.  Commonly referred to as the “Father of Our Country.”  He is on the dollar bill and quarter.

 

ESSAY (100 total points):

 

There are typically multiple essays on the test.  You pick the one you feel most comfortable writing about and give me a 1.5-3-page essay on that topic that answers the question completely.

 

JEOPARDY QUESTIONS (50 total points):

 

There are five fill-in-the-blank questions at the end of the test.  Fill in the blank with the correct answer and you will receive ten points for each correct answer.

 

FINAL ESSAY:

 

The final essay must be 3-5 pages in length, excluding the Works Cited page at the end. 

 

All final essay submissions must have in-text citations and a works cited page to get full points for the submission.

 

Instructions for the paper and topics can be found in the instructions attached to the corresponding module in Canvas.

 

SYLLABUS SIGN IN SHEET:

 

To complete this assignment all you need to do is upload a copy of the last page of this syllabus signed and dated. 

 

It is worth fifty points and is an expectation of the instructor that you read and sign the syllabus to make sure you understand what is expected of you.

 

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.  All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor.  It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member.  Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence.  Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work.  Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor.  A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam.  Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives.    Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)

Additional Instructor-specific Absence Policy:

In the December Minimester, if you miss class, you won’t pass.  DON’T MISS CLASS

 

Attendance in an online class is measured by your timely completion of the assignments in the weekly, or in the case of a December Mini, daily, modules.

 

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is December 27, 2018.

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).

Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc.  Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.

For support, please contact the counselors at (940) 498-6207 or (940) 668-4321.  Alternatively, students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 in Gainesville.

FERPA AND YOU

 

The Federal government has a law called FERPA that makes it illegal for me to share grade information with anyone but you.  Where might this become an issue?  If your parent, guardian, brother, sister, etc. calls me and asks for a grade I CANNOT GIVE IT TO THEM!  I can however speak with you about your grade and performance in my class.  If you are taking my class, then you accept responsibility as a college student (no matter your age).  And as such, you are responsible for making sure you do well in this class, not your parent or guardian.

 

 

 

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core)_______       

o         Communication

o         Mathematics              

o         Life and Physical Science

o         Language, Philosophy & Culture

o         Creative Arts

 

o         Government/Political Science

o         Social and Behavioral Sciences

o         Component Area Option

X         American History

 

X             Critical Thinking

X              Communication

o           Empirical and Quantitative

 

o           Teamwork

X              Personal Responsibility

X              Social Responsibility

COURSE TYPE

STUDENT HANDBOOK

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY