PURPOSE AND GOALS OF COURSE:  History 1302 is a three-hour general survey of the United States from 1877 to the present day.  This course satisfies three of the six hours in American History required by the state of Texas.  In fulfilling requirements for this course, the student will take a minimum of four major exams, each containing a significant writing component.  The instructor may add other quizzes, reports, or extra credit items.  A comprehensive final examination will be given during examinations week at the end of the semester.  

By the end of the course, the student should be able to complete satisfactorily the learning objectives listed below.  The course is designed to familiarize the student with the broad development of the United States, its people, culture, society, economic and political systems.  Students will be encouraged to organize and analyze historical data in order to understand and appreciate the complexities of our society, as well as the sources of our national unity.

ASSIGNMENTS/TESTS.   The student will be responsible for monitoring the WebCT site calendar and other assessment sites, such as Quizzes, Assignments, etc.  It is the student's responsibility to keep up with ALL deadlines.  Deadlines for exams are posted on the Calendar; deadlines/due dates for quizzes and written Assignments are posted on those pages, respectively, and linked to the Calendar.

All assignments and tests must be completed by the due date.  Due dates are the LAST DAY something may be submitted for full credit.  A student may--indeed, is encouraged--to complete tasks before the deadline/due date.  All students must take the final exam.  Failure to do so results in an automatic F for the course, no matter your GPA to that point.  (This is college policy.)  If you have an emergency that prevents you from taking the final, contact the instructor ASAP so you can arrange for an I.

Most weekly assignments will be completed using e-mail or the Internet.  However, students must take written exams in the TJC testing center.  Non-local students must make arrangements to take their exam in a proctored setting --i.e., at a local high school, library, or other learning center.  Please contact Sue Willis (swil@tjc.edu) to make these arrangements.  (Be aware that TJC charges a $20 per exam fee for exams taking anywhere other than the TJC Testing Center  Sorry, but that's their rule.) 

The instructor may drop a student's lowest test grade at the end of the semester and replace it with the final exam grade if the latter is higher.   However, a student may not simply opt to just skip an exam and expect to replace it with the final exam.  You must have a valid, approved reason to the instructor before the end of the exam period.  If you are required to take the final, you may NOT skip or drop the final exam for any reason. 

COMMUNICATION.   Although the instructor is figuratively available to the student 24/7, there are some general parameters for communication in a web-based course.  On weekdays, you should reasonably expect a turnaround time (i.e., an answer) within 24 hours.  (Often, the reply will arrive sooner than that, depending on the "traffic load.")  On weekends--especially between Friday and Sunday evenings--response time will be less prompt, so the student should plan accordingly.

POSTING MESSAGES.  When posting a message via e-mail, always place the reference in the subject heading area.  For example, if you have a question regarding Activity 2.4, you would write Activity 2.4 under Subject Heading.  What messages should be posted to e-mail and which to the discussion list?  Anything that concerns private information, such as your grade, or a particular situation you need to discuss (such as how you're doing in the class), should be e-mailed to the Instructor.   Anything concerning a general topic, such as a question concerning an assignment or a lecture that you might ask in class were this a lecture course, you post to the relevant discussion threat (Unit One, Unit Two, etc.).

ALTERNATE COMMUNICATION.  In the event that your computer crashes, you have recourse to other means of communication.  You can call the instructor's office on weekdays at the number listed at the top of this syllabus and leave a message.  (Note:  in summer the instructor does not keep regular office hours so there may be some delay in receiving phone messages.  Also:  if you live outside the immediate 903 local calling area, the instructor ay not be able to return you phone call.  Thus, the best method of communication remains e-mail.) 

GRADING.   Exam grades generally count for 70% of your final class grade; essays, quizzes, and other assignments count 30%.  You can check your grade on the "Grades" under "My Tools" on WebCT (Apache Access).

COURSE WITHDRAWAL POLICY.  It is the student’s responsibility to drop a class.  All drops must be processed by an Academic Advisor appropriate to the student’s major.

PLAGIARISM.  Please read carefully the section in your online orientation regarding plagiarism.  The student is responsible for knowing the rules governing plagiarism and cheating.  Any case will result in an automatic F for the course.

PERFORMANCE/LEARNING OBJECTIVES (MINIMUM COMPETANCIES):  

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to do the following with 70 percent competency:

1.  Explain the development of industrialization in America and relate the political-economic impact it had on the Gilded Age.

2.  Assess United States imperialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

3.  Compare and contrast the reform efforts of the U.S., including Populism, Progressivism, the New Deal, and the Great Society.

4.  Analyze the involvement of the U. S. in World War I and World War II and relate these events to the crisis of the post-war periods.

5.  Summarize the central elements of U. S. domestic history over the past half-century, including civil rights, presidential politics, and the changes in American society and culture.

1.    Economic Expansion of the United States, 1877-1900.

2.    American Imperial Expansion.

3.    The Progressive Era and World War I.

4.    The Depression and the New Deal.

5.    World War II.

6.    The Cold War and its aftermath.

7.    American Politics, 1945-2000.