History 2610.031 and 2610.888 (combined course)
United States History to 1865- Fall 2014 Course Syllabus
ANY QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY PLEASE CONTACT BLACKBOARDPhone: (940) 565-2324
Instructor:Dr. Deborah Liles. Office is in Wooten Hall 229
E-Mail:
Office Hours:Tuesday and Thursday 11:00am – 1:00pm
Teaching Assistant (TA): Please put HIST 2610 Online in the subject heading of all emails. You are assigned TAs so that you can get personal help; please contact them first with questions that are not answered in this syllabus or in announcements. If you do not get the help you asked for, please forward the email stream to me, Dr. Liles.
A – F: Your TA is Kyle
G – O: Your TA is Michael
P – Z: Your TA is Kimberly
Course Goal: The objective of this course will be to provide the student with a basic knowledge of American History up to1865.
Mandatory Texts:
Connect + Becoming America vol. 1. McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 9781259372261
American History 2610. Pearson. Reader Access Code. ISBN: 9781269931502
Grading:
15 weekly quizzes over readings in Becoming America. (100 pts each). 1,500 points
4 quizzes over readings in American History 2610 (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
***There are multiple opportunities for extra credit in this class. If you complete the LS (Learn Smart) assignments for each chapter (located in Extra Credit folder), you can earn up to 300 extra points! (These chapters will be open until Dec 3).There will also be an extra credit quiz available at the end of the semester. These options are great if you miss an assignment or just want to boost your grade***
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 McGraw-Hill’s Becoming America. Each quiz is available for two weeks and is multiple choice. Quizzes open every Thursday at 12:01am and are due by 11:59 p.m. two Wednesday’s later. You will have two hours and two chances to take each of them. Consult the schedule at the end of the syllabus for due dates.Be aware that once these close, they will not reopen for any reason.
Reading Quizzes: These questions come from your reader, American History 2610. There are 4 of these quizzes worth 200 points each. They all have different due dates (approximately three weeks apart) 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. Consult the schedule at the end of the syllabus for due dates. Be aware that once these close, they will not reopen for any reason.
Discussion postings: There are four discussion postings/replies during the course of the semester. Primary (first hand) documents will be provided for each of the postings (either in links or in postings by Dr. Liles). You will chose one per section and write a posting (approximately 200 words) that explains how that document compares or contrasts to readings in your text book, reader, or both, and you will reply to a classmate. Your posting and reply are worth 50 points per discussion forum towards your final grade; no late postings will be accepted.
Mid-Term and Final Exams: You will be given the choice of three essay questions for each exam based on all of the readings in the class. You are required to answer two of these questions. 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. No multiple choice questions from weekly quizzes are included in the exams. Consult the schedule at the end of the syllabus for due dates. Keep up with postings in the Professor’s Forum for important exam postings.
Taking Exams: Instructions are posted about procedure for taking and submitting exams in announcements. We use a program called Turnitin, which checks extensively for Plagiarism. If you are caught using someone else’s work (cheating) you will at best fail the exam, at worst be expelled. 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 approximately one week after the given exam’s due date. You will have two days to ask questions about your exams, after that we move on and the subject is closed. No exceptions.
Make-Ups: Due to the simple fact that programming is involved in every aspect of this class, no make-up quizzes of any kind are offered. If you miss a quiz please do not ask for exceptions as I cannot help you. Extra credit is offered throughout the semester. 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 letter grade penalty. NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule. 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 You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.”
AdditionalResources: 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
Assignment Schedule – Please pay attention to the due dates!
Readings and Quizzes Due Date
Ch 1: Convergence of many Peoples: America before 1600 ------Sept 3
Ch 2:Early Colonies 1600-1680------Sept 10
Ch 3: Slavery and Race ------Sept 10
Ch 4: British Colonies in an Atlantic Economy, 1660-1750 ------Sept 17
**Reading quiz #1. Chapters 1 – 5 in American History 2610------Sept 17
Discussion forum posting #1------Sept 17
Ch 5: Empires, War, and the Transformation of Indian Country, 1700-1765-Sept 24
Ch 6: Crisis and War ------Oct 1
**************MID-TERM(Over Ch 1– Ch 6)Oct 2 – Oct 6************
Ch 7: Making a New Nation ------Oct 8
Ch 8: The Early Republic, 1790-1811 ------Oct 15
**Reading quiz #2. Chapters 6 – 10 in American History 2610 ------Oct 15
Discussion forum posting #2------Oct 15
Ch 9: War, Expansion, and Indian Removal, 1811-1830 ------Oct 22
Ch 10:Market Society and the Birth of Mass politics, 1825-1844 ------Oct 29
Ch 11: Slavery and the South, 1831-1844 ------Nov 5 **Reading quiz #3. Chapters 11 – 15 in American History 2610------Nov 5
Discussion forum posting #3------Nov 5 Ch 12: Era of Middle-Class Reform ------Nov 12
Ch 13: Expansion, Nationalism, and American popular Culture, 1844-1854-- Nov 19
Ch 14: A Union unraveling, 1848-1860 ------Nov 26
**Reading quiz #4. Chapters 16 – 20 in American History 2610 ------Nov 26
Discussion forum posting #4 ------Nov 26
Ch 15: Disunion and war, 1861-1865 ------Dec 3
****************FINAL (Covers Ch 7- Ch 15) Dec 4 – Dec 8****************
****Important – See last page!****
- Please pay attention to due dates as there are several where there are more than one assignment due at the same time. Remember no make-ups.
- 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 3rd chance.