On Tuesdays between 11:00am and Noon, I will hold office hours.  During this time I will be online; emails sent during this period will receive an immediate response. (Response time will vary depending on the number of emails I receive.)

To email me through ETUDES-NG, log-in to the class website, select "Discussion and Private Messages" from the left-hand-column menu, on the resulting page select "Private Messages" (near the top of the page), on the resulting page select "newtopic," on the next page highlight my name in the "To user" box, create a subject line, write your message, and, finally, click on "submit" (near the bottom of the page).

Successful completion of this course requires students to:

1. Critically evaluate the interpretations of U.S. history and gain insight on the historical past.

2. Critically evaluate the nature of European histories that fostered colonialism and empire building.

3. Analyze the basis for Spanish, French and English "territorial conflicts" in North America.

4. Interpret the causes for the early successes and failure of Colonial America.

5. Interpret the causes for the early successes and failure of Colonial America.

6. Compare/contrast the vital issues that form the basis of the American Revolution.

7. Critically evaluate the compromises and promises of the American Constitutional Convention of 1787 and later amendments thereto.

8. Evaluate the impact of the American frontier on American institutions and ideals.

9. Resolve the historical issues relative to the significance of California and the gold rush era on state and national controversies.

10. Critically interpret the events and results of the American Civil War.

11. Analyze the successes and failures of the era of Reconstruction, 1867-77.

These requirements will be met through written exercises, class discussions, quizzes, and examinations.

Why attend a history class? Besides obtaining GE units, it is impossible to fully understand the present without knowledge of the past. Over two thousand years ago the Roman statesman and author Cicero expressed this point when he wrote, "To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child."

Students must be able to use ETUDES-NG.  Please work through the free ETUDES-NG tutorials before being the class:

http://www.siskiyous.edu/online/etudes/index.htm.

It is the students responsibility to learn how to navigate and use ETUDES-NG.

The quizzes and tests are based on the fifth edition of the book.

You do not need the CD that comes with the new book.

After reading the Syllabus and other course information, the first thing you will need to do is take the Intro Quiz.  You can take the Intro Quiz as often as needed until you earn a perfect score.  Once you pass the Intro Quiz with a 100% score you can move onto the next assignment.  Again, you can take the Intro Quiz as many times as you need to to earn a perfect score.  (By doing this you learn the requirements for the class, and your first grade for the semester will be an "A"!)

Module Work

The class is divided into several modules. (Links to each module are found on the "Modules" page; to access this page click on "Modules" in the left-hand column menu.)  In most cases, each module has an objective quiz, a written assignment, and a discussion forum.  (Module 1 requires you to only answer questions based on a website reading, so you can complete this module even if you do not have the class books.)

• Quizzes:
  • Listed on the Class Schedule are the due dates for each module's quizzes.
  • Quizzes are based on the Nation of Nations textbook and have objective questions.
  • You can take each quiz only once.  Each quiz is timed.  Once you begin to take a quiz, you may not stop.
  • Objective quizzes have approximately ten questions per textbook chapter (there may be one or two chapters per objective quiz).  (Students are encouraged to use the Nation of Nations' website when studying.  See the textbook for the URL.)
  • Quizzes are open for two days, from 12:01am on the first day to 11:59pm on the second day.
  • To access the quizzes, select "Tests & Quizzes" from the left-hand column menu, and then select the current quiz.
• Written Assignments:
  • Listed on the Class Schedule are the due dates for each module's assignments.
  • Written assignments are based on information from websites, The Way We Lived, or other assigned readings.  (Module 1 requires you to only answer questions based on website readings, so you can complete this module even if you do not have the class books.)
  • Written assignments may be submitted anytime the module is being discussed.  These assignments will not be accepted after 11:59pm on the last day of discussion.
  • You submit your written assignments to me on ETUDES-NG's Assignment webpage.  To access the written assignment submission box, select Assignments from the left-hand-column menu, and then select the current assignment.
• Discussion Board:
  • Students are expected to participate by making relevant, thoughtful, constructive and respectful posts on the Discussion Board at least thrice per module.
  • Approximately one week before a module's due date I will post at least one discussion question on the Discussion Board relevant to that module.  Students are encouraged to respond to this question, respond to other students' posts, and post questions or topics of their own.  I am particularly impressed by students who draw connections between the historical period under study and the present.
  • At least three posts need to be made for each module.  For grading purposes, posts need to be made at least one day apart.  However, students are encouraged to make more than three posts each module, and it is acceptable to make more than one post each day.
• Tests:
  • There are two objective non-cumulative tests in the class based on information from Nation of Nations.
  • Approximately twenty percent of the questions are taken from the quizzes, so make sure you study your past quizzes before taking each test.  The remaining questions will be new to you.
  • Tests are open for only one day!  You must take each test on its due date between 12:01am and 11:59pm.
  • You must take each test on your own; you may not have help from anyone else when taking the tests.

Evaluation, Grading, and Determination of Final Grade

• Quizzes:
  • Each objective question is worth one point.
  • Soon after the due date for each quiz based on the Nation of Nations textbook, the correct answers will be available.
  • If it has been more than forty-eight hours since you submitted an objective quiz and you have not received a grade, please send me an ETUDES-NG email.
• Written Assignments:
  • Are either short answer or essay answer: short answer (worth three points) and essay answer (worth ten points). 
  • See the Important Class Information module for more detailed instructions on answering written assignments.
  • I try to grade all written assignments before you submit your next assignment, but sometimes it may be longer.
  • If it has been more than five days since written assignment has closed and you have not received a grade, please send me an ETUDES-NG email.
• Discussion Board:
  • Posts are worth a total of one hundred points.
  • A maximum of fifty points will be awarded approximately half-way through the class based on posts to date.  At the end of the semester, the remaining fifty points will be awarded based on second-half-of-semester posts.
• Tests:
  • Tests are based on information from the Nation of Nations textbook.
  • Unlike quizzes, tests are open for only one day!  You must take each test on its due date between 12:01am and 11:59pm.
  • Tests are not returned to students.
• Life Happens Points:
  • Unexpected events occur in all our lives.  Sometimes our schedules are interrupted with rather insignificant events such as a last-minute work schedule change, a power outage, or a vehicle malfunction.  Other times the unforeseen event is serious; a close friend dies, a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness and must spend time in the hospital, or you might be in an accident.  Events such as these might result in you missing a module's quiz and written assignment.
  • Therefore, since life happens, at the end of the semester, I will calculate the average possible points for a module's quiz and written assignment and add those points to everyone's grade.  If you complete all the module quizzes and written assignments, these added points will be extra credit points.  If, for whatever reason (including adding the class from the Wait List after the first module), you miss a module's quiz or written assignment, you will be able to maintain your grade in the course.
  • This means there are no make-up quizzes or written assignments - no matter how tragic the circumstance.  Remember, the Life Happens Points won't let you fall behind if you miss one set of quizzes.
• Final Grade Determination:
  • At the end of the semester I will add up each students' points.
  • Students who earn 90% or more of the total possible points will receive an "A," 80% or more equals a "B," 70% percent or more is a "C," 60% or more is a "D," and below 60% is a "F."
  • The instructor has absolute and final discretion in awarding grades.
• Incomplete:
  • “Incomplete academic work for unforeseeable emergency and justifiable reasons at the end of the term may result in an "I" symbol being entered in the student's record. The condition for removal of the "I" shall be stated by the instructor in a written record (Incomplete Contract). This record shall contain the conditions for removal of the "I" and the grade assigned in lieu of its removal. This record must be given to the student with a copy on file with the Registrar until the "I" is made up or the time limit has passed. A final grade shall be assigned when the work stipulated has been completed and evaluated or when the time limit for completing the work has passed. The "I" may be made up no later than one year following the end of the term in which it was assigned. The "I" symbol shall not be used in calculating units attempted nor for grade points.” (2005-2007 COS Catalog, 36).

• Print out a copy of the Class Schedule and keep it handy.
• Because you know all the due dates far in advance and because you may take the quizzes and tests any time during the twenty-four to forty-eight hour period they are available, late work is not accepted.
• Since quizzes, written assignments, and tests are open over an extended period of time, there is no reason for work to be late; if you have a computer that crashes or there are electrical storms in your area, take the test very early so you will have time to fix any problems or find another computer on which to take the quizzes or test if an issue arises.
• Power outages and computer crashes are no excuse for late work.
• Being without a textbook (for whatever reason) is not a valid excuse for late work.
• Adding the class late is not a valid excuse for late work.
• It is your responsibility to know how to use the world wide web and ETUDES-NG.
• If you miss a quiz or two, all is not lost.  See my previous comments concerning the Life Happens Points.

The instructor has absolute and final discretion in awarding grades.

From the College of the Siskiyous 2007 - 2009 College Catalog (page 28):

Definition:

Plagiarism is an act of theft committed by a person who is stealing someone else’s intellectual property. Plagiarism is an act of dishonesty. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, a writer is misrepresenting someone else’s words or ideas as his or her own.

Examples:

Intentional plagiarism exists when a student lists sources that he or she has not used; when a student copies from a source but fails to cite it, thereby misrepresenting the original source’s ideas as his or her own; when a student copies material from another student’s work without giving that other student credit; when a student buys or borrows a whole paper or portions of a paper from another student or from the World Wide Web; when a student copies another artist’s music or work of art and tries to submit it as his or her own.

Unintentional plagiarism, which is also punishable, may exist when a student attempts to paraphrase or summarize a source but copies too much from the source instead of re-writing the ideas in his or her own words; when a student inadvertently fails to include a parenthetical reference to a source, although the source is listed among the citations at the end of the paper; when a student fails to put quotation marks around quoted material; when a student relies too heavily on external sources, thus expressing few or none of his or her own ideas.

These examples are not all inclusive of every possible form of plagiarism and should not be considered as such.

From the 2005 – 2007 Shasta College Catalog (pages 20-21):

Taking Information

a. Copying graded homework assignments from another student.

b. Working together on a take-home test or homework when not specifically permitted by the instructor.

c. Looking at another student’s paper during an examination.

d. Looking at text or notes during an examination when not specifically permitted by the instructor.

e. Accessing another student’s computer and using his/her data as one’s own.

Providing Information

a. Giving one’s work to another to be copied or used in an oral presentation.

b. Giving answers to another student during an examination.

c. After taking an examination, informing a student enrolled in a later course section of questions that appear on the examination.

d. Providing a term paper to another student.

e. Taking an examination, writing a paper, or creating computer data or artistic work for another

Plagiarism

a. Failing to give credit for ideas, statement of facts, or conclusions derived by another author. Failure to use quotation marks when quoting directly from another, whether it be a paragraph, a sentence, or a part thereof.

b. Submitting a paper purchased from a “research” or term paper service.

c. Copying another person’s assignment and handing it in as one’s own.

d. Giving a speech or oral presentation written by another and claiming it as one’s own work.

e. Claiming credit for artistic work done by someone else, such as a music composition, photos, a painting, drawing, sculpture, or design.

f. Presenting another’s computer data as one’s own.

Other Academic Dishonesty

a. Planning with one or more fellow students to commit any form of academic dishonesty together.

b. Having another student take one’s examination or do one’s computer data or lab experiment.

c. Lying to an instructor to increase a grade.

d. Submitting papers or speeches that are substantially the same for credit in two different courses without prior approval of the instructors involved.

e. Altering a graded work after it has been returned, then submitting the work for re-grading unless specifically allowed by the instructor.

f. Removing tests from the classroom without the approval of the instructor, or stealing tests.

g. Copying computer software from a floppy disk or a hard drive unless specifically allowed by the instructor.”

Attendance Policy

See the current COS Class Schedule or this class’ schedule for the last day to drop the class.

See the current COS Class Schedule or this class’ schedule for the last day to drop the class.