SPRING 2012 HISTORY 1301 SYLLABUS HCCS CENTRAL
TIMOTHY HOWARD, INSTRUCTOR
(thoward2@uh.edu)
THE TEXTBOOK IS:
AMERICAN PASSAGES
By Ayers
PUBLISHED BY CENGAGE/WADSWORTH
THE CLASS RULES
THIS IS A “WEB-ENHANCED” CLASS WHICH MEANS THERE WILL BE QUITE A BIT OF INTERACTION WITH
CLASS MATERIALS ON THE INTERNET. BASIC COMPUTER SKILLS WILL BE NECESSARY TO
SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THIS CLASS.
ALL CLASS INFORMATION/NOTES/EXAM/LINKS TO VIDEOS, ETC IS ON THE HCCS EAGLE WEB SITE.
THERE WILL BE A SERIES OF REQUIRED AND EXTRA CREDIT CHAPTER EXAMS
AND A SERIES OF REQUIRED LECTURE EXAMS AND EXTRA CREDIT VIDEO EXAMS
THE LIST OF REQUIRED AND EXTRA CREDIT CHAPTER EXAMS IS ON THE
CLASS’S EAGLE ONLINE WEB SITE
FINAL SEMESTER GRADE
50% OF YOUR GRADE WILL COME FROM THE BOOK EXAMS
50% WILL COME FROM THE LECTURE EXAMS
EACH REQUIRED EXAM WILL BE WORTH UP TO 100 PTS
EACH EXTRA CREDIT EXAM WILL BE WORTH UP TO 10 POINTS
EXTRA CREDIT POINTS EARNED ON CHAPTER EXAMS WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR REQUIRED CHAPTER
EXAM AVERAGE, AND POINTS EARNED ON THE VIDEO EXTRA CREDIT EXAMS WILL BE ADDED TO THE
LECTURE EXAMS.
THE TESTS WILL BE MOSTLY TRUE/FALSE, MATCHING, AND MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS WITH A
FEW SHORT ANSWER ESSAYS THROWN IN FROM TIME TO TIME. THERE IS A TIME LIMIT ON EACH
EXAM AND YOU MAY ONLY TAKE EACH EXAM ONCE. EACH EXAM IS WORTH 100 POINTS.
STUDENTS WILL TAKE THE EXAMS EITHER ON OR OFF CAMPUS OUTSIDE OF THE NORMAL CLASS
MEETING TIME, ONLINE THROUGH THE CLASS’S BLACKBOARD VISTA WEB SITE.
THE ONLY DEADLINE IS THAT STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE THE TESTS NO LATER THAN MAY 10TH
(LATE IN THE EVENING). EACH TEST RANDOMLY PULLS QUESTIONS FROM A QUESTION BANK, SO NO
TWO PEOPLE WILL HAVE THE SAME TEST QUESTIONS.
CLASS MATERIALS
ALL CLASS MATERIALS; SYLLABUS, CLASS NOTES, EXAMS, LINKS TO EXTRA CREDIT VIDEOS, EXTRA
CREDIT QUIZZES, ARE AVAILABLE 24/7 ONLINE.
CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR
WHILE IN CLASS STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO NOT TEXT, NOT READ BOOKS, AND TAKE OR CONSULT
NOTES. STUDENTS DISREGARDING THIS WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE CLASS FOR THE REMAINDER
OF THE DAY.
IT IS OK WITH ME TO RECORD MY LECTURES..
CLASSROOM ATTENDANCE/GRADE
YOUR CLASSROOM ATTENDANCE GRADE WILL COUNT AS EXTRA CREDIT POINTS ADDED TO AN
EXAM. OF COURSE, IT DOES NOT MATTER WHICH EXAM IT’S ADDED TO.
IF YOU DECIDE THIS CLASS ISN’T FOR YOU AND STOP ATTENDING, I CANNOT DROP YOU.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
ANY STUDENT CAUGHT CHEATING WILL RECEIVE AN F FOR THE SEMESTER, AND MAY FACE FURTHER
DISCIPLINE BY THE COLLEGE.
ADA STATEMENT
IF YOU HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH A LEARNING DISABILITY, LET ME KNOW AND I CAN MAKE
SPECIAL ACCOMODATIONS TO HELP YOU OUT.
DEADLINES
THERE ARE TWO DEADLINES. APPROXIMATELY ½ OF THE REQUIRED EXAMS MUST BE TAKEN BY 3/18.
THE 2ND SET OF REQUIRED EXAMS AND ALL EXTRA CREDIT WORK MUST BE COMPLETED BY 5/8.
ANY MISSING EXAM WILL COUNT AS A ZERO.
MAKEUPS
BECAUSE OF THE TREMENDOUS FLEXIBILITY GIVEN TO STUDENTS IN THIS CLASS, THERE WILL BE NO
“MAKEUP” EXAMS….IF YOU WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO COMPLETE AN ASSIGNMENT, AND
THERE IS A COMPUTER ISSUE OR PROBLEM OR ILLNESS BEFALLS YOU OR A LOVED ONE, YOU WILL
NOT BE GIVEN ADDITIONAL TIME TO COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENT. IT IS BEST TO COMPLETE THE
ASSIGNMENTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE…
NOT “KNOWING” A DEADLINE, OR HAVING A MISTAKEN IMPRESSION ON WHEN AN ASSIGNMENT WAS
DUE IS NOT A VALID EXCUSE FOR RECEIVING EXTENDED TIME TO COMPLETE AN ASSIGNMENT.
INCOMPLETES
INCOMPLETES ARE ONLY GIVEN OUT TO STUDENTS WHO HAVE COMPLETED AT LEAST 80% OF THE
COURSEWORK, AND HAD A LAST MINUTE ISSUE AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER WHICH MEETS THE
COLLEGE’S MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR AN INCOMPLETE. ALL GRADES OF “I” ARE SUBJECT TO
APPROVAL BY THE DEAN.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
History 1301 is a survey of American History from Discovery to 1877. A survey course touches lightly on a
variety of topics but does not provide a deep and thorough discussion of any particular topic. The course is
based on lectures, readings, films, group and individual web activities, and classroom discussions. This course
transfers as 3 hours of credit to most other colleges and universities.
Upon completion of this course, you should have a clear understanding of United States history. Furthermore,
this course is designed to improve the following skills:
• Reading/Writing •
Understanding the primary and secondary sources •Articulating your thoughts •Critical
and logical thinking •Computer skills2
OFFICE HOURS:
I WILL BE AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS IMMEDIATELY AFTER CLASS. TRADITIONALLY EMAIL
COMMUNICATION IS KEY TO KEEPING UP WITH THE CLASS AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS. FOR THE
FASTEST RESPONSE, EMAIL ME AT thoward2@uh.edu.
AMENDING THE SYLLABUS
THE SYLLABUS MAY HAVE TO BE AMENDED IF TECHNICAL GLITCHES AND PROBLEMS OR UNEXPECTED
INSTRUCTOR ILLNESS ARISES. IF I KNOW I WILL OR CANNOT BE IN CLASS I WILL SEND AN EMAIL TO
THE CLASS. IF I AM NOT IN CLASS BY 9:30 am, CHANCES ARE WE ARE NOT HAVING CLASS THAT DAY.
THIS ALMOST NEVER HAPPENS, BUT I HAVE TO DRIVE A LONG WAYS TO GET HERE AND WE KNOW
HOW ONE TINY ACCIDENT CAN BACK THINGS UP FOR HOURS AROUND HERE.
GOOD LUCK, YOU WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MANY DISTURBING THINGS THIS
SEMESTER.
TH