Collin County Community College
HIST 1301.C03 (fall 2008)
U.S. History to 1877
Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Prerequisite: Placement in college level reading and English 1301.
Corequisite: none
College Repeat Policy: A student may repeat this course only once after receiving a
grade, including a “W.” Students may also only accrue a total of SIX withdraws/drops
over the course of their entire college career.
Course delivery method: lecture
Instructor: Dr. Steven W. Short
Office: D 207 (it’s a “portable/cubicle” office near the atrium)
Phone/Campus Contact: 972-548-6767
Email: sshort@ccccd.edu (always put HISTORY 1301 Collin in subject line)
Class Meeting Time: MWF 10am to 1050am
Office Hours: M:
930am to 10am and 230pm to 315pm
T:
930am to 10am and 2pm to 315pm
W:
930am to 10am and 2pm to 415pm
R:
by appointment only
F:
9am to 10am
Textbook: Created Equal by Jones, Wood, Borstelmann, May, and Ruiz
Course Description: This course will serve as a survey introduction to United States
history from the discovery of the New World until 1877. Since this course is a survey a
lot of ground will be covered. Students will be provided with a broad overview of U.S.
history focusing primarily on the period from 1750 to 1877. Themes we will examine
include: social construction of the Union, economic development from colonial status to
independent nation, the role and status of the military in the developing nation, the effect
of slavery on the United States, including the African-American experience, and the
evolution of the American political system and party systems, among other topics. These
themes will be broken into other rubrics as the semester progresses.
Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students
should be able to do the following:
 Describe pre-Colombian civilizations in the Americas and summarize the impact
of European discoveries and settlements on those civilizations.
 Describe the aspects of Western and Non-Western culture that have contributed to
the American experience.
 Describe the development of the English colonies and the growth of independent
colonial government.
 Reconstruct the internal, social, economic, and political events which led to the
American War for Independence.
 Identify factors, values, and compromises which shaped the U.S. Constitution.
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 Describe the formation of political parties, the development of sectionalism, and
the early national ear.
 Define Manifest Destiny and describe nineteenth century territorial expansion.
 Outline major social, economic, political, and religious aspects of antebellum
United States.
 Describe the slavery controversy.
 Outline the series of events which culminated in the Civil War.
Expectations
Attendance
I expect students to attend every class. Classes will be held in this room and students
should arrive on time. If you miss a class it WILL count against your grade.
Exceptional attendance, however, will be looked upon favorably at the end of the
semester.
To monitor attendance, a sign-in sheet will be passed around during every class session.
On some days the role will be called.
Students will lose three (5) points from their final total for every absence accumulated
beyond three (3) absences. Absences beyond eight (8) for the semester may result in a
failing grade for the semester.
The only acceptable excuse for missing class is official campus business. Should such an
event occur, the student must provide official documentation from the university
indicating the student’s name and the date of the absence. Medical excuses are not valid,
do not bring the documentation. The only acceptable excuse is official campus business.
Participation
Students are not required to participate in class as part of their grade. It is to your
advantage, however, to participate in the discussion during the class. In many cases
students do not ask questions or offer comments because they are afraid of saying the
wrong things. Do not be afraid. Most students have similar concerns and questions and
the chances are that someone else is also thinking of the same question or comment.
Participation in class can affect your grade in a positive way in the same manner as
exemplary attendance can. It is to your benefit to participate.
Exams and Quizzes
Students are required to take three exams (three mid-terms and one final) and take six
quizzes over the course of the semester.
Exams
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Exams will be comprised of a series of multiple guess questions and an essay section in
which students will write one essay from a provided selection. Students will be provided
with several choices on which to write their essay. All exams will take place in the
testing center unless otherwise notified. The final exam will last two hours and will take
place in this classroom. The format for the final exam will be the same as the midterm
exams. Exams are not comprehensive.
Exams are worth 100 points. Part of each midterm (40 points) will be based on multiple
guess questions and the remaining half (60 points) based on the identifications.
Proper essay answers will contain as much pertinent information as possible. It is
important to write in a clear, coherent manner. See attached memorandum on
essay/identification construction for further information.
Quizzes
In addition to the exams, students will also take six quizzes over the course of the
semester. Each quiz will be based on the lecture material. These six quizzes will each be
worth 20 points and will be a combination of multiple guess and short answer/fill-in-theblank questions. The quizzes will last approximately fifteen minutes at the beginning of
class of the specified day. For the quizzes students will write on their own paper and turn
it in. Students will not use notebook paper that has fringes on it. I do not like fringes and
if a paper is submitted with fringes on it then the student will lose five (5) points from
that assignment.
Although no extra credit will be offered, it is possible that more than six quizzes will be
given. If more than six quizzes are given then the extra quizzes may be used to replace a
lower quiz grade.
See the attached course schedule for the quiz and exam schedule.
Make-ups
Students are allowed to take a make-up exam or quiz if they miss the original. Be
advised, however, that the make-up assignment will be much more difficult than the
original. This means that quizzes and exams become all-essay and the options for
picking which essay are not available.
Only in the event of an absence because of official campus business will the student be
permitted to take the regular-style of quiz or exam.
Make up quizzes or exams will only be permitted if completed within one (1) week of the
original assignment date. Any make ups beyond the one-week grace period will not be
provided and the resulting grade will be a zero (0).
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Grading and Evaluation
Grading will be based on a point system. Students will acquire points as assignments are
completed. The points will go toward your final total. The maximum total will be 520
points combining all quizzes and exams. Bonus points will be available along the way in
the form of extra points on quizzes and exams. No other extra credit will be given.
Don’t ask to read a book or write a paper, etc. Apply yourself and study and you won’t
need to. This is college, not high school, act accordingly. If you do not understand how
the point system works then you need to see me.
Grading breakdown:
520 to 468
467 to 415
414 to 362
361 to 308
307 to 000
=A
=B
=C
=D
=F
Academic Integrity
Academic Ethics: The College District may initiate disciplinary proceedings against a
student accused of scholastic dishonesty. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not
limited to, statements, acts, or omissions related to applications for enrollment or the
award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work material that is not one’s
own. Scholastic dishonesty may involve, but is not limited to, one or more of the
following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion, use of annotated texts or teacher’s
editions, and/or falsifying academic records.
Plagiarism is the use of an author’s words or ideas as if they were one’s own without
giving credit to the source, including, but not limited to, failure to acknowledge a direct
quotation.
Cheating is the willful giving or receiving of information in an unauthorized manner
during an examination, illicitly obtaining examination questions in advance, copying
computer or Internet files, using someone else’s work for the assignments as if it were
one’s own, or any other dishonest means of attempting to fulfill the requirements of a
course.
Collusion is intentionally aiding or attempting to aid another in an act of scholastic
dishonesty, including but not limited to, providing a paper or project to another student;
providing an inappropriate level of assistance; communicating answers to a classmate
during an examination; removing tests or answer sheets from a test site, and allowing a
classmate to copy answers.
You are expected to do your own work. Copying words or ideas of others without
documentation is against Collin County Community College policy and could result in an
F for the course. That is: Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. Any student
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caught in such unethical activity will receive a zero for the assignment. Serious
violations, such as stealing an exam or downloading a paper from the internet, will result
in failure for the entire course. I will also report serious violations to your dean.
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty.
Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work
done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high
standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related
to application for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s
own work or material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty
involves one the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying
academic records. Students suspected of dishonesty are subject to disciplinary
proceedings.
Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from
any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the college’s policy on
plagiarism (see general catalog for details).
ADA Compliance Statement
It is the policy of Collin County Community College to provide reasonable
accommodations for qualified individuals who are students with disabilities. The College
will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and guidelines with
respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal educational
opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the ACCESS office, SCC-G200
or 972-881-5898 (V/TTD: 972-881-5950) in a timely manner to arrange for appropriate
accommodations.
Religious Holy Days
In accordance with Section 51.911 of the Texas Education Code, Collin will allow a
student who is absent from class for the observance of a religious holy day to take an
examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time.
Students are required to file a written request with each professor within the first fifteen
(15) days of the semester to qualify for an excused absence. A copy of the state rules and
procedures regarding holy days, and the form of notification of absence from each class
under this provision, are available from the Admissions and Records Office.
General Information and Comments
When turning in quizzes please do not use spiral notebook paper unless it has no fringes
on it. The fringes are irritating and do not contribute to maintaining an orderly style.
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Failure to abide by this policy will count against your grade after your first offense.
It will be a 5 point deduction per offense.
Please do not wear baseball caps or other such headgear in the classroom. We hold
class in a room in a building, not outdoors and not in a barn. You are not at the ballgame
or rodeo or some other such place, you are in a classroom, please behave as such. I don’t
wear my hat in the classroom, neither shall you. Failure to abide by this policy will
detract from your grade by 5 points per offense.
Students will NOT wear headphones in class. Students caught wearing headphones will
receive a point deduction per offense of 5 points.
Cell phones and/or pagers or MP3 players are NOT to be used in class at all. All
electronic devices will be turned off and placed in the student’s backpack or briefcase. I
do not want to see cell phones lying on top of your belonging on the floor; I do not want
to see cell phones lying on the desk in your view. I do not want to see them at all.
Failure to abide by this policy will result in a grade detraction for each offense.
Deduction of 5 points per offense.
Come to class and take notes. If you pay attention to the discussions and keep up with
the readings then the semester will be more rewarding for you. It is also important to
keep up with your grades and understand where you are in the class. It does not do you
any good to come see me about your grades with two weeks left in the semester. By then
it is too late. So stay active with your grades and if there are problems or concerns then it
is important to talk to me about those issues sooner rather than later.
Do not arrive late. It is disrespectful and rude. Excessive tardiness will result in the
loss of points from your semester total. Students will lose 1 point per tardy after
drop/add date.
If you plan to use a computer/laptop during class, you must sit in the forward section of
the classroom. Students will NOT be permitted to use a computer if they do not sit in
the forward section. Unfortunately this allows computer-students to be monitored more
closely and ensure they are not chatting or messaging or surfing the web.
When taking notes in class it is important to pay attention to what is being said. If you
are only copying down the Power Point notes then you are missing a considerable amount
of information. Students often spend too much time worrying about Power Point
information and not enough time listening to the discussion. The Power Point is a guide
for the teacher more than it is an outline for the students.
The best way to contact me is to come by during office hours (you don’t need an
appointment during office hours, just come by) or to email. I check email frequently and
that is the best way to get me. Use the office phone number during office hours and you
will get me. Don’t leave a message on the office phone unless it is a last resort. When I
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leave campus I will not check the messages on the phone but I will check emails, so use
email to get me.
This syllabus may be amended by the instructor as needed.
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