HISTORY OF ARKANSAS
Instructor: Dr. Simon Hosken
Email: srhosken@ualr.edu
This course will explore the history of Arkansas from the first human settlement to modern
times. The overriding question of our study will be: What has made Arkansas what it is
today? By the end of the semester we will have an understanding of Arkansas, its history
and place in America.
This is an upper level and graduate on-line course; it is reading and participation intensive.
It is your responsibility to keep up with the reading and assignments.
The format of this course is as follows:
Required Books:
Arkansas: A Narrative History. Jeannie Whayne et al.
Suggested Reading: Arkansas Historical Quarterly; See announcements on Blackboard.
Arkansas Democrat
Office hours: Office hours: This is an on-line course and I do not have an office on campus.
Comments and questions can be addressed through email. However, if you would like to meet
with me in real time I use the “virtual world” (see below) you can find me as profhosken in
Second Life.
Very Important Notes:
Contact:
If I need to contact you I will do so through your University Email. My email address is at the
top of this page.
Attendance and How the Class Works:
This is an on-line class therefore we do not have a classroom where a physical presence is
required. Please note that we are using Blackboard Learn. When you first arrive at the
blackboard classroom you will see a number of links on the left. Take the time to familiarize
yourself with the content of each link. When you click on a link the relevant content will appear.
You will use the Learning Units link the most. You will see a number of folders in the middle of
the screen. Each folder represents material within which there are a number of sections that will
open up weekly. The work will generally open at 1am on a Monday and close at 5pm the
following Sunday.
As we move through the course material you will be expected to complete the following:
There are fourteen assignments: Each one is worth 10 points. It might be a short piece of
writing, a journal entry, a blog entry or a discussion question. Your active involvement in these
assignments will go toward your participation points.
Participation points = 100
A mid-term exam worth 50 points.
A final exam worth 50 points
Two major pieces of writing; the first is worth 50 points the second 60 points
So from the above you can deduce that the points for your final grade work out as follows:
Grading Scale 450 to 500 Points = A
400 to 449Points = B
350 to 399 Points = C
300 to 349 Points = D
0 to 299 Points = F
WRITING: We have a number of writing assignments throughout the course. I expect these
assignments to be well constructed, spelled correctly and with the appropriate use of correct
grammar. Note: Plagiarism: DON’T DO IT. Plagiarism is the use, theft, purchase, or obtaining
by any means another's work or ideas, and the unacknowledged or insufficiently documented
submission and/or incorporation of that work as one's own. It involves quoting or paraphrasing
someone else's work without providing the source or properly assigning credit. This is not merely
an offense of academic dishonesty which may result in failure of a course or dismissal from the
university; it is also an illegal act subject to criminal prosecution.
Students with Disabilities:
It is the policy of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to create inclusive learning
environments. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in
barriers to your inclusion or to accurate assessment of achievement–such as time-limited
exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos–please notify the
instructor as soon as possible. Students are also welcome to contact the Disability
Resource Center, telephone 501-569-3143 (v/tty). For more information, visit the DRC
website at http://ualr.edu/disability/.
Second Life and “Virtual Field Trips:” During the semester you will have an opportunity to
attend a “virtual field trip.” I will offer the trip a couple of times and let you know when closer to
the time. We are going to go into Second Life and visit the Arkansas State University Heritage
Sites. For this to happen, you will need to download either, Second Life.com Viewer 2 or
Phoenix Viewer.com. THEY ARE FREE! I would suggest you do this early in the semester and
start familiarizing yourself with the “how to.” Second Life is a multi-player 3D virtual
environment (MUVE) in which you can create an avatar (a virtual self) to interact with other
avatars in real time. As far as I am aware the University computer labs do not support Second
Life. You will be asked to create an avatar and name that avatar. My Second Life avatar’s name
is “profhosken.” Once you have entered Second Life you will be sent to Orientation Island. After
you have completed your orientation, click on SEARCH in the tool bar. Under PEOPLE type in
my name, and then click ADD to add me as your friend. This will allow me to contact you in
Second Life. As well as adding me to your contacts please send me an email with your avatar’s
name. Please try and keep it simple! If you are using viewer 2 at the top of the screen you will
see search, click on this and then go to world. If you are using Phoenix at the bottom of the
screen you will see search. In either viewer: type in ASU Virtual Heritage Island. You will get
a pop-up that will say teleport. Click on this and it will take you to where I want you to be. In
the next couple of weeks I will send you a direct link to the Heritage Area. If you do not
already have a microphone and speakers/headset you can get one from Wal-Mart for under $30.
This will enable our tours to be much more interactive.
Please remember that this is a real-time virtual world. Act as though you are in the real world.
Once you are in second life you will have the opportunity to change your appearance. Dress
appropriately. Be polite and respectful toward me and your fellow students. When we are in the
Heritage Area I cannot stop or block others attending therefore act as you would in real life. The
secret to having a good experience when we do this is to get familiar with the technology early.