Instructor: David Paul Haney, Ph.D.

Email: dhaney@austincc.edu

COLLEGE POLICIES AND STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

These policies and resources can be found here, and this link will also be made available in Blackboard.

(Services such as online tutoring, academic coaching, library services, food assistance, emergency financial support, mental-health counseling, crisis hotlines, and other resources are included in the lower half of the page linked above.)

OFFICE HOURS

In addition to regularly-scheduled hours on campus posted at the upper right on this screen, I'm also available at other times at HLC by appointment, as well as in remote meetings arranged in advance.

SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION

This course is fortunate to include student access to Supplemental Instruction (SI), which is a nationally recognized academic support program offering free, regularly-scheduled study sessions for traditionally difficult courses. SI's interactive sessions help you to integrate how to learn with what you learn in class. Attendance at the sessions is strictly voluntary, and no extra credit is available for it. Arrangements for meeting times will be established during the second week of the session. For more information about the SI program (including answers to FAQ's), go to https://www.austincc.edu/students/supplemental-instruction.

The SI leader for the 10:30 section of this course is Naomi Rees (naomi.rees@austincc.edu)

The SI leader for the 1:30 section of this course is Luz Villegas (luz.villegas@austincc.edu).

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This 3-credit-hour course (3 contact hours per week) examines the industrial and emerging post-industrial eras in the United States, periods of some of the most rapid and transformative change in human history.  We will explore how this change has affected patterns of work, leisure and entertainment, communication, childhood, the production and marketing of goods and services, race relations, gender identity and sexuality, urban and suburban development, warfare, the power and influence of the modern corporation, relationships between society and government, and other aspects of American life.  (See the History Department website for more details pertaining to HIST 1302.)

The study of history is humanity's attempt to give form and meaning to the virtually infinite number of individual stories that our past contains. There will always be debate and disagreement over what precisely the "big story" is on a given subject, and no single grand interpretation can capture our collective experience of the past fully and eternally. Thus, historical investigation and debate are neverending processes, and one of the benefits of participating in these processes is the heightened empathy that comes with exploring the backgrounds, identities, experiences, perspectives, and aspirations of others. In turn, as we explore themes of class, ethnicity, national origin, race, sexual orientation, and gender identity in the course, I have sought to ensure that our course content will reveal meaningful connections to the lives and backgrounds of each of my students.

Moreover, history is a dialogue between the past and the present, which means that we will be looking for ways in which our course materials resonate within our own contemporary experience. In other words, we will be studying "history" as living material with deep relevance for our own day and age. Particularly because a great deal of our course will concentrate on the history of everyday life and the forces that have shaped it, I am confident that this approach to the study of history offers opportunities to find deeper meanings within one’s own life history, values, and concerns.

The study of history therefore requires active and critical learning -- the mastery of course material not merely for its own sake, but in order to organize and enhance our understanding of the world. It involves identifying historical structures and formulating meaningful concepts, so that history can reveal things of significance to us. To do this effectively, it is necessary to contextualize specific course content, rather than thinking of it in isolation from the historical circumstances surrounding it. Therefore, it will be through analyzing and interpreting the course material that students will earn high grades in this course. Moreover, memorization alone doesn't tend to provide one with new insights or with much enlightenment. This is as true in the study of history as it is everywhere else.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGY

This course will combine standard lectures with textbook and primary-source reading assignments, self-assessment quizzes, in-class discussions, and a large amount of multi-media material (art, photography, advertising and propaganda, film clips, sound recordings, etc). 

Effective reading, writing, listening, and note-taking skills are essential to an effective performance in this course, and I will be dispensing suggestions on the cultivation of these skills throughout the semester. Success in a college course depends greatly upon how students approach the course, as opposed to merely how "smart" they are imagined to be upon arriving in it. Given the human brain's immense capacity for development and growth through the establishment of new memories and new neural pathways (neuroplasticity), we will proceed with the confidence that everyone is capable of higher levels of mastery of a subject, when effective learning strategies and constructive life habits are developed and employed to that end.

PERSONAL DIGITAL DEVICES

Digital technologies can without a doubt serve as useful “learning tools,” but they tend at the same time to function as instruments of distraction that prevent students from remaining fully “present” in the classroom, as is evident in the strong correlation between the frequency of their use in class and lower levels of performance on my quizzes and tests. Additionally, students often inform me that other students' devices are a significant classroom distraction. Therefore, the use of smartphones will not be permitted during class time without special permission, and students who persist in violating this policy after three warnings risk being withdrawn from the course.

Use of laptops for note-taking is permitted in this course, but I do not recommend their use for this purpose. They can distract other students sitting in their vicinity, and moreover, there is a growing body of empirical evidence that they inhibit learning and produce lower grades.  Therefore, if I receive student complaints about other students' use of laptops in distracting ways, I will consider prohibiting their use during class time as well.

COURSE RATIONALE

The Texas legislature requires students to take 6 hours of American history to graduate from an institution of higher learning in Texas. This course helps fulfill that requirement. Students taking History 1302 can expect to improve their reading and writing competencies, critical thinking skills, research skills, etc., all of which help students better succeed in life outside academia.

Upon completion of the general education component of an associate’s degree, students will demonstrate competence in:

• Civic and Cultural Awareness - Analyzing and critiquing competing perspectives in a democratic society; comparing, contrasting, and interpreting differences and commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices
• Critical Thinking - Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information.
• Personal Responsibility - Identifying and applying ethical principles and practices; demonstrating effective learning, creative thinking, and personal responsibility.
• Written, Oral and Visual Communication - Communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.

COMMON COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing History 1302 the student should be able to:

1. Describe how Anglo-American settlement of the west impacted the lives of women, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans and African Americans.
2. Identify the major industries of the 19th century American West.
3. Explain the rise of the major industries in the 19th century United States.
4. Describe the effects of 19th century industrialization on labor unions, women and minorities.
5. Describe the social effects of urbanization on the 19th century United States.
6. Explain the major events of Gilded Age politics.
7. Describe the rise of the American overseas empire by 1900.
8. Identify the main political, social, intellectual and economic effects of Progressivism on American society.
9. Compare and contrast the “Square Deal,” the “New Nationalism” and the “New Freedom” programs.
10. Explain the background of and U.S. participation in World War I.
11. Describe how World War I transformed the roles of women, African Americans and Hispanic Americans.
12. Explain how the 1920s changed American society politically, socially and economically.
13. Identify the major writers of the 1920s.
14. Describe the causes of and results of the Great Depression.
15. Identify the changes in American politics and society brought about by the New Deal.
16. Explain the effects of American foreign policy in the 1920s and 1930s and the coming of World War II.
17. Describe the social, economic and political effects of World War II on American society.
18. Evaluate the major causes and effects of the Cold War on America from 1945 to 1960.
19. Describe the key events of the 1950s and their effects on American society with special emphasis on McCarthy and civil rights.
20. Compare and contrast the “New Frontier” and “Great Society” programs.
21. Examine the American involvement in Vietnam and the effect of that war on American society.
22. Describe the Republican Resurgence and the effects of Watergate.
23. Evaluate the effects of the 1980s on American society.
24. Describe the effects of the end of the Cold War in 1989.
25. Evaluate the results of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on American politics and society.
26. Describe the impact of the election of Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008.

STUDENT E-MAIL ACCOUNTS

Every student who registers for an ACC course receives an ACC e-mail account, and since I will use the Blackboard on-line system on occasion to send out announcements to the entire course enrollment, it is important that every student establish access to his or her ACC e-mail account. However, because many students prefer to continue using their pre-existing personal or institutional e-mail accounts and are therefore unlikely to check their ACC e-mail addresses on a regular basis, I recommend that those students set up their ACC e-mail account to forward messages to the account they use daily. Information on this and other ACC e-mail matters is available at http://www.austincc.edu/accmail.

To ensure student privacy, I request that students send all e-mail messages to me through their ACC e-mail accounts. If I receive a message from a non-ACC address, I have no consistent and reliable means of confirming that it has actually been sent by one of my students.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the confidentiality of college students’ educational records. Grades cannot be given over the phone, posted on a campus bulletin board or on the Web, e-mailed, or delivered through a fellow student. Additionally, parents do not have the right of access to their student’s grade information without the student’s formal approval. More information on FERPA is available at http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html.

E-mail messages to me should contain complete sentences, punctuation, and the full spellings of words. It also helps for me to receive a student's enrollment information within a message, so that I can determine quickly which course and section the student is taking. It is not necessary, nor even appropriate, to send an e-mail message simply to inform me of an absence due to a common situation, such as an illness or unanticipated extra shift at work.

ACC students can now choose the first names they would like to appear in their e-mail messages using the "My ACC" portal.  (Click here for more information -- the change is permanent and should be approached accordingly.)

COURSE ORGANIZATION AND GRADING

This course is organized into four units consisting of the following:

• Exams on content covered in class meetings (66.7% of course grade): For each unit of the course, an exam, consisting of objective and written-response questions, is scheduled in the course calendar posted in Blackboard. Guidelines and suggestions for preparing for the exams are forthcoming.

• Quizzes on primary-source documents (33.3% of course grade): For each unit, I will be giving quizzes (in class) on the document readings described above. The quiz questions will be derived directly from the study questions or learning objectives paired with them. I will always give quizzes on the primary-source readings, and there will be no make-ups on these quizzes, which means failing to take one by its posted deadline produces a zero score for that quiz. To help compensate for this, I will drop each student’s two lowest document-quiz scores.

At any point during the session, students can calculate their current averages by adding up existing quiz and exam scores and dividing that sum by the cumulative points possible on those assessments. (A result of .83, for example, equals 83%. Remember that each student's two lowest quiz scores will be dropped, so consider whether to eliminate one or both drops from those calculations at any stage.) Resulting percentages in the 90s would produce an A grade, 80s would mean a B, 70s equal a C, etc.

CALENDAR OF ASSIGNMENTS AND DEADLINES

The course calendar is posted in Blackboard.

TESTING/QUIZZING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

1. Exams and quizzes will be taken in class and will consist of questions drawn from the learning objectives, study questions, and guidelines found in the four unit Study Guides that will be posted in the Blackboard system.

2. Exams will consist of questions that require either paragraph-length responses or a full essay response, and possibly some objective questions (e.g., multiple-choice and/or matching) as well. Quizzes will be mainly multiple-choice format, with the possibility of some pargraph-length writing.

3. All materials external to the exams and quizzes themselves (notes, books, document printouts, phones, ear buds, laptops, etc.) are prohibited during testing, and interaction must be limited exclusively to the testing materials themselves.

MAKEUP EXAM POLICY

Only a documented and compelling reason for a missed exam deadline (an emergency, generally) can make a student eligible for an individually-scheduled makeup test. Work schedules cannot typically be considered an excuse. Similarly, makeup exams must be completed within 9 calendar days of their originally-scheduled dates.

At my discretion, makeup exams will in certain circumstances consist entirely of questions that require written responses, rather than the combination of writing and multiple-choice questions utilized in the in-class testing format.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Regular class attendance is required. Any student who accumulates more than five undocumented and unexcused (non-emergency) absences by the withdrawal date risks being dropped from the course.  If a student exceeds that number of absences after the withdrawal date, I reserve the right to refuse to grade any remaining assignments produced by that student.  Otherwise, I do not penalize students with lower grades because of absences, but it should be kept in mind that exam questions will reflect what has been discussed in class.

Students who miss class for any reason are encouraged to obtain class notes from a classmate, and to review those notes in conjunction with the slide images that were presented in class on the day of the absence (these will also be posted in Blackboard). When an absence does occur, students should not feel the need to contact the instructor, unless I can be of immediate help in some way.

CLASS PARTICIPATION

During each class meeting, I will be asking questions relevant to the material assigned for that day, and I expect every student to be prepared to discuss it (though actually doing so is not required). Discussions will tend to follow the objectives outlined in Part I of this syllabus. While I do not assign class participation a specific percentage of the grade, it can be the deciding factor when a student's grades lies on the borderline between an A and a B, etc.

The success of this course depends significantly upon each student's possession of the opportunity to ask questions and offer perspectives during the class period. Therefore, each student enrolled must join me in seeking to afford his or her classmates an equal chance to participate in class discussion.

STUDENT DISABILITIES: Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Student Accessibility Services office on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT

ACC offers academic support services on all of its campuses. These services, which include online tutoring, academic coaching, and supplemental instruction, are free to enrolled ACC students. Tutors are available in a variety of subjects ranging from accounting to pharmacology. Students may receive these services on both a drop-in and a referral basis.
 
An online tutor request can be made here.

Additional tutoring information can be found here.

STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their own thought, research or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but is not limited to, tests, quizzes (whether taken electronically or on paper); individual or group projects; classroom presentations, and homework. A student discovered to have violated the academic integrity policy described above will receive an F in the course.

Academic dishonesty includes:

• Communicating exam information to, or receiving such information from, another person;
• Using, attempting to use, or assisting others in using materials that are prohibited during an exam, such as: cellphones, books, Web sites, prepared answers, written notes, or concealed information;
• Allowing others to do one's exam or assignment or a portion of one's exam or assignment;
• Using a commercial term paper service;
• Purchasing or otherwise acquiring written work that is not your own, and then submitting it as your own;
• Posting copyrighted course material on the Internet, on sites such as Study Blue or Quizlet (all material in this course is copyrighted)
• Taking an online test with the camera obstructed or pointed away from your face.

Plagiarism is defined as using another's work (whether printed, electronic, or spoken) without crediting the person or copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up most of your work, whether you give credit or not.

All of the following are considered plagiarism:

• Submitting someone else's work as your own;
• Copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit;
• Paraphrasing words or ideas from someone else without giving credit;
• Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks;
• Giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation with the intention of deceiving;
• Changing words but copying the organization and structure of a source without giving credit;
• Prompting an AI text-generating platform to produce textual material and presenting that material in a paper as one’s own written work.

STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Students at ACC have the same rights and protections as those guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States. These rights include freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, petition and association. As members of the community, students have the right to express their own views, but must also take responsibility for according the same rights to others and not interfere or disrupt the learning environment. Students are entitled to fair treatment, are expected to act consistently with the values of the college, and obey local, state and federal laws.

As a student of Austin Community College you are expected to abide by the Student Standards of Conduct.

Students who disrupt the class by violating class policies or by interfering with the free and respectful exchange of ideas will be withdrawn from the course. (Thankfully, students' conduct has yet to make me act on this policy, but it is here to ensure continued civility going forward.)

WITHDRAWING FROM THE COURSE

Withdrawing from a course may affect financial aid, veterans benefits, international student status, or academic standing. Students are urged to consult with their instructors or an advisor before making schedule changes. Per state law, students enrolling for the first time in fall 2007 or later at any Texas college or university may not withdraw (receive a W) from more than six courses during their undergraduate college career. Some exemptions for good cause could allow a student to withdraw from a course without having it count toward this limit. Students are encouraged to carefully select courses; contact an advisor or counselor for assistance. See the Student Handbook for additional information.

If you find that you are unable to continue taking the course, you should withdraw from it in order to avoid being assigned a failing grade. Withdrawal is accomplished by completing a withdrawal form available at a campus Admissions and Records office. The responsibility for withdrawing lies with the student. If one fails to withdraw, an F will be entered for the final course grade. The withdrawal deadline for courses in the fall 12-, 14-, and 16-week sessions is Monday, April 22.

ACADEMIC FREEDOM

The free exchange of information and ideas is essential to the success of this course. Therefore, class debate and discussion will be encouraged, and students will be required to respect one another’s ideas and opinions. You are also of course free to disagree with your instructor. Usage of profanity in class is appropriate only when quoting directly from a statement made originally by a prominent historical figure. It must not be used as an informal or lazy shortcut when more thoughtfully-chosen words will do.

GUNS ON CAMPUS

Individuals who are licensed to carry (LTC) may do so on campus premises except in locations and at activities prohibited by state or federal law, or the college’s concealed handgun policy. It is the responsibility of license holders to conceal their handguns at all times. Persons who see a handgun on campus are asked to contact the ACC Police Department by dialing 222 from a campus phone or 512-223-7999. For further information see www.austincc.edu/campuscarry.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

In the event of an emergency, faculty, staff, and students will exit the building using the stairs (not the elevators) and gather at a designated “rally point” outside the building. Students who are unable to descend the stairs must wait for assistance in an “area of refuge” at the top of the stairs. (Various faculty and staff are equipped to communicate such situations to campus police.) All classrooms are equipped with audiovisual systems to convey emergency alerts and information.

INCOMPLETE GRADES

Students may request an Incomplete from their faculty member if they believe circumstances warrant it. The faculty member will determine whether the Incomplete is appropriate to award or not. The following processes must be followed when awarding a student an I grade:

1. Prior to the end of the semester in which the “I” is to be awarded, the student must meet with the instructor to determine the assignments and exams that must be completed prior to the deadline date. This meeting can occur virtually or in person. The instructor should complete the Report of Incomplete Grade form.
2. The faculty member will complete the form, including all requirements to complete the course and the due date, sign (by typing in name) and then email it to the student. The student will then complete his/her section, sign (by typing in name), and return the completed form to the faculty member to complete the agreement. A copy of the fully completed form can then be emailed by the faculty member to the student and the department chair for each grade of Incomplete that the faculty member submits at the end of the semester.
3. The student must complete all remaining work by the date specified on the form above. This date is determined by the instructor in collaboration with the student, but it may not be later than the final withdrawal deadline in the subsequent long semester.
4. Students will retain access to the course Blackboard page through the subsequent semester in order to submit work and complete the course. Students will be able to log on to Blackboard and have access to the course section materials, assignments, and grades from the course and semester in which the Incomplete was awarded.
5. When the student completes the required work by the Incomplete deadline, the instructor will submit an electronic Grade Change Form to change the student’s performance grade from an “I” to the earned grade of A, B, C, D, or F.

If an Incomplete is not resolved by the deadline, the grade automatically converts to an “F.” Approval to carry an Incomplete for longer than the following semester or session deadline is not frequently granted.

DISCRIMINATION PROHIBITED

The College seeks to maintain an educational environment free from any form of discrimination or harassment including but not limited to discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. Faculty at the College are required to report concerns regarding sexual misconduct (including all forms of sexual harassment and sex and gender-based discrimination) to the Manager of Title IX/Title VI/ADA Compliance. Licensed clinical counselors are available across the District and serve as confidential resources for students. Additional information about Title VI, Title IX, and ADA compliance can be found in the ACC Compliance Resource Guide available here.

VALUABLE STUDENT RESOURCES AT ACC

Austin Community College offers a wide range of services to assist its students with challenging academic material, obstacles to effective studying, personal challenges, career indecision, and other circumstances that sometimes impede student progress. Information and contacts for these services can be found on the Student Support home page.

Counseling is free at ACC. Elsewhere, it can cost $100 per hour.  Information on mental-health services can be found here.

VETERANS' RESOURCES

ACC offers basic information to student veterans at http:www.austincc.edu/support/veterans, and the Student Veterans Association is an additional resource: http://www.studentveterans.org.  However, in the name of serving as a broader and more comprehensive source of information to student veterans, I invite former servicemembers to submit additional resource information to me for posting in Blackboard, in what I hope will become a larger and ongoing effort to make the experience at ACC as rewarding and meaningful as possible.

RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOK

The recommended textbook is Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty, Volume 2 (Seagull Edition).  Be sure it's Volume * 2 *  (Volume 1 contains the material for HIST 1301, not 1302.)

The ACC bookstore currently stocks the 6th edition, but the publisher's "ebook" version (also linked in Blackboard) may be limited to the 7th edition. If that turns out to be the case, students can use either edition.

Students will not need any “access code” that comes with the book when it is purchased new. 

PRIMARY-SOURCE READING ASSIGNMENTS

Students will also be required to complete primary source reading assignments.  These readings differ from the textbook readings in that they are primary-source documents -- that is, they were written by individuals who experienced some of the historical developments we will be studying, and thus they give more personal and subjective perspectives on historical issues.

(These documents will be accessible within the Study Guides in Blackboard, and they are subject to occasional cancellation and/or replacement with other documents.)

1. Big Business and the Modern Corporation

2. The Cultures of the Industrial City: Immigrant Workers

3. The Cultures of the Industrial City: The Middle Class

4. The Social, Economic, and Political Turmoil of the 1890s

5. The Evolution of U.S. Imperialism

6. The Birth of Modern American Music and Art

7. The Progressive Movement

8. World War I

9. The "Modern" Culture of the 1920s 

10. Economic Weaknesses of the '20s; The Depression Experience in the Early '30s

11. The Evolution of Modern Liberalism: The First New Deal

12. The Evolution of Modern Liberalism: The Second New Deal

13. World War II and the Birth and Escalation of the Cold War

14. McCarthyism and the Red Scare

15. The Civil Rights Movement

16. Liberalism in the 1960s

17. The Vietnam War

18. The 1960s Student Movement and the Counterculture

19. Nixon, Vietnam, and Watergate

20. The Multicultural Explosion of the 1970s

21. The Rise of Modern Conservatism

22. U.S. Foreign Policy after Vietnam

23. The Resurgence of Economic Inequality

After completing History 1302 the student should be able to respond thoroughly and effectively to the learning objectives and study questions posted in the unit study guides in Blackboard. (See "Course Requirements" above.)