HIST-1301 United States History I
Georgia Xydes
Credit Fall 2024
Section(s)
HIST-1301-100 (90847)
LEC MW 12:00pm - 1:20pm SAC SAC1 1318
HIST-1301-109 (90852)
LEC MW 9:00am - 10:20am SAC SAC1 1318
Course Requirements
U.S. HISTORY 1301---100-90847---FALL, 2024--SOUTH AUSTIN CAMPUS
MONDAY & WEDNESDAY, 12:00-1:20, Room1318---PROF. GEORGIA XYDES
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is a face-to-face lecture course covering the history of the United States up to 1870. (For further detail see History Dept.URL, http://www.austincc.edu/history) This course provides a basic survey of U.S. History to 1870 and satisfies three semester hours of the Legislative Requirement in U.S. History. It is intended as the first of a two-part series covering American history, though not required to be taken sequentially. Intended primarily as a lecture course, I expect and encourage your participation in the class. Complete content will also be posted on line as You Tube lectures. There will be time for discussion, conflicting interpretations, and questions. This class offers students opportunities to pursue historical topics of individual interest and enhance their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. This class meets on campus twice weekly at the times above.
History is not just memorizing data, facts, names, and dates. It is more about knowing and understanding the past and its impact on the present: what happened, who was involved, what motivated the participants, why events happened, and the consequences of these events. In order to be successful in this course it is necessary to know some basic who, what, when, and where, but I focus much more on the why and the how—the connections between people and events. In lectures and in my study guides I emphasize a greater understanding of our past rather than just the facts.
TEXTBOOK: American Stories, H.W. Brands, etc, Pearson Press. On-line edition, paid for when registered for course. Note that if you sign up for the two week trial period, the on-line text will disappear after two weeks. If you desire a paper copy instead, one is available from the publisher and any earlier editions are perfectly acceptable, almost identical in text, and much cheaper on Amazon. Do NOT buy any Value Edition or shorter version--too much left out. For those students aiming at an A, an additional non-fiction book from the time period of the student’s choice is required. It is NOT required to pass the course—but IS required for an A.
CONTACT INFORMATION; Professor Georgia Xydes. I am almost always available immediately before or after class in the adjunct office in portable 400 on the southeast corner of the campus. If these times are not suitable, please email me to arrange an alternate time. I check my email daily and should respond within 24 hours if not sooner. Email=gxydes@austincc.edu. A Blackboard Collaborate meeting can be arranged at alternate times.
Blackboard is used for communication in this course, and students are responsible for checking for messages regularly. Blackboard is located at: https;//acconline.austincc.edu. All course materials, grades, and important announcements will be on Blackboard. For security purposes, ACC requires you to use your ACC email account and not your personal email. All course materials are also posted on Blackboard for your convenience.
COURSE COMPLETION DEADLINE & WITHDRAWALS; December 10, 2024. No work will be accepted after this date. Withdrawal deadline—APRIL 24--- comes up quickly. I do not withdraw students—you must complete the simple form to withdraw yourself. Students who disrupt the class by violating class policies or by interfering with the respectful exchange of ideas, chronic tardiness or early departure will be withdrawn from the class. In consultation with their counselor, I will withdraw Dual Credit students myself. Withdrawal does not affect your grade point average but may have financial aid or academic consequences.
COURSE PREREQUISITES: There are no course prerequisites but students must be TSI compliant in Reading and Writing. It is expected that students have the ability to read and write on a college level. In order to achieve success in this course, students must devote roughly 8-10 hours per week, be good time managers, work to the best of their ability, attend class and meet deadlines.
LEGAL NOTICE: All course materials including syllabus, study questions, and exam questions are copyrighted material. Copying or posting all or part of these materials on line to Facebook, Quizlet, or other site is a violation of copyright and is expressly forbidden.
STUDENT PRIVACY: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act protects confidentiality of educational records. Grades or student progress cannot be given over the phone, through a fellow student, or by e-mail in this course or to anyone other than the student. My classroom is a welcoming space for any and all students. The free and respectful exchange of ideas is central to learning and to ensure the rights of others. Students who disrupt or disregard other students or the instructor will be withdrawn from the course.
ELECTRONICS: Cellphones, smartwatches, and other electronic devices must be turned to “silent” mode and stored out of sight in a purse or backpack. Use of laptops or computers is not permitted. Research concludes that they hinder rather that help learning, and also proves that writing out notes imprints information in the brain. They can serve as useful tools, but more often are distractions. Due to abuse of laptops in previous courses, I no longer allow them.
METHOD; The most important factor leading to success in this course is persistence. I had many students during covid who successfully shifted to self-paced distance learning and also a good number who just stopped doing the work and/or gave up. Time management and good study skills are vital in any college course. Consistently doing the reading, attending lectures, working through the study guide questions and preparing for exams usually leads to success. Reading and cramming at the last minute usually does not. In lectures I often present material not in your text that may appear on the exams. During the covid shift to on-line teaching, I created 108 You Tube videos of my entire lectures. Students will be using the Blackboard learning management system for material and communicating with the instructor. In the event of emergencies, students are responsible for communicating with their professor and completing any assignments or other activities designated by their professor. Class attendance is the single most important factor for success in this course and I take attendance each class. I give FOUR absences with no questions asked, but after these first four I deduct one point on the final grade for each absence recorded. Arriving late or leaving early disrupts both the instructor and the class and may lead to the student being withdrawn from the class. Conversely, excellent attendance MAY be a factor in rounding a grade of---9 up to the next letter grade.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: The course is divided into four roughly equal units, each covering all or part of four chapters in the text. The text should be read and studied according to the attached schedule. There will be four in-class exams of 100 points each, all counted equally and none cumulative except for a possible comparative question. Exams will generally have half multiple choice questions, a short matching or similar section, and half written short answers with a longer question requiring about a 250 word answer. The four exams will be scheduled during class time on indicated days. 10 points of each exam will consist of locating places on a map. The make-ups for absences on test days will be available in the testing center for two weeks following each exam. Grades are posted in the “My Grades” link in Blackboard.
GRADING: for an A—complete all four exams with an average of 90 or above AND write one analytical book review with a grade of EXCELLENT.
For a B—complete all four exams with an average of 80 or above.
For a C—complete all four exams with an average of 70 or above.
For a D---a grade average between 60 and 70.
For an F—failing to take all four exams or failing to maintain an average of 60 or above or any act of scholastic dishonesty.
For an I—a medical excuse certified by a physician.. All Incompletes must be completed within the first four weeks of the following semester. ACC requires a minimum of 50% of the course completed with a passing grade for an Incomplete.
MAKE-UP EXAMS: A make-up exam if you miss the original test for a DOCUMENTED SERIOUS ILLNESS or exceptional circumstance will be scheduled shortly after the scheduled date. It is your responsibility to take the test in the testing center during the time scheduled. Note the hours the testing center is open, and do not come in right before they close. They will not stay for you to complete your work.
Use of the Testing Center
Under certain circumstances, examinations may have to be taken in a testing center. The ACC Testing Centers follow standard procedures so students know what to expect when they arrive to take their tests. Students should familiarize themselves with the student guidelines.
Students must present an ACC student ID card or government issued ID and know their ACC ID number before they can test.
It is necessary to check in at the Testing Center kiosk before taking a test. To check in, one must know the following information:
- Student ID number
- Course prefix and number
- Course synonym
- Course section number
- Test number
- Instructor’s name
Personal belongings such as backpacks, books, and electronic devices (including, but not limited to, cell phones and smart watches) are not allowed in the Testing Center. Possession of prohibited items or accessing unapproved resources in the testing room will result in the immediate termination of the exam and possible disciplinary action.
For additional information on using the Testing Center, please go to: http://www.austincc.edu/students/testing-services/instructional-testing
ACADEMIC SUPPORT; ACC offers academic support services on all of its campuses. These services, which include face-to-face and 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 referral basis. Tutoring schedules can be found at: https://www.austincc.edu/students/tutoring/tutoring-schedules
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY; Cheating on an exam or plagiarism on a book evaluation undermine the mission of the college and disadvantage students who earn credit honestly. Colleges and employers trust that students have achieved the knowledge they get credit for. For practical and moral reasons, academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in a grade of F FOR THE COURSE. Nothing is more insulting to an instructor than plagiarism under the assumption that he or she will not know the difference. Actions constituting scholastic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, collusion, falsifying documents, or the inappropriate use of the college’s information technology resources, such as ChatGPT. Further information is available at https://www.austincc.edu/about-acc/academic-integrity-and-disciplinary-process.
As a student of Austin Community College you are expected to abide by the Student Standards of Conduct. https://www.austincc.edu/students/students-rights-and-responsibilities/student-standards-of-conduct.
A student may file or contest an instructor’s decision. Further information about the complaints process, including the form used to submit complaints, is available at: http://www.austincc.edu/students/students-rights-and-responsibilities/student-complaint-procedures
STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES; Students with disabilities can request accommodations through the SAS office on campus. I cannot give any accommodations without a signed form from this office.
Readings
TEXTBOOK: American Stories, H.W. Brands, etc, Pearson Press. On-line edition, paid for when registered for course. Note that if you sign up for the two week trial period, the on-line text will disappear after two weeks. If you desire a paper copy instead, one is available from the publisher and any earlier editions are perfectly acceptable, almost identical in text, and much cheaper on Amazon. Do NOT buy any Value Edition or shorter version--too much left out. For those students aiming at an A, an additional non-fiction book from the time period of the student’s choice is required. It is NOT required to pass the course—but IS required for an A.
Course Subjects
COURSE SCHEDULE HISTORY l301---AMERICAN STORIES, E-BOOK—Monday/Wednesday
Dates will be changed to reflect dates for the current semester.
Schedule changes may occur during the semester due to weather disasters or to reflect interests or questions from the class. Any changes will be posted as a Blackboard announcement.
Date Content/daily topics Textbook Chapter Sections
Jan.17 Introduction. The “Columbian Exchange” Chapter 1.2
22 Spain & France in America Chapter 1.3---1.4---1.5
24 The Puritans: Religious Freedom? Chapter 1.6-2.2
29 Mass. & the Northern Colonies Chapter 3.1
31 The Southern Colonies Chapter 2.1---2.4---3.2---3.3
Optional book title due (for A/B only)
Feb.5 The Middle Colonies: New York & Penn. Chapter 2.3
7 Ben Franklin & the Enlightenment Chapter 4.2---4.3
12 UNIT TEST 1; Chapters 1,2,3,4
14 Road Test to Revolution Chapter 4.1---4.4---4.,5
19 American Revolution Chapter 5.1---5.2---5.3
21 Revolutionary Characters Chapter 5.4
26 The Democratic Experiment Chapter 6
28 Hamilton’s Vision Chapter 7.1---7.2---7.3
Mar. 4 John Adams & Party Politics Chapter 7.4---7.5
6 Jeffersonian Nationalism Chapter 8.1--8.2
11& 13 Spring Break
18 UNIT TEST 2; Chapters 5,6,7 & part of 8
20 Jeffersonian Presidency & War of 1812 Chapter 8.3—8.4-8.5
25 New Transportation & Industry Chapter 9.2
27 Nation Building Chapter 9.3---9.4
Apr. 1 White Men’s Democracy Chapter 10.1
3 Andrew Jackson’s Democracy Chapter 10.2----10.3
8 Reform America Chapter 12.1---12.2
10 UNIT TEST 3; Chapters part of 8,9,10,12
15 Slavery, Part 1 Chapter 11.1----11.2
17 Slavery, Part 2 Chapter 11.3---11.4
22 Manifest Destiny & Mexican War Chapter 13.1---13.3
April 24= last day to withdraw from the class
24 Sectional Conflict Chapter 14, all
A students submit book evaluation on-line and in paper copy.
29 Civil War, Secession & N/S Advantages Chapter 15.1---15.2
May 1 Civil War, Battles & Leaders Chapter 15.3—15.4
6 UNIT TEST 4: Chapters 11,13, 14, 15
Office Hours
M W 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM South Austin Campus
NOTE Alternative times can be arranged either in person or a one-on-one on-line conference.Published: 08/01/2024 09:47:33