HIS-114-OL


	Syllabus for HIS-114-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

American History II is a continuation of American History I. It covers the period from after the Civil War up to the present time. The issues center on the transformation of the United States from an agrarian nation and a lesser member of the international community to the foremost industrial power of the modern world. This course begins with the period of Reconstruction in the South immediately after the Civil War and continues up through 2002. The course covers the social, economic, and political development of the nation.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

Through studying American History II, you should be able to:

Analyze the Reconstruction plans of Lincoln, Johnson, and Congress and identify ways Reconstruction both benefited and failed freed slaves.
Trace the Western migration after the Civil War and its effects on the Indians.
Describe the industrialization of the United States in the period between 1865 and 1900.
Outline the growth of the labor movement.
Identify events that led to the Spanish-American War.
Describe the reforms of the Progressive Era.

Analyze Woodrow Wilson's policies and the conditions that led to World War I.

Explain the major changes to American society in the 1920s.

Discuss the causes of the Great Depression and the manner in which American presidents attempted to correct the problems.

Discuss the events that brought the United States into World War II.

Explain the policy of containment as well as the causes of the Cold War.

Describe the development of the culture of abundance of the 1950s.

Describe the civil rights movement and other protest movements from the 1960s onward.

Explain how and why the United States became involved in Vietnam.

Summarize the foreign policies of Presidents Carter and Reagan and the circumstances leading up to the fall of Communism.

Discuss the post-Cold War period in the United States.

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COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete the work of the course. The text is available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Textbook

The American Promise: A History of the United States (Volume II: From 1865), 4th ed., by James L. Roark et al. (New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009).
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-45293-3

Video Programs

Transforming America (26 half-hour programs on produced by Dallas Telelearning from County Community College District).
The video programs are being offered via streaming video technology through this course site. Each assignment will include the necessary links for accessing the video stream. CDs containing the videos are also available from MBS.

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COURSE STRUCTURE

American History II is a 3-credit online course. It consists of 5 assignment modules, 5 written assignments, a proctored midterm, and a position paper. Weekly study assignments include readings from the textbook and associated video programs. As part of every module you will complete a written assignment and submit it to your mentor for correction and grading.

Module	Historical Period	Unit Topics
1	1863-1900	Unit 1: Reconstruction Unit 2: Expansion
2	1890-1920	Unit 3: Progressivism at Home Unit 4: World War I
3	1920-1945	Unit 5: Depression and Recovery Unit 6: World War II
4	1945-1974	Unit 7: The Cold War and the Culture of Abundance Unit 8: Rebellion and Reaction
5	1961-the present	Unit 9: The Vietnam War Unit 10: The Conservative Resurgence and a Different World

For the course's assignment modules (reading, viewing, discussion, and writing assignments), go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. (See the Calendar for all assignment due dates.)

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ONLINE PARTICIPATION

In addition to posting an introduction to the class in Module 1, you are required to participate in five graded online discussions, each focusing on a different historical topic.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and at least two subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

American History II has five (5) writing assignments. Many students find it helpful to read over the assignment questions for a module before beginning the reading for the module.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the

>>View/Complete Assignment

link provided at the bottom of the respective assignment page. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and submit your assignment file.

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MIDTERM EXAMINATION

This course requires you to take a proctored midterm examination.

The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers material in Modules 1 and 2. It consists of multiple choice questions, questions that ask you to identify a key term and describe its importance, and essay questions. If you have concerns about the format and/or content of the examination, please contact your mentor at least a week in advance of the scheduled test.

You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).

If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.

For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Online Student Handbook.

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POSITION PAPER

You are required to develop and submit a position paper that you will hand in at the end of the semester. This paper and the outline you will develop as part of it will be worth 20 percent of your final grade.

For this assignment, you are asked to select one of the Historical Questions in your textbook that you would like to address. As you investigate this question and develop your own position on the topic, you will be required to produce an outline of the issue(s) involved together with your initial opinion. Then you will be required to produce a developed position paper based on your outline.

The position paper is to be submitted in two stages:

Stage 1: Prepare and submit an outline to the mentor for comments and feedback (worth 4 percent of your course grade).

Stage 2: Prepare and submit the completed position paper (worth 16 percent of your course grade).

For specific details about the outline and the final paper, see the Position Paper area of the course Web site. For details regarding the due dates, see the course Calendar.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

Written Assignments (6)	35 percent
Class Discussions	15 percent
Midterm Examination	30 percent
Position Paper Outline	4 percent
Position Paper	16 percent

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, course examinations, and papers are based on the following numerical grades:

A	=	93–100	C+	=	78–79
A–	=	90–92	C	=	73–77
B+	=	88–89	C–	=	70–72
B	=	83–87	D	=	60–69
B–	=	80–82	F	=	Below 60

Note: To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, projects, papers, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.

Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule your midterm exam and arrange for proctors, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.

Arrange to take your midterm examination by following the instructions in the Online Student Handbook. Then complete the "Proctor Request Form" and submit it to the Office of Test Administration (OTA). You must make arrangements to take your examination and send in your "Proctor Request Form" to OTA before the end of the first week of the current semester. (See Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site.)

Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.

If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:

To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and taking your examinations. For details on each assignment module and a complete listing of learning activities, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.

Check the Announcements page and class Discussion Board regularly for new course information.

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Syllabus Index

This document contains the following main sections:

Course Description

Course Objectives

Course Materials

Course Structure

Online Participation

Written Assignments

Midterm Examination

Position Paper

Grading and Evaluation

Strategies for Success