HIS-210-OL


	Syllabus for HIS-210-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

American Civil Rights Movement (HIS-210-OL) provides a comprehensive history of the people, stories, events, and issues behind the post–World War II struggle for justice in America. The course focuses on one of the most significant movements in American history, a movement that changed those who participated in it, made America a more democratic society, gave rise to a host of other movements that transformed the face of American culture, and influenced and created a new generation of American leadership.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

Through studying American Civil Rights Movement, you should be able to formulate answers to the following questions:

What role should government and political leaders play in the process of social change?

How does the United States ensure that its democratic values are translated into reality?

What impact does the media have on the transformation of a society?

How do upheavals in the social order affect the daily lives of individuals?

What strategies have been used at different times to achieve social justice in America, and what have been their degrees of effectiveness?

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REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS

You will need the following textbooks to complete the work of the course. These texts are available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader: Documents, Speeches and Firsthand Accounts from the Black Freedom Struggle, 1954–1990, ed. Clayborne Carson et al. (New York: Penguin, 1991; ISBN-10: 0-14-015403-5).

Voices of Freedom: An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s through the 1980s, by Henry Hampton and Steve Fayer (New York: Bantam Books, 1991; ISBN-10: 0-553-35232-6).

Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954–1965, by Juan Williams (New York: Penguin, 1988; ISBN-10: 0-14-009653-1).

Note: The print materials used in this course are companion texts to the PBS telecourse and series Eyes on the Prize. The video programs for this series are not currently available for leasing and have therefore been omitted from our syllabus. If you are lucky enough to have access to the video programs through a local library or other outlet, we strongly recommend that you watch them. The course assignments and exam, however, do not require viewing the videotapes. Please ignore all references to television programs in the print materials.

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COURSE STRUCTURE

American Civil Rights Movement is a three-credit online course based on the television course Eyes on the Prize. Organized into five (5) assignment modules, the course requires that you participate in four (4) graded online discussions, complete four (4) written assignments, and take two (2) examinations—a proctored midterm and a proctored final examination.

For the course's five assignment modules and detailed assignment schedule (reading assignments, online discussions, and written assignments), go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. (See also the course Calendar.)

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ONLINE DISCUSSIONS

In addition to an ungraded introductions forum in module 1, you are required to participate in four graded online discussion forums.

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 posted question (discussion thread) and 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 Civil Rights Movement has four (4) written assignments. The assignments are in two parts and consist of three (3) essay questions and five (5) short-answer questions. You are required to answer all questions and to submit your work in a single assignment document.

The assignments focus on readings covered in successive units within a module, but you are expected to make mention of readings from previous units as appropriate. In other words, assignment questions may include material from any unit studied to that point.

Take the time to familiarize yourself with the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site, and read through the module's written assignment questions before you begin each unit's reading assignment.

Your answers to the assignment questions should be well developed and convey your understanding of the course materials. Formulate responses in your own words. Do not merely copy answers from your reading materials. When it is appropriate to use quotations or paraphrase from your text materials, be sure to cite your sources properly by giving page numbers in parentheses or using footnotes or endnotes.

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 attach your assignment file. Click submit button to turn in the assignment.

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EXAMINATIONS

You are required to take two proctored examinations: a midterm and a final. See the Calendar for the official dates of your midterm and final exam weeks.

For the both of these online examinations you are required to use the College’s Online Proctor Service. Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see the General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to make your scheduling arrangements for both exams within the first week of the semester.

Online exams are administered in the Tests & Quizzes area of the course Web site.

Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers all material assigned through unit 4.1 of the course. The exam consists of both essays and short-answer, essay-type questions.

Final Examination
The final is a closed-book, proctored online exam. It is two hours long and covers all material assigned from unit 4.2 through the end of the course. Like the midterm, the final exam consists of both essays and short-answer, essay-type questions.

Statement about Cheating
You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.

Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.

Plagiarizing answers.

Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.

Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.

Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

Written assignments (4)	40 percent
Online discussions (4)	10 percent
Midterm examination	30 percent
Final examination	20 percent

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, discussion postings, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and examinations 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

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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 General Information area of the course Web site. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.

Arrange to take your examinations by following the instructions in this Syllabus and the Online Student Handbook.

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 scheduling and taking 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.

Take careful note of the Lesson Objectives listed in the Reading Assignments for each assignment module. Read each selection first for general understanding, and then go back and take notes on what you think are the main points. In that way you have gone over the material several times.

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

Required Textbooks

Course Structure

Online Discussions
Written Assignments

Examinations

Grading and Evaluation

Strategies for Success