AMH 2010-21 Spring 0W65

U.S. History, 1492 - 1877

History Department, College of Arts and Humanities

3 Credit Hours

Instructor: James Stoddard

Instructor Information 

• Instructor: Jim Stoddard
• Office Location: Online only.
• Office Hours: Make appointment for an online meeting.
• Phone: (407) 823-2225
• Digital Contact: James.Stoddard@ucf.edu or Webcourses@UCF messaging

Course Information

• Term: Spring, 2021
• Course Number & Section: AMH 2010-21 Spring 0W65
• Course Name: U.S. History 1492-1877
• Credit Hours: 3
• Course Modality: W

Course Description

The course covers a broad period of early American history, from before Europeans made contact with American Indians in the fifteenth century through the aftermath of the Civil War in the nineteenth century. We will necessarily move quickly, being selective in the topics covered rather than exhaustive.

The course will trace several themes including: the expansion of the political process, the changing lives of everyday Americans, the increasing tension between the North and the South, westward expansion, and the developing economy.

This course is intended to improve students’ skills in areas including: reading comprehension, information synthesis, critical thinking, and analytical writing. Additionally, this course will introduce students to how to approach topics as a historian.

Course Materials and Resources

Required Materials/Resources

• Required Materials

  OpenStax U.S. History.

  • The book is free and open source. There's nothing to buy. I will post chapter PDFs in Webcourses.

Student Learning Outcomes

• 1: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the chronology and significance of major events and movements in American history.
• 2: Students will be able to gather, synthesize, and analyze information from appropriate resources and be able to critically evaluate information and sources for accuracy and credibility.
• 3: Students will identify common human themes and the richness of diverse cultures.

Course Activities

• Assignments:
  
  • 40% Discussions (5)
  • 40% Unit Quizzes (7)
• Essay
  • 10% America's Founding Documents Essay
• Exam
  • 10% Final Exam
• Extra Credit may be available on an assignment by assignment basis.
• The student should have regular access to the internet and plan on logging into the course at least twice each week.

Activity Submissions

Submit all assignments through Webcourse's Assignment Page

Assignment Policies & Procedures

Discussions

As part of the course’s GEP Foundation in Communication, students will be asked to participate in online discussions throughout the semester.

Each unit will have 2 options for you to choose from. But you only participate in 1 discussion per unit. Generally, discussions are based on reading from the text, documentaries, and other online sources.

IMPORTANT: You only do 1 discussion per unit. I'm just giving you a choice to better match student interests.

The discussions will be due at the end of each unit and may be completed at any time during the unit.

Discussion participation will each be graded out of 7 points, variable according to quality. You can earn a bonus points in 2 ways.

• First, by posting early in a unit, usually by 11:59 PM of a unit's first Sunday. Each discussion assignment will have the precise date. You will receive a half point (.5) added to your grade for that discussion.
• Second, by making a substantial reply to another student's post. You will also receive a half point (.5) added to your grade for that discussion. That's .5 total--not .5 for each reply you make. Note that making a reply is optional: you receive credit if you make a quality reply, but you are not penalized if you don't reply.

It is possible to receive a grade of 8 out of 7 for each discussion. The bonuses quickly add up. Each semester I have several students receive over 100% for the discussion portion of the course.

For more information about discussion grading, see the Discussion Post Guide and Rubric.

Quizzes

As part of the course’s commitment to the Cultural Interactions and Interpretation and Evaluation Foundations of the GEP, there will be quizzes throughout the semester, to be completed through Webcourses.

I have created the quiz questions with the understanding that you will have your course materials available to you. It’s fine if you use them. But you may not: 1. Collaborate with others, in any fashion, to complete the quizzes or 2. Use any resources outside of our class (such as the internet).

Quizzes will cover material since the previous quiz; they are not cumulative. Questions may be drawn from lectures, textbook chapters, and/or other assigned readings/videos/documentaries.

I will aim to have quizzes posted by Wednesday during the week they are assigned.

Essay

During Unit 3, there will be no discussion post.  Instead, the students will write an essay about America's Founding Documents.  The essay is graded out of 100 points and is worth 10% of the student's final grade.  The essay serves as a modified mid-term exam for this course.  For more information and specifics about the essay, please refer to the essay's assignment prompt, America's Founding Documents Essay.

Exam

There is one exam in this course, a cumulative Final Exam.  The exam contains 100 questions and is worth 100 points.  The Final exam counts for 10% of the student's final grade.  The exam is composed of questions from the several Unit Quizzes throughout the course. 

I have created the Final Exam questions with the understanding that you will have your course materials available to you. It’s fine if you use them. But you may not: 1. Collaborate with others, in any fashion, to complete the quizzes or 2. Use any resources outside of our class (such as the internet).

Make-up Work and Late Assignments

Per university policy, you are allowed to submit make-up work (or an equivalent, alternate assignment) for authorized university-sponsored activities, religious observances, or legal obligations (such as jury duty). If this participation conflicts with your course assignments, I will offer a reasonable opportunity for you to complete missed assignments and/or exams. The make-up assignment and grading scale will be equivalent to the missed assignment and its grading scale. In the case of an authorized university activity, it is your responsibility to show me a signed copy of the Program Verification Form for which you will be absent, prior to the class in which the absence occurs. In any of these cases, please contact me ahead of time to notify me of upcoming needs.

A -1 point deduction will be made for each day the assignment is submitted late.  Once all points are exhausted or a week passes since the due date, a 0 will be awarded for that assignment. 

Communication

It should be easy to get in touch with me either via email or the Webcourses mail tool (both end up at the same place on my end). I check email regularly and can promise a prompt but not instantaneous response. Please be aware that I try not to look at emails on Sundays. If do not receive a response in a couple days, that probably means I've forgotten. A reminder would be appreciated.

Grading Scale

The course will use plus/minus grades according to the scale below.

Students sometimes dislike the +/- system. I use it because I think there's a real difference between, say, an 89 and an 80 (or really a 79.5 rounded up). It doesn't seem fair that both should earn Bs. I do wish the university had an A+. But it doesn't, unfortunately.

Consult the latest Undergraduate or Graduate catalog for regulations and procedures regarding grading such as Incomplete grades, grade changes, and grade forgiveness.

Course Schedule

The Course Schedule can be found on Webcourses here: Schedule AMH 2010-21Spring 0W65

University Services and Resources

Academic Services and Resources

A list of available academic support and learning services is available at UCF Student Services. Click on "Academic Support and Learning Services" on the right-hand side to filter.  

Non-Academic Services and Resources

A list of non-academic support and services is also available at UCF Student Services. Click on "Support" on the right-hand side to filter.  

If you are a UCF Online student, please consult the UCF Online Student Guidelines for more information about your access to non-academic services.

Policy Statements