HIST
2310
US
History to 1877
Fall,
2008
Instructor:
Dr. Robert F. Pace
Instructor
email: rpace@mcm.edu
Course Description: General survey of American history to
1877, concentrating on colonial foundation, national growth, Civil War, and
Reconstruction. Problems of the nature of history.
NOTE: THIS CLASS IS EXCLUSIVELY OFFERED
ONLINE THROUGH MCMURRY’S MOODLE SERVER. Go to http://moodle.mcm.edu
Required
Mark C. Carnes and John A. Garraty, American Destiny: Narrative of a Nation--Volume
I, Third Edition (
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students
should:
¡ be able to
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the major people, events, organizations,
and actions that shaped the history of the
¡ be
able to communicate analysis and insight about historical problems and causational
actions in a written format.
Course Schedule:
The course will
be self-paced by the student. However, there are fifteen chapters for which the
student will have to complete written material. In addition the student will
take an online exam for each chapter. ALL WORK MUST BE COMPLETED BY SUNDAY,
DECEMBER 7, 2008.
Grading Policies
The assignments in the class are worth the
following:
Chapter Exams (15 @ 50 points apiece): 750
points
Chapter Discussion Forum participation (15
@ 16.6 points apiece): 250 points
Total possible points: 1000 points
The following grading scale will be
observed for your semester grade.
930-1000= A; 900-929 = A-; 880-899 = B+;
830-879 = B; 800-829 = B-; 780-799 = C+;
770-779 = C ;
700-729 = C-; 680-699 = D+; 630-679 = D; 600-629 = D-; <600 = F
Chapter Exams:
You will take a chapter exam for each of
the fifteen chapters in the textbook. Chapter exams will consist of 14 multiple
choice questions from the book chapter. You may take each chapter exam up to
three times to improve your score, and you may use your book while you take the
exam. Also, each exam is timed, with only 20 minutes allotted for you to take
it, so make sure you have read the chapter before you attempt to take the exam.
I advise going ahead and trying multiple
times if you do not score 100% because the
computer will take your highest grade, not your last grade.
Discussion Forums:
The discussion forums are all online—on Moodle—and you will be asked to write a paragraph or two on
each of the questions posted for each chapter. Also, I expect you to use proper
spelling and grammar in writing these paragraphs. This is not a
"texting" forum. This is a discussion forum for an academic course.
Course Learning Assessment:
Each student will take the online
"Pretest" on the site. This is a 30-question multiple choice exam on
the first half of American History. Students will not receive a grade for this
exam, but it is required that all take it. Then, at the end of the semester,
all students will take the same exam again, but this time for bonus points (and
to measure improvement as a result of the class).