Online 1302 Main Page

Welcome to Collin College's
Spring 2008
Online/Blended
HIST 1302
Sections WW2 and WW3

This is a college survey course in United States history covering the era from the Civil War to our own time. In distance education this particular course format is referred to as a "blended" course. While much of your work will be done from the location of your choice, you will need to appear on campus twice. You will take the Midterm Exam and the Final Exam in person at the Spring Creek Campus Testing Center. (If you live outside the area and need to make alternative testing arrangements, contact me right away.)

You will need to know a few things to get started, such as which textbook you will need, what the assignments are like, when they are due, etc. Answers to questions about the class can be found below. After reading this introduction, however, you may still have questions that have gone unanswered. In that case, please contact me directly through email or telephone, or by coming to the office for a visit.
How to reach me: My office is located on the Spring Creek Campus of Collin College, Plano, Texas, in Suite G221, Office G223. My office telephone is (972) 881-5834 and my email address is Kwilkison@ccccd.edu. That is also the email address to which you should send your assignments.

Office Hours: My "official" office hours are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM and Tuesday afternoons, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM. Of course students are welcome to drop in at other times. The best method for reaching me is through email, however, which I check regularly. If you need to reach me immediately and I am not at my office number, you may call the Social and Behavioral Sciences Office at 972-881-5800.

The Course: This course traces American life from the end of the Civil war and Reconstruction era (1877) to the late twentieth century, focusing on changes in society, the economy, government and international relations. Students successfully completing the course should be able to do the following:

1. Describe the major economic events in the United States from the Gilded Age to the present
2. Summarize the impact of the West in the nation.
3. Explain the impact of the industrial revolution on the development of the United States
4. Assess the emergence of corporate capitalism in the US
5. Analyze the shift of the US from a rural to an urban society
6. Assess the impact of increased immigration in the US
7. Outline the changes in foreign policy in the early twentieth century
8. Differentiate reform movements (Populism, Progressivism, New Deal, Civil Rights, the Great Society) in the US
9. Illustrate how the United States came to involve itself in two world wars
10. Compare and contrast US policy after World War II in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East
11. Relate the changes in our domestic policy in the 20th Century to world events at that time.

Further, students' abilities to read critically and write thoughtfully will be strengthened. This course is reading and writing intensive.

Text: Divine, et al, The American Story, Volume II, 3rd Ed. (2007). This book is available in various outlets including the campus bookstores in Plano, McKinney and Frisco. Be sure to purchase the correct volume and edition.

Course work: Your course work consists of completing the reading assignments in the text and on the course website, writing four essays and fourteen website summaries, completing four quizzes and taking two on-campus exams. You need be on campus only twice. The rest of the work will be submitted via email or online. If you need to make arrangements to take the tests at a remote site (another college’s Testing Center), you will need to get in contact with me as soon as possible.

A. Reading Assignments: Students will read the text, this web site and attached web links. The secret of success in this course: Carefully and thoughtfully read all of the assigned material. This includes all of your textbook. This rule also applies to all of the web pages and linked sites. This course is designed to reward those students who are diligent in meeting this requirement.

B. Tests: There are two objective tests in this course, a midterm and a final. You will find a study guide for each test in the course web pages that follow. Be aware that these are challenging, demanding tests. Each of these tests will consist of approximately fifty multiple choice questions over only the assigned textbook readings for that half of the course. The midterm will cover chapters 16-23 while the final will cover chapters 24-31 (you will not be tested over your book's final chapter, Chapter 32). These tests must be taken at the Testing Center at Spring Creek Campus, Collin County Community College, 2800 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano, Texas. A Collin student identification card is required by the Testing Center before any test can be taken. Each test will be available in the Testing Center over a five-day period for students' convenience. If you are a distance education student, you may arrange with me to take the exams at a college near you. This procedure will need to be in place well before the exam due date. If this is your situation, contact me at the beginning of the semester to arrange details.

Each of the two in-person tests will count 25 percent for a cumulative value of 50 percent of your course grade.

C. Course Website Quizzes:
There is a quiz over each half of the course website. It is "open book" (open website?) and un-timed. Links to the quizzes can be found at the bottom of the assignment pages for Part 1 and Part 2 below.

Each of these two quizzes will count five percent of your grade for a cumulative value of 10 percent of your course grade.

D. Textbook Quizzes: There are two open-book un-timed textbook quizzes, each covering half the reading assignments for the course. The first quiz will cover Chapters 16-23 in the textbook. The second half will cover Chapters 24-31. This assignment will aid in your preparation for the midterm exam and final. Links to the quizzes can be found at the bottom of the assignment pages for Part 1 and Part 2 below.

Each of the two textbook quizzes will count 10 percent for a cumulative value of 20 percent of your course grade.

E. Writing: 1.) Two sets of two essay answers submitted via email for a total of four. 2.) Two sets of seven website summaries for a total of 14.

It is the policy of Collin County Community College to provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations for individuals with documented disabilities. This college will adhere to all applicable Federal and State laws, regulations, and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the ACCESS Office (Office G200; 881-5898; TDD 881-5950) in a timely manner if he/she desires to arrange for accommodations.

Academic dishonesty: Cheating and/or plagiarism will result in the grade of "0" for the test or paper involved as well as notification of the Dean of Students for an investigation and potential disciplinary action. This may include suspension or expulsion from the college. Click here to read the Collin College "Revised Scholastic Dishonesty Statement" (December 2004).

You may repeat this course only once after receiving a grade, including W.

You have a number of resources available through the college including tutoring (link takes you to "Student Services": scroll down to "Tutoring") and writing assistance both in person and online. Further, the ACCESS Office (scroll to "Services for Students With Disabilities") provides services for students with disabilities.

Spring 2008	Assignment and test calendar
January 14	First day of classes. Begin your readings.
Saturday, March 8 You may submit these assignments early or any time up to midnight of the due date.	Email assignment 1 First set of two essays due. First seven website summaries due. First open book Textbook Quiz due First Course Website Quiz due You may turn these assignments in at any time before this due date. The entire written portion in one email text or in ONE Word attachment. Subject line of email: Web Assignment 1 YourLastName No late submissions accepted.
Monday-Saturday, March 10-15	Midterm Exam Click here for the Midterm Exam Study Guide Spring Creek Campus Testing Center: Room J232, (972) 881-5922 Last test administered one hour before closing M-R: 8 am-9 pm, Friday: 8 am-3 pm, Saturday: 8 am-5 pm
April 4-May 2	Student evaluations (click here)
April 11	Last Day to Withdraw
Saturday, May 3 You may submit these assignments any time up to midnight of the due date.	Email assignment 2 Second set of two essays due. Second seven website summaries due. Second open book Textbook Quiz due Second Course Website Quiz due You may turn these assignments in at any time before this due date. The entire written portion in one email text or in ONE Word attachment. Subject line of email: Web Assignment 2 YourLastName No late submissions accepted. This is your final email assignment.
Saturday, May 3 Monday-Thursday, May 5-8	Final Exam The Final Exam Study Guide Spring Creek Campus Testing Center: Room J232, (972) 881-5922 Last test administered one hour before closing M-R: 8 am-9 pm, Friday: 8 am-3 pm, Saturday: 8 am-5 pm
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Click on 1 or 2 above to find the course web site reading material, off-site linked material, text assignments, Course Web Site Quiz, Textbook Quiz and writing assignments for that half of the course. A course calendar with due dates is at the end of this page.