Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | HIS-1212-VO01 - U.S. History Since 1865

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Eileen Gatti
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Philip Crossman

General Education Requirements

VSCS Humanistic Perspectives

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

Beginning with Reconstruction, this course traces the social, economic, political, and cultural forces that have shaped the history of the United States to the present day. The course emphasizes understanding of contemporary issues in light of historical events.

Essential Objectives

1. Describe the military, economic, social, and political elements of the Reconstruction period and the evolution of structural racism.
2. Discuss efforts to expand or restrict civil rights from Reconstruction to the present.
3. Assess the role of the Supreme Court in determining the rights and opportunities of disenfranchised demographic groups.
4. Discuss the significance of western expansion and the idea of the American frontier, along with its implications for indigenous peoples, immigrants, and other historically disadvantaged populations.
5. Analyze the diverse effects of urbanization, industrialization, and technological innovation in the United States.
6. Compare and contrast major social reform movements in the United States since the Civil War, including their lasting impacts on American society.
7. Analyze the immediate and lasting consequences of the Great Depression, including its influence on the evolving role of government in people’s lives in the modern age.
8. Explain how successive waves of immigration shaped culture and affected the diversity of American society and analyze how immigrant populations have been perceived, portrayed, and treated by dominant cultures over time.
9. Trace the development of American foreign policy and analyze America’s role in global affairs.
10. Analyze the theses, context, values, perspectives, and facts in primary and secondary sources.
11. Engage in and evaluate historical research using information literacy skills.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a no cost textbook or resource class. ***

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

Methods

• Online readings and videos
• Online discussions
• Quizzes
• Writing assignments/mini-projects
• Research project

Evaluation Criteria

Your final grade and your progress towards adequately meeting the course objectives will be based on weekly discussion forums, written assignments, quizzes and the final research paper.

• 30%: discussion forums
• 40%: written assignments
• 30%: quizzes

Details for all assignments will be provided in the weekly course page. Please always feel free to ask questions if an assignment is unclear or if you are having any technical difficulties accessing the course materials.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

You are an important part of this course. Please make every effort to be “present” each week. Attendance in an online class is indicated by participation in online discussion forums. If you fail to post to the forums according to the weekly deadlines, you will have “missed” class and be marked absent for the week. Accruing more than 3 absences for the semester may result in a failing grade. If you are having difficulty posting on time for a given week, notify me as soon as you can. Please be advised that the attendance requirement for financial aid eligibility may be different than the attendance requirements for this class.

Missing & Late Work Policy

• I expect all assignments to be submitted by the due date. After the due date, work turned in late will result in a 5% grade reduction for each day past the due date. I understand that there are often circumstances that get in the way despite your best intentions, so everyone will be given a one-week grace period for a single assignment if you notify me before the due date.
• Late work is not generally accepted in the discussion forum, with some exceptions. Interacting with classmates each week is an essential part of an online class discussion, and cannot be made up after the week has ended.
• You are responsible for contacting me to let me know about anticipated absences or extenuating circumstances that may interfere with assignment deadlines.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity