MONTGOMERY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

(dba Montgomery College)

SYLLABUS

I. Course Title: RHS 202, Spring, 2006

II. Instructor Information: Your instructor is Duane C. Ellison. Parts of his credentials are listed in the College Catalogue. Instructors can be useful - but only if used. Use the instructor. He is available and willing, indeed anxious to be of help. His office is located in Rm. 263 of the Humanities Building which is in the History/Political Science cluster entered from Room 270. He is available immediately before classes, during the office hours posted and by appointment. His E-Mail addy is 208760@comcast.net. Do not attempt to access him through the college email address. The instructor does not frequently check this address and the system administrator sometimes blocks messages from off campus as a security precaution. Run a written assignment by him for comments prior to submitting it for grading. Essay questions you will met on the first two exams are posted. Prepare a response and run it by the instructor for feedback prior to the exam. You would be surprised how helpful this is. If you avail yourself of this by email do not enclose your response. Set it out in the main text portion of your email as my security system frequently blocks attachments.

III. Text and Reading Materials: Readings: Tindall & Shi, America: A Narrative History, Vol. II. This is available in the book store and through used book outlooks. The publisher of the text has a web site tailored for the book containing chapter summaries, guides and text items some of which will appear on exams. In addition, a number of written assignments are due based upon material located on the instructor's college web page. This can be accessed at http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/hpolscrv/Ellison.html If all else fails go to the main page of the college and follow the logical route of "Departments" "Campus" until you reach "History/Political Science, Rockville." There you will find my name and link to my personal Web Page.

IV. General Course Information: This is History 202, a survey of American History from c1865 to the present. A more detailed description is to be found in the college catalogue. There are no prerequisites. The classroom format is lecture & discussion.

V. Specific Outcomes (aka Objectives): As an introductory course, this is designed to meet two broad objectives: (1) to give you an overview of the historical period under consideration and (2) to develop critical thinking skills which include, but are not limited to the following:

1. To distinguish causes from effects. Historians are not interested in just what happened in the past. They are also interested in why things happened (or more humbly, in how thing happened). To the extent they focus upon this relationship (cause and effect) they cease to be mere "buffs" and are members of an academic discipline.

2. To draw inferences: Historians are like detectives in that they seldom disagree on what happened, but often disagree on why or how things happened. This is because they must draw inferences from the evidence. Some inferences are obvious (e.g., if it walks like a duck, swims like a duck, etc., then it probably is a duck). Some inferences are not so obvious. Some facts permit more than one valid inference.

3. To distinguish facts from opinions and/or conclusions and to recognize assumptions. If you think this is self evident, you are challenged to take out pen and paper now and define the term "fact."

4. To synthesize information (collect and present it, even if apparently contradictory, in a systematic and unified way).

5. To conceptualize: to see an event from more than one point of view (i.e., to draw simultaneous inferences)

6. To follow directions; to engage in independent study and make a contribution to the class.

This last objective includes the REQUIREMENT that all material submitted must contain a complete heading placed in the upper-right hand corner of the paper, consisting of your Last Name, followed by your First Name, the course and section numbers and the date submitted.

VI. Assessment: Three examinations, weighed at 100 points each are administered. The first two are multiple-choice and essay. The final is matching. Examinations are not cumulative. Multiple choice quizzes on text book chapters are due on or before the date set forth in the assignment pages. These are taken directly from the text book publisher’s web site. You will find the appropriate URL on the back cover of your text book. Additionally, six or seven short written assignments weighed at 10 points each are given. See assignment pages for details. All work submitted, with the exception of the two examinations must be completed on standard size note book paper. All work must be in ink. All work must contain a complete heading in the upper right hand corner consisting of your last name, your first name, the course and section number and the date submitted.

VII. Grading: A = 100% - 90%; B = 89% - 75%; C = 74% - 60%; D = 59% - 45%.

VIII. Make-up Policy: Make up exams are administered in the Assessment Center. A make-up exam will be permitted only for good cause shown. You must contact the instructor via e-mail ASAP to request a make-up exam and offer your good cause reason for missing the regularly scheduled exam. Do not anticipate receiving the same exam that was regularly administered if you take a make-up. It is the student's responsibility to obtain the operating hours of the Assessment Center. An explanation for this policy is offered. During a recent term an average of two students (plus) per class, per exam requested a make-up exam. That amounted to 30 some students. Some advised of their problem within 24 hours of missing the exam. One advised 3 weeks after the exam. Each asked that I accommodate them on an individual basis. That would require a total of 30 (plus) separate trips to the assessment to deliver the exams and the filling out of 30 (plus) forms. It would require additional trips to retrieve the exams and personally initial the name of each student on the Assessment Form for their record. I must also attach the Social Security Number of each student for the records of the Assessment Center. It also meant postponing the handing of graded exams back to the class which causes a certain amount of student frustration. And to add to the above difficulties, three students asked me to reschedule the make-up exam due to "illness," and five students failed to put their names on the make-up exams they had taken. The group dynamics of the above dictate this policy. Late assignments are accepted only for good cause shown. These must be hand delivered to the instructor, not placed under his door or in the envelope beside his door or given to a third party.

IX. Classroom Policies:

A. Attendance: The instructor abides by the college policy on absences. You may miss only one class without penalty for an unexcused reason. (Excused absences are limited to serious illness, death in the immediate family, religious observations and official college functions. They do not include "doctor’s appointment," "I had to work," or "I had a meeting.") An immediate exception is made for court appearances and for members of the armed forces activated for duty. Unexcused absences in excess of the above number will result in your involuntary withdrawal from the course or a reduction in your final grade by one letter grade. Your appearance in class is a representation that you will remain for the duration of the class. This is the instructor’s gentle way of saying do not leave class before it ends. This will be regarded as an absence. Should the instructor not appear within 10 minutes of the commencement of class, you may assume he is absent and adjourn. Should you fail to appear within 10 minutes of the commencement of class do not enter thereafter until after the break. If you arrive late, but within ten minutes after class has commenced, please take a seat nearest the door rather than disrupt the class by taking your usual seat. This 10 minute grace time is not a license to be consistently late. Seats are assigned by the instructor. If you missed the first class in which this occurred, see the instructor. Do not take another person’s assigned seat.

B. Cell phones: These are rapidly becoming the bane of the academic community. In addition to being disruptive by being activated during class, they have spawned a wide variety of cheating and invasion of privacy. Cell phones are to be turned off prior to entering class. They are not to be visibly displayed at any time during class.

B. Academic Honesty: See the Student Code of Conduct, Section IV. This is of particular importance in view of the research/Web project you will do. The Internet is a tempting source for plagiarism. Be advised, there are search programs which permit identification of such plagiarism.

C. Classroom Conduct: Disruptive behavior will result in your involuntary withdrawal from class. For examples and further clarification, see the College Policies and Procedures Manual and/or the Student Code of Conduct: Classroom Behavior. Categorical imperatives: No eating (coffee, coke and other soft drinks are O.K. Gum chewing is allowed, but no cracking gum or blowing bubbles); no tank tops, no bare feet, no sleeping. Pagers as well as cell phones are to be turned off prior to entering class.

D. Support Services: Support for those with a disability is offered. A letter from Disability Support Services authorizing you specific accommodation is needed by this instructor. Their office is located in CAB 122 and may be called on 240.567.5058. If you have a disability requiring examinations to be administered in the Assessment Center, it is your responsibility to notify the instructor in writing, at least two days before the scheduled examination. Do this via email.

E. Cancellation of Class:

If inclement weather forces the College or any campus or College facility to suspend classes or close, public service announcements will be provided to local radio and television stations as early as possible. If you have checked several stations and have not heard an announcement, you may go to the College Web site or call the number listed below for closing information.

You will be able to determine the College's operational status during inclement weather or other emergencies through the following means:

* Tune in to area radio or television stations. Dozens of stations are notified. Among those with most frequent updates are:

Television -- NBC Channel 4/WRC; Fox Channel 5/WTTG; Channel 7/WJLA; Channel 9/WUSA; and cable News Channel 8. In the Baltimore area, check Channel 2/WMAR.

Radio -- WTOP (1500 AM and 107.7 FM), WMAL (630 AM), WAMU (88.5 FM). In the Frederick area, check WFMD/WFRE.

* Check the College's Web site at http://www.montgomerycollege.edu or http://www.mc.cc.md.us

* Call the College's main phone number, 240-567-5000, to hear an updated message, in the event of closures or delays.

If the campus or College closes, class will be cancelled. It is your responsibility to find out whether class is cancelled. The content of subsequent class sessions or other course requirements may be changed to accommodate the loss of one or more class sessions. Your instructor will notify the class of any changes to the course.

Source: College Catalog: Directory.

X. Suggestions for Success

1. Get organized. Organization is the salvation of those who lack the qualities of true genius. Basically it involves anticipating that in the real world, Murphy’s Law holds true. (Murphy’s Law: whatever can go wrong, will go wrong) A partial solution to this is to have at least one buddy (someone who can be relied on to cover you in event of your absence; e.g., get any handouts, be willing to review with you before the exams, etc.)

2. Use the publisher’s Web site for the text. As noted above, that Web Site contains an overview and summary of each chapter and review questions which are valuable.

3. Each semester, the Department of History and Political Science offers one-on-one tutoring to students to help them prepare for examinations. See the Web Page for the History/Political Science Department for specifics. Use the instructor for assistance in preparing the essay questions.

4. Don’t be intimated. Students often fail to ask a question or offer a comment or seek the help of the instructor for fear they will look "dumb." Overcoming that fear is important in education. So too is overcoming the propensity to answer a question with "I don’t know." Emphatically so is the propensity to respond to a question by the instructor with a guttural "huh!"

5. Take notes. Note taking is an acquired skill. If all else fails, bring a tape recorder to class.

6. Review: And do it early. Immediately after class is the best time to review. Fill in the gaps which are bound to appear in your notes. Compare the notes with the material in the text book. Check with your buddy for his/her notes. There are 10-15 minute breaks between classes - use them to study or review. Repetition is the most basic pedagogical principle. The trick is to avoid rote memorization in the process of its application. This can be done in various ways. Cable TV offers "The History Channel and “The Learning Channel among others, which frequently carry films, both documentary and otherwise, that offer reinforcement opportunities. Radio offers a variety of talk shows, including 88.5 FM’s PBS in which current issues are debated within their historical context. The Library has a decent collection of both audio and visual material in the field of history. The World Wide Web has literally tens of thousands of relevant sites. Try them out. Also recommended is the reading of a daily newspaper which contains the same subject matter as covered in this course, although up-dated. Intensity is another basic principle of pedagogy.

7. Remember to PLACE A COMPLETE HEADING ON ALL WORK SUBMITTED. This consists of your last name followed by your first name, the class and section number and the date submitted.

XI. Nice to Know Information

Graduation rate (Montgomery College: 1995) 5.2%

Transfer rate (Montgomery College: 1995) - 19.8%

Attrition rate (Montgomery College: 1995) - 75%

Final grades: The Records Office distributes final grades via the Web through the college Banner site. Those of you who registered on line may obtain the final grade through this Web site. The instructor submits his final grades to the Records Office. He has no control over when they are posted on the Banner site. Please do not contact the instructor for this information. If you wish the final exam to be mailed to you please submit a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your final exam and I will post it.

XI. Disclaimer: The above terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. There are no guarantees or warranties, expressed or implied, including suitability for a particular purpose, given in this course. Other remedies may be available under the laws of your state. Certain material presented may not be suitable for all age groups, hence viewer discretion is advised. All material prepared by this instructor is protected by applicable state, national and international copyright laws. However, these rights are waved by the instructor provided the material is used for non-commercial purposes and you do not fold, spindle or mutilate the hard copy upon which it is disseminated. Students are advised that certain exercises performed in class should not to be attempted outside that arena unless done so under the supervision of a professional historian. If intellectual intensity over the subject matter persists longer than four hours, seek immediate medical attention. When mixing the contents of this course, shake – a-la James Bond. Do not - Repeat - do not stir.

AND PLACE A COMPLETE HEADING ON ALL WORK SUBMITTED.

Last name, first name, course, section number and date submitted.

I am Duane Ellison and I authorize this message.