The assignments for the coming week will be posted on Canvas by Friday at 11 a.m. Reading assignments, quizzes, due dates, and other activities will be noted.
There are 10 quizzes worth 5 points each based on the textbook readings. Quizzes will be taken online using Canvas. The textbook quizzes are typically 10 randomly ordered true/false, multiple choice, ordering, or matching questions that cover main points from reading assignments and/or lecture. Students are allowed 3 attempts and 30 minutes to complete the quiz. Missed quizzes cannot be made up. However, if you miss a quiz you may do a makeup assignment to earn back those points!
We will have 4 online discussion forums, and will be using them to practice academic writing and analysis. When there is a discussion prompt due, students will first respond to the prompt, then comment on at least two of their classmate’s responses, making a polite observation, adding to the ideas, or joining in the debate. Be sure to read the prompt carefully! This is a great opportunity to get comfortable using citations and researching academic sources!
There are 4 exams, given approximately every 4 weeks. They will cover only the information since the last exam. A study guide will be available several days before the exam. Exam questions will be based on lecture IDs and readings from documents, articles, and videos. There will be 25 true/false, multiple choice, ordering, and/or matching questions worth 2 points each on the exams. Students will have 30 minutes to complete each exam. Missed exams cannot be made up. However, during the final week of class, there will be an optional makeup exam, which will be cumulative, with 25 questions worth 2 point each. The Makeup Exam is not extra credit, but it is a great way to replace one missed exam score or one low exam score!
Developing solid research skills is essential to academic writing. To that end, students are required to self-register and complete six online Library Research Tutorials that show how to make the most of SCC’s library resources. You will be completing modules 1 through 6 (module 7 is not required). Please provide your proof of completion to earn 5 points for each module by the stated deadline. The research skills from these modules will be used throughout the semester on various writing assignments.
We will be working throughout the semester on a project to learn how to choose, define, and narrow a research topic to learn about a particular time and place. You will be defining your own research project, and conducting your own online database research. You will also be analyzing, organizing, and writing about your research findings. To help you get started, this project will use skills learned in the library training on Internet research, and there are a total of three assignments that build on each other.
Students will choose a broad research topic and narrow it down to some possible options for further research. We will use online research techniques to find reliable websites and academic history articles to investigate the chosen topic to decide its viability for further study. Students will present their strategies, findings, and any obstacles in a discussion post.
Students will then choose their final narrowed topic and continue carrying out their research, reading primary and secondary sources about their topic. In a discussion post, students will begin analyzing their sources and address ing the "so what" question - why is this topic important? What does this research tell us that is surprising or interesting about the time period in question? How does it show change over time?
Students will then organize their findings into a 1000-word formal academic paper, that states a clear thesis and supports the thesis with evidence from their academic sources. Students will demonstrate mastery of MLA in-text and full citations.
I want you to succeed with your project and in this class! Please be sure to look at the grading rubric attached to the online assignments - rubrics tell you how your work will be graded! Please be sure to start your work early, let me know as soon as you can if you are having trouble, and upload your submissions in the appropriate file format (Word or PDF) by the deadline. Best wishes, and please let me know if I can help!