We will be doing a lot of writing in this class, and I want you to succeed! To make sure that you have the necessary skills, students are strongly advised that they should have completed ENGWR 101 or ESL 320, or have been assessed as being ready to take ENGWR 300 before taking History. Successful completion of this course requires the ability to listen to lectures and take notes, the ability to write academic papers appropriate for college level classes, and the ability to read and comprehend college level documents, articles, and exam questions.
History is a topic that can be controversial, and we use this opportunity to practice the art of civil debate. In an academic setting, looking at ideas from different angles and disagreeing about interpretations is absolutely encouraged; however, making public value judgments about another class member is not acceptable. If you must trash someone’s values, character, or upbringing, please choose one of the historic figures, since they are dead and rudeness will not bother them.
In addition, please review Los Rios Community College District's Acceptable Use policies for detailed information about what is and is not appropriate use of campus computer resources.
We must create a space where everyone feels that class is a safe forum for expression. We must all keep open minds to recognize, honor, and encourage all ways of thinking and being in the world. Everyone needs to be able to express ideas without fear of ridicule. We may not always agree with the readings, lecture material, or with each other, but we must all fight to hear other truths and accept – not merely tolerate – the validity of other points of view.
Excuses suck. Making them is uncomfortable and awkward, and listening to them is tiresome and annoying. So let’s not do that. Deadlines are nonnegotiable – I will not accept excuses for late work, even if you have a really good reason. But don't worry! I will offer 40 points in makeup assignments so you can recover if you hit a bump in the road along the way! Miss a quiz? Do a makeup assignment. Forgot a paper deadline? Do ALL the makeup assignments! Obviously, you don’t want to miss too many assignments, but you can recover from a minor glitch or two by using the makeup assignments!
You can earn up to 40 points in extra credit/makeup assignments to make up for points lost through a missed assignment or a low grade on an assignment. Makeup assignments are posted the week of exams, and typically ask students to do some online academic research and give a written response that demonstrates formal academic writing skills and use of proper MLA citations. Unless otherwise specified, all information sources for extra credit/makeup assignments MUST be from academic sources!
A classroom (even an online classroom!) is a more formal environment, and we need to practice collegial behavior by taking responsibility for keeping up with assignments and communicating with classmates appropriately. To remind us about participation and collegial behavior, points may be deducted for various infractions. Disruptive behavior, defined as uncivil or rude behavior toward a classmate or the professor, will cost 10 points. Since our main interaction with each other with take place in discussion forums, skipping the discussion will cost 5 participation points. You may be dropped from the class for habitual unpreparedness or missing more than 2 modules worth of assignments.
We need to be honest about our abilities in order to improve! I expect students to do their own work at all times in this class. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty; as such, it will not be tolerated. The Student Honor Code defines plagiarism as: “1. Incorporating the ideas, words, sentences, paragraphs or parts of another person’s writings without giving appropriate credit, and representing the product as your own. 2. Representing another’s artistic or scholarly works such as musical compositions, computer programs, photographs, paintings, drawings or sculptures as your own. 3. Submitting a paper purchased from a research or term paper service, including the Internet. 4. Undocumented Web source usage.” Students who plagiarize on assignments will receive a zero for the assignment or exam, and will be referred to the appropriate campus authorities.