History 2700 is an in-person class. It meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for every week of the semester. On Mondays and Wednesdays, the professor lectures or engages the students in various team work activities for learning. On Fridays, there will be discussions, mostly based on the primary source materials in the Going to the Source Volume I, course reader, but sometimes based on supplemental readings posted in Canvas and other activities.
Mondays and Wednesdays
Since this is an in-person class, the lectures and occasional team work activities on Mondays and Wednesdays are only available to those in class. If you are in class, you must take notes. If you must miss one of these classes, you are still responsible for the material we cover in those classes. The material covered in lectures will not simply be a repeat of the textbook. Therefore, if you miss a lecture, you will need to borrow a classmate's notes and copy them.
Fridays
On Fridays, we will discuss the primary sources in the Going to the Source volume I course reader. Participation will be assessed on those days. To receive participation points, you need to do more than simply attend class, but rather participate through attentive listening, active note taking, avoiding non-class related distractions, discussing course materials with your fellow class mates. There is no substitute for class discussion. You cannot simply "make up" the material. However, you may miss ONE discussion per semester, but you will still be responsible for the material. So do the reading and borrow a class mate's notes in case of absence. Beyond the one excused absence for discussion that everyone in the class receives automatically, students will not receive any credit. It is impossible to make up in-class discussions, except for a serious illness or death in the family, in which case see the professor as soon as a problem becomes apparent. Do not wait to seek guidance.
Weekly quizzes
The quizzes will be multiple choice and open note/ open book. Each week they will be based on a chapter or two in the American Yawp textbook. The number of questions will vary by the week, but generally will be approximately 35 questions. The quizzes will open on Mondays and be due on Friday of that same week. You complete the quizzes on your own time outside of class. Please note that I give you practice questions in advance and many of those same questions appear on the quiz, so it pays to prepare in advance! I do not use proctoring or any kind of surveillance software because I believe they are unethical, unsafe, and stressful for students. You take these quizzes on your own time and your honor. I trust that you value your own learning experience and intellectual development. However, I do implement some safety precautions like having a time limit on the quiz. Therefore, you will need prepare in advance for the quiz by reading and taking notes on the chapter before attempting the quiz. My overall intention here is to minimize quiz-taking stress while rewarding preparation and advance planning.
EACH AND EVERY WEEK THE DEADLINE FOR COMPLETING THE QUIZ WILL BE FRIDAY AT 5PM. I recommend that you follow this approach, so you can then have the weekend to yourself. However, I realize that sometimes things get crazy during the week, so I add these two policies. Read them carefully.
GRACE PERIOD: You will still be able to submit your quiz over the following weekend without penalty. The Canvas Quiz will remain open until Sunday at 11:59pm. If you submit work on the weekend, I will accept it without penalty. However, no assignments after this will be accepted and you will receive a zero. That includes anything turned in one minute beyond the grace period.
MISSING QUIZZES: In addition to the grace period every week, you can miss ONE Quiz without penalty during the semester. No questions asked. This will cover illness, family crisis, computer crash, forgetfulness, etc. -- anything you want. You do not even need to tell me. This policy is automatically applied to the grade book, with two "0" scores deducted for the quizzes and questions. Note that you will still need to read and/ or engage with the material that is missed because it will be on the exams, but you do not need to worry about the assignment and the deadline.
Note that this missing quiz policy does NOT apply to the midterm/ final exams and Commonplace assignment. This policy is intended to help you cope with the unexpected things that happen in life. However, I do not grant extensions or exceptions to anyone beyond this one missing quiz, so use it carefully!
Midterm and Final Exams -- Dates
The Midterm and Final Exams will take place on the dates below. These are announced on the first day of classes and listed in the syllabus. Students must plan an adjust their schedules accordingly so that they take the exams on the dates listed and at the class time. There are no early exams. There are no make up exams, unless there is a serious illness or death in the family. Medical documentation will be required in these cases.
Midterm Exam -- Wednesday, October 7 -- In Class
Final Exam -- In Class -- Schedule not posted yet on SUU website. Will be announced in class.
Commonplace Book
You are expected to keep up with your weekly entries on your own and bring them to our Friday discussions. Commonplace books will be submitted at the end of the semester. No late books allowed past deadline on assignment.