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Welcome to Hist 222! This is an important class because, by the time you finish it, you will have a much better understanding of current events and how our society evolved to where it is now. You will, for example, understand the social, cultural, political, and economic forces that led to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Course Textbook: Kelley, Robin D. G., and Earl Lewis. To Make Our World Anew. Vol. 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Available in the APUS Library at http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/lib/apus/detail.action?docID=679615 . Also, attachments for the chapter of your textbook that you are assigned to read each week is provided in each weekly forum and as well as in your syllabus.

First, download the syllabus and read it.  Highlight what you need to remember. Commit to reviewing the syllabus weekly. Then come back here.

Next, scroll all the way down in the forum section. You are going to find a forum with valuable resources for you (Resources to Help You). Look at them all.

Now, download the grading rubrics. Read them. Review them weekly. Then come back here. They are in the forum Resources to Help You.

History classes are challenging and take a great deal of work. In a 3­credit online class, this means you are expected to put in about twelve hours of work per week just in this course. Experience shows that problems start when students fall behind because they lack time management skills or are procrastinators. Online students must be self­motivated and be able to work on their own. If you are falling behind, have excessive hours at work, or are sick, contact your instructor ASAP via Messages. It is preferable to do that before you have a problem or conflict. Please, please do not be tempted to plagiarize if you fall behind.

If you do the required work each week and follow instructions, you will do well in this class. Points are deducted for not doing the required work and for not following instructions. Your feedback for the forum discussions will be in the gradebook. In the gradebook, click on comments.

Take a good look around the course. See what is located where. Have you completed Coll 100 and the Sakai training for students? To the left is a menu.

•  Announcements: These appear on the course’s homepage.
• Messages: Once the course has started, and until the last day of the course, only privately communicate via Messages. Once the course is over, write to me via my email address (in the syllabus). Check Messages regularly as I communicate with the class this way.
• Forums: This is where class discussion and work takes place. Click on the topics that I have posted, post your conversation or essay, or respond to them.
• Syllabus: This is our contract.
• Lessons: These are general overviews of the history for the week that will give you further information, not in your other required work.
• Adobe Connect: Click this for consulting with your instructor.
• Gradebook: Check your grades regularly. If you find a problem, inform your instructor via Messages as soon as possible. In the grade book, click on comments. This is where you will find your feedback on your forum discussions and essays.

Please refrain from using any form of attachments in the forums…so many of our peers are deployed in service to our nation and they have to use government Internet providers which prohibit them from opening attachments in our classroom. Out of respect for our classmates, please do not attach any documents in the forums.

This class includes controversial subject matter, and therefore, adhering to Netiquette is important. One of the best ways to do that is to remember that historians argue positions and not personalities. Remain courteous. Back up your positions with citations from academic sources.

The forums are a critical part of this course since it is through the forums that you will interact with your classmates. Complete them on time, and before you post the next week, wait for the feedback. Make sure you read and heed the feedback each week.

Course Expectations: Remember to always write your postings in an academic tone. The exception to this is the debates and other assignments for which you will write all your posts in character. Do not forget to reference any assertion that you make or ideas that you borrow. Keep up with the reading and other work. Plan out a weekly schedule so that you carve out the necessary time to do your work. This class generates exciting discussion.

If you have a technology problem, inform your instructor. However, you have to write to the Help Desk in the menu to the left.

Researching: It is important here to remember the dangers of researching on the Web. This is why you are forbidden to use anything on the Web that is not provided in the classroom. The only exception is when instructions specifically tell you that you may search on the Web. As a college student, you need to learn that when you research, you go first to the college library, including its academic journal databases. If you want to use a website that is not pre­approved, then you must write to your instructor via Messages to request it.

Plagiarism, Citing & Referencing: Remember that as a college student, for an A grade, you are expected not just to do the work. You must show that you go above and beyond what is assigned. This can be seen in your forum work, in the sources you use, and in how well you can cite them. Remember that you must reference your sources so you do not plagiarize. Aim for at least one citation per paragraph. Remember that you do not just reference quotations. If you use someone’s research or ideas, you must also cite that. This is why you should cite, cite, cite. If you take an idea from someplace, then cite it. If everything in a paragraph comes from one source, then you can have one reference note at the end of the paragraph. Otherwise, you need more than one note per paragraph.  You can use APA, MLA or Chicago style format.

Your Required Work for the Week

1.) To begin, please go through everything in the Resources to Help You forum. To find it, scroll to the bottom of forums.

2.) Study the syllabus, write down any questions you might have, and ask them. Also read the grading rubric.

3.) Read your instructor’s introduction. Here you will find the information you will need to post your own introduction. Click “full description.”

4.) Please post responses to at least two of your fellow classmates. You will find forum requirements in the syllabus. For this week, there is no minimum word length for responses (this week only).

5.) Post questions about the course in the questions forum. All the learning activities in this course will help you master the course and module objectives.

6.) Read the lesson for this week.

Virtual Introductions

Dear Students, To adhere to APUS requirements, you must complete the work for this week in a substantial posting by Friday 11:55 p.m. ET. Also, faculty are required to grade this posting. See the comment section in the Gradebook for the instructor’s evaluation. Your graded work for this week is, write your responses for 1, 3, and 4 in one post, and then respond to two of your peers.:

1.) Your Virtual Introduction in Forum 1. Write a brief biography about yourself and your goals and expectations for this course. Share with us something interesting. Also, answer the following four questions:

• In studying African American history, what do you expect to learn in this course?
• If you could interview a celebrity who would it be and what would you ask them?
• Share a quote that inspires you?
• Out of all the classes you could have taken to meet your requirements for a degree: Why are you taking this class?

2.) Respond to two of your peers.

3.) Scroll all the way down in Forums. You will find the forum Resources to Help You. Which resource do you find most interesting and why? Which resource do you think will be the most helpful to you and why?

4.) Acknowledge your acceptance of the APUS honor code in writing:

AMU and APU Student and Faculty Honor Code

Accept responsibility for my actions at all times.

Practice and promote academic integrity at all times.

Uphold unconditionally the University’s policy of Academic integrity and accept the consequences of Academic dishonesty.

Show consideration for and respect the dignity of all persons.

Honor Pledge

As a member of the American Public University System learning community, I understand and will abide by the University’s policy of academic integrity, as described in the Student Handbook and the University catalog. Furthermore, I agree to the provisions of the APUS Honor Code, and I will not engage in, condone, or assist others in any act of dishonesty or plagiarism. Finally, I understand that I will be subject to appropriate disciplinary and/or academic sanctions if I commit any violations of the University’s academic integrity policies.

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