Syllabus Checklist Snapshot
Approved: Initials/date HIST 1301.9M1 (Fall 2025) CREDIT 3 Semester Credit Hours (3 hours lecture, 0 hours lab) MODE OF INSTRUCTION Online PREREQUISITE/CO-REQUISITE: TSI Complete for Reading COURSE DESCRIPTION A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of the United States from the pre-Columbian era to the Civil War/Reconstruction period. United States History I includes the study of pre-Columbian, colonial, revolutionary, early national, slavery and sectionalism, and the Civil War/Reconstruction eras. Themes that may be addressed in United States History I include: American settlement and diversity, American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological change, economics, and creation of the federal government. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to 1. Create an argument through the use of historical evidence. 2. Analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources. 3. Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on this period of United States history. INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Mrs. Renee Celeste Email: rceleste@lit.edu Office Phone: No Office phone Office Location: No office location Office Hours: Email me with any questions or concerns.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS A digital copy of the textbook will be provided to students on Blackboard. Students will need the ability to watch a feature film for their final assignment. Three different films will be provided on blackboard if a student cannot locate a film. ATTENDANCE POLICY For this online class, students must log in at least once every day to check announcements and complete assignments. If a student has not logged in to the online class for several days, the instructor will raise a flag in Starfish. DROP POLICY If you wish to drop a course, you are responsible for initiating and completing the drop process by the specified drop date as listed on the Academic Calendar. If you stop coming to class and fail to drop the course, you will earn an “F” in the course. COURSE CALENDAR (Subject to Change at the Instructor’s Discretion) Week Assignments Dates Location 1 -Read the Syllabus -Complete the Syllabus Quiz -Complete the Introduction Assignment August 29, 2025 Course Information Folder Unit 1 Folder 1-2 Labor Day Holiday September 1, 2025 No school 1-2 1. Watch the Ancient America Lecture 2. Read the Ancient America Primary Source(s) 3. Complete the Ancient America Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete the Ancient America Review Quiz September 2, 2025 Unit 1 Folder 2-3 1. Watch the European Contact Lecture 2. Read the European Contact Primary Source(s) 3. Complete the European Contact Primary Source Quiz September 8, 2025 Unit 1 Folder
4. Complete the European Contact Review Quiz 3-4 1. Watch the English Colonies Lecture 2. Read the English Colonies Primary Source(s) 3. Complete the English Colonies Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete the English Colonies Review Quiz September 15, 2025 4-5 1. Watch the Colonial America Lecture 2. Read the Colonial America Primary Source(s) 3. Complete the Colonial America Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete the Colonial America Review Quiz September 22, 2025 4-5 Complete the Unit 1 Exam (Lectures 1-4) Exam is open from: September 22-24, 2025 Unit 1 Folder Complete the Prewriting Assignment over Film Turn this in on or before September 29, 2025 Prewriting/Rough Draft Assignment Folder 5-6 1. Watch the Colonial Crisis Lecture 2. Read the Colonial Crisis Primary Source(s) 3. Complete the Colonial Crisis Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete the Colonial Crisis Review Quiz October 1, 2025 Unit 2 Folder
6-7 1. Watch the Building a Republic Lecture 2. Read the Building a Republic Primary Source(s) 3. Complete the Building a Republic Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete the Building a Republic Review Quiz October 8, 2025 7-8 1. Watch the Republicans in Power Lecture 2. Read the Republicans in Power Primary Source(s) 3. Complete the Republicans in Power Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete the Republicans in Power Review Quiz October 15, 2025 8-9 1. Watch the Expanding Republic Lecture 2. Read the Expanding Republic Primary Source(s) 3. Complete the Expanding Republic Primary Source Quiz 4. No Review Quiz October 22, 2025 8-9 Complete the Unit II Exam (Lectures 5-8) Exam is open from: October 22-24, 2025 Unit 2 Folder Turn in Cultural Artifact Assignment Turn in on or before October 27, 2025 Cultural Artifact Assignment Folder 9-10 1. Watch the New West and Free North Lecture 2. Read the New West and Free North Primary Source(s) October 31, 2025 Unit 3 Folder
3. Complete the New West and Free North Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete the New West and Free North Review Quiz 10-11 1. Watch The Slave South Lecture 2. Read The Slave South Primary Source(s) 3. Complete The Slave South Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete The Slave South Review Quiz November 7, 2025 11-12 1. Watch The House Divided Lecture 2. Read The House Divided Primary Source(s) 3. Complete The House Divided Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete The House Divided Review Quiz November 14, 2025 12-13 1. Watch The Civil War Lecture 2. Read The Civil War Primary Source(s) 3. Complete The Civil War Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete The Civil War Review Quiz November 21, 2025 14 Thanksgiving Holiday November 26-28, 2025 No school 15 1. Watch the Reconstruction Lecture 2. Read the Reconstruction Primary Source(s) December 1, 2025
3. Complete the Reconstruction Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete the Reconstruction Review Quiz 15 Complete the Unit III Exam (Lectures 9-13) Final exam open from: December 1-December 3, 2025 Unit 3 Folder COURSE EVALUATION Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: 1. Exams (Three) 50% of final grade 2. Prewriting Assignment 10% of final grade 3. Final Cultural Artifact Assignment 20% of final grade 4. Weekly Assignments/Participation 20% of final grade GRADE SCALE • 90-100 A • 80-89 B • 70-79 C • 60-69 D • 0-59 F TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The latest technical requirements, including hardware, compatible browsers, operating systems, etc. can be online at https://lit.edu/online-learning/online-learning-minimum-computer-requirements. A functional broadband internet connection, such as DSL, cable, or WiFi is necessary to maximize the use of online technology and resources. DISABILITIES STATEMENT The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are federal anti-discrimination statutes that provide comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. LIT provides reasonable accommodations as defined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, to students with a diagnosed disability. The Special Populations Office is located in the Eagles’ Nest Room 129 and helps foster a supportive and inclusive educational environment by maintaining partnerships with faculty and staff, as well as promoting awareness among all members of the Lamar Institute of Technology community. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator at (409)-951-5708 or email specialpopulations@lit.edu. You may also visit the online resource at Special Populations - Lamar Institute of Technology (lit.edu).
STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT STATEMENT It is the responsibility of all registered Lamar Institute of Technology students to access, read, understand and abide by all published policies, regulations, and procedures listed in the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook. The LIT Catalog and Student Handbook may be accessed at www.lit.edu. Please note that the online version of the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook supersedes all other versions of the same document. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STATEMENT Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) recognizes the recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, have changed the landscape of many career disciplines and will impact many students in and out of the classroom. To prepare students for their selected careers, LIT desires to guide students in the ethical use of these technologies and incorporate AI into classroom instruction and assignments appropriately. Appropriate use of these technologies is at the discretion of the instructor. Students are reminded that all submitted work must be their own original work unless otherwise specified. Students should contact their instructor with any questions as to the acceptable use of AI/ChatGPT in their courses. STARFISH LIT utilizes an early alert system called Starfish. Throughout the semester, you may receive emails from Starfish regarding your course grades, attendance, or academic performance. Faculty members record student attendance, raise flags and kudos to express concern or give praise, and you can make an appointment with faculty and staff all through the Starfish home page. You can also login to Blackboard or MyLIT and click on the Starfish link to view academic alerts and detailed information. It is the responsibility of the student to pay attention to these emails and information in Starfish and consider taking the recommended actions. Starfish is used to help you be a successful student at LIT. ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES/INFORMATION 1. QUIZZES: Students will take quizzes online. There are two types of quizzes: primary source reading quizzes and lecture review quizzes. a. Primary source reading quizzes: These quizzes are worth 10 points each, unless otherwise noted. These quizzes are based on the information the student reads from the primary source readings, as scheduled. b. Lecture review quizzes: These quizzes are worth 10 points each, unless otherwise noted. These quizzes are to test the student’s knowledge over lecture material and serve as a review for the class. c. Students that miss assignments (like quizzes) cannot make up the assignment unless the student had a documented sickness or a documented school-related absence. The student must receive permission from the instructor to makeup a missed assignment by emailing the instructor.
d. Any student caught cheating on a quiz will receive a zero for that quiz. For online classes, cheating includes using information found online, like Wikipedia or other similar sites. The student should only use information within the course to keep grading fair. e. Quizzes will be graded within a week of their submission. 2. EXAMS: study material for the exams will come primarily from the recorded lectures, as well as the material that students read in the primary source documents. Exams are worth 100 points total. a. Students that miss a test are only allowed to make up the exam if the student has an unavoidable emergency. The student must contact the instructor as soon as possible to schedule a make-up exam. b. Any student caught cheating on an exam will receive a zero on that exam. Cheating on an exam includes using internet sources like Wikipedia (and others) to answer questions. DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA TO STUDY FOR THE EXAM. Students should only use class materials to study and prepare for the exams and quizzes to keep grading fair. c. Exams will be graded within a week of their submission. 3. PREWRITING ASSIGNMENT AND FINAL CULTURAL ARTIFACT ASSIGNMENT: Students will turn in their Prewriting Assignment and their final submission for the Cultural Artifact Assignment to Blackboard on the due date scheduled (or earlier). Students are required to check the “SafeAssign” box so that their assignment is checked for plagiarism through the online software. a. There is a list of approved films in the “Cultural Artifact” assignment folder for the class. The student gets to pick ONE film out of the given options that they want to watch for the assignment. If a student has a film they would like to pick that isn’t on the approved list, it must be first approved by the instructor. There are two assignments that must be completed: a prewriting assignment and then the final submission of the assignment. The Prewriting Assignment is not a typical rough draft of your final paper. It is a question-and-answer assignment. b. Students can submit their assignment late; however, there is a 10-point deduction for each 24-hour day that the assignment in turned in late (this includes weekends). The instructor will not accept the Cultural Artifact assignment after 3 days past the due date. Students will receive a zero for the assignment if they do not turn it in.
c. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. All assignments are checked for plagiarism, which includes: not properly citing quotes from the book, slightly changing the words of sentences that are not the intellectual property of the student, copying a previous student’s assignment, or improperly using sources from the internet (such as prompting AI engines to create a paper). If the student plagiarizes on the Cultural Artifact assignment, the student will receive a zero for the assignment. The online software will show some plagiarism on the assignment, especially if you use quotes from the film and another source. Just make sure you are properly citing the quote in accordance with Chicago style. d. The Prewriting Assignment and Final Cultural Artifact Assignment will be graded within a week of their submission. e. The student must complete the Final Cultural Artifact assignment to pass the course. If a student completes all other work yet does not turn in the final cultural artifact assignment, the student will receive an “F” in the course. 4. COMMUNICATION WITH STUDENTS: The instructor will reply to all appropriate forms of communication (e-mails and Blackboard messages) within a 24-hour period on weekdays and a 48-hour period on weekends/holidays. Students should be professional and include their name and class number/section when contacting their instructor. The easiest/fastest way to get into contact with this instructor is through email as Blackboard messages tend to get lost in the shuffle.