Syllabus Checklist Snapshot
American History I (HIST 1301.2A3) CREDIT 3 Semester Credit Hours (3 hours lecture, 0 hours lab) 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, economic change, immigration and migration, and creation of the federal government. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to • Create an argument through the use of historical evidence. • Analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources. • Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on this period of United States history. • Demonstrate Critical Thinking Skills - creative thinking, innovation, inquiry and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information. • Demonstrate Communication Skills - effective development, interpretation and expressions of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication. • Demonstrate Social Responsibility - intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities. • Demonstrate Personal Responsibility - ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making. INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Mrs. Renée Celeste Email: rceleste@lit.edu Office Phone: No office phone Office Location: No office location Office Hours: If you need to get in touch with me, please email.
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 date as listed in the College Calendar on the Student Success web page. 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 March 27, 2026 Course Information Folder Unit 1 Folder 1-2 ALL UNIT 1 LECTURES AND QUIZZES MUST BE COMPLETED BY THE DATE (APRIL 3, 2026) 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 April 3, 2026 Unit 1 Folder 2-3 1. Watch the European Contact Lecture 2. Read the European Contact Primary Source(s) April 3, 2026 Unit 1 Folder
3. Complete the European Contact Primary Source Quiz SEE NEXT PAGE 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 April 3, 2026 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 April 3, 2026 4-5 Complete the Unit 1 Exam (Lectures 1-4) Exam is open from: April 2-4, 2026 Unit 1 Folder 5 Complete the Prewriting Assignment over Film Turn this in on or before April 10, 2026 Prewriting/Rough Draft Assignment Folder 5-6 ALL UNIT 2 LECTURES AND QUIZZES MUST BE COMPLETED BY THE DATE (APRIL 17, 2026) 1. Watch the Colonial Crisis Lecture 2. Read the Colonial Crisis Primary Source(s) April 17, 2026 Unit 2 Folder
3. Complete the Colonial Crisis Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete the Colonial Crisis Review Quiz 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 April 17, 2026 8-9 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 April 17, 2026 9-10 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 April 17, 2026 9-10 Complete the Unit II Exam (Lectures 5-8) Exam is open from: April 16-18, 2026 Unit 2 Folder
10 Turn in Cultural Artifact Assignment Turn in on or before April 27, 2026 Cultural Artifact Assignment Folder 10-11 ALL UNIT 3 LECTURES AND QUIZZES MUST BE COMPLETE BY THE DATE (MAY 4, 2026) 1. Watch the New West and Free North Lecture 2. Read the New West and Free North Primary Source(s) 3. Complete the New West and Free North Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete the New West and Free North Review Quiz May 4, 2026 Unit 3 Folder 11-12 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 May 4, 2026 Unit 3 Folder 12-13 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 May 4, 2026 Unit 3 Folder 13-14 1. Watch The Civil War Lecture 2. Read The Civil War Primary Source(s) May 4, 2026 Unit 3 Folder
3. Complete The Civil War Primary Source Quiz 4. Complete The Civil War Review Quiz 14-15 1. Watch the Reconstruction Lecture 2. Read the Reconstruction Primary Source(s) 3. Complete the Reconstruction Primary Source Quiz No Review Quiz May 4, 2026 Unit 3 Folder 15 Complete the Unit III Exam (Lectures 9-13) Final exam open from: May 4-6, 2026 Unit 3 Folder COURSE EVALUATION Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: 1. Exams (Three) 40% of final grade 2. Rough Draft Assignment 10% of final grade 3. Final Cultural Artifact Assignment 20% of final grade 4. Weekly Assignments/Participation/Attendance 30% of final grade GRADE SCALE • 90-100 A • 80-89 B • 70-79 C • 60-69 D • 0-59 F TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS For the latest technical requirements, including hardware, compatible browsers, operating systems, etc., review the Minimum Computer and Equipment Requirements on the LIT Online
Experience page. 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 make up 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. If a student is found to have the exact same answer(s) as another student in the same class, either on a quiz or an exam, the instructor will give a zero to both students for that answer(s). The instructor will determine if the answers are close enough to be considered cheating. 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, and receive permission from the instructor to make up the 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. If a student is found to have the exact (or very closely worded) answers as another student on an exam, both students will receive a zero for those answer(s). 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 (you may also see this called the “Rough Draft 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 Cultural Artifact 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 will be graded within a week of its submission. The Cultural Artifact Assignment takes a little bit longer to grade, so it will be graded within two weeks of its submission. If a student turns in their assignment early, the student must notify the instructor to grade it earlier. The instructor will start grading the papers once the due date has passed.
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.