History is an attempt to understand the stories of the past.  We must not ignore dates and facts, but interpretations define the way we view the world around us.


Course Information:

Course:

Virginia History I

Section:

Hist 280

Semester:

Spring 2017

Date/Time:

Tuesday/Thursday  11:00am-12:15pm

Location:

 LC 209

Instructor:                                                                                                Questions:

Name:

John (Kinch) Kincheloe

                                 
What is this Course?

Email:

jkincheloe@nvcc.edu


What do I need to do?

Phone

(703)948-7571


How do I do assignments?

Office Location:

HEC 316-A                                 


What are the course rules?

   Website:

kinchteach.com



Office Hours:  Listed on Home page (link)


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What is this Course?

Themes:

HIS 281 Examines the cultural, political, and economic history of the Commonwealth from its beginnings to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788.

--That being said, this course does not focus on the dead white men that seem to dominate the narrative of Early Virginia. We will talk about them, but this course is an exploration of cultural interaction as much as it is a narrative of the Old Dominion.  This Commonwealth of Virginia was built not by politicians or agriculturalists but by the intersection of Green, Red, Black, and White.  The landscape that dictated terms of growth, the native population that existed long before our story begins, the slaves imported from Africa, and the Europeans who wrote the story. These four are equal players in the creation of the early history of this commonwealth.

Despite every attempt by New Englanders to convince the world that the pilgrims are the first “Americans,” the true story of the creation of an American identity exists in the fertile tidewater, rolling piedmont, and rugged Appalachian Mountains that surround us.

You will delve into both an understanding of the diverse historical experiences of Virginians, and take hands on approach to exploring your own interests in the early history of our Commonwealth.

 

By the end of the semester you should:

-Develop your own understanding of what a Virginian is and how that identity shaped the early formation and creation of the United States.

-Organize your own ideas on the multiple entities that acted upon one another and interacted to create the Old dominion

-Be able to devise original arguments about historical trends and events and prove them using both primary and secondary information.


Recommended Co-requisites or Pre-requisites:

There are no pre-requisites, but this is a writing intensive course so an introductory English course is highly recommended.

 

Course Textbooks:

-Heinemann      -Old Dominion, New Commonwealth: A History of Virginia                       

-Morgan             -American Slavery, American Freedom

-Rountree          -The Powhatan Indians of Virginia: Their Traditional Culture

                                                      

-Additional online materials will be made available via Blackboard


Lecture /  Textbook Review Materials (links) 

-Lecture Review Materials:         VA Powerpoint course slides


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What do I need to do?

Spring 2020  His 280 Course Schedule= on Canvas


 

Grading Policy:

All assignments are graded on a 100 point scale and averaged accordingly to the percentages listed below.

 Assessment

Percentage

 

In Class Participation

30

 

Discussion Lead

10

 

3- Reaction Essays

30

 

Research Paper

30

Grading Scale

 

2 - 3 page papers


A

90-100



B

80-89

  


C

70-79


 

D

60-69

 

 

F

59 and below


Assessments:

- Discussion

        *based on active discussion of the assigned readings


This section Under construction???????????              
               - Source Gathering / Discussion Lead 

        *1 week you will provide online primary sources and 3 review questions to the class.

        *You will lead the source discussion in class.

        *due to Kinch by e-mail by 8am on class day (1 week before the week assigned)


                - 3 - 2-3 page reaction papers.

*question based on readings, primary sources and your ideas


- 7 page research paper

*topic of your choice
              *proposal -Febuary/ source list & outline -April/ due –May
   

 

Extra Credit Assignments (due by the end of Week 13) =    Digital History Project- check it out here.

                   Take a look and talk to Kinch if you are interested. 

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How do I do assignments?

Tree Preservation

This is a paperless course. 

- All additional readings, assignments, and course materials can be found here on my website kinchteach.com

-All assignments and quizzes need to be submitted in Canvas.
                -All feedback will be given throught Canvas.

-To access Canvas = Log in to “My NOVA”  https://nvcc.my.vccs.edu/jsp/home.jsp


Guidelines for Written Work 

Formatting: All Papers should be double spaced, using 12 point Calibri font and one inch margins.  All papers must be word processed and submitted through Blackboard as “doc,” “docx,” or “rtf.”      E-mail submissions will not be accepted.  

Style and Grammar: You must present your arguments in clear, concise, and grammatically correct English.  Make sure to proofread and use spell-check. For information on writing papers for this class, make sure to read Kinch’s writing guide (under course documents on BB.)  You also might want to consult the following handy websites:

o       NVCC Loudoun's Writing Center

o       Charlie Evans’ History Writing Center

Citations:  You MUST include a formal citation any time you refer to a specific passage in a text, even if you do not quote the text directly.  The required method for citing sources in this class is Chicago Style formatting for footnote citations.  According to this format, you “Insert Footnote” (under references) and enter the citation information as laid out in this link.

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What are the course rules?

Late Assignments 

-Late papers will be accepted after the due date and time for half credit, as long as they are submitted before the final class period of the term.

-Discussion, Quizzes, Participation, and Presentation assignments will only be accepted during the week they are due.

-All assignments should be stored on a cloud server and submitted online.  Excuses such as “my dog ate my homework” and “my computer crashed” are no longer valid.

Exams and Make-Up Exams

For exam sessions, make-ups will not be given other than in the case of a genuine emergency with appropriate documentation (ie, emergency room documents, court summons, etc.)  Missing class due to "not feeling well," not being able to get a ride, having to work, and the like are not genuine emergencies.


Grading/Feedback

Presentation / Video feedback will be given in person at the end of class, and the grade will be posted within a couple days. 

Papers and Exams will be graded and posted within two weeks of their due date, in order to give more detailed feedback.

Electronic Devices

Laptops and tablets are encouraged in class, but surfing for non-subject related material during class will not be tolerated.  If seen you will be asked to explain the relevance of what is on your screen and you may be asked to leave the room.  You will be required to engage with your own or provided devices during class discussion.
**Screens under 7 in. are not valid in-class devices
for this course. Phones should be stowed and silenced during class time. If the device is heard, I reserve the right to respond to the call or incoming message.

Attendance Policy: 

Absences, Late arrival, and leaving early will affect a student’s grade due to the student not being able to participate in class/group discussions. Students missing more than thirty percent of the scheduled classes without an excused absence from the professor will receive ZERO points for the class participation grade. Class absence does not excuse a student from meeting assignment due dates


Academic Dishonesty: 

Academic Dishonesty will not be tolerated.

Students involved in cheating will receive a grade of “0” on the activity during which cheating occurred and particularly flagrant or obviously intentional instances of cheating or plagiarism will result in a grade of "F" for the course.  In addition the student will be reported to the Dean of Students for further disciplinary action.

**Please read the section titled Student Conduct, Rights, and Responsibilities:  F. Academic Dishonesty in the Student Handbook.

 

Academic dishonesty, as a general rule, involves one of the following acts:

         1.       Cheating on an examination or quiz; including the giving, receiving, or soliciting of information and the unauthorized use of notes or other materials.

        2.      Plagiarism - This is the act of appropriating passages from the work of another individual, either word for word or in substance, and representing them as one’s own work. This includes any submission of written work other than one’s own.

-Please note that even copying a sentence or two from another source without citing it is enough to trigger a plagiarism penalty.  Likewise, changing a word here or there from content which you copy is plagiarism.  Your work should be entirely in your own words except for the passages which you quote and appropriately cite. All of your papers for the class will be checked for plagiarism by SafeAssign software.


Be aware of the following:

- Internet-enabled devices, dictionaries and/or calculators are prohibited during testing.

- If you need to leave the room during testing, for whatever reason, your test will be collected immediately for grading without any additional time for more work on the test or quiz.

  

Instructor/Student Communications Policy:

The primary means of communication outside the classroom between the Instructor and the student is via Blackboard Announcements and e-mail. Students should check Blackboard and their e-mail daily for any Instructor communications. Failure on the part of the student to check Blackboard and e-mail on a regular basis is not an excuse for missed /late assignments or exams. The Instructor turn-around time to respond to e-mails is 24-to-48 hours Monday through Friday.

Instructors receive a significant number of e-mails from students over the course of the semester. To specifically identify the course in which the student is enrolled, all e-mail from the student must include the course and section number (e.g., ACC211-000) in the Subject of the e-mail.

 

I will email you at the email address on my class list which is your VCCS email address. If you do not check this address frequently, I would recommend you set it up for automatic forwarding to an email address you do check more frequently. When emailing the instructor, always send email from your VCCS email address.

 

Student Professionalism

Please be considerate. Disruptive behavior, on the ground and online, will not be tolerated.  Private conversations during lecture or class discussions, ringing mobile phones, texting, sleeping, or walking into class late or out of class early all distract and disturb your instructor and your classmates, and will count against your participation grade.  Repeated instances of rude behavior will result your removal from the classroom.  

--All students are considered adults and will conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. Please read the section titled Student Conduct, Rights, and Responsibilities:  B. Student Conduct in the Student Handbook.

 

Weather

WEATHER =Normal Class cancellation due to weather will not affect the course schedule – You are responsible for all readings and assignments regardless of whether we have class on not.

In event of an emergency just regarding this class, check Blackboard for announcements regarding course progress/assignments.

College Policies =

Click here   OR Refer to the "College Policies" tab on CANVAS Course page for:

Academic Integrity Policy / Closing Information (weather) / Communication (e-mail) / Course Drop/Withdrawal Policy /        Disabilities and Accommodations / Emergency Preparedness / Financial Aid / NOVACares

 

Financial Instability

Everyone was trouble at times, but there is help.  If you are struggling please reach out to me, a counselor, or click here https://blogs.nvcc.edu/wssn/


IT Helpdesk

The IT Help Desk provides first-level technical support to all faculty, staff and students of Northern Virginia Community College. Additional details and resources are located at http://www.nvcc.edu/ithd/.

Hours of Operation

Monday - Friday:

8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Saturday:

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Phone:

703-426-4141

Email:

ithelpdesk@nvcc.edu

Emergencies

Procedures and items to be aware of (click here)


Anyone observing an emergency situation should contact the Campus Police Office or the dean of students.

Loudoun Campus

Campus Police:

703-450-2540

Dean of Students:

703-450-2512


------Note: The instructor has the right to alter or change the course and course schedule at any time as he deems appropriate.-------

contact: jkincheloe@nvcc.edu