Analyze the history of Reconstruction to identify the concrete gains which African Americans won during this time period.
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment

HIS 204 Entire Course
The History of Reconstruction. Many Americans like to imagine the history of their nation as one of continual progress. While acknowledging that not all persons and groups enjoyed equal rights at all times, Americans often take it for granted that American history moves in only one direction: toward greater rights, greater freedom, and greater equality. This perspective makes it difficult for many Americans to understand the Reconstruction period and to place it in a broader historical narrative. The problem they face is that African Americans from roughly 1867 to 1875 enjoyed far more political influence and equal rights than they ever had before, or ever would again until the end of the modern Civil Rights Movement almost a century later. The fact that a group could be stripped of rights it once enjoyed is difficult for many Americans to accept, and so they often retreat into a false narrative, in which African Americans never gained any rights at all, and were abandoned to their fate as soon as slavery ended. In this model, the infamous Black Codes—which were in effect for less than a year—take center stage, and the various gains of Reconstruction get ignored.

Analyze the history of Reconstruction to identify the concrete gains which African Americans won during this time period. Explain the role of the federal government in extending rights to them and protecting those rights, and explain how the gains of Reconstruction were reversed. Summarize your conclusions on these issues by responding to the following questions:

HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment

Review the following video about the differences between primary and secondary sources, and how to find both in JSTOR:

When responding to the questions, draw from at least TWO of the following primary sources and specifically cite them in your post:

Also, draw from the material in ONE of the following films:

Slavery by another name
Your initial post should be no fewer than 200 words in length, which does not include works cited or the questions being answered. It should address all of the components of the question in a way that demonstrates independent, critical thought and command of the required material. It should not merely repeat the material in the textbook or other sources, but should use that material as the basis for an idiosyncratic interpretation of the topic. All sources need to be cited using proper APA format. If you borrow wording from a source, the wording absolutely must be marked as a quotation.

In addition to your initial post, you should respond substantially, in posts of no fewer than 100 words, to at least two classmates and contribute to their analysis of the topic. When responding to classmates, you should refer to the material from one of the sources which you did not reference in your initial post. Identify important points which they may have missed which either support or challenge their interpretation. Explain how their views have made you rethink your own conclusions or offer perspectives which might help them regard the topic in a different way. Feel free to ask probing questions of your classmates, but, if you do, offer your own interpretation. That is, don’t just respond, “What do you think of X, Y, and Z?” Instead, respond, “What do you think of X? I think W because of V, U, and T. On the other hand some might point to S and R.” In short, the ideal response to a classmate would involve you encouraging a classmate to see things from a new perspective, even as you clarify and develop your own thoughts as well.

The Industrial Revolution. Too much corporate influence in politics; the specter of socialist policies undermining capitalism and individual freedoms; a middle class in apparent decline; waves of immigration which threatened to alter the character of American society; new technologies which introduced new social problems as well as offering new opportunities; and a general sense that the common people had lost control of their government: To a sometimes surprising degree, the issues which troubled Americans in the last quarter of the nineteenth century resembled our own. The past often loses much of its vigor and tumult as it becomes codified as history, and it can be difficult at times to understand how truly revolutionary—tranformative, disruptive, unprecedented, and divisive—an event such as the Industrial Revolution was for the people who lived through it.

To better understand this turbulent period, review the major economic and social changes of the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Illustrate the revolutionary character of this period by describing the rise of Big Business and identifying the particular forms new corporations assumed. Identify the social problems and opportunities which economic changes created in the cities, the New South, the farmlands, and the West. Explain the role of state and federal governments in these developments. In your response, explain how socioeconomic changes affected the following groups, and how those groups responded to these changes:

HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment

Summarize your responses to the prompts above by responding to the following questions:

HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment

When composing your initial post and your responses to your classmates, draw from the material in at least THREE of the following primary sources:

Cross of gold speech
Wealth
Chief Joseph speaks: Selected statements and speeches by the Nez Percé chief
Our immigrants at Ellis Island
Letter on labor in industrial society to Judge Peter Grosscup

What’s the matter with Kansas?
Also draw from the material in ONE of the following videos:

The American industrial revolution
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment
HIS 204 Entire Course Assignment

Your initial post should be no fewer than 200 words in length, which does not include works cited or the questions being answered. It should address all of the components of the question in a way that demonstrates independent, critical thought and command of the required material. It should not merely repeat the material in the textbook or other sources, but should use that material as the basis for an idiosyncratic interpretation of the topic.

In addition to your initial post, you should respond substantially, in posts of no fewer than 100 words, to at least two classmates and contribute to their analysis of the topic. When responding to classmates, you should refer to the material from one of the sources which you did not reference in your initial post. Identify important points which they may have missed which either support or challenge their interpretation. Explain how their views have made you rethink your own conclusions or offer perspectives which might help them regard the topic in a different way. Feel free to ask probing questions of your classmates, but, if you do, offer your own interpretation. That is, don’t just respond, “What do you think of X, Y, and Z?” Instead, respond, “What do you think of X? I think W because of V, U, and T. On the other hand some might point to S and R.” In short, the ideal response to a classmate would involve you encouraging a classmate to see things from a new perspective, even as you clarify and develop your own thoughts as well.

The Progressive Movement. The Progressive Movement was a complicated, even contradictory, phenomenon which sometimes pushed for the expansion of popular democracy while at other times, or even simultaneously, advocated that the functions of government be placed in the hands of experts. The movement addressed some of the worst domestic problems of its time, but its mainstream largely ignored widespread and worsening racial injustices. Review the Progressive Movement of the first two decades of the twentieth century, and generalize what you take to be its core principles. Identify the specific economic, social, and political problems which the Progressives sought to address and explain Progressive approaches and policies toward those issues, at local and national levels. Describe the variations within Progressivism, including the differing agendas of white and black Progressives. Assess the success of specific Progressive policies and approaches. Consider the impact of the First World War on Progressivism, and vice versa. Summarize your responses to these prompts by answering the following questions:

When responding to these questions, draw from the material in the textbook and in the following sources:

How the other half lives: Studies among the tenements of New York

The shame of the cities
The history of the Standard Oil Company

Your initial post should be at least 200 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7 in at least 100 words.

America’s Age of Imperialism. America’s Age of Imperialism was relatively short-lived, and somewhat anomalous in terms of overall US history. For a few brief years in the 1890s, the US aggressively pursued overseas colonies, holding on to those colonies even in the face of indigenous resistance and, unlike its handling of continental territories, offering the new colonies no pathway toward equal statehood and citizenship. The Filipino Insurrection of 1899 to 1902 provides a particularly unsettling episode in terms of how Americans generally like to remember their past. Having driven the Spanish out of the Philippines, the US ignored the Filipinos’ demand for independence, for which they had been fighting against the Spanish for several years, and instead took possession of the islands, treating the Filipinos as colonial subjects. For several years, Americans and Filipinos fought over the destiny of the Philippines in a brutal conflict which cost the lives of hundreds of thousands—perhaps even more than a million—Filipino civilians.

Drawing from material in the textbook and the video below, explain how American foreign policy generally grew more interventionist and aggressive from the 1890s into the twentieth century, identifying key moments in that development. Then, examine the specifics of the Filipino Insurrection, explaining how the conflict was perceived in the United States. Using at least three primary sources—articles written during the conflict—summarize the arguments which Americans of the time made for and against the colonization of the Philippines. Also, review one scholarly secondary article about the insurrection. Summarize its contents and explain how its depiction of the insurrection compares with what you read in the primary sources.

All outside sources for this assignment, primary and secondary, need to come from JSTOR, a database available through the Ashford University Online Library. Before beginning your research into JSTOR, review the video from Week One about the differences between primary and secondary sources, and how to find both on JSTOR:

Draw from material in the following video for a discussion of American foreign policy generally:

Your initial post should be at least 200 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7 in at least 100 words.

The Progressive Presidents. The presidential election of 1912 was the most Progressive in US history; with the two frontrunners, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, both espousing Progressive philosophies (and the most “conservative” candidate, William Howard Taft, being in many ways a Progressive himself). Although both Wilson and Roosevelt were Progressive, their attitudes toward Progressivism differed, at least in theory. This paper will provide an opportunity to review the complex nature of Progressivism, and to explore how presidents’ policies while in office often differ from their rhetoric on the campaign trail.

To complete this paper, start by analyzing the primary sources listed below to uncover each president’s political principles and beliefs. Compare and contrast the two men’s principles based on their writings. Drawing from the material in the textbook, compare each presidents’ political principles with his actions while in office—how well did their actions match their rhetoric? Finally, use JSTOR or Project MUSE to find a scholarly article of at least fifteen pages in length about the Progressive politics of Roosevelt or Wilson or both. What new perspectives does the article offer on the subject? Does the author’s depiction of those politics agree with your own interpretation based on the primary sources?

Draw from the material in the following sources when writing your paper:

Platform of the Progressive party
The new nationalism
First inaugural address

The paper must be three to four pages in length and formatted according to APA style. Cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page. For information regarding APA, including samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, located within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar, in your online course.

Normalcy and the New Deal. When the First World War ended, Americans welcomed what they hoped would be a “return to normalcy.” The decades that followed, however, are ones which would rarely be described as normal, in comparison to what came before or after. During these decades, a struggle ensued within the American nation regarding how best to define the nation’s essential character, as groups like the revived Ku Klux Klan fought a rearguard action to define nationhood solely in terms of white skin and Protestant religion against secularists, Catholics, flappers, “New Negroes,” and others who challenged the traditional order. Immediately thereafter, the New Deal implemented in response to the Great Depression threatened to revolutionize the role of the federal government in lives of the American people, in ways which many Americans believed violated the basic tenets of the Constitution—and others believed were not radical enough. Taken together, the decades from 1920 to 1940 may have transformed the American nation more than any other comparable time period. Review the major social and economic developments in American society during the 1920s and 1930s. Identify the factors which made the 1920s “roar,” and explain how the events of that decade contributed to the outbreak of the Great Depression. Then, describe how Americans responded to the Great Depression, both individually and through the government and other organizations, and assess the effectiveness of their responses. Pay particular attention to New Deal programs, and how the approach of the New Deal changed over the course of the 1930s.

Along with the general discussion, address developments across these two decades related to TWO of the following groups:

To summarize your response to the prompts above, consider the following questions (your response does not need to respond directly to each specific question, but should touch on the various themes implicit in the questions):

When responding to these questions, draw material from TWO of the following videos:

Also, draw from the material in at least THREE of the following primary sources:

Lending a hand: A woman remembers hoboes of the 1930s

Bonus army marches on Washington, DC 1932

Share our wealth speech

Hell and high schools

Address of the President delivered by radio from the White House
I’d rather not be on relief

Prosperity for all
The End of Isolation. In 1938, in Munich, the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain made a deal with Adolph Hitler allowing Nazi Germany to annex Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland. Hailed as a hero for his diplomacy at the time, Chamberlain is now widely reviled for his policy of “appeasement” to Nazi aggression. Yet one year later, Chamberlain would lead Britain into war against Germany in defense of Poland once it became clear that appeasement had failed. By contrast, the US did little to halt Hitler’s initial expansion, and entered into the war only gradually, attempting, until attacked directly, to sway the outcome without going to war itself. Never again would the US remain so aloof for so long from such a momentous international affair. As such, the Second World War represents a turning point in American foreign affairs, and it is perhaps hard for us to understand why the US took so long to take effective action against the Axis Powers.

Using the primary sources listed below, explore the evolution of American foreign policy over the course of the 1930s. What arguments were made in favor of isolationism? How and why did America’s isolationist stance erode entering into the 1940s?

After considering how America entered into the war, review the war’s impact on the United States. Address the changes which the war effected on American society generally, along with its specific impact on Japanese Americans, African Americans, women, and servicemen. What role did these groups play in the war? How lasting were the changes brought about by the war for these groups? In your response, draw from material from at least THREE of the following documents and videos:

Des Moines speech
The Nye report
Address of the President delivered by radio from the White House
Neutrality act
Neutrality act
Lend-lease act
Your initial post should be at least 200 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7 in at least 100 words. When responding to classmates, you should refer to the material from one of the sources which you did not reference in your initial post.

Final Paper Preparation. This assignment will prepare you for the Final Paper by initiating the research process and helping you map out specific events and developments which you will explore in depth in your paper. Review the instructions for the Final Paper laid out in Week Five before beginning this project. Note, that for the Final Paper you will need to discuss at least six specific events or developments related to your chosen topic, three from before 1930 and three from after 1930.

For this assignment, you will choose your topic and the six (or more) related events and developments which you will explore. You will then find one scholarly source related to each event or development. In a paragraph or two at the beginning of the paper, identify the events and developments and explain why you believe they are significant. Then provide an annotated bibliography, identifying at least ONE source for each subtopic, plus two additional sources each for two of the subtopics; for a total of eight sources. At least two of the sources need to be primary ones, and at least two must be scholarly articles from the Ashford University Online Library databases. Please notice that you have been provided with many wonderful primary and secondary sources in the required reading and recommended reading sections for each week. Feel free to use these sources when constructing your assignment. Please visit the Academic Research section on your Course Home page (accessible through the Student Responsibilities and Policies tab on the left navigation toolbar) to review what types of materials are not acceptable for academic, university level research. Accompany each source with an annotation—a paragraph summarizing the source’s contents and explaining how it will be useful for your project. The annotations must be in your own words. Copying abstracts from the sources is not an acceptable means of completing this assignment. The paper must be three pages in length and formatted according to APA style. You must use at least eight scholarly resources other than the textbook to support your claims. You must use at least one scholarly source for each subtopic. You must use at least two primary sources, and at least two scholarly secondary sources from the Ashford Online Library’s databases. Many great sources have provided for you in the recommended readings section for each week; feel free to use those in your paper. Cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page. For information regarding APA, including samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, located within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar, in your online course.

A Single American Nation. When the First World War began, African-American leaders pressed the government to provide black men the right to go to combat to prove their devotion to their country. Hoping that their service would lay a stake on citizenship which the nation would have no choice but to honor, the “New Negro” of the 1920s adopted a more militant stance toward civil rights. The civil rights struggle envisioned at the time, however, made few concrete gains. Discrimination and disenfranchisement persisted.

African-American leaders responded to the Second World War much as they had to the First, offering their services while expecting recognition in return. They intended to fight a “Double-V Campaign” against fascism abroad and racism at home. They helped to kill fascism abroad; racist policies at home survived, but only for a time. Less than a decade after the war ended, the Brown case struck down the principle of “separate but equal” in schools. A grass-roots movement emerged to challenge discrimination elsewhere. By 1965, nonviolent means had murdered Jim Crow. Yet, the 60s were nothing if not a violent decade, marred by war, riots, and assassinations. By the end of the decade, Americans were as divided in some ways as they had ever been, and hopes for integration into a single American nation largely gave way to an emphasis on the unique needs and interests of different groups within the nation.

Chart the progress of the Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1965. Identifying specific events from that period, explain why the movement succeeded so well during this period when similar struggles had gained so little in previous decades. Compare and contrast the different approaches to gaining civil rights adopted by different leaders in this period, those of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, for instance. Finally, explain why the Civil Rights Movement splintered at the end of the decade by discussing at least TWO of the following groups, drawing from the primary sources below:

Summarize your response by considering the following questions:

When writing your response, draw from material in the following video:

Let freedom ring: Moments from the civil rights movement, 1954-1965
Also in your response, draw from at least TWO of the documents listed below:

Your initial post should be at least 200 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7 in at least 100 words. When responding to classmates, you should refer to the material from one of the sources which you did not reference in your initial post.

Cold War. After the Second World War, the US embarked on what came to be known as the Cold War against the Soviet Union. Although the two sides never fought against each other directly, the Cold War nonetheless erupted into violence at times in places like Vietnam, Korea, and Afghanistan. As the US grew more activist and interventionist in its foreign policy, the domestic government also grew in power and in its role in the people’s lives.

Explain the origins of the Cold War and describe how different presidential administrations, from Truman to Nixon, handled Cold War affairs. Address the ways in which the presidents responded to the perceived threat of Soviet expansion, and explain how these approaches involved the US in conflicts in Vietnam and Korea. Consider, also, the ways in which the US intervened in the affairs of smaller nations such as Iran. Finally, explore how the Cold War changed America’s domestic society, focusing on issues such as the role of the government in people’s lives, the Red Scare, the return of domesticity, and growing distrust toward the federal government. Summarize your thoughts on the issues above by answering the following questions:

When responding to these prompts, draw from the material in ONE of the following videos:

Also, draw from the material in THREE of the following documents:

Electronic briefing book no. 28: The secret CIA history of the Iran coup, 1953
Farewell address
Protestant-Catholic-Jew: An essay in American religious sociology (1960)
The Tonkin Gulf incident; 1964

March 9th memo from Kissinger to Nixon
Richard Nixon’s resignation
SDS Vietnam anti-war speech

The war powers act
Your initial post should be at least 200 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7 in at least 100 words. When responding to classmates, you should refer to the material from one of the sources which you did not reference in your initial post.

The Age of Reagan. Most of us have lived much of our lives in the “Age of Reagan,” a period which dates from 1980 and which may still be ongoing today. Historians increasingly agree that the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 represented a “revolution” in American society and, particularly, its politics. Review Reagan’s presidential career to explain what about it precisely was so “revolutionary.” Compare his approach to politics and foreign affairs with those of his predecessors, and assess the ways that his successors either built upon or attempted to reverse his legacy. Explain why so many Americans opposed Reagan’s policies and those of his successors. Consider also the social and cultural changes which took place during the Age of Reagan. Finally, assess the success of the “Reagan Revolution” by identifying which problems it ameliorated and which it exacerbated. In your response, consider THREE of the following topics, with regard to how both Reagan and his successors handled or contributed to them:

To summarize your response, answer the following questions:

When writing your response, draw from material in the following video:

Also, draw from at least THREE of the documents listed below:

Experimenting with our liberties

Address to Congress
Address to the Republican national convention
A crisis of confidence
Oklahoma bombing memorial prayer service address
Address at the NAACP on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
Testimony to Senate Judiciary Committee
“There’s been no real creative response”: Ted Houghton on homelessness in New York City
Address to the Democratic national convention
Address to British Parliament
Roe v. Wade majority decision
Your initial post should be at least 200 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7 in at least 100 words. When responding to classmates, you should refer to the material from one of the sources which you did not reference in your initial post.

The Lived Experience of Ordinary People. Especially since the 1960s, historians have sought to understand history not just as a series of major events presided over by generals and statesmen, but also as the lived experience of ordinary people. For this last discussion, begin by reflecting on your own past with an eye toward how American society has changed over the course of your life. In your response, focus less on major political or international events than on the ways day-to-day life in America is different today from what it was when you were younger. You might consider such factors as the cost of goods and services, the forms of entertainment, means of communication, and so forth. Next, identify what you believe to be the most pressing problem facing America today, providing evidence from recent news sources to show that the problem is real and pressing. There are numerous issues you might consider, such as international security, personal and public debt, heightening racial tensions, economic downturns, and so forth; but provide concrete information to back your choice. Finally, describe how Americans at different times during the past 150 years have addressed problems similar to the one you identified, and assess whether those past solutions would be applicable today. Draw from material in your textbook or from scholarly outside sources, or both, when addressing this prompt. Your initial post should be at least 200 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7 in at least 100 words.

Focus of the Final Paper

Understanding history can be more difficult than many people imagine. Historians concern themselves not only with what happened but with why it happened. They analyze and assess a variety of sources, including primary sources (ones created during the time period the historian is examining) and secondary sources (ones written by other historians after the period), to create their own interpretations of the past. For the Final Paper, students will not only learn about the past, but also experiment with the interpretive, analytical methodologies of the historian.

Choose from one of the topics below and review its history from 1865 to the present day. To focus the research, select six subtopics (specific events or developments related to the topic, separated in time); three from before 1930 and three from after. Describe the basic information of each subtopic, and then analyze the subtopic to show how the broader topic changed over time. For instance, a paper about African Americans might choose the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Power Movement as two of its subtopics. In that case, the paper would provide basic information about the two movements; explain what each one revealed about the place of African Americans in broader American society in, respectively, the 1920s and the late 1960s; explain how and why the place of African Americans in the 1920s differed from their place in the late 1960s; and explain how events in the 1920s may have contributed to developments in the later decade.

Choose one of the following topics:

The paper must be eight to ten pages in length and formatted according to APA style. The coverage of each subtopic should be about a page long; the paper should also include an introduction and a conclusion which synthesizes and summarizes the findings of the body paragraphs, and develops a thesis—or interpretive argument—from them. You must use at least eight scholarly resources other than the textbook to support your claims. You must use at least one scholarly source for each subtopic. You must use at least two primary sources, and at least two scholarly secondary sources from the Ashford Online Library’s databases. Many great sources have provided for you in the recommended readings section for each week; feel free to use those in your paper. Cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page. For information regarding APA, including samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, located within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar, in your online course.

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.