COVID-19
This class is taking place under extraordinary circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My goal is to provide you with a valuable learning experience despite these circumstances, and I plan to teach with as much flexibility, resilience, and compassion as I can. I ask you to do the same with your classmates and professor as we navigate this semester together. To that end, please contact me over email if you are experiencing any unforeseen challenges (health, housing situation, family, food security, etc.) that will keep you from learning. I will do my best to work with you to meet those challenges.
Remote Learning
This is a remote course, which means that class will be conducted online during the regularly scheduled class time (also known as “synchronous” learning) using two platforms: Zoom and Slack. Please make sure that both of these applications are installed and kept updated on the primary electronic device that you will be using for this class. You can join the Zoom meeting using the password that was emailed to the class. In addition to Zoom, we will periodically be using a Slack workspace: http://f20-cw-rec.slack.com/.
Remote learning will help protect your own health and the health of our wider CU Denver community, but it does come with its own challenges. The first has to do with technology. I know that not everyone has the same access to the technology that is such a large component of remote learning (reliable high-speed internet, laptop, etc.). Please complete this survey so that I can assess where everyone is at and adapt the course accordingly to meet your needs. If your own circumstances change at all during the course of the semester, please notify me via email so that we can figure out a solution.
The second challenge has to do with online engagement and community. This course asks you to actively participate in discussion and other activities with your classmates so that you can engage more deeply with the course material and topics. This is difficult to do virtually. We will collectively brainstorm ideas, strategies, and a set of community guidelines that will help everyone stay connected to the course and to respectfully interact with one another online in a way that will help everyone learn more effectively.
Classroom Behavior
Treat your fellow classmates and professor with respect: listening attentively, not interrupting, and maintaining a civil discourse. Bullying or personal attacks will not be tolerated. Learn each other’s names and preferred pronouns, and always assume the best intentions in each other. If you have any issues, please talk to me directly so that I can address them.
Attendance and Absences
Attendance is crucial for you to learn and excel in this course and for maintaining a sense of community with your classmates. All absences must be made-up with either a 500-word written response (emailed as a Word document) OR a FlipGrid video (uploaded to this link) within one week of the absence. Your response/video should react to the readings by selecting two major themes to analyze/critique/elaborate on. You are allowed three absences, no questions asked (roughly 10% of the class meetings). If, however, you run into unforeseen health, work, other challenges and need to miss additional classes, please email me.
Office Hours
I will be conducting office hours over Zoom on Tuesday and Thursday from 11:00am-12:00PM, unless otherwise stated. If that time does not work for your schedule, please email me and we will find a different time to meet. Take advantage of office hours as an opportunity to talk about any aspect of the class: the week’s reading, ideas and strategies for upcoming assignments, feedback you have received, or difficult themes and concepts. I look forward to getting to know each of you!
Late Assignments
If unforeseen circumstances come up during the semester and you need an extension on a particular assignment, please email me. Otherwise you are expected to submit all assignments by the due date.
Graduate Students
This course is listed as a 4000/5000 level class. If you are a graduate student enrolled in HIST 5212, you are expected to complete additional readings and assignments. I have noted these in the Course Schedule and Assignments page.
Course Content Note
This course will involve historical topics that you may find emotionally distressful, including episodes of violence. I have included these topics because they are foundational to understanding the major themes of the course. If you have concerns about reading and discussing particular topics, please come talk to me at the beginning of the semester. I will work with you to find alternative readings or ways for you to participate on the days in which we discuss those topics.
Health and Wellness
Every student should prioritize their physical, emotional, and mental health. Any student who is struggling to do so (lacking a safe and stable place to live, having difficulty affording sufficient food to eat every day, facing financial stresses, etc.) is urged to consult the resources listed here: https://www.ucdenver.edu/student/health-wellness, and in particular the University’s Counseling Center.
Reasonable Accommodation
I am committed to providing everyone the support and services needed to participate in this course. If you have a learning disability, I encourage you to notify me and to contact Disability Resources and Services at 303-315-3510 or by e-mail at disabilityresources@ucdenver.edu. If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, please reach out to Disability Resources and Services as well.
Religious Observances
If, because of religious obligations, you have conflicts with required assignments/attendance please email me directly as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester.
Title IX
The University of Colorado Denver is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working and living environment. The University prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, pregnancy, creed, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, political philosophy or political affiliation in admission and access to, and treatment and employment in, its educational programs and activities,
working, and living environment. University policy prohibits sexual misconduct, including harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or related retaliation. If you have experienced some sort of sexual misconduct or discrimination, please visit the Office of Equity/Title IX web site to understand the resources available to you or contact the Office of Equity/Title IX Coordinator (303-315-2567).
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to know, understand, and comply with the ethical standards of the university, including rules against plagiarism, cheating, fabrication and falsification, multiple submissions, misuse of academic materials, and complicity in academic dishonesty.
Additional Resources
Please refer to this list of additional resources available to CU Denver students: https://clas.ucdenver.edu/faculty-staff/sites/default/files/attached-files/student_services_and_calendar.pdf.