HIST 1301 109: The US to 1877

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HIST 1301 - The US to 1877

Fall 2024 Syllabus, Section 109, CRN 14155

Instructor Information

Dr. Deborah Blackwell

Email: dblackwell@tamiu.edu

Office: AIC 341

Office Hours:
MW 11:00am-12:30pm
TR 2:45-3:45pm
Also by appointment

Office Phone: 956-326-2628

Times and Location

MWF 9:40am-10:35am in Bullock Hall 114

Course Description

This course covers discovery; European contributions and forces; Spanish and Portuguese conquests in the Americas; English, French, and Dutch in America. The English Colonies in America; accomplishments of nationalistic groups; War of Independence; establishment of the new nation, problems of the formative period, western development, and frontier influence; cultural and constitutional growth; internal dissension and international problems; and Reconstruction. Prerequisites: Completion of Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Reading requirements, ENGL 1301, or appropriate level developmental course sequence.
Humanities Department, College of Arts & Sciences

Additional Course Information

“If history were past, history wouldn’t matter.  History is the present….  You and I are history.  We carry our history. We act our history.” –James Baldwin, author and social critic

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Define and describe the foundations of the United States’ political system and its effects on the development of the nation until 1877.
  2. Recall and classify factors that relate to issues of gender, race, religion, and economic status in US society until 1877.
  3. Identify and explain how the United States interacted with the governments and peoples of other nations until 1877.
  4. Discuss and explain connections between historical events as well as describe historical changes over time.
  5. Analyze primary historical sources, thus demonstrating critical reading skills.
  6. Develop written arguments in a variety of formats (e.g., exams, quizzes).

Important Dates

Visit the Academic Calendar (tamiu.edu) page to view the term's important dates.

Textbooks

Other Course Materials

  • Textbook and primary source reader: Joseph Locke and Ben Wright, eds, The American Yawp, volume 1: To 1877.
    • Free open source textbook available at http://www.americanyawp.com. Also available in both print (ISBN 9781503606715); and as an ebook (ISBN 9781503608139) for purchase online and may be downloaded from the website as a free PDF (textbook and primary documents reader).
  • Respondus Monitor: $15/year for an unlimited number of courses for taking exams.  See https://www.tamiu.edu/distance/technology/respondus-ldb-and-monitor.shtml for more information, as well as pages 8-9 of this syllabus.  You will need a webcam with a microphone as well to use this software; OIT has webcams available for student checkout at their labs in Cowart Hall 259.
  • TopHat subscription: this is being made available to you for free this semester (yay!).
    • Your “join code” for this class (you will need this) is: 010497.
    • We will use TopHat for in-class quizzes, polls, and attendance.  You will be able to access it through your smart phone, your laptop, or your tablet/iPad.  More information is available on Blackboard.

Grading Criteria

GRADE PERCENTAGE
A 90-100
B 80-89.9
C 70-79.9
D 60-69.9
F Below 59.9

Grade Distribution

Exams:  There are four closed-book exams.  The first three will concern material covered since the previous exam, including readings, lectures, and videos.  The final will be comprehensive and will cover information from the entire semester.  The exams will include short essays and multiple-choice portions, and you will be taking them on Blackboard using the Respondus Monitor software.  You will receive a study guide to help you prepare in advance of each exam.

Quizzes:  There will be a variety of quizzes administered via Top Hat and Blackboard during the course of the semester.  TopHat quizzes will take place most days we have class and will generally consist of one or two questions about material covered in the previous class.  Each of those questions will be worth a maximum of 25 points: 10 points for participation and 15 for correctness.  I will also sometimes ask opinion questions during class where you will get 10 points’ quiz credit for participation.  I will add all your TopHat points at the end of the semester and will set a top number of points based on the class average (so, for example, if the maximum possible at the end of the semester was 750 points, then I might set the top score at 600). In general, quizzes on Blackboard will consist of 5 multiple-choice questions worth 10 points each and will either cover documentary films or asynchronous lectures posted to the Blackboard site.  Each will have a time limit as to its availability and I will announce in class and online when it will open and close.  I will drop AT LEAST one 50-point Blackboard quiz grade for every student.  Because I will only count a certain percentage of the total number of quiz points possible during the semester, quizzes may not be made up under ANY circumstances, nor will I answer any email or phone inquiries as to whether or not there is a quiz posted to Blackboard, so DO NOT ASK ME because I WILL NOT ANSWER.  Each type of quiz (TopHat and Blackboard) counts toward 12.5% of your final grade in the course.

Attendance and Participation:  Much of the material that you will be responsible for knowing will be learned during lecture and discussion.  Therefore, it is in your best interest to be in class and prepared to engage with the day’s readings every session.  If you are unavoidably absent, you will still be responsible for learning the material covered in class.  If you must miss class, you are responsible for letting me know whether or not you had a legitimate reason for missing and providing me with written evidence; I will not track you down to ask why you were absent.

Note-taking and Collaborate technology:  You are expected to take notes during lectures, discussions, and videos.  Lecture outlines and video study guides will assist you in this process.  However, it is not enough simply to copy the lecture outline—you must take notes in order to do well on exams.  Please do not try to follow along with me in your textbook—I do not lecture directly from your book and you will end up missing key points in the lecture.  I will be recording each of my lectures using a technology called Collaborate that will upload to Blackboard within hours of the class.  I do so to supplement your ability to do well in the class, not to replace your attendance in class.  Please keep in mind that the technology does not always work as well as we might wish, so you should not rely solely on the fact that the lectures are being recorded but should also take good notes every single day. 

Readings:  Readings are assigned to supplement the lectures, not to replace them.  I will especially stress discussion of the primary documents from Blackboard in class, but you are expected to read the textbook as well and will be tested on that material.  You will be expected to integrate lecture and reading material on the exams in a thoughtful manner.  If you are having trouble understanding the readings, please come talk to me.

Extra credit: THERE IS NO EXTRA CREDIT IN THIS CLASS—DO NOT ASK!  However, I reserve the right to offer occasional “bonus” quiz grades which will help boost that 25% of your final grade.

Questions during lecture:  I will stop frequently during lecture to ask if there are any questions on the material we are covering, and you should feel free to ask whatever you want during that time.  Should you have additional questions that are not pertinent to the rest of the class or if you feel uncomfortable asking them during class, see me afterwards, come by my office hours, or contact me by email. Remember, THERE ARE NO STUPID QUESTIONS!  If you already knew this information, you wouldn’t need to take the class.

Make-up exams and late papers:  Make-up exams or writing assignments will be given only in extraordinary circumstances (requiring written documentation), and I reserve the right to alter the format of make-ups.  In order to take a make-up, you must contact me before or on the date in question, and you must bring verification of your excuse with you.  If you must leave town or miss class for an emergency, I expect you to contact me BEFORE you leave and as soon as you return in order to make up work missed—my email and answering machine work 24 hours a day.  You would not leave town or otherwise miss work without informing your employer first; your professors deserve the same consideration.

ASSIGNMENT VALUE
Exam #1 15%
Exam #2 15%
Exam #3 20%
Comprehensive Final Exam 25%
Quizzes (TopHat & Blackboard) 25%

Schedule of Topics and Assignments

Week of Agenda/Topic Reading(s) Due
8/26 Introduction; Why The Past Matters Now; The Indigenous Americans The American Yawp (hereafter TAY), chapter 1, “Indigenous America”
9/2 Early European Settlements in North America, c.1500-1680 TAY, chapter 2, “Colliding Cultures”
Primary documents: Bartolomé de las Casas excerpt; Captain John Smith excerpt
9/9 Unrest and Crisis in North America, c. 1600-1715 TAY chapter 3, “British North America” and chapter 4, “Colonial Society”
Primary documents: Letter from Richard Frethorne; Testimony from the Salem Witch Trials; Memoir of Mary Rowlandson
9/16 The Horrors of African Enslavement TAY chapter 3, “British North America” and chapter 4, “Colonial Society”
Primary documents: Olaudah Equiano excerpt
9/23 The Coming of the Revolution, 1763-1775 TAY, chapter 5, “The American Revolution”
Primary documents: Conflicting Accounts of the Boston Massacre (Paul Revere’s political cartoon, Captain Thomas Preston, George Robert Twelves Hewes, and the Boston Gazette)		 Exam #1 on Monday 9/23
9/30 The American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783 TAY chapter 5, “The American Revolution” continued
Primary documents: Thomas Paine; Declaration of Independence; Memoir of Joseph Plumb Martin; Letters of Abigail Adams, John Adams, and Mercy Otis Warren (both versions); Memoir of Boston King
10/7 The American Revolutionary War, concluded; Governing a New Nation TAY chapter 6, “A New Nation”
Primary documents: U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights
10/14 Governing a New Nation, continued TAY chapters 6, “A New Nation,” continued and 7, “The Early Republic”
Primary documents: Noah Webster excerpt
10/21 The Promises and Limits of American Democracy, 1789-1824 and The Age of Jacksonian “Democracy” TAY chapters 8, “The Market Revolution,” and 9 “Democracy in America”
Primary documents: Debates over Indigenous Peoples’ Removal from the Southeastern States		 Exam #2 on Monday 10/21
10/28 The Age of Reform TAY chapter 10, “Religion and Reform”
Primary documents: Abolitionists’ Criticisms of Slavery; Seneca Falls Declaration of Rights and Sentiments
11/4 Slavery and the Development of the “Old” South TAY chapter 11, “The Cotton Revolution”
Primary documents: Frederick Douglass; Harriet Jacobs; The Confessions of Nat Turner
11/11 “Manifest Destiny” and Westward Expansion TAY chapter 12, “Manifest Destiny”
11/18 Crises of the 1850s; The Civil War Begins TAY chapters 13, “The Sectional Crisis,” and 14, “The Civil War”
Primary documents: Dred Scott v. Sanford		 Exam #3 Monday 11/18
11/25 The Civil War, continued TAY chapter 14, “The Civil War,” continued
Primary documents: Abraham Lincoln’s speeches
12/2 The Civil War, continued TAY chapter 14, “The Civil War,” continued
Primary documents: Abraham Lincoln’s speeches		 Final exam Wednesday 12/4

Core Curriculum Learning Outcomes

Core-Curriculum Learning Outcomes:

  1. Critical Thinking Skills (CT) - creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information
  2. Communication Skills (COM) - effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication
  3. Social Responsibility (SR) - intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities
  4. Personal Responsibility (PR) - ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making

University/College Policies

Please see the University Policies below.

COVID-19 Related Policies

If you have tested positive for COVID-19, please refer to the Student Handbook, Appendix A (Attendance Rule) for instructions.

Required Class Attendance

Students are expected to attend every class in person (or virtually, if the class is online) and to complete all assignments. If you cannot attend class, it is your responsibility to communicate absences with your professors. The faculty member will decide if your excuse is valid and thus may provide lecture materials of the class. According to University policy, acceptable reasons for an absence, which cannot affect a student’s grade, include:

  • Participation in an authorized University activity.
  • Death or major illness in a student’s immediate family.
  • Illness of a dependent family member.
  • Participation in legal proceedings or administrative procedures that require a student’s presence.
  • Religious holy day.
  • Illness that is too severe or contagious for the student to attend class.
  • Required participation in military duties.
  • Mandatory admission interviews for professional or graduate school which cannot be rescheduled.

Students are responsible for providing satisfactory evidence to faculty members within seven calendar days of their absence and return to class. They must substantiate the reason for the absence. If the absence is excused, faculty members must either provide students with the opportunity to make up the exam or other work missed, or provide a satisfactory alternative to complete the exam or other work missed within 30 calendar days from the date of absence. Students who miss class due to a University-sponsored activity are responsible for identifying their absences to their instructors with as much advance notice as possible. 

Classroom Behavior (applies to online or Face-to-Face Classes)

TAMIU encourages classroom discussion and academic debate as an essential intellectual activity. It is essential that students learn to express and defend their beliefs, but it is also essential that they learn to listen and respond respectfully to others whose beliefs they may not share. The University will always tolerate different, unorthodox, and unpopular points of view, but it will not tolerate condescending or insulting remarks. When students verbally abuse or ridicule and intimidate others whose views they do not agree with, they subvert the free exchange of ideas that should characterize a university classroom. If their actions are deemed by the professor to be disruptive, they will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action (please refer to Student Handbook Article 4).

TAMIU Honor Code: Plagiarism and Cheating

As a TAMIU student, you are bound by the TAMIU Honor Code to conduct yourself ethically in all your activities as a TAMIU student and to report violations of the Honor Code. Please read carefully the Student Handbook Article 7 and Article 10 available at https://www.tamiu.edu/scce/studenthandbook.shtml.

We are committed to strict enforcement of the Honor Code. Violations of the Honor Code tend to involve claiming work that is not one’s own, most commonly plagiarism in written assignments and any form of cheating on exams and other types of assignments.

Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s work as your own. It occurs when you:

  1. Borrow someone else’s facts, ideas, or opinions and put them entirely in your own words. You must acknowledge that these thoughts are not your own by immediately citing the source in your paper. Failure to do this is plagiarism.
  2. Borrow someone else’s words (short phrases, clauses, or sentences), you must enclose the copied words in quotation marks as well as citing the source. Failure to do this is plagiarism.
  3. Present someone else’s paper or exam (stolen, borrowed, or bought) as your own. You have committed a clearly intentional form of intellectual theft and have put your academic future in jeopardy. This is the worst form of plagiarism.

Here is another explanation from the 2020, seventh edition of the Manual of The American Psychological Association (APA):

“Plagiarism is the act of presenting the words, idea, or images of another as your own; it denies authors or creators of content the credit they are due.  Whether deliberate or unintentional, plagiarism violates ethical standards in scholarship” (p. 254).  This same principle applies to the illicit use of AI.

Plagiarism: Researchers do not claim the words and ideas of another as their own; they give credit where credit is due. Quotations marks should be used to indicate the exact words of another. Each time you paraphrase another author (i.e., summarize a passage or rearrange the order of a sentence and change some of the words), you need to credit the source in the text. The key element of this principle is that authors do not present the work of another as if it were their own words. This can extend to ideas as well as written words. If authors model a study after one done by someone else, the originating author should be given credit. If the rationale for a study was suggested in the discussion section of someone else's article, the person should be given credit. Given the free exchange of ideas, which is very important for the health of intellectual discourse, authors may not know where an idea for a study originated. If authors do know, however, they should   acknowledge the source; this includes personal communications (p. 11). For guidance on proper documentation, consult the Academic Success Center or a recommended guide to documentation and research such as the Manual of the APA or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. If you still have doubts concerning proper documentation, seek advice from your instructor prior to submitting a final draft.

TAMIU has penalties for plagiarism and cheating.

  • Penalties for Plagiarism: Should a faculty member discover that a student has committed plagiarism, the student should receive a grade of 'F' in that course and the matter will be referred to the Honor Council for possible disciplinary action. The faculty member, however, may elect to give freshmen and sophomore students a “zero” for the assignment and to allow them to revise the assignment up to a grade of “F” (50%) if they believe that the student plagiarized out of ignorance or carelessness and not out of an attempt to deceive in order to earn an unmerited grade; the instructor must still report the offense to the Honor Council. This option should not be available to juniors, seniors, or graduate students, who cannot reasonably claim ignorance of documentation rules as an excuse. For repeat offenders in undergraduate courses or for an offender in any graduate course, the penalty for plagiarism is likely to include suspension or expulsion from the university.
    • Caution: Be very careful what you upload to Turnitin or send to your professor for evaluation. Whatever you upload for evaluation will be considered your final, approved draft. If it is plagiarized, you will be held responsible. The excuse that “it was only a draft” will not be accepted.
    • Caution:  Also, do not share your electronic files with others. If you do, you are responsible for the possible consequences. If another student takes your file of a paper and changes the name to his or her name and submits it and you also submit the paper, we will hold both of you responsible for plagiarism. It is impossible for us to know with certainty who wrote the paper and who stole it. And, of course, we cannot know if there was collusion between you and the other student in the matter.
  • Penalties for Cheating: Should a faculty member discover a student cheating on an exam or quiz or other class project, the student should receive a “zero” for the assignment and not be allowed to make the assignment up. The incident should be reported to the chair of the department and to the Honor Council. If the cheating is extensive, however, or if the assignment constitutes a major grade for the course (e.g., a final exam), or if the student has cheated in the past, the student should receive an “F” in the course, and the matter should be referred to the Honor Council. Additional penalties, including suspension or expulsion from the university may be imposed. Under no circumstances should a student who deserves an “F” in the course be allowed to withdraw from the course with a “W.”
    • Caution: Chat groups that start off as “study groups” can easily devolve into “cheating groups.” Be very careful not to join or remain any chat group if it begins to discuss specific information about exams or assignments that are meant to require individual work. If you are a member of such a group and it begins to cheat, you will be held responsible along with all the other members of the group. The TAMIU Honor Code requires that you report any such instances of cheating.
  • Student Right of Appeal: Faculty will notify students immediately via the student’s TAMIU e- mail account that they have submitted plagiarized work. Students have the right to appeal a faculty member’s charge of academic dishonesty by notifying the TAMIU Honor Council of their intent to appeal as long as the notification of appeal comes within 10 business days of the faculty member’s e-mail message to the student and/or the Office of Student Conduct and Community Engagement. The Student Handbook provides more details.

Use of Work in Two or More Courses

You may not submit work completed in one course for a grade in a second course unless you receive explicit permission to do so by the instructor of the second course. In general, you should get credit for a work product only once. 

AI Policies

Your instructor will provide you with their personal policy on the use of AI in the classroom setting and associated coursework.

TAMIU E-Mail and SafeZone

Personal Announcements sent to students through TAMIU E-mail (tamiu.edu or dusty email) are the official means of communicating course and university business with students and faculty –not the U.S. Mail and no other e-mail addresses. Students and faculty must check their TAMIU e-mail accounts regularly, if not daily. Not having seen an important TAMIU e-mail or message from a faculty member, chair, or dean is not accepted as an excuse for failure to take important action.

Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to download the SafeZone app, which is a free mobile app for all University faculty, staff, and students.  SafeZone allows you to: report safety concerns (24/7), get connected with mental health professionals, activate location sharing with authorities, and anonymously report incidents.  Go to https://www.tamiu.edu/adminis/police/safezone/index.shtml for more information.

Copyright Restrictions

The Copyright Act of 1976 grants to copyright owners the exclusive right to reproduce their works and distribute copies of their work. Works that receive copyright protection include published works such as a textbook. Copying a textbook without permission from the owner of the copyright may constitute copyright infringement. Civil and criminal penalties may be assessed for copyright infringement. Civil penalties include damages up to $100,000; criminal penalties include a fine up to $250,000 and imprisonment. Copyright laws do not allow students and professors to make photocopies of copyrighted materials, but you may copy a limited portion of a work, such as article from a journal or a chapter from a book for your own personal academic use or, in the case of a professor, for personal, limited classroom use. In general, the extent of your copying should not suggest that the purpose or the effect of your copying is to avoid paying for the materials. And, of course, you may not sell these copies for a profit. Thus, students who copy textbooks to avoid buying them or professors who provide photocopies of textbooks to enable students to save money are violating the law.

Students with Disabilities

Texas A&M International University seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified persons with disabilities. This University will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal education opportunity. It is the student's responsibility to register with the Office of Student Counseling and Disability Services located in Student Center 126. This office will contact the faculty member to recommend specific, reasonable accommodations. Faculty are prohibited from making accommodations based solely on communications from students. They may make accommodations only when provided documentation by the Student Counseling and Disability Services office.

Student Attendance and Leave of Absence (LOA) Policy

As part of our efforts to assist and encourage all students towards graduation, TAMIU provides
LOA’s for students, including pregnant/parenting students, in accordance with the Attendance Rule (Section 3.07) and the Student LOA Rule (Section 3.08), which includes the “Leave of Absence Request” form. Both rules can be found in the TAMIU Student Handbook (URL: http://www.tamiu.edu/studentaffairs/StudentHandbook1.shtml).

Pregnant and Parenting Students

Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, harassment based on sex, including harassment because of pregnancy or related conditions, is prohibited. A pregnant/parenting student must be granted an absence for as long as the student’s physician deems the absence medically necessary. It is a violation of Title IX to ask for documentation relative to the pregnant/parenting student’s status beyond what would be required for other medical conditions. If a student would like to file a complaint for discrimination due to his or her pregnant/parenting status, please contact the TAMIU Title IX Coordinator (Lorissa M. Cortez, 5201 University Boulevard, KLM 159B, Laredo, TX 78041,TitleIX@tamiu.edu, 956.326.2857) and/or the Office of Civil Rights (Dallas Office, U.S. Department of Education, 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1620, Dallas, TX 75201-6810, 214.661.9600). You can also report it on TAMIU’s anonymous electronic reporting site: https://www.tamiu.edu/reportit.

TAMIU advises a pregnant/parenting student to notify their professor once the student is aware that accommodations for such will be necessary. It is recommended that the student and professor develop a reasonable plan for the student’s completion of missed coursework or assignments. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (Lorissa M. Cortez, lorissam.cortez@tamiu.edu) can assist the student and professor in working out the reasonable accommodations. For other questions or concerns regarding Title IX compliance related to pregnant/parenting students at the University, contact the Title IX Coordinator. In the event that a student will need a leave of absence for a substantial period of time, TAMIU urges the student to consider a Leave of Absence (LOA) as outlined in the TAMIU Student Handbook. As part of our efforts to assist and encourage all students towards graduation, TAMIU provides LOA’s for students, including pregnant/parenting students, in accordance with the Attendance Rule and the Student LOA Rule. Both rules can be found in the TAMIU Student Handbook (https://www.tamiu.edu/scce/studenthandbook.shtml).

Anti-Discrimination/Title IX

TAMIU does not discriminate or permit harassment against any individual on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity in admissions, educational programs, or employment. If you would like to file a complaint relative to Title IX or any civil rights violation, please contact the TAMIU Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity/Title IX Coordinator, Lorissa M. Cortez, 5201 University Boulevard, Killam Library 159B, Laredo, TX 78041,TitleIX@tamiu.edu, 956.326.2857, via the anonymous electronic reporting website, ReportIt, at https://www.tamiu.edu/reportit, and/or the Office of Civil Rights (Dallas Office), U.S. Department of Education, 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1620, Dallas, TX 75201-6810, 214.661.9600.

Incompletes

Students who are unable to complete a course should withdraw from the course before the final date for withdrawal and receive a “W.” To qualify for an “incomplete” and thus have the opportunity to complete the course at a later date, a student must meet the following criteria:

  1. The student must have completed 90% of the course work assigned before the final date for withdrawing from a course with a “W”, and the student must be passing the course;
  2. The student cannot complete the course because an accident, an illness, or a traumatic personal or family event occurred after the final date for withdrawal from a course;
  3. The student must sign an “Incomplete Grade Contract” and secure signatures of approval from the professor and the college dean.
  4. The student must agree to complete the missing course work before the end of the next long semester; failure to meet this deadline will cause the “I” to automatically be converted to an “F”; extensions to this deadline may be granted by the dean of the college. This is the general policy regarding the circumstances under which an “incomplete” may be granted, but under exceptional circumstances, a student may receive an incomplete who does not meet all of the criteria above if the faculty member, department chair, and dean recommend it.

WIN Contracts

The Department of Biology and Chemistry does not permit WIN contracts. For other departments within the college, WIN Contracts are offered only under exceptional circumstances and are limited to graduating seniors. Only courses offered by full-time TAMIU faculty or TAMIU instructors are eligible to be contracted for the WIN requirement. However, a WIN contract for a course taught by an adjunct may be approved, with special permission from the department chair and dean. Students must seek approval before beginning any work for the WIN Contract. No student will contract more than one course per semester. Summer WIN Contracts must continue through both summer sessions.

Student Responsibility for Dropping a Course

It is the responsibility of the student to drop the course before the final date for withdrawal from a course. Faculty members, in fact, may not drop a student from a course without getting the approval of their department chair and dean.

Independent Study Course

Independent Study (IS) courses are offered only under exceptional circumstances. Required courses intended to build academic skills may not be taken as IS (e.g., clinical supervision and internships). No student will take more than one IS course per semester. Moreover, IS courses are limited to seniors and graduate students. Summer IS course must continue through both summer sessions.

Grade Changes & Appeals

Faculty are authorized to change final grades only when they have committed a computational error or an error in recording a grade, and they must receive the approval of their department chairs and the dean to change the grade. As part of that approval, they must attach a detailed explanation of the reason for the mistake. Only in rare cases would another reason be entertained as legitimate for a grade change. A student who is unhappy with his or her grade on an assignment must discuss the situation with the faculty member teaching the course. If students believe that they have been graded unfairly, they have the right to appeal the grade using a grade appeal process in the Student Handbook and in the Faculty Handbook.

Final Examination

All courses in all colleges must include a comprehensive exam or performance and be given on the date and time specified by the Academic Calendar and the Final Exam schedule published by the Registrar’s Office. In the College of Arts & Sciences all final exams must contain a written component. The written component should comprise at least 20% of the final exam grade. Exceptions to this policy must receive the approval of the department chair and the dean at the beginning of the semester.

Mental Health and Well-Being

The university aims to provide students with essential knowledge and tools to understand and support mental health. As part of our commitment to your well-being, we offer access to Telus Health, a service available 24/7/365 via chat, phone, or webinar. Scan the QR code to download the app and explore the resources available to you for guidance and support whenever you need it. The Telus app is available to download directly from TELUS (tamiu.edu) or from the Apple App Store and Google Play.