Also, a couple of the visuals–although almost identical to this summer’s “handouts”–have slight, unimportant  differences.

The website for HIST 380 is designed to provide simple, straightforward access to course materials AND to allow you a simple, straightforward path to posting pdfs of your projects and to respond to classmates’ projects and comments.This main page will be the location for all announcements related to course requirements and assignments.

Now, let’s look at the menu.

The “hamburger” in the green circle is your access to the course menu.

The first second item is the course syllabus (which I cover briefly in a separate video). Please be sure to read it carefully and to review it frequently. All essential course requirements and processes are summarized there.

The second third page provides the course calendars. Each week’s calendar will be posted at 5 p.m. the Friday before the upcoming week. For example, the calendar for week 2 (which begins Monday, May 25 23) will be available at 5 p.m., Friday, May 22 20.

The third page is where you will find all course videos, including this one and those introducing each upcoming week. All videos will be available for the entirety of the course, so they may be consulted and re-consulted at any time.

Transcripts of the videos will also be available on the Videos menu page.

OVERVIEW VIDEOS/TRANSCRIPTS AND CALENDAR VIDEOS/TREANSCRIPTS ARE AVAILABLE ON “COURSE OVERVIEWS” AND “CALENDARS,” RESPECTIVELY. 

The Readings page will include all journal articles not available in full-text through UMW databases or other student-accessible sites. (The calendars indicate which articles are posted on the course website). In addition, the page will occasionally include scanned readings.

The Instructions page includes instruction sheets to help you handle basic assignments. Currently there are two types of instructions, those related to Writing and those related to Library/Research.

Please check this menu page before becoming too confused or stressed about assignments or expectations. Many of your questions or uncertainties will find clarification there.

Student Projects and Comments is where you will post your weekly projects and your responses to classmates’ projects and comments.

Every student will have access to the course website so that they can add to it by posting their projects. Instructions on the Tech How-to page explain how to do the posting.

Supplemental materials can include time lines, maps, images, definitions . . . almost anything that might add to your easier understanding of the post-1945 period.  Check this menu page often. You never know what you might find there.

The final menu item is the Tech How-To page. Despite its help, if you get lost or run into problems, please contact the Digital Knowledge Center in the Convergence Center. Location, hours, and contact info are available on the course syllabus.

The maroon circle provides two types of information.

It allows you to click on a day and see what was posted on it.

It also provides—again—access information for the instructor.

All in all, this website should be easy for you to use. And the more that you use the material posted on it, the more you will find it simple and direct.

Please consult it often.

I am Prof. Claudine Ferrell, and I am providing you with a series of introductory videos to help explain the course.

In this video, I am providing some of the most basic facts about the course.

First, the course counts as 3 credits in the history major—that is, 3 credits of the 15 required elective credits in the major.

The course is also writing intensive.
And, the course lasts approximately 5 weeks.

Please note that that means that each week of the summer session equals THREE weeks of the fall/spring semester.

In other words, with each week of our course divided into three sections (which I explain below and in other videos), each two-DAY period is the equivalent of one WEEK of the fall/spring.

Thus, we will be covering a lot of material in a short, fast-paced session.

Second, all materials (and videos) will be posted on the course website; however, GRADES will be posted on Canvas.

Thus, you will need to check both regularly. I suggest once a day.

Third, there are no books to buy . . . no research paper to write . . . and no final exam per se.

Readings are articles, webpages, and documents.

Most articles are available through the UMW databases (instructions on how to find articles through the databases are posted on the website’s INSTRUCTION page).Those that are not available through a database will be posted on the website for you.

The “final exam” is actually a final project in a course built on projects.

So, for a final point, let’s look at the graded work you will be doing this session.

As noted, each week is divided into three sections. Each section has assigned required readings and, usually, Youtube videos . . . and perhaps websites. Everyone needs to complete these assignments. They are the common foundation for all students and thus for the course.

For each of a week’s three sections, there are project options. A student must do TWO projects a week. A student must also respond TWICE to classmates’ projects.

The calendar, required assignments, and projects are explained in greater detail in other videos.

I hope that this brief overview has provided you with a useful introduction to the course.

Please consult the videos on the course syllabus, calendar, and webpage for further introductory information.

Thank you.