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         This is the HIS 242 course website. On this page, you will find important information about the course and the links to  the course assignment schedules (see below). 
BEFORE YOU START WORK IN YOUR COURSE, YOU SHOULD:   
        - Check your specific Critical Course Deadlines. These dates can be found   on the ELI home page, and they are also indicated on your course schedule (See the links below). Please make a note of these dates.
          
            - You must withdraw before the Last Refund Date to receive a refund.
 
            - You must  submit your introduction paragraph or complete the Course Introduction Check quiz (see unit 1)  by
      your First Assignment Due Date to avoid being 
      administratively deleted from the course without a refund.
 
            - You must complete your   Midterm Exam by your Midterm Exam Due   Date or you will be withdrawn from the course.  (No   Exceptions; No excuses accepted.) For your exact midterm exam due date, see your course assignment schedule linked below on this page. 
 
            - Your Last Withdrawal Date is the last date on which
              you can withdraw yourself from the course using Novaconnect, without grade
              penalty.
 
            - Finally, remember, you must complete all course assignments by your official 
              course End Date.
 
           
  
        
- Check  Novaconnect to verify 
your instructor's name.
   
 
        - Please note that your
enrollment in this course is subject
to the general ELI
rules and regulations.  Please be sure to review these
procedural matters now.  For an Incomplete grade 
in the course, a 
student must earn 500 points, pass the midterm exam and explain the extenuating 
circumstances for the incomplete request.
           
 
- Take appropriate action now if you will 
need proctored examinations. 
 
- Any student with a documented
disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is encouraged to
contact a counselor for disability services.  Contact information can be found 
online on the college web page.  For
additional information, please contact an ELI counselor at 
elicounselors@nvcc.edu or
703.323.2425.  All information is kept confidential. 
 
- You must submit all of 
your assignments and extra credit through Blackboard  according to the Submitting Assignments and Using Email in Your ELI History Course instructions.  (No more than one submission
per calendar day will be accepted.)   Feedback on your work will be returned via e-mail, usually within 24-72 hours.
 
  
- Please review the information on  Using Blackboard for instructions on how to 
submit assignments, access  the online discussions and view your gradebook.
   
 
- To begin the course, review this page, click on your course assignment schedule (below), check out the information on all of the 
course  
assignments and exams and begin with unit 1 of the course.
   
 
- Finally, please remember that you must 
pass the final exam with a grade of "C" (175/250) or better to earn a 
passing grade of "C" or better in this course.
 
       
       
        
       
      Required books  
      The text for the course is
Nicholas Riasanovsky and Mark 
Steinberg, A History of Russia, 8th ed. (Oxford University Press, 
2011, isbn 9780195341973).  Earlier
editions of this textbook cover much of the same material but lack coverage of Russian
events over the last twenty years.  If you wish, you can read my Explanation of why I choose this text. 
      You must read one of these two books in the course: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Signet Classic, 
isbn 9780451527097, although any edition is acceptable), or Lawrence Scott Sheets, 8 Pieces of Empire (Crown Publishers, isbn 978-0-307-39582-5; any edition is acceptable).  Please check the distance learning bookstore website for information on where and how you can purchase your textbooks; the Sheets book may not be available in the NVCC distance learning bookstore.  You may also be able to
buy your books at another retail outlet or on the web.
If you are wondering whether you must buy the textbook, then please watch this short video.
 
      
       
      Course overview
			 This course reviews the history of Russia from about 1900 to the present and introduces students to the world of 
			Soviet and post-Soviet Russia.  We will examine the major themes 
			and issues that have defined Russia's recent past, and we will also take a look at 
			some Russian cultural achievements in such areas as art, architecture, 
			music, theatre, dance, literature and philosophy.  Although there is 
			no formal prerequisite for this course, some basic knowledge of European 
			history will be helpful.
       
      
       
      Course objectives
			 If you successfully complete this
course, you will be able to:
      
        - Define and describe the
importance of some key individuals and events in Russian history
 
        - Understand the general
chronology and geography of Russian history
 
        - Understand the main forces at
work in the historical development of Russia
 
        - Appreciate some of the cultural 
				achievements of the Russians
 
        - Develop an ability to analyze
historical sources and reach conclusions based on that analysis
 
        - Compose critical essays that
explain the importance of certain historical events in Russian history
 
 
        - Understand the role and work
of the Russian historian
 
       
       
       
       
      Course prerequisites
       
      Although there are no formal prerequisites for this course, please consider:
       
      
- 
    It is expected that students
possess college-level reading and writing skills.
 - You should also have relatively good technology and web-use skills.  Please check ELI's Smartmeasure to see if you are ready for distance learning. You can also check out our  short quiz,  Is A Web Course for Me?
 
- I highly encourage you to have taken at least one 100-level introductory history course, 
 
 - I would recommend that you allot at least three hours a week of study time for this course.
 
       
      
       
      
       
      Course grading
			 
			Course grades are based on the
following point scale:
            
        -  1,000-900:  A 
 
        -    899-800:  B 
 
        -    799-700:  C 
 
        -    699-600:  D 
 
        -    599-000:  F 
 
       
      Please be sure to check the very, very IMPORTANT Explanation of Assignments and Grading. You may also wish to have a look at the list of all the  supplemental materials for the course on  the Quick List of Study Aids.
      
      
 
      
       
Course assignment schedule and deadlines 
For fall 2012, there are different schedule versions available:
      
      For summer 2012, there are different schedule versions available:
For spring 2012, there are different schedule versions available:
 Please make sure that you double-check your registration so that you know which one you signed up for. You can always finish faster than your course schedule, if you wish.
      There are specific assignment deadlines in this course, and these are listed on the course schedule. You may not submit late extra credit work from a course unit. You may submit any of the course assignments, or optional course assignments late, but the maximum point value will then be reduced by one-half. 
      You are expected to make regular and steady progress in 
        completing your  assignments and examinations.  Please check your Blackboard online gradebook for 
        your grades.  Once 
        you begin this course, it is your responsibility to withdraw if you do not 
        intend to finish it.  If you do not 
        withdraw and if do not finish your course assignments, then you will receive a 
        grade based upon the work that you have 
        submitted.  Usually, this grade is an "F." 
   You can earn extra credit in the course by 
    finding typos or broken links on the course web pages.  You can also suggest additional websites that would be useful in the course. 
       
Writing in the Course
 
Note that proper grammar, spelling and style are an 
inherent part of each assignment in this course.  Please check 
Charlie's History Writing Center for 
more information.
 (You can also watch the short YouTube video about the center.)
  
      
We do wish to acknowledge the
help and suggestions of many people in creating this course and also offer a note
about copyrighted materials. 
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