Hello Students,

My name is Joe Escobar and I will be teaching HST209 History of the Civil War, Winter Term at Lane Community College.  The course is an online class and it always fills to capacity.  MyLane has a waitlist feature, so be sure to get on that list if the class is already full.  If the waitlist is full, then be sure to check MyLane often so see if an opening appears. 

Once the term begins, I will not be adding any more students to the class.

I've been a history instructor since 1989, and you will find that I enjoy teaching and working with students.  I’m using this web page to give prospective students some information relevant to this particular course. 

HST209 is not a “correspondence” or independent study course, where students can work through the material at their own pace.  Neither can students “work ahead” and finish the course content “early”.  All students will complete materials at a weekly pace throughout the ten week term.  Students will participate in activities online which require them to be studying the same material at the same time.  Finally, students must physically come to campus to take the midterm and final exams in a secure, proctored environment.  (Students outside of the Willamette Valley can arrange for a proctor in their local area.)  CLICK HERE for information about arranging a proctor.  If you are not able to abide by these requirements, you should not enroll in this particular course.  If you are already enrolled, be sure to drop the course immediately.

HST209 is a online class, and as such, it will require a significant amount of writing.  As a matter of fact, the only way you can really earn a grade in this online course, besides the two exams, will be through your written communication, in individual or group assignments or online forums.  While there is no official writing course prerequisite, if you have not successfully passed WR121, WR122, and WR123, or if your writing skills are not already at a college level, I would highly recommend against your taking this class.

To help you in deciding whether to take this course or not, I have published all of my student evaluations on this website.  I’ve even written responses to some of them (in red).  See them when you click the “Click here” link on the right hand side of this page.

As an online class, will use Lane's Moodle software extensively to accomplish our work for this course.  A week or two, before the term begins, you will be able to login to the site with your L# and your MyLane passphrase.  The site URL is:

http://classes.lanecc.edu

Once logged in, you must take the time to print and read the course syllabus and listen carefully to the class orientation.  (The audio/video orientation will be available on Monday, the first day of the term.)

If you are officially enrolled in the class, make sure you login before the term starts.  If you are unfamiliar with Moodle, take a quick look at the “How to send a Moodle message” help videos.  You really MUST have the correct email address in the MyLane/Moodle system in order to receive official class communications and be successful in this course.

You will be responsible for viewing required video materials in an online, streaming format.  You should have high speed internet access.  If you do not have the computer and web capability to view videos online, you should not be enrolled in this course. 

I highly recommend that you test your online video viewing capability right now.

CLICK HERE for a sample video clip that you should be able to view right now.  It’ll provide you with a quick technical check of you computer’s abilities and internet connection speed.  It’s only 2.5 minutes and should begin to play audio and video almost immediately.

The main online videos for the course are nearly an hour long.  Now, test your ability to see these videos.  Click the link in Moodle called Civil War Videos Online at the LCC Library and use your L# and passphrase to login.  Find Episode 1 and click play to make sure you can actually start watching and listening to the video.

Written materials will also be provided to you in an online format.  CLICK HERE for a sample PDF file that you should be able to download and read on your computer.  CLICK HERE for a link to a Google Document that you should be able to read and print.  It has the calendar for the term.

If you cannot successfully complete the above steps or cannot get the videos to play on your computer, you need to either fix the problem or drop the class.

Finally, I wanted to let you know about the course textbook, in advance.  It is available in the LCC Bookstore and elsewhere. 

1. •Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
   Oxford University Press, USA; (December 11, 2003)
   

2. # ISBN-10: 019516895X
   # ISBN-13: 978-0195168952
   

3. Format: Paperback, 952 pages
   

1. ◦$12 new, shipped from Amazon.com, or starting at $5 used, shipping included.  A Kindle edition is also available for $9.69.
   

4. 
   

I look forward to meeting you online and working with you during the term.

Until then,

Joe Escobar

History Instructor

Lane Community College

last updated 12/12/2016