What you must do in this unit
- Familiarize yourself with the textbook and plan when assignments are due. Note that in this course you have quite a bit of reading for units 10 and 12.
- Read the textbook chapter 1.
- Review NOVA Online policies and procedures and the course requirements for this course. Check out all of the course assignments and materials. Pay particular attention to the details of the midterm and final exams. Take appropriate action now if you will need proctored examinations. You may also use ProctorU to take your exams on your home computer. See the information about ProctorU on Canvas.
- Make sure that you have read the information on the course assignments and grading This is very, very important.
- Have a look at the professional credentials (Professor Blois and Professor Evans) and introduction letters (Professor Blois and Professor Evans) of your instructors.
- Watch the short introduction video by Professor Evans.
- Check the remarks by Professor Blois and Professor Evans on studying Russian history.
- Since the use of proper grammar, spelling and style are an inherent part of each assignment in this course, please check the course writing resources available in Charlie's History Writing Center for more information.
- Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the Unit. These are important for your midterm and final exams--you might want to take a look now at the exam information.
SUBMIT
- Submit the required Introduction paragraph (10 points).
- Take the Syllabus Quiz in Canvas. (10 points extra credit) This is a short, 10-question orientation quiz that you must take and pass with a score of 9/10 before you can continue in the course. If you must, you can retake the quiz more than once.
- Yes, there are other students enrolled in this course with you. Post an informal welcome to everyone in the online introduction discussion forum (5 points). Please first review the instructions for Using Canvas.
- NOTE that you must complete and submit the introduction paragraph to avoid being removed from the course on your First Assignment Due date. See your course schedule for the exact date.
- As an exception to the course one assignment submitted per day, you should do all three of these items on the same day.
What you should do in this unit
- Watch the short video on developing a time management schedule for your course work. Please be realistic about your work, family and course obligations when you sign up for an online history course. If you are working fifty or sixty hours a week and taking a full load of courses, then you are going to have trouble finding enough time to study.
- Watch the short video on asking questions in your course.
- Read the note on the peculiarities of the Russian calendar.
- Check out our audio recordings of the Pronunciation of Some Russian Names and Terms.
- 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.
What you can do in this unit
- You may also wish to glance at my interactive lecture on Russian geography and then return to it later in the course.
- I sometimes post additional remarks relevant to this course on my Russian History blog that you can check.
- If you wish, you can bookmark the Chronology of Russia website, which you will find very useful for keeping track of important historical dates.
- Read chapter 1 from Mary Platt Parmele (1843-1911) A Short History of Russia (1907, 4th edition). I will include some excerpts from this old textbook throughout the course, since Parmele provides a rather standard (and interesting) impression of Russian history from the early twentieth century, before the Bolshevik Revolution. This is optional reading. If you wish, you can download the entire book (alternate site *.zip download).
- Another good overview of Russian history, up to about 1910, is H. W. Williams, Russia of the Russians (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1915), especially his chapter, The Growth of Russia." Williams was a newspaper correspondent in Russia who married a politically-active Russian liberal woman. His book, though almost a century old, is well-written and very much reflective of pre-World War I sentiments.
- You can check out my quick list of course resources which contains links to all of my supporting web pages for HIS 241.
- Finally, you can also have a look at my page of selected general resources applicable to your study of Russian history. The page includes online map resources, recommended textbooks, resource websites, etc.
- If you've ever wondered what exactly a history professor does, then have a look at Professor Evans' short video.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, review this entire course website, check the online NOVA Online student orientation and send your instructor any questions that you might have. This must be done in unit 1 of the course to receive credit.
Unit Learning Objectives
- Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to explain the structure of the course and the format and requirements of the main assignments and exams.