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Spring, 2010
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  Spring, 2010 Class Pictures:

MWF Class:


TuTh Class:

 

Course of Study:

United States History I I      HIS 122
Spring, 2010

John Barnes    Office:  650     
College Phone:  540-863-2886 / Toll Free 877-73DSLCC         Home Phone:  862-1271
Cell Phone:  540-691-7763               Email: jbarnes@dslcc.edu

 HIS 122 (Reconstruction to the Present)   3 credit hours
MWF  11:00 - 11:50, Room 649
TuTh  11:00 - 12:15, Room 649

     COURSE DESCRIPTION:

HIS 121-122 -- United States History I, II (3cr) (3cr). Surveys United States history from its beginning to the present. HIS 121 covers from the begiinning to Reconstruction.   HIS 122 covers from Reconstruction to the present.

INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS:

For many of you, this survey of World History will likely be the start of a fundamental reshaping of historical insights and attitudes. To accomplish this, critical and imaginative thinking is far more important than even total recall of every name and date in the textbook. History treated as rote memory can be deceptive; inherent patterns of reasoning may escape the uninitiated completely. They may see only facts that must be learned. You are expected to mature to the point where you will read between the lines and see social forces in action, the complexity of causation in an event, the strands of continuity, and the relevance of the past to the present. You will be encouraged to acquire the critical perspective and other skills of the historian through classroom activities, reading assignments, and research and writing projects.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGIES:

The course instructional procedures include reading, writing, discussion, lecture, audio-visual presentations, research, testing, homework, group projects, on-line components, and individual conferences with me. To a great extent, classroom activities will be independent of the text and other readings. I will not attempt to "cover" or duplicate reading assignments in class. You are expected to complete all reading and related homework assignments before we cover a topic in class so you can better understand classroom activities and participate meaningfully in them. It is important that you take good notes of classroom activities to use as you prepare for tests and exams. You should make arrangements for someone to tape class and/or provide you a copy of their notes for any classes you must miss since you will be responsible for all material covered.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES:

EXAMINATIONS--There will be two examinations, a mid-term and a final exam.  The mid-term will cover material for the first half of the term and the final will cover material for the second half of the term.  Each of these exams will count for twenty percent (20%) of your course grade.  The exams will consist of questions taken from the tests for each half of the course plus essay questions which will be provided in advance on a study sheet, which will contain all the possible essay questions.  The short answer portion of the exam will count for one-third and the essay portion for two-thirds of the exam grade.  The exams and tests will be taken in a proctored environment on Blackboard requiring Lockdown Browser.

TESTS-- The remaining sixty percent (60%) of your course grade will be the average of your test scores.  There will be about six tests during the term.  Each test will consist of multiple choice, true-false, and short answer questions.  They will be based on the reading assignments plus notes from classroom material.  After the tests are graded, a score for the test will be entered in the Bb grade book.  We will go over each test in class and it is important that you take good notes on this review because some of the test questions will also be on the exams.

No make-up tests are permitted.  If you have a compelling reason for missing a test, you must communicate it to me before the test is scheduled, unless that is manifestly impossible to do.  If  I agree to excuse the test, you will take a special mid-term or final exam that will count as both an exam grade and for the missed test, or some other assignment or arrangement that I determine will substitute.

ATTENDANCE & CLASS PROJECT GRADES--Two Test Grades will be entered for class participation (therefore, you will have approximately eight test grades).  Class participation includes attendance (must attend whole session), and all other assignments and projects.  I assume you registered for this course intending to master the content and earn credit for the class. To accomplish this will require a significant investment of time and effort on your part. If your personal circumstances won’t allow this level of effort, perhaps you should reconsider your decision to enroll at this time.

If you miss no classes, your attendance grade will be 100%.   Missed classes are not excused and will negatively affect your attendance grade.  A week of absences results in a grade of 90%, more than a week is 80%, two weeks is 70%, more than two weeks is 60%, three weeks is 50% and so on.

Classroom Conduct--Students must assume a great deal of the responsibility for maintaining a good teaching/learning environment in the classroom. Your contribution needs to include:

4. Don’t bring children to class.

The grading scale is: Below 60%=F; 60-69%=D; 70-79%=C; 80-89%=B; 90%+=A.

My office is located in Room 650, ACC. A copy of my class schedule with office hours marked is posted there and one my Social Sciences Home Page.   Please feel free to call or email me if that’s more convenient.   All my contact information is available on the web page.

Withdrawal from the class with no penalty may be made up to March 29, 2010.    You will be allowed to withdraw from the course with a grade of W after this date only if you have a documented mitigating circumstance. Initiating a withdrawal is your responsibility. I will not initiate the Administrative Withdrawal procedure.

Course Content:

HIS 122 -- Course Sequence -- Spring, 2010

Below is a list of the topics we plan to discuss this semester in the approximate sequence.  You are responsible for the text assignments and any additional assigned readings for the topics as we come to them in class activities.  The text reading assignments are in the required textbook for the course,  The American Past:  A Survey of American History, 8th/9th edition, 2004, Joseph R. Conlin.

A.  Reconstruction
Chp. 25/24 -- Aftermath:  The Reconstruction of the Union
Chp. 26/25 -- Parties, Patronage, and Pork:  Politics in the Late 19th Century

B.  Development of Progressivism
Chp. 27/26 -- Big Industry, Big Business: Economic Development in the Late 19th Century
Chp. 28/27 -- Living with Leviathan:  Reactions to Big Business and Great Wealth
Chp. 32/31 -- Stressful Times Down Home:  Agriculture & Agrarians
Chp. 35/34 -- Age of Reform:  Progressives

C.  American Expansion & Imperialism
Chp. 33/32 -- In The Days of McKinley:  The United States As A World Power
Chp. 34/33 -- Teddy Roosevelt and the Good Old Days:  American Society in Transition

D.  World War I & Versailles Treaty
Chp. 36 -- Standing At Armageddon:  The Progressives in Power
Chp. 37/36 -- Over There:  The United States in the First World War
Chp. 38/37 -- Over Here:  World War I at Home

E.  The Roaring Twenties, Great Depression, & New Deal
Chp. 39 -- The Days of Harding:  Troubled years, 1919-1923
Chp. 40 -- Calvin Coolidge And the New Era:  When America Was Business
Chp. 41/40 -- National Trauma, The Great Depression
Chp. 42/41 -- Rearranging America: FDR and the New Deal

F.  World War II
Chp. 43/42 -- Another Great War:  America and the World, 1933-1938
Chp. 44/43 -- Fighting World War II: At the Pinnacle of Power

G.  The Cold War
Chp. 45/44 --  Cold War:  The U.S. and the Nuclear Age
Chp. 46 -- Eisenhower Country:  American Life in the 1950s
Chp. 47 -- Ike And Camelot:  Politics Under Eisenhower and Kennedy

H.  Vietnam, The Great Society--Reform & Conflict
Chp. 48 -- Johnson's Great Society:  Reform and Conflict, 1961-1968

I.  Watergate, Iran Contra, & Gulf Wars
Chp. 49 -- Presidency in Crisis: The Nixon, Ford, and Carter Presidency
Chp. 50 -- Morning in America:  The Age of Reagan
Chp. 51 -- The Millennium Years:  Decadence? Renewal?