Syllabus
History 1302
Fall, 2016
Short Session (class 12397 )
Professor: Michael Glover
Email address: [email protected]
I am excited to have you in my class to learn about a fascinating subject that will
enrich your life and help develop the skills to advance your career in any field.
One of the advantages of studying at HCC is the relatively small size of classes
in introductory survey classes such as this one. As a result, you have the
opportunity to learn from other students by participating in many informal
classroom discussions, including role-playing where you will take both sides in
important historical decisions such as whether the British colonies should fight for
independence. Don’t worry if you’re shy or introverted – you will not have to
stand in front of the class to speak!
We will also explore together how our understanding of history helps appreciate
what is happening in the “real world” both today and in the years to come. By the
end of the course, you will hopefully share my view that knowledge of history is
vital in understanding our communities, nation and the world.
Please remember that my goal is to help you with this learning process. If you
are having any difficulties, or just want to talk more about an aspect of the course
that particularly interests you, please let me know.
COURSE MATERIALS
TEXTBOOK: David Emory Shi, America: A Narrative History, Brief Tenth
Edition. Available in the bookstore. REQUIRED
READER: American Perspectives:
http://www.pearsoncustom.com/tx/hcc_hist1302 (Note underscore after “hcc”)
This is an electronic reader of brief primary and secondary sources that you need
to purchase either from the bookstore or online. Please note that when you sign
in there is no class attached to this Reader. Also be sure to purchase Volume II
for this course. (Volume I is for HIST 1301.) REQUIRED
MONOGRAPH: Frederick Lewis Allen, Only Yesterday: An Informal History of
the 1920s. Available from online vendors in both paperbook and digital format
such as Kindle. You may also be able to borrow from a library. REQUIRED
THREE SCANTRON FORMS for the 25 multiple choice questions on each
exam. Please bring a number two pencil to complete these forms. You do not
need blue books for this course. I will provide the paper for the response to the
essays on the exams. You may write the brief essays with either pen or pencil.
REQUIRED
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
History 1302 is a survey of US History from the end of Reconstruction in 1877 to
the present. The history of the United States is characterized by conflict among
competing groups for economic, political and social power. This course
examines the various factions that competed for power, the result of those
struggles and how the outcomes shaped the United States, including
contemporary issues. A survey course of this nature touches lightly on a variety
of important topics but does not provide a deep and thorough covering of the
addressed topics. The course is based on readings, lectures, videos, group
discussion, and writing assignments. This course transfers as three hours of
credit to many other colleges and universities.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in English 1301.
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, you should have a basic understanding of
modern United States history and will be able to:
• Create an argument through the use of historical evidence;
• Analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources;
• Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic cultural and global
forces on this period of United States history; and
• Understand the importance of chronology and how earlier ideas and events
shaped later events.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
1.
Explain the features of the Gilded Age and the issues on society,
culture and politics
2.
Summarize Industrialism and Urbanization
3.
Analyze the New South and Jim Crow
4.
Explain populism and Progressivism
5.
Identify the causes and effects of WWI and the United States role
6.
Discuss America between the wars
7.
Identify the causes of WWII and the Cold War
8.
9.
Discuss post-war America at home
Discuss post-modern America
In addition, this course is designed to improve the following key skills:
• Reading and expressing your thoughts in writing
• Taking notes on readings, lectures and discussions
• Differentiating primary and secondary sources
• Identifying bias
• Articulating your thoughts
• Critical and logical thinking
The development of critical thinking is an important element of the course
and, to do so, I encourage you to read actively by considering such questions as
whether the passage your are reading is biased, relevant to your life and the
world today, and expressed clearly so that it can be readily understood by a
person without additional background knowledge.
GRADES
The final course grade will be determined as follows:
• Three exams @ 20% each
• Analytical class discussions of reading
• Paper discussing monograph
60%
20%
20%
EXAMINATIONS
The three examinations will consist of multiple-choice questions and essay
questions. The 25 multiple choice questions on each exam constitute 50 percent
of the total score, with each question counting as two points. Each of the two
essays is worth 25 points. I will give you four possible essay questions the week
before the exam to allow you to prepare your thoughts. Don’t worry, if you keep
up with the course you will do well on the exams.
Both the multiple-choice and essay questions will be selected from the textbook
assignments, other readings, videos and class lectures. Therefore, it is important
for you to read your assignments, attend class, view the required videos, and
take notes during lectures and discussions. The Final Examination is not
comprehensive.
All work will be scored 0-100. The final percentage value resulting from the sum
of the above components will be converted into letter grades on your college
transcript according to the following scale: A= 90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=6069, F=below 60.
ATTENDANCE AND MAKE-UP-EXAMINATIONS
Make-up examinations will be given only when the student presents written
evidence of a compelling reason. Such evidence could be a doctor’s note, a
police report of a car accident, etc. Late work is not accepted without a
compelling reason supported by written evidence.
You need to attend the classes and keep up with the readings to succeed in the
course. Please be sure to sign the attendance sheet at every class. HCC
policy allows a maximum of four absences. I understand that you may have to
miss a class for compelling personal reasons. If so, please ask another student
for their notes. In the unlikely event that I have to miss a class, I will endeavor to
notify you via e-mail and provide an alternative assignment that can be turned in
at the next class.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
In addition to the essay portions of the examinations, you will write a typed, three
page or longer, double-spaced position paper on the assigned monograph,
based on the instructions below. You must use the MLA style explained in the
Course Introduction folder on the Learning Web.
You may turn your paper in early but NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
DO NOT PLAGIARIZE YOUR PAPER; DOING SO WILL RESULT IN AN “F” IN
THE ENTIRE COURSE. There is no reason to plagiarize. Start reading the
monograph and answer the questions as you go along. You are not expected to
be perfect authors. The reason you are taking a college level course is so that
you can develop these skills. We will spend some time in class discussing how
best to write such a paper, including the steps to make an outline and organize
your notes. I would much rather receive a well-reasoned and written two or three
page paper than a rambling 10 page paper. Please remember what Winston
Churchill once wrote at the very end of a 12 page detailed letter to one of his
generals during World War II – “Sorry this letter is so long, but I didn’t have time
to write a shorter one.”
CLASSROOM PARTICIPATION
Your active participation in class is necessary. Participation is NOT just
physically showing up to class. Rather, it means making a meaningful
contribution to discussions and class activities by asking and answering
questions, offering constructive opinions, actively working with the material, and
on assignments, listening and helping to create a comfortable learning
environment.
All Powerpoint presentations will be posted in the Learning Web to facilitate your
learning. My lectures are interactive discussions in which we all learn together.
You need to prepare by reading the material and viewing the videos before the
lecture. Doing so will help you understand the concepts and help ensure that
you are keeping up in the course. In my experience, the worst mistake that some
college students make is to postpone studying until a few days before an exam.
If you keep up and actively participate, you should do well in the course.
Throughout the course, we will use an interactive self-assessment activity
(Kahoot) using your phone, tablet or laptop. (Those without such devices can
still actively participate using pen and paper.)
MISCELLANEOUS
SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY: Please read carefully your HCC Student
Handbook-on-line. I will follow the general discipline provisions indicated in the
handbook. Scholastic includes, but is not limited to: cheating on tests, plagiarism,
and collusion.
DISABILITIES: Any student with a documented disability who needs to arrange
reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Services Office at the
respective college at the beginning of each semester. Faculty is authorized to
provide only the accommodations requested by the Disability Support Service
office.
EMAIL: Consistent with HCC policy, I will only communicate with students via
the HCC email system.
COMMON COURTESIES: No eating or drinking in the classroom is allowed. If
you must leave the classroom, please do so quietly. Please do not engage in
any form of behavior that detracts from the learning experience. Inappropriate
behavior may result in a request for the offending student to leave the classroom.
Classroom behaviors that disturb the teaching-learning experiences include the
following: using cellular phone or other device without the permission of the
instructor, demands for special treatment, frequent episodes of leaving and then
returning to class, excessive tardiness, leaving class early on a regular basis,
making offensive remarks or disrespectful comments or gestures to the teacher
or other students, missing deadlines, sleeping, disruption of group work, and
overt inattentiveness. All cell phones and other electronic devices must be off
your desk and out of sight. Listening to music is not allowed.
WITHDRAWAL: If you must withdraw from the course for any reason, please be
sure to do so before the deadline. You are responsible for the withdrawal
process.
TITLE IX:
TITLE IX OF THE EDUCATION AMENDMENTS OF 1972, 20 U.S.C. A§ 1681
ET. SEQ.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 requires that
institutions have policies and procedures that protect students’ rights
with regard to sex/gender discrimination. Information regarding these
rights are on the HCC website under Students-Anti-discrimination.
Students who are pregnant and require accommodations should
contact any of the ADA Counselors for assistance. It is important that
every student understands and conforms to respectful behavior while
at HCC. Sexual misconduct is not condoned and will be addressed
promptly. Know your rights and how to avoid these difficult situations.
Log in to: www.edurisksolutions.org . Sign in using your HCC student
e-mail account, then go to the button at the top right that says Login
and enter your student number.
MONOGRAPH PAPER FOR HISTORY 1302
Frederick Lewis Allen, Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the
1920s.
The most important step is organizing your thoughts before you
actually start writing the paper. We will discuss this process in more
detail in class. Your paper must include an introduction and a thesis
statement. Please do not use more than two direct quotations. All
grammar and spelling must be correct; please review the paper
carefully before turning it. The paper must conform to the MLA
guidelines which I will discuss in class. On or before the due date
indicated in the calendar below, you need to give me a printed copy
of your paper. Please write the paper yourself.
You need to discuss all the questions below in your paper but please
do so in a cohesive manner so the paper is not merely a listing of
responses to the questions. Your paper does not necessarily have
to discuss these questions in the same order as shown below. You
are encouraged to provide any additional insights on the monograph
that you think are relevant, but no additional research is required.
After completing the first draft of your paper, I encourage you to
make an appointment with the Writing Lab located on campus to
receive one-on-one tutoring on how you might improve the paper.
This service is free.
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One to two paragraph brief summary of the book.
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Who is the author and what is his background?
Does the author have any particular ideological viewpoint that he or she is
trying to advance or do you consider the author to have been neutral and
presented both sides of controversial issues? (You will find asking this
same question will help you in other courses and your future career.)
What do you think of the author’s title? Would you have used a different
title?
Do you believe the author accurately described the decade of the 1920s?
When was this book written? Does the author reflect the views (biases) of
the 1930s in describing the preceding decade? Why or why not?
What did you find most interesting in the book? Least interesting?
Do you think a similar book would be written today?
Do you think the author makes the material interesting, understandable
and relevant to the general public? Why or why not?
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Did the book increase your interest in a particular issue that you would like
to learn more about?
CALENDAR
Week 1 (September 19-23)
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Course overview, introductions, the relevance of studying history, the
need to recognize bias and our procedures for analytical class
discussions. We will discuss your expectations for the course in a fun,
interactive activity (Kahoot) using your phone, tablet or laptop.
As an introduction to the course, take the US Citizenship Test found on
the Learning Web to see how much you already know about basic US
history. (These are practice questions for foreigners who take the
naturalization exam to become US citizens.) Don’t worry; this exercise will
not be graded. Watch all the short video clips and read all the brief
documents in the Learning Web in the Course Introduction Folder.
Read textbook chapter 17 (Business and Labor in the Industrial Era,
1860-1900) and take notes on the Key Terms listed at the end of the
chapter and be sure you understand the chapter summary. Finally, read
closely the Focus Questions at the beginning of the chapter and make
notes for your comments during class discussions and to prepare for the
exams. You need to do this for each assigned chapter in the
textbook.
Week 2 (September 26-30). Read textbook chapter 18 (The New South and
the New West, 1865-1900) and chapter 19 (Political Stalemate and Rural
Revolt, 1865-1900). Read and take notes on the main points of “The Pullman
Strike, 1894” and “Congress Takes Aim at the Chinese Menace, 1892” in the
e-reader as background for class discussion and role-playing. Follow the same
procedure for each e-reader section assigned.
Week 3 (October 3 - 7). Read chapter 20 (Seizing an American Empire,
1865-1913). Read in e-reader “Urban Pollution – Many Long Years Ago” and
“The Galveston Hurricane, 1900.”
Week 4 (October 10-14). Read chapter 21 (The Progressive Era, 1890-1920)
and chapter 22 (America and the Great War, 1914-1920). Read “How the
Other Half Lives, 1890,” “Excerpts from the Jungle, 1906” and “Meat
Inspection: Theory and Reality.” I will provide potential essay questions for
the first exam.
Week 5 (October 17-21): FIRST EXAM ON OCTOBER 18 on chapters 17 - 21
and related material. Read chapter 23 (A Clash of Cultures, 1920 – 1929) and
chapter 24 (The Reactionary Twenties) and e-reader “When Johnny Comes
Marching Home.”
Week 6 (October 24-28). Read chapter 25 (The Great Depression, 19291939) Distribution of possible essay questions for second exam.
Week 7 (October 31 – November 4) SECOND EXAM ON NOVEMBER 1
(CHAPTERS 22 - 25). Read chapter 26 (The Second World War, 1933-1945)
and e-reader “Germany’s Formula for War.”
Week 8 (November 7 – 11 Read chapter 27 (The Cold War and the Fair
Deal, 1945-152) and chapter 28 (Cold War America, 1950-1959) and e-reader
“The GI Bill of Rights.”
Week 9 (November 14 – 18). PAPER ON ONLY YESTERDAY: AN
INFORMAL HISTORY OF THE 1920s DUE ON November 15. Read chapter
29 (A New Frontier and a Great Society 1960-1968) and chapter 30
(Rebellion and Reaction, 1960s and 1970s) and e-reader “The Legacy of
Vietnam.”
Week 10 (November 21 – 25). NO CLASS ON NOVEMBER 24
THANKSGIVING DAY. Read chapters 31 (Conservative Revival, 1977 –
1990).
Week 11 (November 28 – December 2. Read chapter 32 (Twenty-First
Century America, 1993 – Present) and e-reader “The 9/11 Commission
Report: ‘We have Some Planes’ Inside the Four Flights on September 11,
2001.” Discussion: How do you think future historians will regard the 2016
election in the context of American history? Distribution of possible essay
questions for third and final exam.
Week 12 (December 5 - 9). THIRD AND FINAL EXAM (chapters 26-32).