Georgia Highlands College

Floyd College

History 2112 – American History II

Spring semester, 2005

TR 8:00 – 9:15 a.m. / CRN 20098

Dr. Rob Page

E-mail:rpage@highlands.edu

Phone: 706 368-7621

Office: F-147 (six mile campus)

Office hours: MW 9:30-10:45

TR 11:00-12:00

Or by appointment

Syllabus Links: Required Texts / The Course / Objectives / Requirements / Grading / Special Needs / Expectations and Standards/ Goals and Expected Results / Attendance / Ethics / Courtesy / Important Dates / E-Mail / Participation / Reading Schedule - notes

Required texts:

Shi, David, and Tindall, George B. America: A Narrative History. Brief 6^th ed., v2. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2000.

Oates, Stephen B., and Errico, Charles. Portrait of America. 8^th ed., v2. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Co., 2003.

The Course:

A survey of U. S. History from the post-Civil War period to the present, this course stresses developments from Reconstruction forward. It satisfies the state legislative requirements in United States and Georgia history.

Course Objectives:

The main objectives of this course are twofold: first, to introduce the student to the major events and themes in United States history since 1865; second, to give the student experience in the historical process, particularly the use of critical thinking.

Requirements:

Four multiple choice and essay tests, completion of 4 article reviews, and participation are required for the successful completion of this course. The tests will count for 65 percent, the article reviews 25 percent, and participation/attendance 10 percent of the final grade.

There are no extra credit assignments offered in this class.

Grading:

The grading scale is as follows:

A = 90-100

B = 80-89

C = 70-79

D = 60-69

F = 0-59

Students with special needs:

Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should make an appointment with the College Access Center (706: 802-5003) to coordinate reasonable accommodations. The students are also welcome to contact the instructors privately to discuss one’s specific needs.

Expectations and Standards:

Grades are based on student performance and capability. Simply turning in all the assignments does not guarantee that the student will receive a "good grade." To receive a higher grade, a student must demonstrate proficiency in the material. For different students, gaining that proficiency requires different levels of work, because not all students walk into the class with the same aptitude for history. The standards for the respective grades are as follows:

A - To achieve this grade the student must display superior performance in his/her course work. This includes demonstrating the ability to process and comprehend complex ideas, and to be able to convey those ideas to others in a clear, intelligent manner. An "A" student will go beyond simple requirements and seek to excel in his/her preparation for and presentation of assigned work. He/she will demonstrate excellence in communication skills and the ability to contextualize material.

B - To achieve this grade the student needs to display above average performance in his/her course work, including demonstrating the ability to process and comprehend complex ideas, while being able to convey those ideas in a clear, intelligent manner. A "B" student will also go beyond minimum requirements in terms of preparation and presentation of assigned work. He/she will demonstrate above average communication skills and ability to contextualize material.

C - For this grade the student must meet the minimum requirements for the course, displaying adequate performance in his/her course work, and adequately demonstrate the ability to comprehend complex ideas, while also being able to convey those ideas in a like manner. A "C" student demonstrates competence in terms of preparation and presentation of assigned work. He/she will demonstrate adequate communication skills and ability to contextualize materials.

D - A student receiving this grade is performing below the minimum requirements for the course. This could include failure to complete or turn in assignments on a timely basis, or failure to adequately demonstrate the ability to comprehend or convey complex ideas. A "D" student performs below the average in terms of preparation and presentation of assigned work. He/she may not be demonstrating adequate communication skills or ability to contextualize materials.

F - A student receiving this grade has failed to meet the requirements of the course, including failure to complete or turn in assignments, or failure to demonstrate ability to comprehend or convey complex ideas. An "F" student has not performed in a manner satisfactory to the standards of the class.

Georgia Highlands College has set forth a series of goals and expected results for each class taught here. The following are the goals and expected results for History 2111:

Goal: Communication - The ability to write and speak logically, clearly, precisely, and the ability, through accurate reading and listening to acquire, organize, present, and document information and ideas.

Expected results: Students will demonstrate their ability to conceive ideas about a topic, synthesize and arrange them logically, and express them clearly in written standard English.

Students will demonstrate their ability to engage in effective dialogue about course content or in a practicum experience, to work productively in teams to accomplish goals, to discuss ideas effectively in small and large groups and before a small audience.

Goal: Critical Thinking - Students will demonstrate that they have developed dimensions of critical and analytical thinking.

Expected results: Students will be able to recognize differing perspectives and points of view.

Students will be able to construct and evaluate arguments.

Students will be able to form hypotheses and anticipate consequences.

Goal: History, Political Science, and Economics - Students will demonstrate civic literacy through knowledge of United States history and political science.

Expected results: Students will demonstrate a knowledge of current and historical political, social, and economic systems.

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the cause and effect relationships in society.

Attendance:

Interaction in the classroom is an integral part of this course. The student needs to make every effort to be present at all class periods. Poor attendance will negatively affect the student's participation grade. If a student misses a class, he/she is responsible for all material covered during that class period. It is strongly recommended that you attempt to speak with (or e-mail) the instructor in the event that you are unable to attend a class session. Poor attendance will negatively affect your participation grade. Since a major part of the participation grade is based on attendance, it is the responsibility of students who come to class late to check with the professor to make sure that they have been marked as present.

Make-ups for exams must be arranged with the professor. If a student misses a test he/she must make every attempt to notify the instructor beforehand or the same day as the test. Failure to do so may result in a grade of "0" for that test. Problems with meeting deadlines must be discussed with the instructor in advance. It is the sole responsibility of the student to comply with all deadlines and test dates.

This message applies only to students receiving financial aid: Federal regulations state that if a student did not attend classes and received failing grades, then the grades were not earned and financial aid needs to be reduced accordingly. Please be advised that any student receiving a 0.00 GPA will be required to prove that the 0.00 GPA was earned by attending classes or completing requirements for each class. Students who have earned at least one passing grade for the semester will not be affected by this regulation. If a student has properly withdrawn from all classes, the student’s financial aid should be adjusted from the time they signed the withdrawal form.

Ethics:

Every student is expected in all in and out of class assignments to turn in work that is reflective of their own efforts. When a student turns in work that is not his/her own, it is unethical, and works against the student's, the classes, and Georgia Highlands College's benefit. If the instructor discovers that a student has turned in work that was not his/her own, while representing it as such, he may assign a failing grade for that assignment, or for the course, depending on the severity of the offense.

In consideration of the above, all students should be familiar with plagiarism, the use of others' words or ideas and representing them as your own. Since writing will be an integral part of this course, every student needs to make sure that his/her writing be reflective of his/her own ideas. It is proper practice, and indeed, encouraged, that you use outside sources in your writing assignments. However, you must give credit, through proper citation, to ideas, phrases, etc., that are taken from others. Failure to do so results in plagiarized work and any such assignments turned in will receive a grade of "0". Please check with me if you have any questions concerning this.

The Floyd College policy on student conduct and academic integrity can be found at: http://www.highlands.edu/subwebs/academicaffairs/academicintegritypolicy.htm

Courtesy/Class Rules:

Arrive on time. If you are late to class, do your utmost to not disrupt the class in progress. Since a major part of the participation grade is based on attendance, it is the responsibility of students who come to class late to check with the professor to make sure that they have been marked as present.
Cell phones, pagers, etc., must be turned off and put away while in class. The use of any electronic device during a test, such as PDAs and cell phones, unless approved by the professor, is forbidden. Any such devices must be put away during a test, and are not allowed on the desk or in a student’s lap. Any student found using such devices during a test will automatically fail that test.
You are free to ask questions and discuss class material. Do not carry on side conversations during the lecture, or while other students are discussing class material with the professor and the rest of the class.

Important Dates:

1/17 M – Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

3/3 R – Midterm

3/21-25 MTWRF – Spring Break

5/2 M - Last day of regular classes (4/28 R for TR classes)

5/3-7 TWRFS – Final Exams

Test dates:

2/3 R – Test 1

3/1 T – Test 2

4/5 T – Test 3

5/3 T – Test 4 (8:00 a.m.)

Article Reviews

You are required to do a number of article reviews during the course of the semester. The reviews will be based on the essays found in the assigned reader:

Oates, Stephen B., and Errico, Charles. Portrait of America. 8^th ed., v2. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Co., 2003.

Each student will turn in review from the choices assigned below by the due date listed. The form for doing the review can be accessed by clicking here.

· I recommend that you save a copy of this form to your computer. Use the “Save as” function, rename it if you wish, and be sure to save it to your “My documents”, or other appropriate area. That way, you can access the form each time you do a review. Just rename the review each time to reflect the different topics.

· I fully expect that your review will exceed one page, and I have received a number in the past that were several pages long. Cover the material as thoroughly as possible.

· The review must be typed and double spaced.

You will turn in the article reviews at each due date. Each review will be assigned a score of 1-10, with 10 being excellent, and 1 being poor. Failure to turn in assignments will result in a 0.

The following is the schedule for turning in the review pages. For each due date, the student will choose one of the articles from the choices provided below to evaluate.

January 27 (R) – Chapters 2, 4, 7

February 24 (R) – Chapters 9, 10, 11

March 31(R) – Chapters 13, 14, 15, 16

April 28 (R) – Chapters 19, 20, 24, 27, 28, 30

Participation:

Your participation grade will be based primarily on your attendance in class, and sending the professor an introductory e-mail by January 21, introducing yourself by describing who you are and what you want to do with your life, what you expect to gain from the class, and any other comments you might like to add. There will also be in-class assignments that will contribute to the participation grade.

Class Reading Schedule and lecture notes:

(lecture notes may be modified throughout the semester as necessary)

Part 1 – Tindall, Chaps 18-22

Lecture notes

Part 2 – Tindall, Chaps 23-28

Lecture notes

Test 2 essay questions

Part 3 – Tindall, Chaps 29-31

Lecture notes

Test 3 Essay Questions

Part 4 – Tindall, Chaps 32-37

Lecture notes

Test 4 Essay Questions