Syllabus – History 2020

Survey of American History II

Fall 2004

 

 

Instructor: Dr. Joseph Douglas                                                        Office: L 220

Office Hours: MWF 7:30-8:00; 9-10:00 AM; 12:20-3:00 PM;             Phone: 230-3241

       TR 9-9:30 AM; 12-12:30 PM; 2:15-2:45 PM; or by appt.                                              

Section: 009 (TR 12:45-2:10PM)                                                      Room: Thigpen 114

E-mail: Joe.Douglas@volstate.edu                                                

    

                    

Course Description: History 2020 (3) is a survey of the political, economic, social, cultural, and diplomatic phases of American life in its regional, national, and international aspects since 1877. Prerequisites: DSPW 0800 and DSPR 0800 or acceptable placement scores.

 

Textbook: Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage, Lawson, and Hartman. The American Promise: A History of the United States Vol. II: From 1865. Compact Edition (New York and Boston: Bedford/St. Martins Press, 2000.)

 

Articles:  Each student will read two scholarly articles which the instructor will either distribute in class or place on reserve under the instructor’s name in the library. Students will then submit a one to two page summary and analysis for each one.

 

Attendance: Required in the class. I will take roll each class period, giving both the instructor and students an opportunity to learn the names of the members of the class. Any absence exceeding five (5) will result in a reduced grade for the class. There will be no make-up examinations unless you have a valid, documented excuse for the absence. Chronic tardiness disrupts the learning process for all and will not be tolerated.

 

Note-taking in a college-ruled bound notebook is required of each student. Students may be asked to submit these notebooks periodically throughout the semester to ensure adequate note-taking. Students must also perform all the other class assignments and participate in class discussions.

 

General Ed. Goal and Outcomes: The goal of the History requirement is to develop in students an understanding of the present that is informed by an awareness of past heritages, including the complex and interdependent relationships between cultures and societies. Students will demonstrate the ability to: 1. Analyze historical facts and interpretations 2. Analyze and compare political, geographic, economic, social, cultural, religious, and intellectual institutions, structures, and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures 3. Recognize and articulate the diversity if human experience across a range of historical periods and the complexities of a global culture and society  4. Draw on historical perspectives to evaluate contemporary problems/issues 5. Analyze the contributions of past cultures/societies to the contemporary world.   

 

 

Evaluations                                                             % of final grade

      Article summaries                                                         10

      Library/Bibliography Assignment                                  20

      Test 1                                                                           20

      Test 2                                                                           25

      Final Examination                                                        25

            

Testing: Examinations will consist of fill-in-the-blanks, short (1 paragraph) answer identification, and discussion (essay) questions. There may also be quizzes over the readings if necessary.

 

Grading Scale: This class will use a straight ten point scale.  90-100 = A, 80-89 = B,

70-79 = C, 60-69 = D, below 60 = F.

 

Library Assignment: Each student will complete a two part library assignment. See the separate handout on the library assignment

 

Extra Credit: Students may attend any of the presentations in the Fall Lecture Series and write a brief summary and reaction paper about the event for up to two (2) points extra credit each. Total limit for EC is five (5) points.

 

Academic Misconduct: Any form of cheating, including plagiarism, on any assignment, test, or course work will result in either a grade of “0” for that assignment, test, or work or a grade of “F” for the class. Mr. Douglas will make that determination. Plagiarism is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as “stealing or using the ideas or writings of another as one’s own.”

 

Important Dates:

          (M, T) Oct. 18, 19  Fall Break – No Class

          (W) Nov. 10  Last Day to Withdraw with a W

          (R, F) Nov. 25, 26  Thanksgiving Holiday – No Class 

          (M-F) December 13-17  Final Examinations 

 

ADA Statement: It is the student’s responsibility to self identify with the Office of Disability Services in order to receive accommodations. Only those students with appropriate documentation will receive services. Disability Services is located in the Wood Campus Center, Suite C206B.

VSCC Non-Discrimination Policy Statement
It is the intent of Volunteer State Community College to fully comply with Executive Order 11246, as amended, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974, as amended, and all regulations implementing those laws and orders, for the promotion and ensuring of equal opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or status as a qualified disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era. It is the intent of VSCC to be free of discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, veteran status, or physical appearance. It is the intent of VSCC to fully comply with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, and the CRA of 1991, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended, the Age discrimination in Employment Act of 1976, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicable state status and all regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.

VSCC Title IX Statement
No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. 20 U.S.C. § 1681.

VSCC Financial Aid Statement

Students who are receiving Title IV financial assistance (Pell Grant, Student Loan or SEOG Grant) must regularly attend class or be subject to repay PART or ALL of the Federal Financial Aid received for the semester



History 2020 – Fall 2004

Library and Bibliography Assignment

 

  1. Complete the library tutorial. Go to the Vol. State web page. Follow the link to Library. On the Library page click on Library Instruction. Then go to Skills Builder (listed under students). This brings up the library tutorial. Read each of the five sections in the tutorial. After studying this, take the on-line quiz at the end of the tutorial and submit your answers, also on-line. If you pass the quiz you have completed the tutorial successfully.

 

  1. Choose a research paper topic. Choose one of the following topics as a starting place for your bibliography. You may choose a different subject if the Instructor approves it. Then narrow your topic. For example, instead of looking at Progressivism as a whole, try looking at one aspect of it, like the role of women reformers, how it affected minorities, or why Progressives were so interested in natural resource conservation. The same is true of a biographic topic – focus on a few aspects of the person’s life rather than the whole thing. I will ask for the topic (title) of your bibliography in mid-February.
     
Progressivism
World War I 
Culture in the 1920s
The New Deal
World War II
Civil Rights
Culture in the 1950s
1960s Counterculture
Pearl Harbor 
Woman Suffrage
Great Crash of 1929
The Holocaust
Tennessee Valley Authority
Origins or End of the Cold War
Early Years of the Vietnam War
Life in the Great Depression
Birth of Environmentalism
Assassination of John Kennedy
W.E.B. DuBois
Alice Paul
Huey P. Long
Margaret Sanger
Harry S. Truman
Rachel Carson
Malcolm X

Ronald Reagan
Teddy Roosevelt

                                                               

 

  1. Complete the bibliographic assignment. Your task is to then assemble a bibliography on your topic as if you were writing a history term paper. You will submit the bibliography to the instructor for a grade. The bibliography MUST include the following:

 

5 books on the topic                              5 articles from scholarly journals

4 newspaper articles                              4 internet or web sources on the topic

3 magazine articles

3 other sources on the topic. [These may be theses or dissertations, diaries, photographs, maps, video, or audio sources, etc.]

 

The bibliography must be in the proper form. Use MLA, Turabian, or Chicago Manual of Style. Each type of sources listed above should be in a separate section. Also indicate whether the source you list is a primary source (P) or a secondary source (S). A primary source would include evidence created by an event and from that time period. A secondary source is usually a later account of an event, not based on first-hand knowledge.