Midway High School
Midway High School
Department of Social Studies
2006-07
Course Syllabus: Minority Studies
I. Locator Information:
Instructor’s Name: Carolyn Bowden
Room #: 55 School Phone: 567-6664
Planning Period:
Email: or
II. Course Description:
Minorities have made significant contributions to the economic, political, social, and cultural development of the United States. Through this course, students discover how Minorities have always been an integral part of the American experience. However, minorities have also been a viable force unto themselves with their own experiences, culture, and aspirations. Minority history cannot be understood except in the broader context of the United States’ history.
III. Behavioral Objectives (and competencies):
Upon successful completion of this course a student willhave a greater appreciation for the diversity within our American society.
Student Outcomes: Students who successfully complete this course will be able to
1.The learner will demonstrate an understanding of African American life and cultural contributions through 1860.
2. The learner will analyze the roles of African Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
3.The learner will examine the rise of Jim Crow and its effects on the life experiences of African Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
4.The learner will analyze the cultural contributions made by African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance.
5. The learner will assess the plight of African Americans during the Great Depression and World War II.
6. The learner will analyze the successes and failures of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
7. The learner will acquire an understanding of the issues confronting contemporary African Americans in the continuing struggle for equality.
8. The learner will examine the relationship between Latin American countries and the United States.
9. The learner will analyze contemporary issues that face Latino American in North Carolina and the rest of the United States.
10. The learner will analyze the historical developments that characterize Native American life in the period prior to the Civil War.
11. The learner will analyze the historical developments that characterize Native American life in the period from the Civil War to the present.
12. The learner will investigate the diversity of American Indian tribal cultures.
13. The learner will analyze contemporary issues that face American Indians.
14. The learner will analyze the role of women throughout the history of the United States.
V. Evaluation Criteria/Grading Scale:
1. Students’ grades will be a combination of several different criteria. I have tried to take into consideration that all students do not learn in the same style; therefore I will be using various methods of teaching and evaluation to develop my students in Civics.
Major Tests 40%
Quizzes & Notebooks 20%
Papers/Presentations/Projects 30%
Class Participation/Homework 10%
100%
93 – 100 A
85 – 92 B
77 – 84 C
70 – 76 D
69 and below F
2. Instructor Policies for Make-Up Work
(1)Tests: Make-up tests are at the sole discretion of the instructor. Missed tests caused by an excused absence must be made up WITHIN ONE WEEK unless illness or emergency necessitates a longer absence from school.
(2)Missed due date of the assignment. This applies to written assignments and oral presentations - - Subtract one letter grade.
(3)No make-up work will be accepted the last week in any six-week period.
VI. Course Requirements:
Assignments: Assignments for this class will include reading, writing, and special projects. Readings may be assigned not only from the text, but also from photocopied materials and books. Students are responsible for all work assigned in this class, whether or not they are present. Assignments are expected to be completed on time. Short quizzes may be given on assigned materials at any time. You will receive the directions for specific assignments separately.
Attendance and Punctuality: The attendance policy of the school will be applied rigorously to this class. Students are responsible for material covered and assignments regardless of whether or not the student has an excuse.
Class Participation: All students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the assigned material, so it is important to complete all the assigned readings before coming to class. Any student may, at any time, be called upon to recite or to write a short essay on the assigned material. Short quizzes may be given on assigned materials at any time. Students are expected to understand the material, or at least have identified those items that they do not yet understand in order to ask questions in class. The instructor will assume that students know the material and are prepared to discuss it. Students are responsible for all work assigned in this class, whether or not they are present. Assignments must be completed on time.
Students are expected to observe normal courtesy in class. They are expected to pay attention to the instructor, to take detailed notes, to refrain from personal conversations, and to avoid any other behavior that is disruptive and disturbing to others. A student who does not observe these courtesies will be dealt with.
Supplies: Students are expected to have one 11/2-inch binder with dividers and college ruled loose-leaf paper,one 1-subject composition book, pencils, pens (blue or black ink), highlighter, and colored pencils.
VII. Teaching Strategies:
The mode of presentation for the course will be lecture/student discussion. There will be opportunities for cooperative learning. I encourage peer teaching and recommend students to work together through study groups. I want to emphasize the critical analysis of data – information you read and see on film/video and the communication of your ideas supported by facts. While these skills are important to the course work at hand, they are most important in your life’s work where you read, listen, evaluate, articulate, and communicate your understanding, ideas, and opinions on a daily basis. These activities will give you practice in these areas.
CURRENT EVENTS NOTEBOOK:
A. Each of you will keep a notebook in which you cut out one newspaper or magazine article ( or copy these if they are library copies) AND/OR download internet articles from newspapers such as the New York Times or Washington Post (etc.) Pertaining to Local, Regional, or National Issues concerning minorities for each week of the course. In this way you will begin to develop a general knowledge of current trends.
B. Some Sources:
1. Newspapers: Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, Washington Post Weekly, Dallas Morning News, Chicago Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal
2. Magazines and Journals: New Republic, Nation, Time, Newsweek, US News and World Report, Emerge
C. Be sure to include articles from a wide array of these sources.
D. For all articles you use be sure to indicate the complete citation--author, title of the article, publication (which must be underlined), date, and pages.
E. Below the article write a short summary of it. Then attempt an analysis. This is, why did you select the article, what is its importance, how does the information in the article fit into our study of minorities. Your analysis should be at least one paragraph in length.
F. You must have 18 articles altogether. Number the articles in the upper right hand corner of the page with a large easy-to-read number. I will collect your notebook on Friday and check.