The Will of the People the Great Books Foundation

United States History 2011-12

Instructor: Tom Miron

Texts

The Signet Book of American Essays

The Will of the People The Great Books Foundation

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Harriet Jacobs

The Things They Carried Tim O’Brien

This course is designed to provide a full chronological survey of United States history from the point of European contact up to the present. The goal is twofold. One is to teach students the necessary academic skills to enable successful transition from high school to college. The other is to produce interested and informed citizens willing to meet the demands that democracy places on its adherents.

The two basic rules that govern the larger St. Francis High School community also apply to this class. These are: 1) do not disrupt the learning process 2) respect the rights and property of others. More specific rules are derivative of these two. For example, eating food and chewing gum are not allowed in the classroom as they interfere with learning. Other derivatives will be explained as the course progresses. While we will be studying the evolution of American democracy in here, the classroom will not be a laboratory for democratic experiments. In other words, the instructor will control the content and pace of this course.

My expectations of the students are that they will:

-  Be on time to class on a daily basis.

-  Be prepared for the class on a daily basis.

-  Hand in all work on time. St. Francis policy does not allow late work to be accepted for passing credit.

-  Be open to constructive criticism.

Grades in this course will be determined from a combination of the following:

-  Tests and Quizzes

-  In-Class Essays

-  Take Home Essays

-  Research Project(s)

-  Semester Exam

- Appropriate Class Participation and Effort

Approximate Quarterly Coverage

1st Quarter

US Geography Unit

Historical Skill Building

Chronology 1492-1850

2nd Quarter

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Chronology 1850-1877

3rd Quarter

Research Paper

Chronology 1877-1945

4th Quarter

The Things They Carried

Chronology 1945-Present