HISTORY 102-I01
U.S. History 1876 to Present
SPRING 2010
Instructor:Dr. Squy G. Wallace
Room: EIT130
Phone: 775.753.2171
E-mail:
Website:
Office Hours: 9:30 – 11:00 and 1:00 – 2:00 Monday & Wednesday and other times as needed.
Introduction: Welcome to U. S History 102-I01 & I02. U. S. History 102 covers the period of timefrom Reconstruction to the present
Required Texts for this course:
America Past and Present (Brief 7th Edition) by Divine et al. ISBN 0-321-42180-9
The Good War by Studs Terkel ISBN 1-56584-343-6
HISTORY 102-I01
Here’s the mechanics of how this courses works. Although this course is conducted solely through WebCampus,IT IS NOT A SELF-PACED COURSE. This means that assignments, quizzes, tests, and reports must be submitted before the posted closing dates. Unlike resident courses, you will not be able to submit late assignments in this course. A LATE ASSIGNMENT IS A MISSED ASSIGNMENT AND RECEIVES NO CREDIT! All assignments, quizzes, tests and reports must be submitted through WebCampus assignment drop boxes. DO NOT E-MAIL YOUR ASSIGNMENTS TO ME; I CANNOT PUT THEM IN YOUR DROPBOX, ONLY YOU CAN DO THAT. All assignments, quizzes, tests, and reports have submission dates posted. I will try to open the submission dates early so you will have ample time to submit your work; however, I cannot extend the closing dates. Check your E-mail frequently. I will E-mail changes and updates to everyone in class. I cannot re-open a closed quiz, exam or assignment after the due date. Do not UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES e-mail me and ask me to re-open a quiz, exam or assignment after it is closed!
If you have not taken a WebCampus course over the Internet, here are some tips that will help you:
1. Successful students use MS Internet Explorer as their browser for this course. Do not use Firefox as a browser; it will create problems for you that I cannot resolve. Your grade will suffer.
2. Successful students submit their work well before the closing date. Plan ahead! Don’t wait until 11:00 PM of the day work is due to submit your assignments or take quizzes/unit tests.
3. If you are submitting a response to an essay question, save your work frequently. Some Internet Service Providers terminate user connections if data is not transmitted every 10 or 15 minutes. I highly recommend students take all major exams using a computer that has a DSL connection or a computer in the Library, High Tech Center, or at one of GBC’s branch or satellite campuses.
4. This course requires more self-discipline than regularly scheduled resident courses. Since there are no scheduled classes meeting times, you will have to schedule your time to study and submit your work.
5. Skipping assignments, quizzes, or tests will lower your grade and make it difficult for you to complete the course. Check assignment dates early in the week and ensure that you meet the schedule.
To learn the most from this course you should follow these learning steps for each chapter:
1. Read the Chapter Learning Goals.
2. View the PowerPoint slides for a chapter overview. (Some students print out the slides and use them as a note taker when they read the chapter.)
3. Read the assigned Chapter in your text. Take notes on the topics for future study and review.
4. If you have questions, post them on the Discussion Board. I will try to answer them a promptly as possible.
5. Complete the quiz for the chapter before the closing date. The quizzes consist of 10 Multiple Choice questions randomly drawn from a very large question database. Each time you take the quiz you will encounter a different set of ten multiple choice questions. If you score less than 10 on the quiz, re-read the chapter and your notes. You may take the quizzes an unlimited number of times. Your last score will be retained in your grade book. (A word to the wise, this question database is also used to create the unit tests so the more times you take the quizzes the better prepared you will be for the unit test.)
Book Reviews. There is one book review required in this course. Read the submission guidelines and follow the due dates that are posted in the Book Review assignment box.
1. Submit your book review to the Academic Success Center tutors for review at least two weeks before it is due. Review comments from the tutors and make corrections to your paper before submitting it in the WebCampus drop box.
2. Upload BOTH your tutor’s markup copy AND your final report in the WebCampus drop box (add attachments) before the due date.
3. Submit your report in MS Word.DO NOT submit your paper in WordPerfect, MS Works, or other word processing program.If you don’t know which word processing program you are using, ask someone for help! I can open and read ONLY MS Word documents (.doc or .docx files). If I can’t read your document, you get NO CREDIT for your work. Every semester at least ONE student earns a “0” grade on his or her book review for failing to follow these instructions! If you have questions about this requirement please contact me well in advance of the submission date.
4. All submissions must be your original work. Read and heed the GBC statement on academic dishonesty in the General Catalog and the discussion on plagiarism at the end of this syllabus.The penalties are severe and will be enforced.
5. Your grade will be based on content, language usage, grammar, spelling, and format. (Here is a word to the wise, run spell check on your report BEFORE you submit it. Also, I recommend having someone proofread your work before it is submitted.)
6. Read the two assigned supplemental books. Don’t try a shortcut by “reading about” the book using reviews posted on the web. Read the books and write your own review! Don’t plagiarize! I use “Turn It In” software to check all reviews and I maintain a database of ALL papers previously submitted to ALL History courses at GBC. Read and heed “Plagiarism – Avoid It” at the end of this syllabus.
Expectations for Written Work: Writing in history courses follows the same standards for correct grammar and good writing used in English courses.
All papers must be uploaded using the “add attachment” function in the assignment box. If you don’t know how to do this, get help long before the due date. Do not copy and paste your work into the drop box. Do not e-mail me you assignment as an attachment. You, and only you, can upload your assignment into the drop box for grading.
Unit Tests. There are three unit tests in this course. Unit Test 1 covers Chapters 17 - 21; Unit Test 2 covers Chapters 22 – 27; and Unit Test 3 covers Chapters 28 – 32. Each test will consist of 70 Multiple Choice questions and one essay question. The Multiple Choice questions are randomly selected from a large pool of questions from each chapter. The essay question will be randomly drawn from the chapter readings and your notes for each chapter. The Multiple Choice questions will comprise 70 points of your test score and the essay question will comprise 30 points of the test. Each section is timed as indicated and must be taken separately. Once you start a section, the timer starts ticking. So make sure you have sufficient time to complete each section when you start the test and you will not be interrupted by outside distractions such as family, work, or other personal matters. You will be able to take Unit tests ONCE and only once. There are no “retakes” or “redos” possible!
Evaluation and Grades:
Final grades for the course will be computed as follows:
Three exams / 100 points each / 300 pointsOne written book review / 100 points each / 100 points
Sixteen Quizzes / 10 points each / 160 points
Total / 560 points
Grades will be calculated using the percentages below:
Grade / Grade Point Value / %A / 4.0 / 95 - 100
A- / 3.7 / 90 - 94
B+ / 3.3 / 87 - 89
B / 3.0 / 83 - 86
B- / 2.7 / 80 - 82
C+ / 2.3 / 77 - 79
C / 2.0 / 73 - 76
C- / 1.7 / 70 - 72
D+ / 1.3 / 67 - 69
D / 1.0 / 63 - 66
D- / 0.7 / 60 - 62
F / 0.0 / Below 59.44
There are No extra credit assignments in this course. There are NO make-up assignments in this course.
If you have questions do not hesitate to post them on the bulletin board or e-mail within WebCampus.
Schedule for HIST 102 Section IO1, SPRING 2010 (This is a guide only and may be changed.)
WEEK / SUBJECT / ASSIGNMENTS DUECheck WebCampus for open and close dates
1 / Introduction
Chapter 17 The West: Exploiting an Empire
2 / Chapter 17 The West: Exploiting an Empire / Chap 17 Quiz
3 / Chapter 18 The Industrial Society / Chap 18 Quiz
4 / Chapter 19 Toward an Urban Society, 1877 – 1900 / Chap 19 Quiz
5 / Chapter 20 Political Realignments in the 1890s / Chap 20 Quiz
6 / Chapter 21 Toward Empire / Chap 21 Quiz
EXAM 1 Chap 17 - 21
7 / Chapter 22 The Progressive Era / Chap 22 Quiz
8 / Chapter 23 From Roosevelt to Wilson in the Age of Progressivism / Chap 23 Quiz
9 / Chapter 24 The Nation at War / Chap 24 Quiz
Book Review Due
March 28th!
10 / Chapter 25 Transition to Modern America / Chap 25 Quiz
11 / Chapter 26 Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal / Chap 26 Quiz
11 / Chapter 27 America and the World, 1921 – 45 / EXAM 2 Chap 22 - 27
12
Chapter 28 The Onset of the Cold War / Chap 28 Quiz
12 / Chapter 29 Affluence and Anxiety / Chap 29 Quiz
13 / Chapter 30 The Turbulent Sixties / Chap 30 Quiz
Chapter 31 A Crises in Confidence, 1969 – 1992 / Chap 31 Quiz
14 / Chapter 32 The Republican Resurgence, 1980 – 1992 / Chap 32 Quiz
Chapter 33 America in Flux / Chap 33 Quiz
15 / Final Exam Week / EXAM 3 Chap 28 - 32
History 102 – General Education Objectives
Objective 1: Communication Skills – Strong
Communication skills are of critical importance in History 102 and the class strongly meets this objective through a variety of methods. First, students develop acute listening and oral communication skills. Not only do students have to assimilate a great deal of information from the historical narrative presented by the instructor (lecture is the basic format of the class) but also listen effectively to each other as questions are raised and discussions stimulated by their peers. In these discussions students hone their oral communication skills as they grapple with new ideas. Second, students sharpen their reading skills through the required texts and short supplemental readings left to the instructor’s discretion. Historical textbooks are not easy reading and require a college level reading ability to digest the vast amounts of information and distill it into a usable form. Third, students will learn writing skills. While each of my assignments vary, this element is always present in various forms: short free writes, short answer questions that require the ability to know not only the facts but also the significance of an event or person, large essay questions on the examinations that require the ability to synthesize vast amounts of material and present it in a concise essay format, book reviews, and formal papers.
Objective 2: Critical Thinking – Strong/Moderate
Critical thinking is a vital process that students must develop in this class. Reasoning and independent thought are significant parts of this class because students are required to examine this era of American history and interpret it. In class discussions, examinations, and papers students are asked to analyze and critically examine historical actors and their actions. Many of these events are ambiguous and have different interpretations, so students must come to some sort of awareness that for some issues there are not simple answers and that all interpretations are not of equal merit. This is what historians do. Quantitative ability and scientific understanding are dealt with to some degree, though scientific understanding is the stronger of the two. Scientific discovery and development play a vital role in the historical process and the history of science and the theoretical underpinnings of the scientific method are dealt within the narrative of the course. Quantitative ability is addressed to some degree through the broad us of statistics as historical evidence. Students are made aware of the strengths and weaknesses of statistics through the examination of historical examples such as voting, immigration, settlement, and economic growth patterns.
Objective 3: Personal and Cultural Awareness – Strong
History 102 deals with all four elements in this objective to a significant degree. This forces students to develop a strong sense of the individual in society. Students are urged to see history from different perspectives (such as race, class, and gender) and to understand that different groups of people can interpret historical events very differently because of their different experiences and values. This course obviously engenders a sense of the past, but it also produces a sense of accountability. We explore the ramifications of past actions, such as the so called “Columbian Exchange,” Indian Removal, slavery and the Civil War, and evaluate the outcomes. Finally, this course develops an appreciation of fine arts by stressing human creativity in high as well as popular culture. As for cultural development, this era of American history produced, arguably, the most incredible creative outburst in our history: Whitman, Poe, Thoreau, Emerson, Irving – to name a few of the giants of the age. A true American Renaissance!
Objective 4: Personal Wellness – some degree
History 102 meets the personal wellness objective to some degree by exploring reform movements that have significantly altered our society. The so-called “Benevolent Societies” pioneered improvements in everything from public education (Horace Mann) to mental health (Dorthea Dix). The fact that diseases killed more combatants than hostile fire in all America’s wars until the Vietnam Era demonstrates the importance of sanitation, vaccines, and personal health care.
Objective 5: Technological Understanding – strong
History 102 fulfills the technological understanding objective because of the emphasis in the class on using technology as a writing and research tool. Students are encouraged to complete writing assignments using computer word processing and Internet research. In addition, there may be some use of supplemental primary source readings that are available on the Internet. By encouraging students to become more computer and Internet literate, this class encourages technological understanding. Also one section of this course will be offered by interactive video.
Plagiarism – AVOID IT!
(With thanks to the Dr. Robert Griswold, University of Oklahoma)
Each student at Great Basin College is supposed to know what plagiarism is and to be aware that to plagiarize the work of another person is a serious academic offense. This handout will give you some formal definitions of plagiarism but more important, it provides you with some concrete examples of writing which meet the definition of plagiarism so you can avoid plagiarism.
What is Plagiarism?[1]
Plagiarism: the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own, including:
1. Directly quoting from another work without letting the reader know that the words are not your own. In this case, the writer generally fails both to use quotation marks around the quoted passages and to mention the name of the original author of the words.
2. Paraphrasing without attribution is another common form of plagiarism. In this case, the student paraphrases the original passage, but the student does not give credit to the original author from whose work the paraphrase derived.
3. Plagiarism can also be committed when a student paraphrases with or without attribution and in so doing uses much of the original wording, thereby passing off the original prose as the student's own.
4. A more tricky case of plagiarism involves students who use entirely their own words but borrow the ideas, arguments, facts, or reasoning of another without giving attribution. Such cases do not involve general knowledge--The Civil War started in 1861--but rather material that is not part of general knowledge but rather comes from the special efforts of the original author.
5. Another form of plagiarism, which is simply fraud, is the submission of work under your name which is not yours. Such work could be by another student, friend, or family member or by a company that writes papers for hire. A number of companies on the Internet sell papers to students, and buying such a paper and submitting it as your own is a serious breach of academic honesty and a vile form of plagiarism.
In short, plagiarism consists of failure to give proper credit for ideas and writings that come from others, but some concrete examples will help clarify its meaning.
In order to avoid even unintentional plagiarism, here are two good rules to follow:
1. Place anything you copy verbatim from another writer--whole sentences, phrases, a single distinctive word--within quotation marks and identify the source of the quotation, normally in a footnote or an endnote.
2. Always give credit for ideas that are not your own. If you are summarizing the basic idea of an article you have read, give credit to the author for those ideas in a footnote or endnote. You should do this even if you do not use any of the author's original words in writing your summary. If you are uncertain whether or not to cite an author, the safest course to follow is to offer a citation.
As a rule, avoid an extensive use of quotations. Papers should never be long quotations strung together with a few words of your own. Use quotations only for the telling phrase, the unbeatable metaphor, the perfect description, or the controversial point of view that deserves expression in the original. Most of what you take from other sources should be paraphrased, and it is at this point that many students get into trouble. When paraphrasing, you must be certain that you express the ideas from your source in your own words. You cannot change a few conjunctions or articles, throw in or cut out a few words here and there, alter the syntax a bit and pretend that it is your writing. It is not. The structure and most of the phraseology remains that of the author, and your paraphrase is a kind of plagiarism. One basic rule might help: never take five consecutive words from a source without placing them within quotation marks. Even fewer words, of course, should be placed in quotation marks if these words are distinctively the authors.