UNITED STATES HISTORY, SINCE 1877 (Telecourse)

UNITED STATES HISTORY, SINCE 1877 (Telecourse)

HISTORY 311:

UNITED STATES HISTORY, SINCE 1877 (Telecourse)

(Course Number 18616 – SCC Main Campus – Auditorium 5 – Thursdays, 5:30-6:50 p.m.)

PROFESSOR:

Stuart Graybill

OFFICE HOURS:

Office: RN 211

MW 3-4:30 PM

TTh 3:00-4:00 PM

Friday 2-3 PM

PROF. GRAYBILL’S WEBSITE:

http://web.scc.losrios.edu/graybis

CONTACT INFORMATION:

E-mail - - Phone: 558-2309

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course will examine the historical development of American society and culture from 1877 to the present. Course materials will introduce students to the origins and consequences of the major historical forces (economic, social, cultural and political) that helped shape life in America from the end of Reconstruction after the Civil War to the present.

This section of History 311 is a TELECOURSE - that is, students will be expected to view a series of prepackaged video lectures on U.S. history (broadcast on local Surewest and Comcast cable channel, Channel 15, Monday and Wednesday afternoons, at 5:00 PM) which SCC has purchased from a media education company, The Consortium for Open Learning. VHS videotapes and DVD’s of the video lectures are available in the Learning Resources Center, and students may check out tapes and DVD’s and view them in the Learning Resources Center. Students may also rent VHS tapes and DVD’s of all the programs - $20 for the semester for all programs (please note: if the student fails to return the media, a library hold will be placed on their academic record until the media is returned).

For more information on the VHS tapes and DVD’s please call the Telecourse Rental Hotline, 916 558-2361, and leave the following information: 1) class in which student is enrolled; 2) student's name; 3) student's address; 4) student's ID number; 5) student's phone number. There is generally a one-day turnaround time for processing rental requests.

Finally, students are required to attend an initial orientation meeting (Thursday, August 30, 5:30-6:50 PM, Auditorium 5) and a small number of class meetings thereafter to complete exams based on the videos and the textbook.

TIME COMMITMENT:

An ordinary lecture course at Sacramento City College contains approximately fifty (50) hours of class sessions. The College and its instructors expect that students will devote approximately two (2) hours of course work outside class for every hour of class time. This means that students should budget approximately one hundred and fifty (150) hours to complete a course at SCC. The overall time commitment is the same for a telecourse as for an ordinary lecture course. Of course, since telecourse programming is considerably shorter than in-class contact in a lecture course, reading and writing assignments in telecourses generally exceed that of lecture courses by a considerable margin.

REQUIRED READING MATERIALS:

(The items below are available for sale in the College store and on reserve in the LRC)

Textbook for the Course: The American Promise, Vol. II: From 1865 (Roark, et al)

Telecourse Guide:Telecourse Guide for Transforming America (Alfers, Kenneth)

Other Required Books:Plessy v. Ferguson: A Brief History with Documents

(Thomas, Brook)

Brown v. Board of Education: A Brief History with Documents

(Martin, Waldo E., Jr.)

GRADED ASSIGNMENTS:

Students are required to complete EIGHT SHORT ESSAYS, TWO MIDTERM EXAMS, and a FINAL EXAM. The relative value of these assignments, as a percentage of your course grade, is provided below:

Papers-- 40% (5% of course grade per essay)

Exams -- 60% (20% of course grade per exam)

The MIDTERM and FINAL EXAMS assess students’ command of the textbook, telecourse guide, and video lectures through essay questions and identifications. Students must bring BLUE BOOKS to exams!

MIDTERM & FINAL EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

FIRST MIDTERM EXAMThursday, September 25

SECOND MIDTERM EXAMThursday, November 6

FINAL EXAMThursday, December 18

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPOSING ESSAYS (PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION!!!!):

The subject matter for the first four essays is, Plessy v. Ferguson: A Brief History with Documents (Brook Thomas, editor). The subject matter for the last four essays is Brown v. Board of Education: A Brief History with Documents (Waldo E. Martin, Jr., editor).

The ESSAYS should be composed in the following manner: each essay should be approximately 600 words in length (approximately 3 pages), typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, with 1" margins. Each essay should contain: 1) an introductory paragraph; 2) a body; 3) and a conclusion.

The introduction should provide just that - an introduction to the topic you're examining. The basic elements of an introduction can be found in the opening paragraph of a good newspaper article. Reporters generally attempt to identify the Who, What, Where, and When of the article very early in the piece. In many newspaper articles, the author introduces Who the story is about, What the incident was about, and Where and When it occurred. Good reporters are frequently able do this in the first sentence of the article. You should strive for such clarity and brevity in introductions to your essays! A good introduction also provides a thesis statement (a sentence or sentences that decisively state an argument or position that you intend to develop and demonstrate in the essay).

The body should be composed of several paragraphs that support your thesis and the main points of your essay. Above all, the body provides the EVIDENCE, FACTS, and EXAMPLES drawn from the reading material that rationally supports your thesis. More than any other single criteria, your essays will be judged on the care and diligence you demonstrate in your effort to understand the arguments, ideas, facts, and evidence contained in the books.

For the purposes of the essays you will be writing, the term "evidence" includes examples, facts, and major ideas drawn from the reading assignments. Thus, your essays should contain numerous quotations drawn specifically from the reading to support your thesis, and your writing should carefully examine the logic of the evidence and main ideas of the books you will be reading.

The conclusion can be constructed in a variety of ways: it may be a brief summary of the main points of your essay; it may also restate your thesis. But the best conclusion is one that demonstrates the HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE of the issue at hand and your analysis of it.

Finally, be aware that papers will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Organization, logic, coherence (that is, introduction, thesis, body, conclusion, etc.).

2. Content (quantity and quality of evidence, level of analysis, level of command of subject matter).

3. Grammar, syntax, spelling.

A WARNING ON PLAGIARISM - WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?

Plagiarism is literary thievery and, thus, it is a serious offense. It is the use of somebody else’s material (as if it were your own) in a paper or an essay without giving credit to the author. The following are examples of the criteria that will be used in this class to identify plagiarism:

1. The use of somebody else’s exact wording, whatever the material, without indicating the source and without using quotation marks or other accepted typographical devises to identify the sentences, paragraphs, and passages obtained from an author. Changing a few words here and there in a sentence, paragraph, or paragraphs, is not sufficient to avoid plagiarism!

2. Borrowing the whole pattern of organization and points of view of a source without giving credit via standard in-text written citations and clear identification of source/sources.

3. Borrowing facts, figures, or ideas that originated with, and are the property of, a particular source rather than a matter of common information available in many sources.

4. Collaborating with other students to the extent that two or more assignments are identical in wording, pattern of organization, or points of view.

Plagiarism is a serious offense (and I treat it seriously). It can lead to dismissal from the college and severe long-term implications for completing a college or university education in the United States.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUMITTING ESSAYS (PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION!!!!):

Students have two options for delivering their essays to the instructor:

1. Printed hard copies of essays may be delivered to the following address (personally or U.S. Mail):

Prof. Stuart Graybill

Behavioral and Social Sciences Division

Sacramento City College

3835 Freeport Blvd.

Sacramento, CA 95822

ATTENTION:

If you wish to receive a reply via U.S Mail with comments and a grade, please include a

stamped, self-addressed envelope with your essay.

2. Students may also send their essays to me electronically, as an attachment to an e-mail message:

Essays submitted via e-mail may be sent to the following address: .

ATTENTION! Instructions For Students Who Submit Essays Via E-mail

For electronic record keeping purposes, it is essential that you follow the instructions below precisely! (because computers can’t intuit your intent) If you do not follow the instructions below precisely, your essay will be returned to you ungraded (and late penalties will apply if your corrected essay is not submitted by the due date)!

DO NOT COMPOSE YOUR ESSAY IN YOUR E-MAIL PROGRAM!

Write your essay in a word processing program and save it, either as a Microsoft Word Document (.doc), or in Rich Text Format (.rtf). Then attach that file to an e-mail message and send it to me. Do not, however, compose your essay in Microsoft Word 2008! Please use an earlier version of Microsoft Word (because my computer cannot read the 2008 version).

The file name of the essay should begin with your last name followed by the number of the essay assignment on which you are writing.

For example: Smith1.rtf, or Smith1.doc. (no spaces between characters!)

The subject line of the e-mail message should read, History 311, and then the essay number.

For example: History 311, Essay 1.

Students should write their full name and the essay number at the top of the first page of the essay.

AGAIN, DO NOT COMPOSE YOUR ESSAYS IN YOUR E-MAIL PROGRAM!

Send your essays to me as an attachment in an e-mail message!

POLICY REGARDING MISSED EXAMS:

-If you miss either the first or the second exam, you may make it up at the end of the course. But you may make-up only one exam! If you miss more than one exam, you must take a zero (0) for at least one exam.

-There is no make-up exam for the final exam!

POLICY REGARDING MISSED ESSAYS:

-YOU MUST COMPLETE SEVEN ESSAYS IF YOU WISH TO PASS THE COURSE! If you do not

turn in seven essays, you will not pass the class! Of course, if you turn in all the exams, you will

maximize your chance to earn the best possible score in the class.

POLICY REGARDING LATE PAPERS:

-Late papers will be assessed ONE FULL GRADE PENALTY for each day the paper is late beyond the

scheduled due date. So, in order to maximize your chances of being successful in the class, read the

syllabus carefully and arrange your personal schedule so that you can consistently turn your work in

on time.

RECOMMENDED COURSES:

SINCE READING AND WRITING REQUIREMENTS ARE AN OVERWHELMING COMPONENT OF THIS COURSE, COMPLETION OF ENGRD 310 (or ESLW 320 and ESLR 320) AND ELIGIBILITY FOR ENGWR 57 IS STRONGLY ADVISED!

STANDARDS FOR CLASSROOM COURTESY:

1. Cell phones and pagers must be turned off or set on vibrate mode while in class!

2. Students are not permitted to answer cell phones or other devices during exams! If you absolutely

must return phone calls during the exam period, please do so outside the room (and if you anticipate

that you may need to answer a phone, please position yourself close to the exit so that you do not

disrupt the class when you leave).

3. Plan ahead so that you arrive in class on time!

LEARNING ACCOMODATIONS:

Students who have a learning disability or a physical disability that requires special accommodation should inform me at the beginning of the term. Students who present to me proper verification from the disability center on campus will be accommodated.

EXAM PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

The midterm and final examinations are structurally identical to one another. The exams will be divided into THREE parts. The first two parts will require students to write essays, and the last part is an extra credit section (a sample exam follows below).

ALL EXAMS MUST BE COMPLETED IN A BLUE BOOK!

In each Lesson of the Telecourse Guide for Transforming America, there is a section titled "PRACTICE TEST." At the end of this section is a segment titled “Essay Question(s)”. On the midterm and final examinations I will randomly select a number of essay questions from this segment in the various Lessons from the Telecourse Guide and place them in parts I & II of the exams. Students will write essays responding to these questions.

By the time you complete reading each Lesson of the Telecourse Guide, Transforming America, you should be prepared to write an examination essay on each of the "Essay Questions" in the “PRACTICE TEST” section of the Lesson.

On PART I of the first midterm exam, I will choose, at random, TWO questions from the "Essay Questions" in the “PRACTICE TEST” sections of Lessons 1-4 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 4 "Essay Questions" in Lessons 1-4). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those two questions – that is, the question that you think you are best able to answer.

On PART II of the first midterm exam, I will choose, at random, TWO questions from the "Essay Questions" in the “PRACTICE TEST” sections of Lessons 5-8 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 4 "Essay Questions" in Lessons 5-8). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those two questions - that is, the question that you think you are best able to answer.

On PART I of the second midterm exam, I will choose, at random, TWO questions from the "Essay Questions" in the “PRACTICE TEST” sections of Lessons 9-12 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 4 "Essay Questions" in Lessons 9-12). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those two questions - that is, the question that you think you are best able to answer.

On PART II of the second midterm exam, I will choose, at random, TWO questions from the "Essay Questions" in the “PRACTICE TEST” sections of Lessons 13-15 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 4 "Essay Questions" in Lessons 13-15). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those two questions – that is, the one question that you think you are best able to answer.

On PART I of the final exam, I will choose, at random, TWO questions from the "Essay Questions" in the “PRACTICE TEST” sections of Lessons 16-20 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 5 "Essay Questions" in Lessons 16-20). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those three questions – that is, the one question that you think you are best able to answer.

On PART II of the final exam, I will choose, at random, TWO questions from the "Essay Questions" in the “PRACTICE TEST” sections of Lessons 21-25 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 5 "Essay Questions" in Lessons 21-25). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those three questions – that is, the one question that you think you are best able to answer.

Students should prepare for the exams by intensively studying the essay questions in the practice test sections of the lessons in the Telecourse Guide, Transforming America. Students may also prepare 3x5 cards to assist them in answering the essay questions from the lessons. You may prepare one 3x5 card for each of the "Essay Questions" in the “PRACTICE TEST” section of the Lesson.

EXAM PREPARATION CARDS ARE OPTIONAL – YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO CREATE AND USE THEM! Naturally, however, those who do create and use the cards tend to perform better on the exams than those who do not.

If you choose to prepare cards, you must submit those cards with the exam in your blue book. Also, if you choose to prepare cards, you must conform to the following rules for composing the cards:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPOSING EXAM PREPARATION CARDS:

On a 3x5 note card you may including the following information (either typed or in handwriting),

1) NAME in the upper right hand corner - REQUIRED FOR ANY CARDS YOU CREATE

2) the QUESTION from either the "ESSAY QUESTION" section of the chapter of the

Telecourse Guide.

3) you may identify the BOOK and the CHAPTER number from which the questions comes.

4) a THESIS STATEMENT for the essay you intend to write.

5) a FIVE POINT OUTLINE for the essay you intend to write.

In this outline, you may write a complete topic sentence. You may also include all the factual

information that you might include in the essay. That is, you may include dates, names, events,

movements, organizations, geographical locations, etc. You may include as much of this sort of

information as you can crowd onto the card. You may hand write the card or you may type it.