SYLLABUS HIS
2223-002C
History of the United States: 1877 – Present
(SBU.CCTC.NOV2008)
© 2007-2009 Southwest Baptist University
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Tim Wood
206 Taylor Hall
Southwest Baptist University
1600 University Ave.
Bolivar, MO 65613
DISABILITY DISCLAIMER:
It is the desire of Southwest Baptist University to provide all
students with optimum learning experiences. If there are circumstances,
due to disability, that may impact your learning in this course, it is
necessary for you to inform your instructor within one week of official
enrollment (as determined by the Department of Extended Learning) in
this course. If you do not notify your instructor, it will be assumed
that you do not require special assistance.
CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR:
The best way to contact me is via e-mail – I check it on almost
a daily basis. You may also contact me by telephone at the office.
If I’m not there, just leave a message and I’ll return your call.
If you are around Bolivar, feel free to drop by during my office hours to
talk in person. Since these hours vary from semester to semester,
be sure to e-mail me to make sure I’ll be in. Bear in mind that communication
(and grading) may be slower during times when SBU is not in session (weekends,
holidays, and the breaks between semesters), so plan accordingly.
COURSE INFORMATION:
History 2223 is a political and social survey of United States
history from the Gilded Age to the present. Successful completion
of this course is worth 3 credit hours.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Although all history involves the dreaded learning of “names and
dates” to some extent, this class will also begin probing some of the
deeper questions addressed by historians, as well as focusing on the development
of important career-related skills. By the end of the course, students
will have:
- gained greater insight into the cause-and-effect relationships
behind historical events.
- sharpened their critical thinking ability by analyzing various
historical problems
- learned how to express themselves clearly in writing
- enhanced their understanding of America’s place in the world
since 1877
- achieved a greater sensitivity to the complexities of race and
gender relations in post-Reconstruction America
TEXTS:
Paul S. Boyer, et al., The Enduring Vision, History of the American
People, Vol. 2: Since 1865, 6th edition. 2008. ISBN# 0-618-80162-6.
Houghton Mifflin Company.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Reading the text provides
necessary background. Reading the textbook will also help you prepare
for completion of the exams.
Suggested sequence of study is to: Read the chapter in the
text. Engage the chapter practice quizzes located at the Course
Materials button.
Examinations (300 points):
Three (3) unit exams will be given. Each exam covers specific
chapters. There are no comprehensive exams. The exams are objective
(multiple choice). The exams are web-based. You will find exam results
in your grade book, located in My Grades under the Tools button.
Each exam is 50 questions worth 2 points each. So each exam is worth 100
points. Contact the Department of Extended Learning when you are ready
to take any exam. There is exam information listed in your course. Please
follow the directions closely.
Analytical Essay (100 points):
Between the second and third exams, you will compose
and submit a final 8-10 page analytical essay.
This essay does not necessarily need to involve research outside of the
textbook and the designated primary sources. Rather, students should
use this as an opportunity to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the material,
to articulate their understanding of the relationship between specific events
and larger historical trends, and to address the material from a moral perspective.
All essays must be typed (double-spaced, one inch margins, and in #12
font. (NO BIG LETTERS). Please use Microsoft Word (2003 or higher).
The essay needs to answer all parts of each question completely, and it
should contain no errors in spelling, grammar, style, punctuation and word
usage, it must bring out all relevant themes and arguments, it must use
specific examples, and should introduce background material as appropriate.
Remember to proofread!!!
Rough Draft: Feel free to send me a rough draft for review
and feedback. Use the Send E-mail function to send me your draft as an e-mail
attachment. You will find that function under the Tools link. Place the following
in your subject line: HIS2223DraftYourFullName (i.e. HIS2223DraftBobSmith)
Final Submission: Please do not submit your final paper by way
of a simple e-mail attachment. You must submit via Turnitin (see
Course Materials) if you want your paper graded.
Send me an e-mail and let me know I know I have a paper waiting for me.
I will grade it and post a grade for you.
GRADING STRUCTURE:
3 exams = 25% each . Total of 75%
1 essay = 25%
GRADING SCALE:
90%-100% = A
80%-89% = B
70%-79% = C
60%-69% = D
0%-59% = F
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
Under no circumstances will any form of academic dishonesty be
tolerated in this course, including:
1) Plagiarism: Using the ideas or writings of
another as one’s own, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of
the English Language, New College Edition, published by Houghton-Mifflin,
1980. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to, using
words or phrases, and/or wholesale scripts from another’s work without
proper acknowledgement.
2) Cheating: a) To deceive by trickery; b) to
mislead; c) to practice fraud and/or d) to act dishonestly (as defined
by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, New College
Edition, published by Houghton-Mifflin, 1980). Examples of cheating
include, but are not limited to: Collaborating without authorization, presenting
work done by another as one’s own, either in part or in whole; altering
a paper or other evaluation instrument after the grade as been assigned
for the purpose of misrepresenting the student’s performance; enlisting
another person to take one’s evaluation procedure; using prohibited sources
of information for examinations or other testing procedures; knowingly
providing any unauthorized assistance to other students; falsifying or
changing information concerning academic achievement; and facilitating
any act that promotes academic dishonesty, including the withholding of
information concerning the academically dishonest conduct of another.
Any student caught cheating or engaging in plagiarism will face
a range of disciplinary actions which may include an F for the assignment,
and F for the course, or expulsion from the university.
COURSE OVERVIEW:
UNIT 1:
Ch. 17 The
Transformation of the Trans-Mississippi West, 1860-1900
Ch. 18 The
Rise of Industrial America, 1865-1900
Ch. 19 Immigration,
Urbanization, and Everyday Life, 1860-1900
Ch. 20 Politics
and Expansion in an Industrializing Age, 1877-1900
Ch. 21 The
Progressive Era, 1900-1917
Ch. 22 Global
Involvements and World War I, 1902-1920
FIRST EXAM
UNIT 2:
Ch. 23 The
1920s: Coping with Change, 1920-1929
Ch. 24 The
Great Depression and the New Deal, 1929-1939
Ch. 25 Americans
and a World in Crisis, 1933-1945
Ch. 26 The
Cold War Abroad and at Home, 1945-1952
Ch. 27 America
at Midcentury, 1952-1960
SECOND EXAM
SUBMIT FINAL
ESSAY
UNIT 3:
Ch. 28 The
Liberal Era, 1960-1968
Ch. 29 A
Time of Upheaval, 1968-1974
Ch. 30 Conservative
Resurgence, Economic Woes, Foreign Challenges, 1974-1989
Ch. 31 Beyond
the Cold War: Charting a New Course, 1988-2000
Ch. 32 Global Dangers,
Global Challenges, 2001-present
THIRD EXAM
Welcome to this course
Please feel free to contact me at any time should you have questions
or concerns. You may e-mail me questions or comments. My e-mail can be
found by clicking-on the "Faculty Information" button. I will attempt
to respond to your inquiry within 48 hours of receipt.