Charles R. Kaczyński Office Hours: by Appointment
Charles R. Kaczyński Office Hours: by appointment
SSH 102, Fall 2014
LaGuardia Community College (CUNY)
Course Description: This course examines the history of the United States from Reconstruction to the Second World War by exploring the “changing contours of American freedom.” A seemingly ubiquitous and universally understood term, “freedom” has actually been defined and redefined over the course of American history. In an effort to understand more fully the significance of this term and the transformations it has undergone, this class will concentrate on three key topics: “(1) the meanings of freedom; (2) the social conditions that make freedom possible; and (3) the boundaries of freedom that determine who is entitled to enjoy freedom and who is not.”
Classroom activities and student assignments are designed to assist students in answering the following driving questions:
· What does it mean to be “free”? How have foreign and domestic affairs reshaped the definition of freedom over the course of American history? At what and whose expense do particular individuals and groups gain freedom?
This class has three objectives:
· To expose students to a variety of topics and events that shaped the establishment and development of the United States from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.
· To introduce students to the central role of interpretation in the field of American history.
· To improve students’ ability to write an argumentative essay on an historical topic that includes a central thesis statement and supporting evidence.
Course Requirements: Class meetings will include two types of activities: instructor-guided discussions of key points from the textbook and web-based readings and small-group analysis of primary-source documents.
A student’s grade for the class will be calculated using the following scale: midterm essay #1 (30%), midterm essay #2 (30%), final-exam essay (30%), and attendance/participation (10%). Unless previous arrangements have been made, late assignments will not be accepted.
To write a persuasive and well-supported essay, students should utilize material from the textbooks, class notes, and online sources. Merely summarizing the facts will not result in a good grade. Students must explain the significance of events and arrange them in proper chronological order. Class discussions and lectures will focus on synthesizing this material.
Wikispaces: On the Wikispaces website, you will find PDF or Microsoft Word copies of primary and secondary sources as well as links to websites and video documentaries that will be required to complete both in-class and homework assignments. The website also includes an assignment page where you will find a full explanation of each homework and writing assignment. Please use the following information to access the Wikispaces website.
URL: www.wikispaces.com
User Name: classdiscussions
Password: lehman
I expect you to attend all class sessions.
Academic Honesty: I expect all work you submit to me to be the result of your own effort. Any cheating on the assignments will result in a failing grade for the particular assignment and possibly the course. Simply put: Do not plagiarize!![(]
Attendance Policy: Students may miss a total of two classes without penalty. After missing two classes, the student’s grade may be docked one-third of a letter grade for each class missed. For example, if a student with a “C+” average and who previously missed two classes, misses an additional class, her/his grade would drop to a “C.” If the student would miss another class, her/his grade would fall to a “C-.”
Cell Phones & Texting: Please set your cell phones to “vibrate” before the beginning of class and refrain from answering calls and texting for the duration of class. Frequent violation of this policy will result in a failing grade for participation for the class during which the infraction took place.
Readings: To participate fully in this course, you must complete the readings before the class for which they were assigned. I expect you to do a great deal of reading this session. Please, do not fall behind.
Give Me Liberty! An American History, volume II, Seagull fourth edition, Eric Foner (GML).
[(]* Plagiarize: “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own: to use (a created production) without crediting the source.” From: Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary 150th Anniversary Edition (Springfield: G. & C. Merriam Company, 1981).