AMH 2020.0004
U.S. HISTORY 1877-PR
Fall 2010
T.R., 9:00-10:15 A.M., ENGR 0427
ALVIN M. GOFFIN, PH.D.
OFFICE HOURS: T.R 12:00-12:50, Colbourn Hall 542
OFFICE PHONES: (407) 823-1023
E-MAIL:
SYLLABUS AND RESEARCH: UCFWebcourses or http://home.earthlink.net/~amatgo
ECOMMUNITY: This is the way I will send keywords for lectures, assignments, and any changes in curriculum that might come up. Be sure you check your e-mail daily.
REQUIRED TEXT: James A. Henretta, David Brody, Lynn Dumenil, America: A Concise History.
Fourth Edition. Vol. 2: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: A socio-political, economic, and cultural survey of the history of the United States from 1877 to the present. The format for this course will be mostly lecture with the addition of pertinent audio-visual material, the internet, and student participation.
COURSE OBJECTIVE: To provide a basic understanding of the general trends, significant people, and major events for the covered historical period. We will look at the past in an attempt to enhance our understanding and to determine how the history helped shape the United States of today.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: There will be three multiple choice exams that will help determine your course grade. Make-ups will be at the sole discretion of the instructor. You must plan ahead so as to not miss exams. Also, there is a writing requirement that will be outlined further on in this syllabus. Caution: Students not officially registered will not have exams graded or returned.
GRADING: Grades will be determined on a percentage point basis. The exams will each count for 30% of your final course grade, while the writing requirement will count for 10%. The grade scale is as follows:
94-100 A
90-93 A-
87-89 B+
84-86 B
80-83 B-
77-79 C+
74-76 C
70-73 C-
67-69 D+
60-66 D
00-59 F
EXTRA CREDIT: There will be a way to earn extra credit in this class. It involves presenting an oral report to the class on a topic related to what we are studying. I welcome presentations on an individual or small group basis. Early on I will present you with a suggestion list that you can choose from. However, you are not limited to those suggestions. The reports could be worth up to an additional five percentage points added to your final grade. The grading scale is 1-5, so doing the best possible job will yield the best result. Most students in the past have used PowerPoint to present their reports, but you are not limited only to that format. Ten minutes should be the approximate length for an individual report and twenty minutes for a group project. The definition of a group is two or three students at the most. You must present an outline to me beforehand. I will expect a well-organized coordinated effort.
ATTENDANCE: Attendance is important. The test material will come from the text chapters, lectures, audio-visual material, and student oral presentations. If you do not attend class, you will lose much knowledge and that will make the task of getting a high-quality grade extremely difficult. Missing too many classes could result in a lowered grade. Conversely, regular attendance and a willingness to participate will be helpful, especially if you are on the borderline between a lower and higher letter grade. I urge you to take an active, participatory role in this class. Throughout the semester, I will spot check attendance. A good spot check attendance record could mean a higher letter grade at the end of the semester. Furthermore, I will notice students who arrive late or depart early without an excuse. In these cases, an explanation will be due, and, if it is incessant, points could be lost. The withdrawal deadline for this class is Oct. 16.
PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING: Plagiarism is a major academic offense and will be fully punished if caught. It means the presentation of the ideas and/or the words of someone else as one’s own. You commit plagiarism if you use: any part of another person’s written words without correct documentation; any part of another person’s ideas without correct documentation. This includes parts of a book, encyclopedia, magazine article, journal article, newspaper article, CD-ROM, review, or website used without correct documentation. Cheating on exams also will not be tolerated. Do not bring extraneous notes to tests, write on your desks or hands, or move your eyes away from the test booklet. Plagiarism and cheating can be punished in a variety of ways. The student who plagiarizes or cheats may fail the assignment/test or the entire course.
CLASS SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS:
Aug. 24, 26 Introduction/Ch. 16-The American West
Aug. 31, Sept. 2 Ch. 17-Capital and Labor, 1877-1900 Ch. 18 -The Industrial City
Sept. 7, 9 Ch 19- Politics, 1877-1896,
Ch. 20-The Progressive Era
Sept. 14, 16 Ch. 21-Emerging World Power
Sept. 21, 23 Review (Sept 21), Exam 1 (Sept. 23)
Sept. 28, 30 Ch. 22-War and the American State
Oct. 5, 7 Ch. 23-Modern Times, 1920-1932
Oct. 12, 14 Ch. 24-The New Deal, 1933-1933
Oct. 19, 21 Ch. 25-The World at War, 1939-1945
Oct. 26, Oct. 28 Review (Oct. 26), Exam 2 (Oct. 28)
Nov, 2, Nov. 4 Ch. 26- Cold War America, 1945-1960
Nov, 9 Ch. 27- The Age of Affluence
Nov. 16, Nov 18 Ch. 28- The Liberal Consensus, 1960-68
Ch. 29- A Conservative America, 1970s
Nov. 23 Ch. 30- Reagan Revolution
Nov. 30, Dec. 2 Ch. 31-1980-2000
Ch. 32-Twenty-First Century
Dec. 7 Final Exam, 7:00 a.m.- 9:50 a.m.
Final Review will be sent to class via ECOMMUNITY.
OFFICIAL HOLIDAYS: Veterans Day, November 11, Thanksgiving, Nov. 25-27.
THE GORDON RULE: This is a Gordon Rule class, which means you will have to complete four writing assignments. Three of these assignments will be assigned to coincide with our exam dates. The first assignment will be assigned at the beginning of this class. The following is the criteria that we will follow. These assignments must be completed for students to be considered for a grade in this course and will count 10%. In addition, the Gordon Rule states to avoid repeating the course you cannot get less than a C-.
Gordon Rule Writing Course Criteria
The Common Program Oversight Committee will certify as Gordon Rule any course that can prove that four assignments of college-level writing (as defined below) will be part of the course. (In a course with multiple sections, all sections must meet the new Gordon Rule criteria for the course to be an authorized Gordon Rule writing course.)
College-Level Writing
The University of Central Florida’s definition of “College-Level Writing” is as follows:
The writing will have a clearly defined central idea or thesis.
It will provide adequate support for that idea.
It will be organized clearly and logically.
It will show awareness of the conventions of standard written English.
It will be formatted or presented in an appropriate way.
Assignment #1 Description:
Write an autobiographical essay about your life. Answer to the issues of when
and where you were born, the highlights of your youth, and what you hope to accomplish in the future.
Assignment #2 Description:
Write an essay that examines the principal reasons for the United States becoming a world power during the period from 1877 to 1914?
Assignment #3 Description:
Write an essay that demonstrates the important social, political, and economic changes in the United States between the end of World War I and the end of World War II?
Assignment #4 Description:
From what you learned in this class, write an essay on whether or not you believe the United States has always been on the right side of history. Cite examples of the good things and not so good things we have done.
GEP Assessment Statement:
As part of the UCF History Department's yearly Assessment process, ALL students in General Education Program (GEP) history courses (AMH2010/2020, EUH2000/2001 and WOH2012/2022) are required to take a pre and post test. As such, students are enrolled in a free GEP Assessment section in UCF Webcourses. You will take the pretest within the first two weeks of classes and the post test in the final two weeks of classes. These brief multiple choice tests assess core historical concepts presented as part of your course. Data collected will evaluate student learning outcomes. The scores will not be used for tabulating semester grades but must be completed as part of your semester responsibilities. Questions regarding the process may be directed to the GEP Assessment Coordinator.
DISCLAIMER: I shall endeavor to follow the course schedule as is. Students should
recognize change might be necessary. I reserve the right to adjust the schedule to facilitate the successful completion of the course. In the event we do not cover a chapter or a topic in class, students are still responsible for that content.
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