E23.2047.001 – The Social Studies Curriculum: U.S. History

Fall, 2012 – Monday, 4:55-6:35 – 25 West 4th Street, Room C-1

ProfessorResource for AP Presentations

James W. FraserStacie Berman

400 East

212-998-5413

Office Hours: Monday 3:30-4:30, and by appointment (preferred)

“You want to do something to raise the standards for social studies teachers? Before individuals receive certification to teach social studies make them sit for the Advanced Placement examinations . . . and score a 4 or a 5.”

Albert Shanker to Sam Wineburg

Course objectives:

The focus of Social Studies Curriculum: U.S. History is a review and expansion of the content knowledge of future Social Studies teachers in the subject matter of U.S. History. We will look at what is normally taught in high school U.S. history courses from the time of the Columbian encounter to the present including important interpretations of significant topics such as constitutionalism, the frontier, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Progressivism, and the New Deal. As part of the review process we will look at multiple and conflicting interpretations and at ways to give specific expression to the experiences of women, African Americans, Latinos, Asians, as well as “dead white men.” We will also look at multiple modes of presenting this material. While we will use the AP standards as a basic reference point—because they are as close as we have to national standards for U.S. History knowledge—this is not a course in “teaching AP classes.” While class participants may, on occasion, teach AP history, as new teachers it will often be essential to teach “regular” or Special Education students at either the high school or middle school level. At whatever level history is being taught, it is essential that the teacher have a solid understanding of the subject matter and this course is designed to enhance that historical content knowledge and understanding.

The first steps in preparing to teach U.S. history involve developing an understanding of the nature of history as a critical discipline, clarifying your own philosophy of history and your goals as well as society’s in teaching history to the next generation. It is essential that you devote time and energy to learning and/or reviewing U.S. history so that you understand its central themes (always a contested area), figures, events and controversies and are in a position to bring that history to life in the classroom. Students will be expected to use a variety of sources to analyze the American past, develop an understanding about areas where historians disagree, and use that information to develop essential questions to guide the teaching of each topic.

Course Schedule

September 10—Introduction to the course and to each other; The History of the United States in Two Easy Lessons, Part I

September 17—The History of the United States in Two Easy Lessons, Part II

[Note: This is Rosh Hashanah—please let instructors know if you will not be there and we will plan appropriate alternatives.]

September 24—What Do Historians Do? What Do Historians Think About? What Should High School History students know?

In preparation for September 24, please read and prepare to discuss, Sam Wineburg and Chauncey Monte-Sano, “’Famous Americans’: The Changing Pantheon of American Heroes,”and Sam Wineburg, “Opening Up the Textbook And Offering Students a “Second Voice.” [handout]

October 1—First Group Presentation. Please read By the People, Part I, Contact and Exploration, 1491-1607, pp. 1-49 prior to class and come to class with your response sheet in hand and Post It Note (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening). See below for details on Response Sheets and Post It Note assignment.

October 8—Second Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part II, Settlements Old and New, 1607-1754, pp. 50-112 prior to class and come to class with your response sheet and post it in hand (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening).

[Note: This is Columbus Day. NYU is in session.]

October 15—No class, Fall Break

October 22—Third Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part III, A New Birth of Freedom—Creating the United States of America, 1754-1800, pp. 114-199 prior to class and come to class with your response sheet and post it in hand (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening).

October 29—Fourth Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part IV, Crafting a Nation, People, Land, and a National Identity, 1800-1848, pp. 201-306 prior to class and come to class with your response sheet and post it in hand (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening).

November 5—Fifth Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part V, Expansion, Separation, and a New Union, 1844-1877, pp. 308-412 prior to class and come to class with your response sheet and post it in hand (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening).

November 12—Sixth Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part VI, Becoming an Industrial World Power—Costs, Benefits, and Responses, 1865-1914, pp. 414-522 prior to class and come to class with your response sheet and post it in hand (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening).

November 19—Seventh Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part VII, War, Prosperity, and Depression, 1890-1945, pp. 524-636 prior to class and come to class with your response sheet and post it in hand (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening).

November 26—Eighty Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part VIII, Fears, Joys, and Limits, 1945-1980, pp. 638-751 prior to class and come to class with your response sheet in hand and Post It Note (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening). See below for details on Response Sheets and Post It Note assignment.

December 3—Ninth Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part IX, Certainty, Uncertainty, and New Beginnings, 1980- , pp. 753-834 prior to class and come to class with your response sheet in hand and Post It Note (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening). See below for details on Response Sheets and Post It Note assignment.

December 10—U.S. History, a Brief Review: Wrap Up and Conclusions

December 17—Final Exam which will be a close approximation of an actual AP Exam. The exam will be graded by experienced AP teachers.

Assignments

There are two packets of materials that will be used in this course:

  • A small packet of the readings for September 24 will be given out at the first session.
  • A much larger packet, the draft manuscript for By The People: A History of the United States should be purchased at Advanced Copy, 552 LaGuardia Place as soon as possible. Since the reading assignments for this course are extensive, I urge you to get started reading By the People as soon as possible. No matter what presentation groups you join, you are responsible for reading the entire manuscript.

1) For each class session between October 1 and December 3, please arrive in class with written answers to the “Response to the Text” questions (see below). Note: You do not need to submit response sheet for the two class sessions when you will be presenting—see below. We will use these response sheets as part of the class discussion and they should be turned in at the end of the session. 24% of course grade.

2)For each class session between October 1 and December 3, please arrive in class with one paragraph (on a yellow Post-It Note) to place on the class map describing a major event taking place in your assigned location during the period under consideration that week. (We will select assigned locations during the first two weeks of the semester.) Note: You do not need to submit a Post-It for the two class sessions when you will be presenting—see below. 10% of course grade

3)Please join two of the nine groups responsible for class presentations between October 1 and December 3. We will do a sign up at the first class session. Each group will be responsible for presenting the content under consideration that week to the rest of the class. You will have thirty-forty minutes (of our hour and forty minutes of class time) for the presentation. It will be your responsibility to teach the rest of us the material. The group should be able to assume that all members of the class have read the assigned material from the textbook. The presentation will be graded on the quality of the content presented, the success of the presentation at engaging the class (pedagogy), and the quality of handouts and material used in the presentation. The core question in evaluation of the presentation will be: Did the rest of us learn what we needed to know about the era? One-third of course grade.

4)The Final Exam for the course will be a modified version of an actual Advanced Placement Exam as offered by the College Board. This exam will be graded externally, by high school AP teachers who are familiar with the AP grading system. A grade of 5 will be the equivalent of an A, a grade of 4 will be the equivalent of a B, and a grade of 3 will be the equivalent of a C. Any grade lower than 3 will result in an automatic INC for the semester. One-third of course grade.

Please note: While percentages have been assigned to course assignments as noted above, completion of all assignments is essential to success in the course. Since assignments #1, #2, and #3 are at the core of individual class sessions and the final exam will be given at the specific date assigned for final exams this semester, it is virtually impossible to make up late assignments. All work must be turned in on time. If you are not clear on any of the assignmentsplease ask. This course will work best with maximum mutual clarity on expectations.

Responses to the Text – By The People: A History of the United States

Name______Part of the Text to which you are Responding______Date______

[Please note: These responses are due—hard copy—at the beginning of the class session that will discuss each major Part of the text. You will want to keep them in hand during the class discussion and then turn them in at the end of class. Please do not exceed the length of space available (though it is OK to use small type as long as you can read it!)

  1. Name one thing that you learned that you did not know before by reading this Part of the book.
  1. If I were writing the counter-narrative for this section I would want to say. (See Sam Wineburg, “Opening Up the Textbook And Offering Students a ‘Second Voice’.) Note: You need at least one source for your counter-narrative which can be from By the People or elsewhere. The key is finding a different approach to the material of the chapter.