History 112: U.S. History, 1865 to Present

3 CREDIT HOURS

Instructor: Josh Dickinson

Semester/Year: Fall/Spring 2010-2011

Location: MHHS Room 29

E-Mail Address:

Phone: 587-2570

The CSI Mission Statement

The College of Southern Idaho, a comprehensive community college, provides quality educational, social, cultural, economic, and workforce development opportunities that meet the diverse needs of the communities it serves. CSI prepares students to lead enriched, productive and responsible lives in a global society.

General Education Criteria: This course satisfies all eight criteria for general education. It is designed to:

1. provide a broad-based survey of a discipline and show the interconnectedness of knowledge.

2. develop a discerning individual.

3. practice critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

4. promote awareness of social and cultural diversity in order to appreciate the commonality of mankind.

5. foster the balance between individual needs and the demands of society.

6. reinforce reading, writing, speaking, and/or quantitative skills.

7. encourage and inspire life-long learning.

8. encourage creativity.

Social Science Department Mission Statement

The mission of the Social Science Department is to provide educational, social, and cultural opportunities which encourage enriched, productive and responsible lives primarily by instructing students to understand, interpret, and apply Social Science discipline coursework.

Social Science Department Goals: This course addresses the following Social Science Department goals:

1. help students understand important facts, concepts and theories of Social Science subjects.

2. help students acquire techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge in the disciplines.

3. help students learn to distinguish between fact and opinion.

4. teach students to use evaluation, analysis and synthesis to interpret and solve problems.

5. teach students to use different perspectives from the social sciences to make better-informed decisions

6. help students acquire an informed understanding of various cultures.

7. prepare students to transfer to a university.

History Program Mission Statement

The mission of the History Department is to prepare students to lead productive lives as dynamic members of their communities. Through study of past events and government institutions, students will be able to make critical decisions for their future.

History Program Objectives: The student will:

1. examine central themes of United States History and various cultures in Western Civilization and Latin America.

2. use reading, lecture-discussion, and supplementary material to understand and interpret the past.

3. demonstrate an understanding of the past by writing interpretive essays.

4. explore different perspectives about the past.

5. acquire an appreciation of the historical process which will encourage a lifelong study of the past.

History 112 CSI Catalog Course Description:

Examines important changes between 1865 and the present. An emphasis will be placed on tracing the development of the American political system, economic institutions, and the U.S. culture during the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era, the Great Depression, the World Wars, the Cold War, and recent events. The purpose of this course is to enhance critical thinking skills and student understanding of the human condition. It is designed specifically to satisfy the CSI Mission, the criteria for General Education, the Social Science Department goals, and the History Program Goals.

Pre-requisites and Prerequisite skills:

Students should have excelled in prior Social Science classes.

Textbook: A People & A Nation, by Norton et al., 8th ed.

Course Outcomes (CO) Aligned with GE Criteria (GE), and Social Science (SS) and Program Goals (Program):

Students will… / GE / SS / Program
CO1. demonstrate understanding of important developments / 1, 4, 6, 7 / 1, 4, 6, 7 / 1, 2, 4, 5
CO2. write essay exams / 2, 3, 7, 8 / 2, 3, 4, 7 / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
CO3. write an analytical paper / 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 / 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 / 2, 3, 5
CO4. participate in class / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 / 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 / 2, 4, 5

Assessment Methods: Alignment of Course Outcomes (CO) with course assessment methods, such as:

Multiple Choice Exams / Essay Questions / Paper / Attendance Points
CO1 / ü / ü / ü / ü
CO2 / ü / ü
CO3 / ü / ü / ü
CO4 / ü / ü

Policies and Procedures:

-Attendance: Attendance is mandatory in this class. If you miss class periods you are missing valuable information that will appear on class assessments. Any daily reading quizzes given on the day you are absent will not be eligible for make up. Students who miss assignments need to contact the teacher immediately to get the missed work.

-Late work: Any assignment turned in after the due date is considered late unless it is due to an excused absence. In that case the assignment is due within 2 days of returning to class. All late work is docked 100%. Students have 2 late homework passes that they may use in order to avoid this late penalty.

-Plagiarism: Plagiarism, copy and pasting, cheating, or any method of claiming another person’s work as your own is not permitted. Any student guilty of the above mentioned items will be given a zero on the entire assignment. That student will be required to attend a conference with the teacher and may be referred to the school administration for disciplinary actions.

Grading Practices:

Analytical papers:

Students will write two analytical papers (one per semester) on a topic of their choosing (with the approval of the instructor).

Exam Structure:

Each unit will conclude with a unit exam. Each unit exam will include an objective exam (40 multiple choice questions) and a subjective exam (essay questions).

Grade Scale:

100-90 A
89-80 B
79-70 C
69-60 D
59-0 F

Historical Fiction/Non-Fiction Reading Assignment:

Each semester the student will be assigned a reading project in which they will search out a text from the assigned time period to read (see below). The student will read this book outside of class and complete a project on this text. More information regarding the projects will be given in class.

1st semester: book from 1865-1918, in the form of a written report

2nd semester: book from 1918-present day, in the form of a visual presentation or written report

Topical Outline for the Course:

·  Reconstruction Era

·  Indian Wars

·  Gold and Silver

·  Cattlemen and Farmers

·  RR, Big Business

·  Organized labor

·  Growth of Urban Sprawl

·  Parties in Balance

·  Spanish-American War

·  Imperialism

·  The Progressive Era

·  World War 1

·  The Roaring Twenties

·  The Great Depression and the New Deal

·  World War II and Post War Society

·  The Cold War

·  Civil Rights/Women’s Rights/Ecology

·  The Vietnam War

·  The Conservative Revolution

·  The End of the Cold War

·  9/11, Afghanistan, and Iraq

CSI E-mail:

Since email is the primary source of written communication with students, all registered CSI students get a college email account. Student e-mail addresses have the following format: <address>@eaglemail.csi.edu where <address> is a name selected by the student as a part of activating his/her account. Students activate their accounts and check their CSI e-mail online at http://eaglemail.csi.edu. Instructors and various offices send messages to these student accounts.Students must check their CSI e-mail accounts regularly to avoid missing important messages and deadlines. At the beginning of each semester free training sessions are offered to students who need help in using their accounts.

On-line course evaluation statement:

Students are strongly encouraged to complete evaluations at the end of the course. Evaluations are very important to assist the teaching staff to continually improve the course. Evaluations are available online at: http://evaluation.csi.edu. Evaluations open up two weeks prior to the end of the course. The last day to complete an evaluation is the last day of the course. During the time the evaluations are open, students can complete the course evaluations at their convenience from any computer with Internet access, including in the open lab in the Library and in the SUB. When students log in they should see the evaluations for the courses in which they are enrolled. Evaluations are anonymous. Filling out the evaluation should only take a few minutes. Your honest feedback is greatly appreciated!

Disabilities:

Any student with a documented disability may be eligible for related accommodations. To determine eligibility and secure services, students should contact the coordinator of Disability Services at their home high school.

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