Rosedale Heights School of the Arts

CHA3U: US History

2015-16

Course Instructor: Joe Levin

Email:

What then is the American, this new man?

-  Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur, 1776

Welcome to Grade 11 American History! In this course, we will be exploring the American present and how it relates to and is the product of the American past.

Classroom Expectations

·  All persons are to be treated respectfully by everyone, even if their ideas are contrary to your own.

·  All students are expected to arrive on time, with a binder and writing utensils.

·  Cell phones are not allowed in class. Please turn them off before you enter the classroom, or even better, leave them in your lockers. Any cell phone that I see being used in class will be confiscated and taken to the Vice Principal.

·  Any student who misses a class needs to provide a legitimate explanation of where they were. This includes doctors’ notes, parents’ notes, etc.

·  All assignments will have a clearly identifiable due date. Assignments that are handed in late, without a legitimate explanation, will be deducted late marks up to 20% (a subsequent handout will explain the policy in more detail). Students should see me BEFORE assignment deadlines if they anticipate a potential problem. Students will find me much more reasonable before deadlines than after them.

Online

Our class website can be found at the following link: https://sites.google.com/site/levinushistory

Please visit this site to view class announcements, contact me, and to download missed or missing class handouts and assignments.

All written assignments will be handed in on TDSB’s D2L platform. We will also use D2L for online discussions and forums. A subsequent handout will give you more specific instructions for using D2L.

Units

1.  Introduction: What is America? What is America now?

2.  First Contact, Early America Religion and Culture, The Revolution and the Constitution

3.  Race, Ethnicity, and the Struggle for Civil Rights

4.  America and the World: Foreign Policy and Conflict in American History

5.  20th Century American Culture: Art, Literature, and Music

Final Course Evaluation

Course Work: 70% Final Exam/Culminating Assignment: 30%