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Instructor:
Michael T. Madden
Class: United States History (ADV)
Class Webpage: www.timetravelerproductions.com
This
class will survey the United States from pre-Columbian Era- 1865 to the
modern days of the 2000's. We will focus on such themes as the
emergence and development of America- Economically, politically, at
peace and at war, through prosperity and depression, during the
struggles for civil rights and into its future.
We
will focus as much on the past of common people-- men, women and
children- as on that of great leaders, as much on the forces of social
change as political change, as much on continuity as on change
itself. The purpose of this course is to develop a coherent vision
of the course of the social, political and economic history of the
United States and to strengthen our awareness of ourselves as historical
beings. Course
Materials:
Text:
Foreman,
A
History of the United States 1865 to the Present, American Voices.
Pens-
(black/red)
Paper
3-Ring Binder (notebook)
5 Dividers (notes,
daily work, tests, homework and mapping activities
Map Pencils
Evaluations:
During
class there will be lecture, group learning practices, role play,
formal/informal discussions and student presentations. Major
Grades:
Major
grades will count twice and will consist of hourly exams, group
presentations, research papers and student projects. In the
absence of papers, presentations and /or projects during a six weeks
time period, there will normally be three major exams. Daily
Grades:
Daily
grades will count once and will be comprised of daily quizzes, map
exercises and other assignments during or outside of class. There
will rarely be more than the minimum of six daily grades per reporting
period, thus, incomplete assignments will lower averages
substantially. Late
Work/Make Up Work:
Late
work will be marked down 30 points the first day late and 10 points
every day after that. In the event of an excused absence,
one day will be allotted for every one day missed for the
completion of make up work whether it be daily or major. In the
event of an unexcused absence there will be no opportunity
afforded to make up the missed work. Paper:
You
will be required to write a 5-7 page historical essay based on library
research. Suggested topics will be distributed later in the
course. However, you will be afforded the opportunity to write on
a topic that interests you. Grades:
Your
grade will be calculated as follows: Hourly exams- count twice;
Daily grades- count once; Paper- counts twice; Group or individual
presentations- count twice. Such considerations as good
attendance, steady improvement on quizzes and exams and frequent
meritorious contributions to class discussions may override actual
cumulative scores and warrant a higher final six weeks average. Course
Topics:
First Nine Weeks: Reconstructions
America's Economic Transformation
Politics and Daily Life in the Gilded Age
America at Peace and War
Second Nine Weeks: America's Rise to World Power
The Great War
Prosperity and Depression
Technology and Culture in the 1920's
The Great Depression
Third Nine Weeks: The New Deal
The World at War
The Allied Victory
The Cold War
Eisenhower and Post War Prosperity
Fourth Nine Weeks: Civil Rights
Turbulent Sixties
Vietnam
Era of Turmoil
America and it's Future
Opportunities and Challenges *
Education is man's going forward from cocksure ignorance to thoughtful
uncertainty. *
Our earth is degenerate in these latter days; there are signs that
the world is speedily coming to an end. Bribery and corruption are
common; children no longer obey their parents; every man
wants to write a book and the end of the world is evidently approaching.
(Assyrian Tablet, ca. 2800 B.C.)
* Those who do not learn from the past our condemned to repeat it.
* Historical knowledge may not help you live the present better or
predict the future, but you will certainly fail in such endeavors
without it.
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