American History Syllabus

Brownell-Talbot School Mr. Dorsey’s Junior United StatesAmerican History Syllabus 402.556.3772, ext 1112 / [email protected]

Course Description and Rationale American History concentrates on social, political, and economic issues, with special emphasis on modern times. The American Pageant will cultivate in its readers the capacity for balanced judgment and informed understanding about American society by holding up to the present the mirror and measuring rod that is the past. The course’s goal is not to reach the art of prophecy but the much subtler and more difficult arts of seeing things in context, of understanding the roots and direction and pace of change, and of distinguishing what is truly new under the sun from what is not. The study of history, it has been rightly said, does not make one smart for the next time, but wise forever.

Teaching Methods  Lecture, discussion of reading assignment, and note-taking  Question and answer on reading material and homework  Power Points and videos of topics covered  This course is mainly taught through lecture, discussion of reading assignments, and note-taking. Students will work as a whole class, in groups, and by themselves to promote further growth of their study skills. Students will participate in question and answer on reading material and homework. Topics will be supplemented through Power Points and videos.

Course Materials The American Pageant. Kennedy, Cohen, Bailey; 14th Edition, 2010 copyright Assorted handouts and articles from scholastic works and primary sources

Assessment Criteria  Students will complete weekly quizzes based on the reading and homework.  Quizzes will be administered when the teacher needs to check the students’ progress.  Test dates will be announced in class, and class time will be used for test preparation.  Class participation counts for 15% of the student’s grade, therefore, tardiness and absences can negatively affect this assessment component. (Activities absences will not adversely affect participation grade).  Group work is graded as such: the student receives an individual grade based on their work, and the group receives a grade for its performance and cooperation. The two grades are averaged.  Students will receive at least two writing assignments a week assessing comprehension of reading material and class discussion.  There will be one major paper assigned second semester.

Schedule of Topics Fall Semester: Founding the New Nation, Building the New Nation, and Testing the New Nation Spring Semester: Testing The New Nation, Forging an Industrial Society, Struggling for Justice at Home and Abroad, and Making Modern America

Class Expectations Reading Assignments: The syllabus includes readings for each class session. Students may supplement assigned readings with readings of their own choice, but MUST complete all assigned textbook and supplemental readings to engage in class discussion.

Homework Assignments: Students will complete assignments related to reading assignments from the textbook, from literature, and from primary source documents. Some chapters will be done as a “Shortcut,” which means we will cover the chapter in two or three days. I will present a power point and video for notes to cover the chapter. There will be no chapter tests over the shortcut information, however it may be on the semester final. This will 2 allow us to cover the entire book during the course of the year and bring us to the present. For a regular chapter students will be expected to take notes, participate in discussion, and complete two to three assignments.

Assessments: There will be an exam on most chapters. The exam will have three parts: explain significance of terms, multiple choice, and an essay. Sometimes projects will take the place of exams, and may be done individually or in collaborative groups, depending on how they are assigned. There will be a semester exam and a final exam. The final is not cumulative.

Discussion: This is a class based on collaborative discussion. For that to work, being prepared to participate in discussions is a course requirement. This entails having read, annotated, and thought about the complete assignment carefully before class starts. Furthermore, you must bring your copy of the text to class every day (either a hard copy or electronic). Since we will be engaged in examining the texts we read and the language that they use, if you don’t have your text then you aren’t prepared for class, even if you have read the assignment.

More broadly speaking: Ask questions. Be curious. You are more than welcome to have a different interpretation of a text than a classmate or me; just be sure to share your perspective in a productive and supportive manner. The substance of our class meetings will primarily consist of your responses to the course texts (such as general questions, impressionistic responses, or interpretations of particular passages). Your thoughts and questions are not only valued and encouraged, but they will also provide the starting point for our discussions. Your active participation will be thus factored into your final grade for the course.

Grading Procedures The grading scale matches that set forth in the Brownell-Talbot Student Handbook. Grades are posted weekly for assignments and assessments on Veracross. All grades are based on a point system. Evaluation is done through oral and written quizzes, tests, assignments, projects, a paper, and class discussions. Extra credit questions are offered throughout the year on tests and quizzes. The final exam is NOT cumulative, and both semester exams are worth 13% of your semester grade. Discussion: 15%, Homework: 30%, Projects: 15%, Exams 40%

Behavior Policy: Students are expected to respect themselves, each other, me, and property. Students are expected to participate positively in class; behavior policies are outlined in the Handbook and will be enforced.

Tardiness/Attendance: Students are tardy when they are not in the room when the bell rings. Students are expected to take their seats as soon as the tardy bell rings. Regular attendance is crucial for success. Keep in mind that part of your grade centers on class participation and discussions. Please make every effort to be at school. Please let me know if you are going to be leaving early or absent for multiple days so we can work out an arrangement.

Late Work Policy: Work is considered late if it is not submitted electronically or in writing by the beginning of class on the due date. Any assignment suffers a 10% penalty for every day it is late. After 5 school days, the grade becomes a zero.

Absent Work: Students have one extra day for every day they are absent to make up work. However, absent students are expected to approach me and set up an acceptable timetable for completion of work when gone for more than two days in a row or three days in a week. These agreements will be a compromise agreed to by both parties. If the work is not turned in by the agreed-upon date, it will suffer late penalties.

Activities Policy: It is your responsibility to balance academics and extra-curricular activities. If you are a member of a sport or activity and miss class, you are responsible for getting the work in on time. If you know you will be gone from school for any reason, contact me via email or in person and we’ll work something out. Leaving school early for an event means you must turn in the assignment before you leave or it is late. Coming in the next day without your homework for that day will suffer a late penalty. Please see me with questions or concerns. 3 Extra Credit: The only extra credit offered is on quizzes or tests, unless given by the instructor on a rare occasion at my discretion. 4

COURSE OUTLINE ChapterTitle FIRST QUARTER Time Frame Introduction And Historiography…………………………………………………..Week 1 1, 2, 3, 4 New World Beginnings, 33,000 B.C.-1769 ……………………………………….Week 2-3 The Planting Of English America, 1500-1733 Settling The Northern Colonies, 1619-1700 American Life In The 17th Century, 1607-1692 Test Ch. 1-4

5, 6, 7 Colonial Society On The Eve Of Revolution, 1700-1775 The Duel For North America, 1608-1763 The Road To Revolution, 1763-1775………………………………………………Week 4-5 Test Ch. 5-7

8 & 9 America Secedes From The Empire, 1775-1783…………………………………..Week 6-7 The Confederation And The Constitution, 1776-1790 Test Ch. 8-9

10 Launching The New Ship Of State, 1789-1800……………………………………Week 8 (Shortcut)

SECOND QUARTER 11 & 12 The Tr. & Tr. Of The Jeffersonian Republic, 1800-1812…………………………..Week 9 The Second War For Independence & The Upsurge of Nationalism, 1812-1824 Test Ch. 11-12

13 The Rise Of A Mass Democracy, 1824-1840……………………………………..Week 10 (Shortcut)

14 & 15 Forging The National Economy, 1790-1860……………………………………...Week 11-12 The Ferment Of Reform And Culture, 1793-1860 Test Ch. 14-15

17 Manifest Destiny And Its Legacy, 1841-1848……………………………………..Week 13 Test Ch. 17

16 & 18 The South & The Slavery Controversy, 1793-1860……………………………….Week 14 Renewing The Sectional Struggle, 1848-1854 (Shortcut)

19 Drifting Toward Disunion, 1854-1861…………………………………………….Week 15 Test Ch. 19

20 & 21 Girding For War: The North And The South, 1861-1865…………………………Week 16-17 The Furnace Of Civil War, 1861-1865 Test Ch. 20-21

THIRD QUARTER 22 The Ordeal Of Reconstruction, 1865-1877…………………………………………Week 17 (Shortcut)

23, 24, 25 Political Paralysis In The Gilded Age, 1869-1896………………………………….Week 18-19 Industry Comes Of Age, 1865-1900 5 America Moves To The City, 1865-1900 Test Ch. 23-25

26 The Great West & The Agricultural Revolution, 1865-1896……………………….Week 20 Test Ch. 26

27 Empire And Expansion, 1890-1909…………………………………………………Week 21 (Shortcut)

28 Progressivism & The Republican Roosevelt, 1901-1912…………………………...Week 22 Test Ch. 28

29 & 30 Wilsonian Progressivism At Home And Abroad……………………………………Week 23 The War To End War, 1917-1918 Test Ch. 29-30

31 & 32 American Life In The “Roaring Twenties,” 1919-1929.……………………………Week 24-25 The Politics Of Boom And Bust, 1920-1932 (Shortcut)

33 The Great Depression And The New Deal, 1933-1939……………………………Week 26-27 Test Ch.33

FOURTH QUARTER 34 & 35 Franklin D. Roosevelt & The Shadow Of War, 1933-1939………………………..Week 28-29 America In World War II, 1941-1945 Test Ch. 34-35

36 The Cold War Begins, 1945-1952…………………………………………………Week 30-31 Test Ch.36

37 The Eisenhower Era, 1952-1960…………………………………………………...Week 32 (Shortcut)

38 The Stormy Sixties, 1960-1968……………………………………………………Week 33 Test Ch. 38

39 The Stalemated Seventies, 1968-1980…………………………………………….Week 34 Test Ch. 39

40 The Resurgence Of Conservatism, 1980-1992…………………………………….Week 35-36 (Shortcut)

41 & 42 America in the Post-Cold War Era…………………………………………………Week 37-38 The American People Face a New Century Test Ch. 41-42 6 Students please read the course syllabus and share it with your parents. Please sign and return this sheet by Thursday, August 28, 2014.

I have read the policies and expectations for Mr. Dorsey’s United States History class and understand them. If I choose not to meet these expectations, I am willing to accept the consequences.

Student Printed Name: Parent/Guardian Printed Name:

______

Student Signature: Parent/Guardian Signature:

______

Date: ______Date: ______

Parent/Guardian: If you have an email address you would like me to use to communicate with you about your child’s progress, please include it here:

Please return this sheet by Thursday, August 28, 2014