US History
SYLLABUS
Draft
Instructor:
C Pauly
687-9585 ext 716
cpauly@manson.org
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Honors U.S. History is a challenging course that is meant to
be the equivalent of a freshman college course and can earn students college credit.
It is a two-semester survey of American history from the age of exploration and
discovery to the present. Solid reading and writing skills, along with a
willingness to devote considerable time to homework and study, are necessary to
succeed. Emphasis is placed on critical and evaluative thinking skills, essay
writing, interpretation of original documents, and historiography.
Course Objectives —
Students will:
· master a broad
body of historical knowledge
· demonstrate an
understanding of historical chronology
· use historical
data to support an argument or position
· interpret and apply data from original documents
· effectively use analytical skills of evaluation, cause and effect, compare and
contrast
· work effectively
with others to produce products and solve problems
· prepare for and
successfully pass the Advanced Placement Exam
Course Texts and
Organization: Unit assignment sheets will be provided. Weekly reading assignments and “Discussion Questions” for outlining will be included. Quiz and test dates will be noted. Students are responsible for keeping up with reading assignments and being aware of, and ready for, quizzes and tests. Class will be a combination of lecture, group work, coverage of discussion questions, and answering student questions. Periodically, student essays, reports, or presentations will be required.
Each unit will be organized around an essential question
(EQ) related to the content of that unit. Approximately once each nine-week period,
students may be asked to produce a product or performance, individually or in
groups, based those essential questions. These projects will be fully explained
as they are assigned.
Supplies:
1. 3-ring binder (3” or 4” size
would be best)
2. Pens (blue or black ink) or
pencils
3. Loose-leaf paper
4. Highlighters
Tests: Tests will
be a combination of objective and essay questions.
Study Techniques:
The reading load for this course is considerable. In order to cover the maximum
amount of material with the least amount of stress, sharing is definitely
encouraged. While each student is expected to read all text material, outlining
discussion questions and some supplemental readings may be shared with your group.
You are responsible for understanding all of the material for testing. The
amount of time required for homework for this class will vary with your reading
speed. Assignments vary in length. Watch your daily assignment sheet and plan
ahead for long assignments, supplemental readings, take-home essays, etc. Time
management is an essential skill for this class, and you must take the
responsibility for budgeting your time. As you become accustomed to the course
format and texts, things will fall into place and become easier. It is
important to not get discouraged.
The Key to Success:
The most important grading factor in this class is consistent effort and
improvement. Do not be discouraged if your grades seem low in the first
quarter. If you knew the material already, you wouldn’t need the course. Effort
and improvement are weighed heavily. What you will learn in terms of writing,
thinking, and study skills will be worth the effort!
CLASS POLICIES
1. Attendance: Be
in class at every meeting and arrive on time!
Do not make any other plans during this sixteen-week semester for the
hours, days, and weeks that our class meets.
Everything presented in class is important to your understanding of this
topic or it wouldn’t be discussed.
2. Academic
Honesty: I
expect and require you to exhibit academic honesty when you take any exam/quiz
or complete any assignments in this class.
Cheating, plagiarism, or any act of obtaining or attempting to
obtain credit for work by any dishonest or fraudulent means will not be
tolerated in this class. Cheating includes writing exact
answers to questions on an assignment as someone else, copying answers from
someone else on a quiz/exam, using answers from students of previous semesters,
copying from the textbook or INTERNET, or having another person write
your answers. The penalty for cheating
on a quiz/exam will be a “0” for the exam and the incident will be reported to
the Principal. A second offense will
result in a grade of “F” for the course. The penalty for cheating on other
assignments is a “0” for the first episode; the penalty for the second episode
is an “F” for the unit and a conference with the Principal and your parents. All
work must be completed on your own.
3. Courtesy:
I require that you practice civility and courteousness in class with your
fellow students and me. I will not
tolerate inappropriate behavior by students in my class.
Grading Policy:
Student’s final quarter grades are based primarily on their
test scores. Daily assignments, projects, presentations, and entry tasks are
designed to prepare the student to successfully master the course material as
demonstrated by the student’s test scores. However, the instructor will weigh
these activities in determining the student’s final grade for that quarter.
Approximate weight of each category:
Assessments
of Learning (Tests, Quizzes, Projects, Presentations) – 80%
Assignments/homework/
Entry Tasks -20%
The instructor retains to the right to modify the weight of
each category depending on the focus of the course at that time. Students and
parents are encouraged to check with instructor if they have any concern
regarding their grades. The instructor has been known on occasion to make
errors. An error corrected early prevents hurt feelings later on.
Attendance:
Attendance in this class is essential. Much of the material for success is
provided through lecture/discussion. Missing class can create problems.
Comprehensive Class
Exam: At the end of the first and second semester, all students will take a
semester final exam.
Tentative Course Outline:
1. The emergence of American cultural traits and the factors
that contributed to them.
2. Emerging regional patterns and how they evolved.
1. Colonists reevaluate their relationship with
2. The American Revolution as a conservative or a radical
movement.
3. The American Revolution’s place in world developments of
the time period.
1. Impact of colonial experience on post-independence
government
2. Development of the
3. The emergence of political parties and the factors that
divided them
4. The development of sectional specialization and
interdependence
5. The conflict between national power and states’ rights
Unit
4:
1. The peaceful transfer of power from one party to another.
2. Changes in party positions.
3. National growth and the growth of nationalism.
1. The emergence of the second American party system.
2. The emergence of the “Common Man” in American politics.
3. Geographical and economic expansion.
Unit
6: Slavery and Sectionalism
1. Sectionalism
2. Slavery and causes of the Civil War
Unit
7: Civil War and Reconstruction
1. Secession and war
2. Reconstruction issues and plans
3. The struggle for equality
4. Native American relations
Unit
8: Rise of Business and Labor
1. Political alignment and corruption in the Gilded Age.
2. Role of government in economic growth and regulation.
3. Social, economic, and political impact of
industrialization.
Unit
9: Populists and Progressives
1. Inflation/Deflation — Role of government in the economy
2. Role and effectiveness of third parties
3. Immigration and urbanization
4. Patrician reformers
5. Bryan and Wilson: “Jeffersonian goals in Hamiltonian
form” (Conflict and
Consensus)
6. Teddy Roosevelt/Taft/Wilson: Conservatives as
Progressives (reform to preserve)
Unit 10: Imperialism and World War I
1. The changing role of the
2.
3. Presidential and congressional roles in policy
management.
The 1920s:
1. Post-World War I compared to post-Civil War nativism,
laissez-faire, labor government, farmers, attitudes toward reform.
2.
3. Administration policy of “nullification by
administration.”
4. Cultural conflicts: native v. foreign; rural v. urban.
5. Revolution in manners and morals.
The 1930s:
1. The role of government in society and the economy.
2. Political realignment.
3. Human suffering and response to the Great Depression.
Unit 12: World War II and Origins of the Cold War
1. Comparison of Wilson and Roosevelt as neutrals, wartime
leaders, Allied partners, post-war planners.
2.
3. Home front conduct during World War I and World War II.
Unit 13: Post-War
Domestic Issues
1. Continued impact of New Deal in government’s role in
society.
2. Struggle for civil liberties and civil rights.
3. Checks and balances at work in American politics.
Unit 14: Foreign Policy — Eisenhower-Reagan
1. Cycles of freezes and thaws in East-West relations.
2. The “Vietnam Syndrome” in post-war foreign policy.
3. Human rights v. strategic self-interest in policy
formulation.
4. Interrelationship of foreign policy and economic
stability.