HISTORY V111
Section 001
Dr. Powers
Spring, 2010
COURSE
INTRODUCTION
I. LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
It is the
purpose of this course to assist you in gaining familiarity, to a degree, with
the history of the
In the
process, you will develop an awareness of the nature and uses of history and of
the historical development of American Culture during the period under study,
and of its relation to the present. More specifically, you will be expected to
demonstrate the ability to…
·
Understand the construction of history
and how history is written
·
Understand broad outlines of history and
make accurate connections between developments separated in time and place.
·
Recognize the contribution of historical
antecedents to the understanding of current personal, social, and political
situations and developments.
The course is further designed to aid you
in the development and exercise of the following particular academic skills:
(1) ABSORPTION and RETENTION of new material;
(2) COMPREHENSION of what you have absorbed;
(3) COLLATION: the ability to assemble and arrange data into a pattern which facilitates understanding;
(4) ANALYSIS of collected and collated material;
(5) The ability to draw your own CONCLUSIONS from the
material you have analyzed, and to make valid and logical INFERENCES therefrom;
(6) EXPRESSION of your conclusions and concepts in a
clear, comprehensible, and convincing fashion, complete with adequate support;
and,
(7) The ability to READ CRITICALLY a piece of scholarly
writing, grasp its thesis, evaluate it on its historical merits and defects,
and judge its conclusions.
Attainment of these objectives
and proficiency in these skills, as well as demonstration of knowledge of
content, are among the conditions for satisfactory completion of the course and
the receipt of academic credit for it; all of which will be demonstrated
through satisfactory completion of course assignments.
You should retain your understanding and
your learned skills long after this course is completed, and be able to apply
them in other courses and outside the groves of academe.
II.
REQUIREMENTS
You are expected to read the assigned
material before coming to class. You are responsible for all material assigned,
even if it is not specifically discussed in class. Classroom time is NOT
intended for simple repetition of material which is available in the texts, but
for discussion and explanation of the assigned readings and for elaboration of
material given inadequate attention elsewhere. At times, the assigned reading
load will be heavy, but bear in mind that the standard college "rule of
thumb" requires at least two hours of preparation time for every
hour of classroom time
You are encouraged strongly to participate
in class discussions, (insofar as the size of the class permits) and to raise
questions concerning material in the readings which you have not understood or
which has received, in your judgment, inadequate attention. The only stupid
question is the one which is never asked. If you have knowledge or
understanding which might aid the rest of the class or the instructor in
improving comprehension of the topic, please share it.
You are required to maintain an awareness
of current events and their relationship to the time period covered by the
course. The best way to do this is to read a newspaper every day. I recommend The State, because of the depth and
breadth of its coverage. The Item is
better for local news, and not bad on the major world and national stories, but
tends to be less thorough on broader issues outside
III.
ATTENDANCE
A record of attendance will be kept, but
there will be no premium for perfect attendance, nor will there be a specific
penalty for cuts; HOWEVER,
(1) Work missed because of absences
may NOT be made up unless arrangements have been made in advance of the
absence. In rare cases involving genuine and demonstrable emergency conditions
beyond the control of the student, a make‑up MIGHT be permitted. Tests
are scheduled well in advance, so no one should have any reason to miss one
save for legitimate emergencies. Remember, too, that in a semester this
intense, there's little time for make-ups before the next test is upon us.
(2) Anyone absent from class
obviously will be unable to participate in class discussions and therefore will
be unable to gain credit or benefit from them.
(3) The Veterans' Administration, the
Air Force, and other agencies which provide financial assistance to students
often have their own attendance regulations. Students should check for
appropriate guidelines if they receive funds from such a source.
(4) Further information on the
University's attendance regulations is contained in The University of South
Carolina at Sumter Bulletin. Note that by University policy, absence from
10% of the meetings of a class is considered reasonable grounds for failure of
the course.
(5) STUDENTS WILL MAKE EVERY EFFORT
TO BE IN CLASS AND IN PLACE ON TIME. There is much material to be covered, and
there is little enough time in which to cover it. Classes begin promptly!
The following policy covers instructor
tardiness:
(1) If I'm not in place on time, wait.
(2) If I haven't arrived by ten minutes after the
scheduled start of class, one student will go to my office (Schwartz, 103) and
see if I have been detained therein, or if there's a message for the class on
the door.
(3) If no message for the class has been posted on my office door and if I'm not in my office or visibly on the way to class, and if I haven't arrived by the time the student messenger returns from my office, take control of the class yourselves and use your time in such productive manner as your best judgment shall indicate.
IV. TESTS,
THE EXAM, ABSTRACTS, EVALUATIONS AND GRADING
There will be three tests during the
semester. One will have a value of 10 points while the other two will be valued
at 20 points each. Tests will have NO multiple choice, fill‑in‑the‑blanks,
true‑false, or other such questions. All questions will be essay or
identification in nature.
The final exam is cumulative and is valued at 30 points. It will consist entirely of essay questions. Most questions will be very broad in scope, requiring you to think about the entire course.
Essay questions are designed to elicit
thought and consideration as well as regurgitation of memorized matter. For
this reason, you may see questions about something you haven't studied at all.
To answer such questions, you must use material which you HAVE covered, and you
must use your brain. However irrelevant some questions may seem at first
glance, all will be tied to the material assigned, and all will be possible to
answer through thoughtful use of that material.
Tests and exams will be keyed not only to specific content, but to the objectives and academic skills mentioned at the beginning of this document.
Abstracts and evaluations are essays which you will write about some of the scholarly articles you will be reading. You will write six of these, (three abstracts, three evaluations) but only four will be counted toward your total grade. There are specific guides to abstracts and evaluations on the course web site. Abstracts and evaluations count 5 points each, for a total of 20 points toward the end‑of‑semester grade.
Each item on which you are graded is given a point value corresponding to its relative weight in determining your end‑of‑semester grade. (For example, a test worth 20% of your total grade will have a value of 20 points.)
On each such item, your grade will be
assigned and expressed as a percentage of that point value, with 60%
constituting a D; 65%, a D+; 70%, a C; 75%, a C+; 80%, a B; 85%, a B+; and 90%,
an A. (Thus, an A on that 20‑point test would be 18.00 or better, while a
B would be between 16.00 and 16.99.)
At the end of the semester, all grades
received during the semester will be added together. The sum will be your
semester's grade, and will be translated into a letter grade by applying it as
a percentage of a 100‑point table. (So if your total is 87.75, you'll get
a B+, etc.)
You will also receive a grade for your
daily performance in class. Your average daily classroom grade will be ADDED
after your other grades are computed; thus, it will serve as a form of extra
credit for those who participate regularly, while those who choose to remain
silent will not be penalized. The daily classroom grade will be based upon the
following factors:
(1) Participation. (The very act of
contributing will gain you SOME credit.)
(2) The depth of knowledge and
understanding which your contribution reveals.
(3) Originality of thought.
(4) Demonstration of reasoning
ability.
(5) Contributions toward the
understanding of others, especially the instructor.
Please be aware that you are responsible
for all material assigned. Just because something isn't covered in class
doesn't mean it won't show up on a test. If you have questions about something
you've read, ask in class.
To submit another's work as your own is
plagiarism. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. For more detail on the kinds of
things that constitute plagiarism, goto http://www.uscsumter.edu/~tpowers
and page down until you see a link to an essay on plagiarism. Go there, read,
and learn.
V. TEXTS
The following textbooks are required for
this course:
Norton, et al.,
A People and a Nation: A History of the
Cobbs Hoffman and Gjerde, Major Problems in American History. 2nd ed. Vol I: To 1877
And don’t forget about that newspaper!
VI. FINAL
NOTE
The way to do well in this course is to
read, to write, and, most especially, to think. It also helps to relax and
enjoy it. After all, History is Fun!!