Middlesex Community College
Social and Behavioral Sciences Department
United States History II Online
HIS*F202 crn: 1186 sec: 03 spring 2007
Instructor: Sandra Enders
203-468-6277 (phone calls between 9:00am to 3:00pm only)
Please use course email system!!!
endersusa@comcast.net is for emergency use only!
This MXCC course in United States History II is the second of two introductory courses concerning the history of our country. It offers a careful examination of American political and diplomatic history, while also exploring the other areas of the American past. The balanced picture that emerges connects the newer histories of society and culture with the more traditional stories of politics, diplomacy, and great public events. The course begins with Americas Westward migration in the late 19th century and continues through the two World Wars, as well as the Cold War of the 20th century. The Depression era which paves the way for the New Deal is discussed. Special attention is given to industrialism’s social, economic, and ideological impact, America’s changing ethnic make-up, race conflict, and the rise of the city. This course is a three credit course, and is offered consecutively in the traditional 16 week format for the spring semester. The course consists of 15 weekly discussion board assignments, all covering chapter topics in the textbook. This consists of 30% of the course grade, and suggested due dates are posted below. There is also an ongoing discussion throughout the course concerning the value of diversity in the development of today's American culture, which counts for another 10% of the course. An individual research paper is expected on a listed topic for another 20%, along with two exams (midterm & final) for the remaining 40%. This is an "L" and "D" course.
The Unfinished Nation, Volume 2, with PowerWeb : A Concise History of the American People, 4th Edition
Alan Brinkley, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
©2004, ISBN 0072935251
General Education Objectives:
A thorough study of the course should enable the student to:
collect, comprehend, and organize written and oral information properly.
observe and analyze data accurately.
draw reasonable inferences from the presented facts and ideas.
express ideas and opinions clearly in an organized manner using Standard English.
recognize ethical and moral issues and gain an understanding of differing views.
Course Specific Objectives:
A thorough study of the course should enable the student to:
analyze American history from the Post-Reconstruction period through to current day America.
develop an understanding of the ideals which America was built on.
inform students of the importance of certain written documents and treaties which altered the course of American history.
look at American history through its social, political, economic, diplomatic, and technological developments.
discuss the cultural issues which developed in the various regions and what emerged from them.
develop a basic understanding of the continuous struggle of equality in the American system.
develop an understanding of the value of diversity in America.
*** For chapter specific objectives please see each of the 15 lesson plans.
Course Grading:
30% Weekly Chapter Topic Discussions (discussion board)
10% Value of Diversity (discussion board)
20% Research Paper (submitted individually)
20% Midterm Exam (submitted individually)
20% Final Exam (submitted individually)
Weekly Chapter Topic Discussions: (300pts/20pts per wk)
You will see 15 weekly discussion threads setup for this assignment. Each one is based on the topic of the week and worth 20pts each toward your final grade. The discussion thread will be locked two weeks from the start date and will be graded within the week after closing. This assignment can be completed with the textbook or any other outside resources available. This is an informal writing assignment and the textbook should be a sufficient resource, but please cite any sources used outside of the textbook. You will choose any TWO "Points for Discussion" questions in the weekly lesson, along with any ONE "Interpretive Question" OR "Essay Question" listed for the week, for a total of three questions completed each week. There will be a thread set up each week for the questions. Please backup your opinions with cited facts from the textbook or other sources! You will have only two weeks per discussion to post. This semester long assignment is worth 30% of the total grade!!!
Grading criteria for the weekly chapter discussion assignments:
|
grading criteria |
possible points |
|
textbook cited or outside resources used and noted |
45 / 3 |
|
content knowledge learned and research done |
210 / 14 |
|
proper use of grammar, spelling, writing organization, and staying on weekly topic, submitted by duedate |
45 / 3 |
|
|
300 / 20 |
Weekly Topic Discussions:
Week1 01.22 to 01.28 (closes 02.05) The Conquest of the Far West (ch16)
Week2 01.29 to 02.04 (closes 02.12) Industrial Supremacy (ch17)
Week3 02.05 to 02.11 (closes 02.19) The Age of the City (ch18)
Week4 02.12 to 02.18 (closes 02.26) From Stalemate to Crisis (ch19)
Week5 02.19 to 02.25 (closes 03.05) The Imperial Republic (ch20)
Week6 02.26 to 03.04 (closes 03.12) The Rise of Progressivism (ch21)
Week7 03.05 to 03.11 (closes 03.19) The Battle for National Reform (ch22)
Week8 03.12 to 03.18 (closes 03.26) America and the Great War (ch23)
Break 03.19 to 03.25
Week9 03.26 to 04.01 (closes 04.09) The New Era (ch24)
Week10 04.02 to 04.08 (closes 04.16) The Great Depression (ch25)
Week11 04.09 to 04.15 (closes 04.23) The New Deal (ch26)
Week12 04.16 to 04.22 (closes 04.30) The Global Crisis 1921-1941 (ch27)
Week13 04.23 to 04.29 (closes 05.07) America in a World at War (ch28)
Week14 04.30 to 05.06 (closes 05.14) The Cold War (ch29)
Week15 05.07 to 05.13 (closes 05.17) The Affluent Society (ch30)
Value of Diversity Discussion Assignment (100pts)
(due date 04.22.07)
The textbook discusses the various groups of immigrants (Mexicans in the Southwest, Chinese on the West Coast, European groups on the East Coast, etc) who flocked to America. It also looked at the forced relocation of the Native Americans, primarily in the Plain States; as well as the the perpetual concerns of continued discrimination of the African Americans in the South long after the Civil War Reconstruction and the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were passed. America has always been and still continues to be a haven for the many disenfranchised people of the world. Although at times it may not have appeared so, it has offered many people "equality of opportunity" that most other countries simply could not, or would not, offer a person, especially a person of color or of lower economic class.
Look at the social, cultural, economic, religious, and political institutions that developed in the later nineteenth and early twentieth century America and write an essay discussing the expansion of the population of the country that developed. Do you think today's American culture and economic prosperity is due to its diversity? If so, why was the ethnic diversity so important to the cultural wealth and financial prosperity of the nation? How did the demographics of immigration to the United States change throughout that time frame? What problems were created by these changes? What were the various responses by the American society to these immigrants? Do you think that today's immigrants still try to emulate today's American culture?
The inscription on the Statue of Liberty (gift from France in 1885) reads:
"Give me your
tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
And lastly, with so much controversy today on immigration, is it really wise to tighten or close our borders to keep foreigners out or should we make the immigration process easier for foreigners to become American citizens and enter the country legally? Do you think we still aspire to these principles inscribed on the statue?
There are various directions in which you can address this topic, but please be considerate in voicing opinions, and as always back them up with facts. Outside resources should be posted at the end. Please post your essay to the appropriate discussion thread and respond to at least two others concerning their writing. Your essay should be approximately 500-800 words or longer if need be, responses to others 100-200 words. Include all sources at the bottom of your post. This discussion will be locked on 04.22.07.
Value of Diversity Discussion Assignment: (10%)
(duedate 04.22.07)
Grading criteria for the 10% discussion assignment:
|
grading criteria |
possible points |
|
participation in discussion |
35 / 3 |
|
textbook cited or outside resources used and noted |
15 / 2 |
|
content knowledge learned and research done |
35 / 3 |
|
proper use of grammar, spelling, writing organization, and staying on weekly topic, submitted by duedate |
15 / 2 |
|
|
100 / 10 |
Research Paper: (200pts)
(duedate 05.06.07)
Choose a case from the list of Supreme Court decisions at the Justice Trail link or a piece of US legislation from the Democracy Trail link, which occurred in the course timeframe which was studied in this course (post Civil War Reconstruction 1870's to the Viet Nam era 1960's).
Research the topic in detail using multiple reliable sources (at least five sources).
Write a 5-6 page minimum (double spaced) paper on your chosen topic.
Your paper must be properly documented according to the MLA format/style of documentation (Enders Writing Lab).
Please submit your paper in a doc or pdf file through the Research Paper Assignment (folder is on the homepage).
On Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is a legal violation and schools will often fail, or expel students for this type of behavior. Please be aware that plagiarism will not be tolerated and points will be deducted (under the research & knowledge learned area), or papers refused, if I find this does occur. If you are unsure of using the proper MLA writing format or have any uncertainty of what plagiarism is, please review the Enders Writing Lab link below. In-text notation does not mean you can cite exact wording, it means that you are citing the original authors "idea" not the wording. You are to interpret the information and then paraphrase it "in your own words". Quotations should be used sparingly and noted as such.
I have created a list of over 200 reliable research links for the social sciences. Keep in mind many of them are think tanks or university sites and may be biased. Remember almost everything on the Internet probably holds a bias of some kind, even government sites may tend to portray their administration in a good light, however the sites listed at the link below all should have good strong current information.
Grading criteria for the research paper:
|
grading criteria |
possible points |
|
proper use of MLA style - a works cited page, parenthetical notations, header, proper format |
50 |
|
content knowledge learned, resources used, and proper research performed |
100 |
|
proper use of grammar, spelling, writing organization, and staying on topic, submitted by duedate |
50 |
|
|
200 |
Midterm Exam: 03.21 to 03.25 (200pts)
The midterm exam will be all multiple choice (100 questions) and you will have a five day window (03.21 to 03.25) to take it. You will have a six hour time frame to start it, complete it, and submit it. That means that you can log in and out of the exam within six hours of clicking the start button. The exam will time out after the six hours if you do not complete it on your own. Make sure you click the save button on each question after you have chosen an answer. You have the option to change answers as long as you click the save button again. The midterm will cover the first half (chapters 16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23) of the text.
Final Exam: 05.13 to 05.17 (200pts)
The final exam will be all multiple choice (100 questions) and you will have a five day window (05.13 to 05.17) to take it. You will have a six hour time frame to start it, complete it, and submit it. That means that you can log in and out of the exam within six hours of clicking the start button. The exam will time out after the six hours if you do not complete it on your own. Make sure you click the save button on each question after you have chosen an answer. You have the option to change answers as long as you click the save button again. The final will cover the second half (chapters 24,25,26,27,28,29,30) of the text.