CENTER
FOR ARTS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
FIRST
CLASS HANDOUT
Spring 2008
HIST 17A – UNITED
STATES HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT (3 Units)
Section
S3241: Tuesday Evenings 7:00-10:00
INSTRUCTOR: R.
Curt Rice
246-8798
E-mail:
historyrice@excite.com
COURSE WEB PAGE: www3.shastacollege.edu/crice/hist17a.htm
ADVISORY: A grade of C or higher in ENGL 190 or English Placement Level 6 or
higher.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
A survey of the history of the
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
To provide students with a basic
understanding of the history of the
To acquaint students
with the cultural, social, and economic movements in American history.
To explore the
challenges and difficulties facing the historian in understanding this complex
period of American history.
To encourage students
to improve their academic skills in areas of research, critical analysis,
writing, and oral communication.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this
course, the student will be able to
- Identify the major events, personalities, and
movements in American history up to the end of Civil War Reconstruction. (Actions: tests, discussions)
- Recognize and critique important historical works
surrounding a specific topic in American history. (Actions: annotated bibliography,
discussions.)
- Discuss with understanding the main events, trends,
and interpretations of American history.
(Actions: discussions, essay questions on tests, annotated
bibliography)
- Select the appropriate library tools and follow
coherent procedures in conducting historical research. (Actions: library assignments, annotated
bibliography.)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Read and understand The Brief
American Pageant, Vol. 1.
Write a well-crafted and
analytically incisive annotated bibliography (2 copies).
Complete and submit 3 library
assignments.
Take 5 tests.
Participate in class
activities.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Kennedy, David M., et al.,
eds. The Brief American Pageant. Vol. 1: To 1877. 7th ed.
Houghton Mifflin, 2008.
ISBN
METHODOLOGY
Assigned readings, lectures, discussions, exams, library work sheets, videos, an annotated bibliography.
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
· Students should feel free to phone or e-mail the instructor.
· Students must have or obtain an e-mail address.
· Students must complete their reading assignments before coming to class.
· Students are required to have or to obtain a Shasta College Library card.
· Students are expected to be in the classroom by the beginning of class.
· Students are expected to turn off pagers, cell phones, and other electronic devices at the beginning of class time.
· Do not use laptop computers, PDAs, or other such devices without prior consent of the instructor.
· Do not use communication devices of any kind during class time.
· Students will supply their own Scantrons (Form No. 882-E) for tests.
· Students are expected to pay attention and to participate in class discussions and activities.
· Students caught engaging in non-course activities (e.g., studying for another course, reading a newspaper) during class time will be counted absent.
· Students may not chat with others while the instructor is speaking. Violators may be asked to leave the classroom.
·
Students must call or e-mail the instructor
in advance if they have to miss class or a test. Failure to do so will result in a 0 for
attendance or for the test.
· Cheating or assisting another student to cheat on a test will result in a failure for the course.
· Submitting assignments or reports copied from another person or source will result in cancellation of credit for both persons for that assignment or report.
·
Submitting a term paper that was written by
someone else or copied from another source will result in a failure for the
course.
·
Late papers and assignments will not be
accepted.
· Students will be asked to sign a statement that they have received a copy of the syllabus. Students who do not sign the statement will be dropped from the course.
· Students are expected to remain in class until the end of the class period.
·
If you feel that you will need academic accommodations in
this class due to limits imposed by a disability then contact the
ATTENDANCE AND
CLASS PARTICIPATION
Attendance is expected. Keep in mind that discussion is important and
constitutes a substantial portion of your grade. If you are absent, you cannot benefit from
your classmates’ ideas; likewise, they cannot benefit from yours. The student must inform the instructor in
advance by phone, e-mail, or in person in order for the absence to be
excused (illness or emergency). Students
who have two
or more unexcused absences may be dropped without notice from the course. Students who acquire the fourth absence after
the "W" drop deadline will be assigned a course grade.
GRADING:
·
Tests: 67%
·
Annotated
Bibliography: 15% (2 copies)
·
Library assignments: 10%
·
Discussion: 8%
A = 90% - 100%; B =
80% – 89.9%; C = 70% – 79.9%; D = 60% – 69.9%; F = 0% – 59.9%
SOME IMPORTANT
DATES TO REMEMBER
Jan. 25 Last day to drop and receive a refund for a full-term class.
Feb. 14 Last day to drop a full-term class without record
April 14 Last day to withdraw from a full-term class with a “W”
May 20 Final Exam, 8:00-10:00 P.M.
EXTRA CREDIT: 10% maximum
Oral Report: Research and report
orally to the class on a topic relevant to our studies (e.g., John Brown’s
Raid). The oral presentation must be
delivered the week we are studying that particular topic. Student then hands in note cards/outline.
10%
maximum
Extra credit is in addition to, not a substitute for, the course
requirements. The student must also
complete all of the course requirements.
Failure to complete the library assignments and/or the annotated
bibliography automatically disqualifies a student from earning extra credit.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY GUIDELINES
PURPOSE:
To demonstrate your knowledge of a subject without the stress and constraints of an exam format. Writing a good annotated bibliography is a powerful and active learning experience that forces you to read more attentively and to clarify your thinking. An annotated bibliography is a list of sources (books, articles, WebPages, etc.) on a specific topic. It is like a research paper Works Cited page or Bibliography, except that each citation is followed by a paragraph that describes and evaluates the source; this paragraph is called the “annotation.”
The annotated
bibliography must deal with a topic that covers the period in American history
before the close of Civil War Reconstruction.
Bibliographies will be graded on the clarity of your evaluations, grammar, spelling, research, and format.
Please turn in two
copies of your paper. All papers
must be typed. If your paper is not
typed, it will not be graded. There will
be no exceptions to this requirement. Late papers will not be accepted.
Due date: April 29,
2008, beginning of class.
REQUIREMENTS:
1.
A topic statement that summarizes the subject
of the bibliography.
2.
An introduction that summarizes the steps
through which you went to complete your research.
3.
The annotated bibliography must be typed.
4.
Length: Approximately 1/4 to 1/3 page
single-spaced per entry. Do not exceed
2/3 page per entry. Within that space
you should clearly identify the central contribution that source makes and
offer meaningful comparisons which show how it complements or diverges from
other sources.
5.
Cite the sources using MLA bibliographic format,
arranging them alphabetically, chronologically, by format, or in some other
coherent way.
6.
The
bibliography must include at least 5 sources. Two must be books; one must be a scholarly
periodical article; and one must be a web site.
The other source(s) must come from the following categories:
·
Books
·
Subject-specific
encyclopedia articles
·
Scholarly
journal articles (not book reviews)
·
Web pages
·
Videos
- At least one of
the books must be from the Shasta College Library.
- Prior approval by the instructor is required if
students would like to incorporate materials from outside libraries or
their personal collections.
- Although you may
use general encyclopedias and the textbook for background information, you
may not include them on your final annotated bibliography.
- The annotation
for each source should be one paragraph and include a summary and as many
of these items as possible:
·
Information
explaining the authority/qualifications of the author (occupation, university
or institutional affiliation, if available).
·
Scope and
main purpose of the work.
·
An
evaluation of the quality of the source.
·
The
intended audience.
·
Any biases
you detect (Does the author seem to be objective?).
·
Comparison or contrast
with other works that you have cited.
- See the course web page for an example of an annotated
bibliography.
Please turn in two
copies of your paper. All papers must be
typed and single-spaced. If your paper
is not typed, it will not be graded.
There will be no exceptions to this requirement. Staple your paper in the upper left
corner. Late papers will not be
accepted.
Due date: April 29
at the beginning of class.
Plagiarism
The dictionary (dictionary.com) defines plagiarism as “1: a piece of writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work 2: the act of plagiarizing; taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own.”
Examples
of Plagiarism include:
“Buying, stealing, or borrowing a paper.
Using a source too closely when paraphrasing
Hiring someone to write your paper
Building on someone’s ideas without citation
Copying from another source without citing (on purpose or
by accident)” (Owl Online Writing Lab,
Rules and Regulations: Any
student found to have committed the following misconduct is subject to the
disciplinary sanctions outlined in Board Policy, Section 5420.
Acts of dishonesty, including but not limited
to the following:
Cheating, plagiarism, or other forms
of academic dishonesty. Academic
dishonesty is the willful and intentional fraud and deception for the purpose
of improving a grade or obtaining course credit, and includes all student
behavior by fraudulent and/or deceptive means.
The student has the full responsibility for the content and integrity of
all academic work submitted.
-- Quote
from the
Plagiarized papers
will result in a failure for the course.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY EVALUATION FORM
CONTENT (WEAK=1
& STRONG=5): 80%
Accuracy 12345
Quality of works cited 12345
Number of works cited 12345
Variety of works cited 12345
Mastery of material 12345
Clear summary of main idea of source 12345
Evaluation of the quality of the source 12345
ORGANIZATION,
PURPOSE, AND COHERANCE 15%
Clarity of purpose of bibliography 12345
Introductory paragraph 12345
Logical development of annotation 12345
Consistent support of main idea of bibliography 12345
GRAMMAR, SPELLING,
AND FORMAT 5%
Grammar 12345
Spelling 12345
Format of references 12345
Course
Outline and Assigned Readings
Date:
January
15 – Introduction
January
22 – Migrants to the
Assigned
January
29 – The English Occupy
Assigned
February
5 – The Colonial People Develop
New Ways of Life and Thought
Assigned
Test
#1 (Chaps. 1-5)
February
12 – The Struggle Against
Assigned
Library
Assignment #1 due
February
19 –
And the Revolution Came
Assigned