Chad Montrie                                                                                               Office Hours, Tues., 12:30-2, Thurs., Coburn Hall (ext. 4275)                                                                                  12:30-2:30, and by appointment chad_montrie@uml.edu
http://faculty.uml.edu/chad_montrie/

 

This course is the second part of a survey of early American and United States history.  It begins at the end of Reconstruction (1877) and concludes with the late 1980s.  One of the goals of the course is to provide you with a basic knowledge of events, historic figures, and ideas of U.S. history during that time.  We will do this partly through weekly lectures, arranged chronologically as well as topically.  Various readings and films will also supplement the lecture material and introduce you to other interpretations of historical change.  In addition, this course is designed to help you improve a number of basic skills.  By the end of the semester you should have become a more critical reader as well as more adept at expressing yourself in writing and orally.  The different assignments that will facilitate your improvement in these areas include regular readings, discussions, and exams.

 

Required Readings

(available in the bookstore, through the Virtual Catalogue system, and at public libraries):

Larry Schweikart & Michael Patrick Allen, A Patriot’s History of the United States
Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States

Assignments:

Response Papers – 30%
Exam #1 – 15%
Exam #2 – 25%
Exam #3 – 25%
Event Review – 5%

Response Papers – Your writing assignments for the course are three response papers, comparing the two narrative histories you are reading, answering questions about their differences and similarities (see the course webpage for specific questions).  Each paper should be 1-2 pages in length, typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, in 10-12 point font, and no spaces between paragraphs.  They are worth 10 points, graded as full (10 points), partial (6-9 points), or no credit (0 points), for a possible total 30 points, worth 30 percent of your final course grade.  Late papers will lose one point for every class meeting day overdue. 

Exams – There are three exams for the course.  The first exam will include four short answer identification questions, drawing primarily on lecture material, films, and readings.  The second and third exams will each include four short answer identification questions as well, but also an open-ended essay question, asking you to compare some aspect of the two narrative histories (see the course webpage for a full list of possible identification terms and essay questions).  We will talk about format and expectations in greater detail when we get closer to the scheduled dates.  The first exam is worth 15 percent of your course grade while the others are worth 25 percent.  None of the three are cumulative.  Makeup exams require written documentation indicating the nature of an excused absence.

Event Review: At various times during the semester you will have the opportunity to attend a campus event relevant to what we are studying in the course.  After doing this, you must write a 1-2 page review, typed, submitted within one week of the event.  This is worth 5 percent of your final course grade.

Grading Scale: For the final course grade the grading scale is as follows: A (92.5 and above), A- (89.5 to 92.4), B+ (87.5 to 89.4), B (82.5 to 87.4), B- (79.5 to 82.4), C+ (77.5 to 79.4), C (72.5 to 77.4), C- (69.5 to 72.4), D+ (67.5 to 69.4), D (62.5 to 67.4), and F (62.4 and below).  If at any time you have questions about the grading on an assignment and/or wish to dispute a grade you should come see me during office hours.  I will only consider serious and well-reasoned arguments for changing a grade.

Plagiarism and Cheating:  Evidence of plagiarism in response papers or cheating during exams—in violation of University policy—will result in an “F” on the assignment or exam and might lead to a formal disciplinary procedure (refer to the University’s course catalog for more details).

Classroom/Course Accommodations: If you have any special learning needs please let me know and I will see about making the course and/or classroom more accommodating.  Also, notify me if your religious observances conflict at some point with assignment due dates or examinations and we will make different arrangements if necessary.