Welcome to History 109, Spring 2005
Mon/Wed 11:00 a.m.─ 12:15 p.m. Section #0963

Description Unit Exams Quizzes Grades Class participation Instant Messaging Class Policies Schedule Assignments & Exams

  Click here for a printable syllabus and assignments chart

Description

A survey of the political, social, and cultural development of the United States from the period after Reconstruction, postwar expansion, the industrial revolution, transition to a world power to the present.

Course Objectives
      The student will be able to:

1. Identify the basic themes of the history of the United States from 1877 to the present.

2. Describe major constitutional development.

3. Compare and contrast significant theories of historical interpretation.

4. Discuss the significance of the study of history for present day society.

5. Identify economic change, social change, intellectual currents, and the importance of science and technology in American society.

6. Describe the position of the United States in the world today by developing an understanding of the historical role of the United States' foreign policy.

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Course Texts

• Brinkley, Alan. American History: A Survey. Volume II. 11th edition. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002

• Binder, Frederick M. and Reimers, David M. The Way We Lived; Essays and Documents in American Social History, Volume II, 5th edition. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Co. 2003.

Method of Instruction

The major method of presentation will be lectures and class discussion. At times, additional assignments will be given. Students are expected to attend class and to come to class prepared to discuss the day's assignments. Students should also take notes on the study guide, class lectures, discussions and homework assignments. The study guide is for your benefit and will not be handed in as a graded assignment. I distribute study guides and handouts. If you are absent it is your responsibility to get any handouts distributed during the classes that you missed. Most handouts and study guides are available on my website www.cuyamaca.edu/shaber. Click on the link for your course on my homepage.

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Course Requirements

Unit Exams  (300 total points)

Students will complete three units exams. They will be given on these dates: March 3, April 14, and May 26. Exams will be part essay and part objective. Each exam is worth 100 points. A blue book (small size) and a pen are necessary to take the essay portion of the exam. I will exchange blue books with you to make sure your blue book is clean when you begin. A pencil and a Scantron^® form 882 are necessary to take the objective portion of the exam. If you miss a unit exam you have to notify me on or before the date of the exam with a valid excuse in order to schedule a make-up exam. If you do not do, so you will not be allowed to take the make-up exam. Make-up exams are more difficult. Make-up exams must be scheduled no later than one week from the scheduled exam date. If you do not arrive to take the make-up exam at our mutually agreed upon time and date, consequences will be severe (either not allowed to reschedule the exam or penalized a percentage of the exam). If you miss the final exam, you will have to take an "incomplete" grade to you for the course. You are responsible for obtaining the paperwork for the "Incomplete" grade at the Admissions and Records office.

Quizzes

Quizzes are weekly and are timed at 30 minutes maximum. Quizzes are comprised of 10 questions relating to the vocabulary for the assigned chapter or chapters. They are Web-based. They are due on Sunday night by 11:55 p.m. You have two opportunities to take the first quiz on the reading assignment for Chapter #16. These quizzes are in WebCT on a link on the course website. Go to my home page, www.cuyamaca.edu/shaber) and click "online quizzes." Additional information on accessing quizzes will be given in class. There will be a quiz orientation on Monday, January 31. You can access the quizzes on any computer with Internet capability. Our LRC has open computer labs for all students currently enrolled. You need to register for IS 198 Section 1010 in order to use the lab. Add cards are available at all times in the Open Lab. Call the Open Lab at 619-660-4447 ext.7 if you have any questions.

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Grades

I will post grades periodically on my website (www.cuyamaca.edu/shaber).Click on Student Progress link on the left panel of my home page. Go to this course and type in your 9-digit student number. I will distribute this number at the start of the semester. You are expected to write the number on your syllabus or in your textbook. Students are responsible for keeping track of their points received for each assignment. There is a convenient chart located at the back of this syllabus for your use. Students are strongly advised to keep their graded work in case there is a disagreement as to points earned at the end of the semester. Final grades will be available on the Student Progress link or by telephone via College Connection. I will not communicate grade information by telephone or e-mail. I do not round up the percentage score for final course grades since extra credit is available throughout the semester. Final course grades are not negotiable. I will only revisit your final grade if I have made a mathematical error or if I entered the wrong score in my grade book.

Grading Scale

Summary of Evaluations

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Class Participation  (50 points)

Attendance will be taken on a regular basis. Each student may miss three classes without penalty, but after the third absence there will be a 10-point penalty for each absence thereafter. Points will be determined on the basis of attendance and participation in class discussion and group activities. Turning in your completed group assignment on your group activity date is a component of the class participation grade. Students may also participate by posting to the class discussion board via WebCT (to be explained in class). An important component of the participation grade is classroom courtesy and respect for both the instructor and classmates. If any student chooses to violate course policies, he or she will forfeit significant class participation points.

Instant Messaging Requirement

Students are required to Instant Message me, your instructor, at least one time per unit period. You can contact me as often as you wish during Instant Messaging sessions; however the maximum points possible for this activity is 10 points per unit. Your question in your Instant Message has to concern content for that unit. The deadline to submit in order to earn 10 points is by the end of office hours on these dates: March 1 for Unit Test 1, April 12 for Unit Test 2, and March 24 for the Final. I will distribute specific directions on how to use Instant Messaging in class.

Class Policies

• All assignments must be completed. If the writing assignment is not turned in to the instructor, points in the amount of the value of the assignment will be deducted from the student's total points for the semester in the course. Graded requirements that are completed late, such as the written homework assignment or make-up exams completed after the scheduled make-up, will be penalized a percentage of the grade for that evaluation.

• Students are expected to attend class for the total class meeting time. If you need to leave early you must notify the instructor before the session begins. I do not allow students to leave the room once the class has started!!! No backpack rule: I regard packing up early disruptive. Please do not pack up until prompted to do so.

• Courtesy is important in the classroom in order to maintain a positive classroom learning environment. Please turn off all beepers and cell phones when you enter. Place these items in your purse or backpack away from your lap or desk. If there is a significant reason why you must leave your phone or pager turned on, please discuss this with me before doing do. Please keep your phones, pagers and Ipods or other electronic equipment items in your purse or backpack. They must be off your desk, lap, and out of sight. Another aspect of classroom courtesy is to refrain from talking while the instructor or your fellow classmates are talking. Students who choose to violate this policy may be asked to leave the classroom or may be placed in another seat in the room. Also, class participation points will be deducted for lack of respect and courtesy in the classroom.

• Students must come to class on time. Three tardies will count as one unexcused absence. If you are tardy, do not walk in front of the instructor; wait for an opportune moment to take your seat. Tardies will be considered when I distribute class participation grade points. It is your responsibility to sign the attendance sheet after class if it has been distributed before you entered the classroom.

• Attendance will be taken regularly. Only four unexcused absences will be allowed. Failure to comply may result in my dropping you from the course with an "excessive absence drop" (see Attendance Policy - Cuyamaca College Catalog). Each student may miss three classes without penalty for class participation grade. There will be a 10-point penalty for every absence after the third one. Call me at 660-4212  or e-mail me at susan.haber@gcccd.edu in order to find out the work that you missed and the assignments for the next class meeting. Also it is wise to contact a fellow student if you are absent to discuss missed coursework and future assignments.

• E-mail and Instant Messenger Policy: E-mail or Instant Messenger is a good way to contact me since I am frequently online. When you e-mail of "IM" me, please place your class name (e.g., Hi 109, 8:00 a.m.) in the subject line and give me your full name with either form of communication. "Hi, this is Sandra" is inappropriate. There might be more than one Sandra in your class. Although you might be used to informal e-mail communication with friends, I expect "formal" and respectful writing in all your written communication to me, such as using a salutation as "Dear," Hello," or "Good Evening."

• Students are advised to do some extra credit when it is offered in order to build up their point total.

• If you cannot attend class on a Unit Exam date and you have a valid excuse, you must contact me on or before the exam date. If you do not do so you will not be allowed to take a make-up exam. Make-up exams must be scheduled within one week of the scheduled exam date. There is another policy if you miss the Final Exam. (See make-up exam policy delineated under the syllabus under topic, "Unit Exams.")

• If I find you cheating, I will take away your work and give you a zero for that evaluation. If the cheating occurs again, I will drop you from the class.  Please keep your eyes on your own paper during exams. Wandering eyes might be interpreted as reading someone's work in order to use their information for your exam, which is cheating.

• Come to class with writing materials. Please take all extraneous items off your desk and out of sight. Personal grooming or eating is not allowed. I allow you to drink liquids. Please be careful and clean up after yourself.

• You will need to purchase three (3) Scantron^® forms 882-ES for exams. The essay portion of the Unit Exams will be written in pen in a blue book. You must bring a new and "clean" Blue Book (small size) and a Scantron^® to class to be able to take the essay portion.

• Graded Group Activities: You must be present in class with your assignment completed and written when your group compiles its information and makes the presentation in order to receive the 10 points for each graded scheduled group activity. It is your responsibility to check the syllabus to see the dates that group work is due. if you are absent the meeting before the group activity date, you must call or e-mail me to get your assigned topic. Points will be deducted for incomplete or sloppy work. You must turn in your own work. Turning in the same written work (the same words for a portion of the paper or for the whole paper) as another member of your group will result in a zero (0) for this activity. The presentation if a "group" function; however the preparation for the group response is an individual one. Written group work cannot be submitted late.

• If you have a documented disability, please see me to arrange accommodations.

• This course adheres to the policies outlines in the Cuyamaca College catalog. This is a college-level class. You must commit to reading the texts on a daily basis to do well in the course.

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Class Schedule
 

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Dates to Know

• 2/25       Last day to apply for credit/no credit

• 3/18       Last day to apply for degree or certificate

• 4/22       Last day to drop

• 5/25       Wednesday FINAL EXAM 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

• Assignments in The Way We Lived will be given at the end of each class meeting.

• The dates and assignments in the syllabus are subject to change by the instructor, if necessary.

• Chapters listed for Brinkley text are approximate. Specific page numbers and assignments will be given in class at the end of each meeting.

Assignments and Exams

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