Syllabus for History M25: History of the United States
Spring 2008, MW 5:00-6:50, Moorpark College, Room HSS-101
Instructor: Krister Swanson, e-mail kswanson@vcccd.edu
webpage: www.jkswanson.com/m25.htm
This course
surveys the political, economic, and social development of the United States.
It traces the constant and changing values that shaped American institutions,
and analyzes the diversity of the American people. Upon completion of
this course you will have a much stronger sense of how the United States
reached its present state, both domestically and as a part of the greater world
community.
Plagiarism:
You are
responsible for understanding the Moorpark College code of academic practice
(available online at http://www.moorparkcollege.edu/catalog/policies.html ). Any student who plagiarizes in this class will
receive an "F" grade and be referred to the Dean of Student
Learning.
Grading:
Your course
grade will be determined by your performance on the following assignments:
PowerPoint Presentation (30 points, or 10%): This is
intended to be a fun and informative activity for you and the whole
class. Pick a topic of interest related to one of the lecture topics and
develop a PowerPoint presentation, complete with well-organized text and
helpful images, for presentation to the class. The goal is an interesting
and informative 10-15 minute presentation that strengthens our understanding of
your topic.
You need to
sign up for your PowerPoint topic with me no later than February 20th.
Midterm Exam (60 points, or 20%): A traditional
in class exam scheduled for March 12th. Please make sure you bring a 50 question scantron form and a bluebook (both available in
the Moorpark College bookstore) with you.
Final Exam (60 points, or 20%): A
traditional in class exam scheduled for May 7th. Please make sure you bring
a 50 question scantron form and a bluebook (both
available in the Moorpark College bookstore) with you.
Short Research Paper (60 points,
or 20%): This 5-7 page paper based entirely on primary source documents
related to a particular topic. We will discuss the specific requirements
of this paper in class on February 11th, in the meantime you need to begin
developing a paper proposal that outlines your proposed topic and the documents
you plan to use, this proposal is due February 28th. The final paper is
due on April 21st. Guidelines for the research
paper can be found here.
Attendance and Class Participation (90
points, or 30%): This category is fairly self-explanatory. You
will lose 10 points for each missed class session. I will break this
grade down into three 30-point assignments. These grades will be recorded
on 2/27, 3/31, and 4/30. These grades will also be determined by the quality of
your work in class (debates, discussions, etc.). Please note that when you are
present I expect you to be present. Your cellphone
should be silenced and put away, and laptops will be used for class related
purposes only. Do not underestimate the power of the negative image you create
when you try send text messages or e-mails on class time.
On each
assignment you will receive a certain number of points out of the points
possible. At the end of the course I will divide the total points you
have earned by 300 to determine your percentage. From that point the
standard grading scale (90-100%=A, 80-89.9=B, 70-79.9=C, 60-69.9=D, 0-59.9=F)
will be used to determine your final grade for the course.
Course
Schedule:
|
Date |
Assigned
Reading/Assignments Due |
|
2/4 |
Introduction |
|
2/6 |
Chapter 4 |
|
2/11 |
Chapter 6 -
Discussion of Research Paper Requirements |
|
2/13 |
No Class -
use your time to start exploring paper topics and looking for documents |
|
2/18 |
No Class -
President's Day |
|
2/20 |
Chapter 9 -Sign Ups for Discussion/PowerPoint Topics
|
|
2/25 |
Chapter 11 |
|
2/27 |
Chapter 13 Paper Topics Due, First Attendance and Participation Grade |
|
3/3 |
Chapter 14 |
|
3/5 |
Chapter 16 |
|
3/10 |
No Reading -
Midterm Review |
|
3/12 |
Midterm Exam |
|
3/17 & 3/19 |
No Class -
Spring Break |
|
3/24 |
Chapter 19 |
|
3/26 |
Chapter 21 |
|
3/31 |
Chapter 22 Second Attendance and Participation Grade |
|
4/2 |
Chapter 23 |
|
4/7 |
Chapter 24 |
|
4/9 |
Chapter 25 |
|
4/14 |
Chapter 26 |
|
4/16 |
Chapter 27 |
|
4/21 |
Chapter 28 |
|
4/23 |
Chapter 29 |
|
4/28 |
Chapter 30 |
|
4/30 |
Third
Attendance and Participation Grade |
|
5/5 |
Final Exam
Review |
|
5/7 |
Final Exam |
The course schedule
(updated 2/4/08) is subject to change; in the event of a schedule change notice
will be given via e-mail.
PPT
Schedule (updated 3/11/08)
|
Date |
Presenter |
Topic |
|
3/3 |
K. Garcia |
Founding Fathers/Free Masons |
|
3/3 |
A. Redlin |
Beginning of Suffrage Movement |
|
3/5 |
Juan Zavalza |
Mex-Am war
(Mexican Military Perspective) |
|
3/5 |
Dave Perez |
Nat Turner's Rebellion |
|
3/10 |
Cole Ducey |
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln |
|
3/10 |
Natalie Olson |
The Life of Soldiers During the Civil War |
|
3/26 |
Brandon Jobsz |
Andrew Carnegie |
|
3/31 |
Kellie Maestri |
Leopold & Loeb |
|
3/31 |
Reena Sanchez |
Societal Changes During WWI |
|
3/31 |
Damon Navo |
Ford Model T |
|
4/2 |
Shera Cox |
Flapper Fashions |
|
4/2 |
Roshan Esmailpour |
Rise of Hollywood |
|
4/7 |
Yasmine Abdallat |
Rise of Professional Sports |
|
4/7 |
Victor Gonzalez |
Jazz in the 1920s |
|
4/7 |
Dan MacNair |
Prohibition & Organized Crime |
|
4/9 |
Jose Zapata |
Depression Era Fads |
|
4/9 |
Brandon Krause |
Depression & Dust Bowl |
|
4/9 |
Amberd Garcia |
Great Depression |
|
4/14 |
Mike Winmill |
Business Growth during WWII |
|
4/14 |
Ashley Franiak |
Women in Defense in WWII |
|
4/14 |
Kristin Ross |
Invasion of Normandy |
|
4/16 |
Jack Ludowitz |
Battle of the Bulge |
|
4/16 |
Josh Klepacki |
Manhattan Project |
|
4/21 |
Brianna Krause |
Rosa Parks |
|
4/21 |
Benji
Shabbazi |
Viking Space Program |
|
4/21 |
Alejandro Gomez |
Assassination of JFK |
|
4/23 |
Christopher Sierra |
Cesar Chavez in the CRM |
|
4/23 |
Derek Bush |
Malcolm X in the CRM |
|
4/23 |
Alex Castellanos |
Brown Berets |
|
4/23 |
Heather Boyd |
Music in the 1960s |
|
4/30 |
David Smith |
Steve Jobs in the Tech Boom |
|
4/30 |
Regina Jorge |
Filipino Immigration after 1980 |