Trinity Valley Community College

History 1302

(History of the United States from 1877)

 

 

Instructor

Larry Wade                                                                              

E-mail: larry.wadejr@tvcc.edu

                                                      

 

Course Description

This course is a general survey of the history of the United States from 1877 to the present.

 

Required Text

Roark: The American Promise (Third Edition) ISBN: 0312406878.

 

Course Objectives

The objective of this course is to introduce you to the history of United States from 1877.   Upon completing this course, you will be able to:

 

1.         explain the relevance of  U.S. history to current events.

 

2.         relate the actual and potential  impact of U.S. history to your daily life.

 

3.         identify the geographic characteristics of major U.S. regions.

 

4.         identify the political, economic, and social forces that have been major factors in

            the development of the United States since Reconstruction.         

 

5.         use technology to gather and interpret historical information.

 

Course Requirements

This course is based on a series of readings, exams, and Internet activities.  To be successful in the course, it will be necessary for you to complete the Internet activities and exams before the posted deadlines and keep up with assigned readings.  It is extremely important that you have constant access to a reliable (primary and backup) computer with Internet access. Having technical problems, especially last-minute technical problems, is no excuse for submitting assignments after the posted deadlines. Review sheets for each exam will be posted on the course homepage. Please keep the review sheets; they are for your convenience. The exams consist of multiple choice, true/false, matching and/or essay questions. If you have questions about the exam format, please feel free to ask. You will have a 90-minute time limit on each exam. ALL EXAMS MUST BE TAKEN IN A TESTING CENTER. It your responsibility to contact your testing center to make exam arrangements. Please make arrangements with your testing center at least one week before you take your exam. Each exam has a deadline. Please refer to the Exam Deadlines section below for specific dates.

 

Please DO NOT wait until the last minute to complete assignments or exams. However, if you choose to wait until the last minute, please understand that unexpected events which arise at the last minute WILL NOT be accepted as excuses for completing exams or submitting assignments after the posted deadlines. Exams and/or assignments submitted after the posted deadlines WILL NOT be accepted. After you complete each exam, you should able to immediately access your exam score. But please understand that the exam answers WILL NOT be released.  If you are unable to see your exam score as soon as you have completed the exam, please contact me immediately. In addition to the exams, there will be four Internet activities. 

 

The first two Internet assignments (Internet Activities #1 and #2) are voluntary and you will NOT receive a grade on them. Instead, you will receive credit at the end of the semester if you have a borderline semester grade. The remaining two are mandatory. Internet Activities #3 and #4 are worth 50 points each, and they count collectively as an exam grade. At least ten points will be deducted each day Internet Activity #3 or #4 is late. If one of them (Internet Activity #3 or #4) is submitted five days after the deadline, it WILL NOT be accepted. Even though Internet Activities #1 and #2 are voluntary assignments, your participation will be heavily considered when borderline semester grades are determined. Grades for the Internet assignments will be posted according to the course calendar. If your grade is unavailable by the date indicated on the course calendar, or if you have a question about a grade, please contact me immediately. If you have not contacted me within five days after the grades have been posted, I will assume that your grade is correct and no (grade) changes will be made. Completing exams and assignments before the posted deadlines will also be heavily considered when borderline grades are determined. In other words, if you need an additional point (aside from the voluntary assignments) at the end of the semester, another factor will be whether or not you completed ALL exams and assignments on time. Please understand that if you have NOT completed ALL exams and assignments before the posted deadlines, NO extra points will be awarded at the end of the semester.

 

To determine your semester grade, add your four exam grades, plus the total number of points you received from the Internet activities, and divide by five. Remember, the Internet activities count collectively as ONE exam grade. Please do not wait until the last minute to complete assignments or take exams. If you have problems accessing WebCT, please contact me early in the week at my personal e-mail address (larry.wadejr@tvcc.edu). Please DO NOT send assignments to my personal e-mail address. My personal e-mail address should ONLY be used when you have difficulty accessing WebCT. Remember, that is the letter “l”, NOT the number ONE, in my e-mail address (larry.wadejr@tvcc.edu). Internet assignments and other course-related e-mail should be sent through WebCT.

 

If you have a question, please type the word “question” in the subject box. Questions will always receive priority over other e-mail. If you are submitting an assignment, type the title of the assignment in the subject box. If you send a message that indicates an assignment is included, and you neglect to include the actual assignment before the deadline, it WILL NOT be accepted. It is your responsibility to make sure all assignments are sent correctly. It is also your responsibility to log in daily to check for e-mail and discussion messages, assignments, and calendar updates. Please DO NOT send assignments as attachments. Assignments sent as attachments WILL NOT be accepted. If your name has changed (as a result of marital status, for example), please notify me immediately. If you feel that you WILL NOT be able to abide by the course requirements, you should reconsider taking the course.

 

Exam Deadlines

ALL exams will be available on _____________ and all exams MUST be completed before 11:00 p.m. on the dates listed below. Remember, ALL exams MUST be taken in a testing center, and it your responsibility to make arrangements with the testing center.

 

Exam #1 MUST be completed by 11:00 p.m. on _____________. The remaining exams (Exam #2, Exam #3, and the Final Exam) MUST be completed by 11:00 p.m. on _____________.

 

Grading System

Remember, to determine your semester grade, add your four exam grades, plus the total number of points you received from the Internet activities, and divide by five. The Internet activities count collectively as ONE exam grade.

 

100-90             A

89-80               B

79-70               C        

69-60               D

below 60          F

 

 

Course Outline

 

Exam #1 will cover Chapters 17-20

 

I.                Business and Politics in the Gilded Age (Chapter 17)

II.             The West in the Gilded Age (Ch. 18)

III.           The City and Its Workers (Ch. 19)

IV.            Dissent, Depression, and War (Ch. 20)

 

Exam #2 (Chapters 21-24)

 

V.             Progressivism (Ch. 21)

VI.           World War I (Ch. 22)

VII.         From New Era to Great Depression (Ch.23)

VIII.      The New Deal Experiment (Ch. 24)

 

Exam #3 (Chapters 25-28)

 

IX.          The United States and the Second World War (Ch. 25)

X.             Cold War Politics in the Truman Years (Ch.26)

XI.          The Politics and Culture of Abundance (Ch. 27)

     XII.        Reform, Rebellion, and Reaction (Ch. 28)

 

Final Exam (Chapters 29-31)

 

XIII.      Vietnam and the Limits of Power (Ch. 29)

XIV.      America Moves to the Right (Ch. 30)

XV.        The End of the Cold War and the Challenges of Globalization (Ch. 31)