As a Catholic university rooted in the liberal arts, we are a welcoming community of learners challenged by Franciscan values and charism, engaged in a continuous pursuit of knowledge, faith, wisdom, and justice, and ever mindful of a tradition that emphasizes reverence for creation, compassion, and peacemaking. We strive for academic excellence in all programs, preparing women and men to contribute to the world through service and leadership.

A survey of American history from 1865 to the 1990s covering, among other events, the era of Reconstruction, the age of industrialization, the Depression, war and Cold War, the turmoil of the 1960s, and recent politics and culture.

Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, you should have accomplished the following:

Required Texts:                                                            
      The following should be purchased  from the University Book store:

• Textbook: Robert Divine, et. al. America, Past and Present, Vol. 2, (Brief Sixth Edition)
  
• Reader: John Hollitz, Thinking Through the Past: A Critical Thinking Approach to U.S. History, Vol. 2 (Third Edition)
  

Requirements and (Tentative) Grading Percentages       

Grading Scale: A = 90 - 100         (900 - 1000 points)
                                B  = 80 - 89           (800 -  900 points)
                               C  = 70 - 79           (700 -  800 points)
                               D  = 60 - 69           (600 -  700 points)
                               F  = below 60       (below 600 points)

A. Attendance and  class participation are worth 5%. (or 50 points)

B. Quizzes: You will be given a quiz every week---usually on Friday---on the assigned reading--from the Hollitz book. The quizzes collectively will be worth 10%. (or 100 points total) I do not give makeup quizzes, but I will throw out the worst quiz grade at the end of the semester.

C. Cultural Experiences: 6% of your final grade. (60 points)
   As part of this class experience, you are asked to participate in three cultural experiences outside of the classroom that have some relation to American history, politics or culture. Each one you do will add 2% (or
    20  points) to your final  grade. I ask for three, the most I will accept for points is four.
    Cultural experiences can be lectures, concerts, a film in a college film series, or discussion groups, sponsored on-campus or off. You may also listen to 2 hours of cultural programming on NPR (National Public 
    Radio--91.5 FM--WBEZ) in lieu of an event.
    To get credit, you must attend, take notes, and hand in a ticket stub and a short (two- paragraph) typed synopsis of the event. One paragraph will give a summary,and the next  will give your response to it.
    After going to an event, you have one week to hand in your synopsis to get credit.
    You must have done at least the first by February 26. At least two by April 2, and all three by the last week of  the semester.

D. Tests: There will be three tests, including the final. The first two will count for 20% (200 points each) of the final grade; the final for 25%.(250 points)  The final will have a cumulative element.
N.B.  Tests CANNOT be made up except if there was a clear, documented  EMERGENCY that caused you to miss the scheduled test. In the unusual circumstance that such an emergency has occurred, you must contact me as soon as possible!

E. Writing assignments: Worth 14% (140 points) of final grade. These consist of a review essay on Hollitz, and a final essay due at the end of the semester. To help the environment, please try to use both sides of the paper, or use recycled paper--- paper that has already been printed on one side.

 1) Review essay on Hollitz book:
Each student will write an essay based on a chapter from Hollitz.  These will be 3-4 pages long and will explore a theme about the selected readings discussed in each chapter. The theme of your essay should focus on answering the main question(s) posed in the "investigation" section of the chapter. You may use the follow-up questions the author poses as a guide for answering the main question. Your  essay should not merely summarize the readings, or merely consist of a " question and answer" format., but instead should be a well organized, well argued, creative answer to the main question Hollitz poses for that chapter. You should make reference to the readings, but you do not need to discuss every source presented in the chapter. You need to (as Hollitz suggests) read the section of our textbook (Divine, et.al.) that discusses the event or era explored in the Hollitz chapter. You need to read this in order to give you background and context for the sources discussed in Hollitz.

Guidelines for the Hollitz review essays:

a.  Think carefully about the main question and the readings and write an essay that answers the question well . You should organize your thoughts into clear, defensible arguments.

b.  Papers must be typed, double-spaced; 3-4 pages long.

c.  I grade for content and writing skills. I recommend taking the paper to the Writing Center for help a few days before it is due. I also recommend carefully reading over your paper before printing it out. If there are too many spelling mistakes or typos, your grade will be severely reduced.

d.  The essay can have a title, but it must also have the chapter and book title with Hollitz's name cited at the top of the essay e.g.  "Evaluating Primary Sources: 'Saving' the Indians in the Late 19th Century,"  Chapter 3 in Thinking Through the Past by John Hollitz.

e.  Quotations: Since the paper is short, you should use relatively short quotations, if you use them at all.  If you do use a direct quote, it  must  be enclosed in quotation marks, and should cite the page number in parenthesis after it.: for example:  (p. 121).

f. Due Date:
You may choose which chapter to write about, depending on interest and work load.  There are two stipulations: Papers MUST be handed in the day the chapter is assigned.  Also, every student MUST submit their  paper by March 30. I do mark down for lateness.

2) A Final  Essay is also due on the question: "What do you feel to be the key themes in American history since  1865  and why?"  Should be 3-4 pages, typed, double spaced.This is not an assignment that will touch on everything or even most things, in early  American history. Discuss what you feel to be some interesting themes in U.S. history. Don't simply list names or events, but come up with some key themes and discuss them, using key events, persons, trends etc. to support your arguments. Due 4/23.

For both written assignments, you must hand in a regular (hard) copy to me AND submit an electronic copy (word processing file) to www.turnitin.com. You will need to go to that web site, create an account for yourself, then access the course by using its class ID# and password. Then you can follow the directions to submit your paper. Here are the numbers you will need.
10:00 Class ID#: 1773157        Password: History1
11:00 Class ID#  1773158         Password: History2 

Course Schedule and Reading Assignments:
  All readings and assignments are due on the day they are listed.

1/8  Syllabus and course introduction

1/10  Divine, Chapter 16

1/12  Quiz : Hollitz, chapter 1

 Week Two: The Struggle over the West

1/15: No Class in honor of Martin Luther King Day

1/17  Divine, Chapter  17

1/19  No quiz this week. Viewing of 'Last Stand at the Little Big Horn.'

 Week Three: Toward an Urban Industrial Society

1/22   Divine, Chapter  18

1/24      "             "       "

1/26    Quiz: Hollitz, chapter  2.

 Week Four: Reform and the Move to Empire

1/29  Divine, Chapter  19.

1/31    Divine, Chapter  21.

2/2  Quiz: Hollitz, chapter 4.

 Week Five: The Progressive Era

2/5  Divine, Chapter  23.

2/7      "         "          "

2/9: TEST

 Week Six: WWI

2/12   Divine, Chapter  24.

2/14    Continue

2/16   Quiz: Reading on WWI, handed out in class last week.

 Week Seven: The Roaring Twenties

2/19   Divine, Chapter   25.

2/21      "          "           "

2/23   Quiz: Hollitz, chapter  6.

 Week Eight: Depression and the New Deal

2/26  Divine, Chapter  26.
Deadline for first cultural experience

2/28   Continue chapter 26.

3/2  Quiz: Hollitz, chapter  7.

 Week of 3/4 to 3/11 is Spring Break; Enjoy!

 Week Nine: World War Two:

3/12:   Divine, Chapter  27.

3/14      "          "          "

3/16  Quiz: Hollitz, chapter  8.

 Week Ten: The Cold War

3/19: TEST #2

3/21:  Divine, Chapter  28.

3/23   Quiz: Hollitz chapter 9.

 Week Eleven: Civil Rights

3/26. Divine, chapter 29:
Deadline for Second Cultural Experience

3/28  Continue .

3/30 Quiz: Hollitz, chapter 10.
Deadline for turning in Hollitz Essay

 Week Twelve: Continue Civil Rights. Vietnam and the Cold War

4/2   Continue Civil Rights.

4/4 Continue Civil Rights.

4/6  No Class; Good Friday 

 Week Thirteen: Protest and Reaction: From Vietnam to Watergate

4/9  Divine, Chapter  30.

4/11       "         "         "

4/13 Quiz: Hollitz, chapter 11

 Week Fourteen:  Continue Vietnam

4/16  Readings, TBA

4/18   Continue Vietnam

4/20 Quiz: Hollitz, chapter 12

 Week Fifteen: Watergate and Beyond

4/23 Final Essay Due.
Divine, Chapter  31 and 32..

4/25    Continue Divine, Chapter  31 and 32

4/27:  Deadline for third cultural experience

Week of April 30-May 4: Final Exam Week. Final Exam for this class will be cumulative.

N.B. Academic Integrity: Academic integrity requires that all academic work be wholly the product of an identified individual or individuals. Collaboration is only acceptable when it is explicitly acknowledged. Ethical conduct is the obligation of every member of the University community, and breaches of academic integrity constitute serious offenses. Since a lack of integrity hinders the student's academic development, it cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. Violations include but are not limited to: cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and denying others access to information or material. See USF Catalog for further clarification and information on grievance procedures.

Special Needs: The University strives to be in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. To this end, a student who requires special support or arrangements due to a disability should contact the Office of Disability Services Administrator, Pat Vivio at 815-740-3204 in the Academic Resource Center (Library) to coordinate accommodations. This contact should occur no later than the first week of classes in order to allow for sufficient time to provide accommodations. Should a need arrive after the start of a semester, the student is encouraged to contact the ADA coordinator as soon as possible. Each case will be reviewed on an individual basis.

Academic Support Services: Various types of academic services offered by the Academic Resource
Center (ARC) 815-740-5060 located in Room 214 in the Library. Online
and distance learning students can contact ARC for appropriate resources.
Library services include a number of online services and full text databases. Call the Library at 815-740-5041 for additional information.

The instructor reserves the right to adjust the syllabus and class schedule as circumstances may warrant during the semester.

Students are expected to follow all policies in the USF Catalog and Student Handbook.