QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
City University of New York
Department of History
Spring 2004
RECENT OF AMERICAN CIVILIZATION
Dr. Mark D. Van Ells
416 Medical Arts Building
Phone: (718) 631-6291
Email: MVanElls@qcc.cuny.edu
http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/History/MVanElls/
Office hours: MWTh,
TIME AND PLACE:
Section G14: MTh,
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
This is a survey of American
history from the World War II Era to the present. The primary objectives of the course are as
follows:
·
Identify and understand
the contribution of key events, persons, and trends in the history and
development of recent American history, including the political,
diplomatic, social, economic, and cultural context in which America developed.
·
Be familiar with the
principal historiographical explanations of the history and development of
recent American history.
·
Be able to relate the
persons, places, and events in the recent history of America to their
ramifications in the present day world and, more generally, to appreciate the
ways in which past impacts upon the present.
·
Develop critical
thinking skills necessary in any profession and helpful in everyday life.
COURSE FORMAT:
Class periods will generally
consist of lectures on specific topics.
However, time will also devoted to a variety of other activities,
including discussion exercises, audio-visual presentations, and review sessions
for exams. I will endeavor to follow the
schedule as faithfully as
possible, but please be aware that it is subject to change.
REQUIRED
·
Schaller, Present Tense: The United States since 1945, 3rd ed. (2004)
·
Griffith and Baker,
Major Problems in American History since 1945
· Supplementary Readings, available at http://www.vanells.com/129docs.html.
Each
student’s grade will be determined as follows:
See attached class
schedule for date. It will be in written essay form, with a few
short answers.
See attached class
schedule for date. It will be in written essay form, with a few
short answers.
Exam will be partially
comprehensive, meaning that it will cover all materials discussed since the
beginning of the course. It will be in
written essay form, with a few short answers.
There will be seven multiple
choice quizzes over the course of the semester, each worth five points. See
schedule for dates. Quizzes will be based on readings and
lectures. You will keep your five
highest quiz grades only for a possible total of 25 points. NOTE:
There will be no makeup quizzes.
There will be one map quiz
during the semester. See
schedule for date and
topic. You will not be able to drop this
quiz.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 10 POINTS.
See below for directions.
The total number of possible
points is 100. A student’s final grade
will be determined by the number of points earned over the semester, based on
the standard QCC grading scale. Consult
QCC catalog for grading scale.
Please note: In the interests
of impartiality and fairness to all students, letter grades in relation to
semester point totals will be strictly enforced.
Attendance will be taken during
each class. Students will be asked to
sign an attendance roster each class period.
Those students with unexcused absences will have one point deducted from
their point totals for each incident.
Those students caught signing in another classmate will have five points
deducted for each infraction. The person
being signed in will also lose five points.
For more information, please
refer to the attached Guidelines and Requirements
statement of the QCC History Department.
Please refer to the attached Guidelines and
Requirements statement of the QCC History Department.
Extra credit
is available ONLY to those students who fail one of the first two exams. Those students will be afforded the
opportunity to complete an assignment to bring their overall exam grade up to
the minimum passing level. The terms of
the assignment are completely at the discretion of the instructor, and the
student must complete the assignment in a satisfactory manner in order to
receive extra credit points. Those
students who desire extra credit must make arrangements with the instructor
within one week of the return of the exams to the class. Please note: You may exercise this option
only once during the semester.
COURSE
WEBSITE:
The URL for the course website
is: http://www.vanells.com/129main.html. It will provide you with links to copies of
the course syllabus, schedule, primary documents,
and weekly handouts, as well as selected links to history-related
websites. Please note: Use of this
website is NOT required.
KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR GRADES:
Students are urged to keep all
graded quizzes and exams returned to them.
Below is a chart to help you keep track of your grades and monitor your
progress.
|
QUIZ 1 |
QUIZ 2 |
QUIZ 3 |
QUIZ 4 |
QUIZ 5 |
QUIZ 6 |
QUIZ 7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL OF FIVE HIGHEST QUIZ
GRADES: _______________ ÷ 2 =
________________
Keeping track of your final
grade:
|
EXAM 1 |
EXAM 2 |
EXAM 3 |
QUIZZES |
MAP QUIZ |
PAPER |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In addition to exams and
quizzes, each student will be required to write one 4-6 page paper that is
either a book review or a museum review.
The paper is worth ten points. See schedule
for due date. Directions are
below:
A.
BOOK REVIEW
Select ONE additional book from
the list provided and write a review of it. Please note that a book review is different
than a book report you may have written in high school. A book review is a critique or an analysis of
a book, not just a description of it. In
your paper, be sure to address the following questions about your book:
·
What was the topic of
the book? You should provide a brief
description of it.
·
What is the author’s
thesis, or point of view? Do you agree with it?
Why or why not?
·
What evidence does the
author use to make his or her point? Do
you find it convincing?
·
What are the book’s
overall strengths of weaknesses, in your opinion?
Select ONE New York-area museum
from the list provided and write a review of what you
saw there. Like a book review, your museum review should provide a critique and
analysis of the museum, not just a description of it. You may review a museum as a whole, or a
smaller special exhibit within a larger facility. You will be required to submit a ticket stub,
receipt, brochure, or some other form of proof of visitation along with your
final paper. Also be aware that if you
select this option you are responsible for any admission fees the museum may charge,
as well as transportation to and from the facility.
In your review, be sure to
discuss the following questions about the museum you visit:
·
What is the theme and
purpose of the museum?
·
What is on display in
the museum? Do the displays seem
appropriate? Educational? Why or why not?
·
What were your overall
impressions of the museum? What did you
like? What didn’t you like?
Living in the New York area,
you have access to scores of museums dealing with an incredibly wide range of
topics, including many that deal with the history of the United States since
1877. This assignment will afford you
the opportunity to visit some of finest museums in the world.
A FEW MORE THINGS:
1.
All books and museums
must be approved in advance by the instructor.
Each student will be required to complete a brief report form stating
the title of your book or the name or your museum. See
schedule for date.
2.
Papers turned in after
the due date will receive half credit only.
Those papers not turned in by the final exam will receive an automatic
zero.
3.
If you are taking two of
my courses in the same semester, you must write a separate paper for each
course you have written a review for me in a previous semester, you must write
a new review paper.
4.
I will be happy to read
drafts of your papers, or discuss the assignment with you, at any time.
5.
Obviously, plagiarism,
or copying all or part of your paper from another source, is strictly
forbidden. Anyone who submits a
plagiarized paper will receive a ZERO for the assignment, will lose AN
ADDITIONAL TEN POINTS from their semester point total, and may face additional
disciplinary actions. See “Guidelines and Requirements” for more information