Instructor: Mrs. Donna Walker
Room: J-4; Phone: 456-2307
Permian High School/Odessa College
Email: donna.walker@ectorcountyisd.org
U.S. History-Dual Credit-1301/1302
Course Syllabus
Course Text: The selected book for this course is:
Alan Brinkley, The Unfinished Nation, 7th ed.
Course Materials: Large spiral notebook (no smaller than 8 ½ X 11)
Highlighters – Glue Stick - Map Pencils ONLY (no markers)
Access to computer w/ printer (no exceptions)
Course Purpose: This course is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge
necessary to deal critically with the POLITICAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, DIPLOMATIC, INTELLECTUAL, AND CULTURAL
aspects of American History. Students will be expected to learn to assess historical materials—their relevance to a
given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance—and to weigh the evidence and interpretations
presented in historical scholarship. This course in United States History should thus develop the skills necessary to
arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and
persuasively in essay format.
Course Description: In order for students in this class to meet the above mentions expectations, this course must
emphasize the following:
 Factual knowledge of U.S. History
 Interpretation of primary source material such as original documents, maps, statistical tables, as well as
pictorial and graphic evidence.
 Augmentation of secondary source materials such as scholarly periodicals, anthologies, biographies, etc.
 Analysis of such facts and evidence to make informed judgments of trends, patterns, relevance, reliability,
significance, and so forth.
 Effective note-taking skills of printed materials, lectures, and discussions.
 Present judgments, facts, and evidence precisely and persuasively in essay form with a clearly defined
thesis.
Course Grading: Semester grades will be formulated based on the following:
 20% - Daily/Homework
 30% - Quizzes
 10% - Participation
 40% - Tests
 The semester exam will constitute 25% of the semester average
Course Requirements: This class is specifically a DUAL-CREDIT course and therefore, must meet the requirements
of Odessa College and ECISD. Since the class is assigned to Permian High School campus, the ECISD district calendar
supersedes the Odessa College calendar. No waivers will be permitted unless BOTH institutions issue
authorization. Necessarily, this class will be primarily lecture and outside research and outside readings are
imperative. Any absences whatsoever will create a severe handicap since in-class explanations and insights are the
most crucial element to the student’s success.
Make-up Work: It is the responsibility of each student to approach the instructor for work missed. Students must
be just as responsible for their homework as if they were taking this course online or on OC campus. Therefore,
absolutely NO homework assignments will be accepted late. NO quizzes or exams can be made-up during the
regularly scheduled class period. All students may arrange to make-up quizzes/exams during tutoring time in J-4 at
PHS. Make-ups, however, will never be the same questions given to the regular class.
Academic Dishonesty: Cheating and/or plagiarism will not be tolerated and may result in reexamination,
disciplinary action, failure, or possible dismissal from the course.
Drops/Withdrawal: The last day to drop from Odessa College is November 12, 2013. Keep in mind that it is the
student’s responsibility (not Permian High School’s) to see that they are dropped from OC’s records and protect
their transcript.
Course Outline:
The course for 1301 (US History to 1877) is tentatively organized as follows:
1. Motives for Exploration; Europeans in America; English Reformation
2. The Economic/Religious Impulse; Mercantilism; Triangular Slave Trade
3. The Great Awakening and Enlightenment
4. French and Indian War; Colonial Resistance
5. Declaration of Independence and America’s Founding Fathers
6. The American Revolution; Designing Democracy
7. Washington, Adams, & Jefferson Eras; War of 1812
8. Age of Jackson; Nationalism & Sectionalism
9. Manifest Destiny; Westward Expansion
10. Abolition Movement; Women’s Movement; Early Industrialization
11. Slavery in the West; The Mexican War, Divisive Politics of Slavery
12. The Civil War and Reconstruction
The course for 1302 (US History since 1877) is tentatively organized as follows:
1. Immigration; Industrialization; Urbanization
2. Progressivism and Populism
3. Imperialism; America Becomes a World Power
4. World War One
5. The Jazz Age; The Rise of Consumerism
6. Depression and the New Deal
7. World War Two
8. Korea and the Cold War
9. Vietnam and the Turbulent 60s
10. The New World Order