E23.2047.001 – The Social Studies Curriculum: U.S. History
Fall, 2012 – Monday, 4:55-6:35 – 25 West 4th Street, Room C-1
Professor
Resource for AP Presentations
James W. Fraser
Stacie Berman
400 East Building
smb278@nyu.edu
212-998-5413
jwf3@nyu.edu
Office Hours: Monday 3:30-4:30, and by appointment (preferred)
“You want to do something to raise the standards for social studies teachers? Before individuals
receive certification to teach social studies make them sit for the Advanced Placement
examinations . . . and score a 4 or a 5.”
Albert Shanker to Sam Wineburg
Course objectives:
The focus of Social Studies Curriculum: U.S. History is a review and expansion of the content
knowledge of future Social Studies teachers in the subject matter of U.S. History. We will look
at what is normally taught in high school U.S. history courses from the time of the Columbian
encounter to the present including important interpretations of significant topics such as
constitutionalism, the frontier, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Progressivism, and the New
Deal. As part of the review process we will look at multiple and conflicting interpretations and
at ways to give specific expression to the experiences of women, African Americans, Latinos,
Asians, as well as “dead white men.” We will also look at multiple modes of presenting this
material. While we will use the AP standards as a basic reference point—because they are as
close as we have to national standards for U.S. History knowledge—this is not a course in
“teaching AP classes.” While class participants may, on occasion, teach AP history, as new
teachers it will often be essential to teach “regular” or Special Education students at either the
high school or middle school level. At whatever level history is being taught, it is essential that
the teacher have a solid understanding of the subject matter and this course is designed to
enhance that historical content knowledge and understanding.
The first steps in preparing to teach U.S. history involve developing an understanding of the
nature of history as a critical discipline, clarifying your own philosophy of history and your goals
as well as society’s in teaching history to the next generation. It is essential that you devote time
and energy to learning and/or reviewing U.S. history so that you understand its central themes
(always a contested area), figures, events and controversies and are in a position to bring that
history to life in the classroom. Students will be expected to use a variety of sources to analyze
the American past, develop an understanding about areas where historians disagree, and use that
information to develop essential questions to guide the teaching of each topic.
Course Schedule
September 10—Introduction to the course and to each other; The History of the United States in
Two Easy Lessons, Part I
September 17—The History of the United States in Two Easy Lessons, Part II
[Note: This is Rosh Hashanah—please let instructors know if you will not be there and we will
plan appropriate alternatives.]
September 24—What Do Historians Do? What Do Historians Think About? What Should High
School History students know?
In preparation for September 24, please read and prepare to discuss, Sam Wineburg and
Chauncey Monte-Sano, “’Famous Americans’: The Changing Pantheon of American Heroes,”
and Sam Wineburg, “Opening Up the Textbook And Offering Students a “Second Voice.”
[handout]
October 1—First Group Presentation. Please read By the People, Part I, Contact and
Exploration, 1491-1607, pp. 1-49 prior to class and come to class with your response sheet in
hand and Post It Note (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening). See below for
details on Response Sheets and Post It Note assignment.
October 8— Second Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part II, Settlements Old and
New, 1607-1754, pp. 50-112 prior to class and come to class with your response sheet and post it
in hand (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening).
[Note: This is Columbus Day. NYU is in session.]
October 15—No class, Fall Break
October 22—Third Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part III, A New Birth of
Freedom—Creating the United States of America, 1754-1800, pp. 114-199 prior to class and
come to class with your response sheet and post it in hand (unless you are part of the group
presenting this evening).
October 29—Fourth Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part IV, Crafting a Nation,
People, Land, and a National Identity, 1800-1848, pp. 201-306 prior to class and come to class
with your response sheet and post it in hand (unless you are part of the group presenting this
evening).
November 5—Fifth Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part V, Expansion,
Separation, and a New Union, 1844-1877, pp. 308-412 prior to class and come to class with your
response sheet and post it in hand (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening).
November 12—Sixth Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part VI, Becoming an
Industrial World Power—Costs, Benefits, and Responses, 1865-1914, pp. 414-522 prior to class
and come to class with your response sheet and post it in hand (unless you are part of the group
presenting this evening).
November 19—Seventh Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part VII, War,
Prosperity, and Depression, 1890-1945, pp. 524-636 prior to class and come to class with your
response sheet and post it in hand (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening).
November 26—Eighty Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part VIII, Fears, Joys, and
Limits, 1945-1980, pp. 638-751 prior to class and come to class with your response sheet in hand
and Post It Note (unless you are part of the group presenting this evening). See below for details
on Response Sheets and Post It Note assignment.
December 3—Ninth Group Presentation, Please read By the People, Part IX, Certainty,
Uncertainty, and New Beginnings, 1980- , pp. 753-834 prior to class and come to class with
your response sheet in hand and Post It Note (unless you are part of the group presenting this
evening). See below for details on Response Sheets and Post It Note assignment.
December 10—U.S. History, a Brief Review: Wrap Up and Conclusions
December 17—Final Exam which will be a close approximation of an actual AP Exam. The
exam will be graded by experienced AP teachers.
Assignments
There are two packets of materials that will be used in this course:
 A small packet of the readings for September 24 will be given out at the first session.
 A much larger packet, the draft manuscript for By The People: A History of the United
States should be purchased at Advanced Copy, 552 LaGuardia Place as soon as possible.
Since the reading assignments for this course are extensive, I urge you to get started
reading By the People as soon as possible. No matter what presentation groups you
join, you are responsible for reading the entire manuscript.
1) For each class session between October 1 and December 3, please arrive in class with
written answers to the “Response to the Text” questions (see below). Note: You do not
need to submit response sheet for the two class sessions when you will be presenting—
see below. We will use these response sheets as part of the class discussion and they
should be turned in at the end of the session. 24% of course grade.
2) For each class session between October 1 and December 3, please arrive in class with one
paragraph (on a yellow Post-It Note) to place on the class map describing a major event
taking place in your assigned location during the period under consideration that week.
(We will select assigned locations during the first two weeks of the semester.) Note:
You do not need to submit a Post-It for the two class sessions when you will be
presenting—see below. 10% of course grade
3) Please join two of the nine groups responsible for class presentations between October 1
and December 3. We will do a sign up at the first class session. Each group will be
responsible for presenting the content under consideration that week to the rest of the
class. You will have thirty-forty minutes (of our hour and forty minutes of class time) for
the presentation. It will be your responsibility to teach the rest of us the material. The
group should be able to assume that all members of the class have read the assigned
material from the textbook. The presentation will be graded on the quality of the content
presented, the success of the presentation at engaging the class (pedagogy), and the
quality of handouts and material used in the presentation. The core question in
evaluation of the presentation will be: Did the rest of us learn what we needed to know
about the era? One-third of course grade.
4) The Final Exam for the course will be a modified version of an actual Advanced
Placement Exam as offered by the College Board. This exam will be graded externally,
by high school AP teachers who are familiar with the AP grading system. A grade of 5
will be the equivalent of an A, a grade of 4 will be the equivalent of a B, and a grade of 3
will be the equivalent of a C. Any grade lower than 3 will result in an automatic INC for
the semester. One-third of course grade.
Please note: While percentages have been assigned to course assignments as noted above,
completion of all assignments is essential to success in the course. Since assignments #1, #2,
and #3 are at the core of individual class sessions and the final exam will be given at the specific
date assigned for final exams this semester, it is virtually impossible to make up late
assignments. All work must be turned in on time. If you are not clear on any of the assignments
please ask. This course will work best with maximum mutual clarity on expectations.
Responses to the Text – By The People: A History of the United States
Name_________________
Date____________
Part of the Text to which you are Responding______
[Please note: These responses are due—hard copy—at the beginning of the class session that
will discuss each major Part of the text. You will want to keep them in hand during the class
discussion and then turn them in at the end of class. Please do not exceed the length of space
available (though it is OK to use small type as long as you can read it!)
1. Name one thing that you learned that you did not know before by reading this Part of the
book.
2. If I were writing the counter-narrative for this section I would want to say. (See Sam
Wineburg, “Opening Up the Textbook And Offering Students a ‘Second Voice’.) Note:
You need at least one source for your counter-narrative which can be from By the People
or elsewhere. The key is finding a different approach to the material of the chapter.