HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM
SOUTHWEST COLLEGE – Missouri City Campus
HISTORY 1302
COURSE SYLLABUS
SPRING 2013
INSTRUCTOR
PHONE
OFFICE HRS
EMAIL
Dr. Gretchen Jackson-Odion
713-718- 2900
11-12:00 M-Thur. or by appointment
gretchen.jackson@hccs.edu
Course Overview:
History 1302 provides students with a general overview of American history from 1877 to the
present. Emphasis will be placed on how political, economic and social developments from the past
influence our present society.
Course Intent:
This class will offer an approach to American history, recounting the story of our country by
focusing on the experiences of diverse groups of Americans. Unfortunately, for many students,
history is depicted as a catalog of names, dates and places that is irrelevant to contemporary
society. The intent of this class is to help students understand American history by looking at three
levels: its major arguments, its thematic and chronological organization, and the impact that major
historical events have on the present. This course will be primarily taught through a series of
lectures, discussions and Web reading assignments. In addition to the primary teaching methods,
accommodative (active) learning will be included. Activities such as museum assignments,
historical debates, role play and music will be incorporated into some of the topics to help you to
analyze and comprehend the material.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will be able to create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
2. Students will be able to analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources.
3. Students will be able to analyze the effects of historical, social, economic and cultural
forces on this period of American History.
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Textbooks:
Ayers, Gould, Oshinsky and Soderlund. American Passages: A History of the United States Vol. II,
4th edition.
American Perspectives, Electronic Book Volume II. The access code for this electronic book can
be purchased at the bookstore or directly through Pearson Publishing. URL:
http://www.pearsoncustom.com/tx/hcc_hist1302
Class Policies:
1. While in class, students may not read materials that are irrelevant to the class, talk unless
during discussions, sleep or pass notes.
2. Please TURN OFF cell phones during class and NO TEXTING!!!!
Attendance:
If you accumulate more than six (6) hours of unexcused absences, you may be dropped from this
class.
Tardiness:
I strongly discourage coming late to class because you will miss important information when you
are tardy. It is extremely difficult to understand a lesson when you catch it midway not knowing
how it began. On exam days, if you arrive late (10 minutes) you will not be allowed to take the
exam unless there was an extenuating circumstance. Any student who arrives 10 minutes after
class has begun or leaves before class is dismissed, without prior approval from the
instructor, is considered absent. A total of three violations of either will be equivalent to an
absence.
Withdrawal:
If you are not performing at a passing level and do not withdraw by the official drop date, you will
receive the grade that you earned. All students who wish to withdraw from the class are
responsible for officially completing the required documents. The last day for student
withdrawal is April 1, before 4:30 p.m. If your name is on the roll at the end of the semester,
you WILL receive a grade. Therefore, I will not automatically give you a “W” if you stopped
attending class. This is an administrative policy that I will strictly enforce.
Exams: Five (5) exams will be given during the semester; that is, 4 exams during the semester and
the final exam. These exams will constitute 60% of your grade. The exams will consist of a
combination of multiple-choice and essay questions from class activities, lectures and the textbook.
A scantron will be required for all exams. An oral and written group project will be worth another
20% of your grade. The final 20% of your grade will come from written assignments from the
articles in American Perspectives and other web assignments.
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NOTE: This class does require a lot of reading. Therefore, I encourage you to keep up with
the assignments.
Grading: The lowest test grade, excluding the final exam, will be dropped. As a result, there will
not be any make-ups given for missed exams.
Your course grade will be computed as follows:
Five Exams = (15 * 4) = 60%
Group Project = 20%
Reading Assignments from American Perspectives / Web Assignments = 20%
NOTE: The articles as well as the requirements for each of the reading assignments will be
given to you during the second week of class.
Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
90 – 100
A
80 – 89
B
70 – 79
C
60 – 69
D
59 and below F
Academic Dishonesty: Any student involved in cheating on an exam will receive a 0 on the exam.
That is the minimum punishment. Your case could be reported to Dean for further punishment
(NO TEXT MESSAGES).
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to
arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Support Service Counselor, Dr. Becky Hauri (713 7187909) at the beginning of the semester. Faculty members are authorized to provide only the accommodations quested
by the Office of Disability Support Services (DSS). Students who are requesting special testing accommodations must
first contact the office.
EGLS3 -- Evaluation for Greater Learning Student Survey System
At Houston Community College, professors believe that thoughtful student feedback is necessary
to improve teaching and learning. During a designated time, you will be asked to answer a short
online survey of research-based questions related to instruction. The anonymous results of the
survey will be made available to your professors and division chairs for continual improvement of
instruction. Look for the survey as part of the Houston Community College Student System online
near the end of the term.
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COURSE CALENDAR
Week 1
Introduction, Text Chapter 17
“The Rise of Big Business”
Week 2
Chapter: 18
“Urban Growth and Farm Protest”
Week 3
Chapter: 19
“A Troubled Nation Expands Outward”
Week 4
Exam 1: Chapters 17-19, January 30 & 31
Text Chapter: 20
“Theodore Roosevelt and Progressive Reform”
Week 5
Chapter 21: “Progressivism at High Tide”
Week 6
Chapter: 22: “The Impact of World War I”
Exam 2: Chapters 20-22, February 25 & 26
Week 7
Chapters: 23 &24
“The Jazz Age and the Mass Culture”
Week 8
Chapters: 24 &25
“The Great Depression”
Week 9
Exam 3: Chapters 23-25, March 27 & 28
Week 10
Chapter: 26 “The Second World War”
Week 11
Chapter 27 “Postwar America” &
Week 12
Chapter 28 “The Eisenhower Years”
Exam 4: Chapters 26-28, April 15 & 16
Week 13
Chapter 29 “The Turbulent Years”
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Week 14
Chapter 30 “Crisis and Confidence”
Week 15
Chapter 31 “The Reagan Years”
Week 16
Final Exam chapters 28 - 31,
May 6 - 12
ARTICLES DUE DATE: March 18 & 19
NOTE: Late papers will NOT be accepted without a valid written excuse.
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