HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE NORTHWEST
History 1302 Course Syllabus, Fall 2011, Late start
HIST 1302 United States History 1877 to the present
Credit: 3 (3 lecture)
The American nation from the end of Reconstruction to the present. (Core Curriculum course)
Course Goals: The student will understand the basic events and ideas that interacted to
shape the nation in which he or she lives. This understanding will include the topics of
the West, the New South, the gilded age, the Populist and Progressive movements, the
age of imperialism, World War 1, the 1920s, the Great Depression and the New Deal,
World War 11, the Cold War, the 1950s and Civil Rights, Kennedy and Johnson, the
Vietnam War, the social protest movements, Watergate, the administrations of Ford,
Carter, and Reagan, the fall of communism, the 1st Gulf War, the 1st Bush and Clinton
Administrations.
Prerequisites: None
 Instructor: Dr. Gary E. Bryant
 Contract Information-gary.bryant@hccs.edu,
 Time and place- Spring Branch Campus Room 102,
Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30-2:30 PM. Office hoursBefore and after class or as arranged
 Required materials: Text American Passages: A History
of the United States by Edward Ayers et al.; American
Perspectives: Readings in American History vol. 11
Attendance: Regular attendance if expected and required. Role will be checked at
the beginning of each class period. If you must miss a class and know about if ahead of
time please let me know either in person or by email. If your absence is unexpected let
me know as soon as possible so that we can discuss what you missed. I do not provide
copies of my lecture notes to students. It is your responsibility to get the missing notes
from another student.
EGLS3 -- Evaluation for Greater Learning Student Survey System
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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.
Grade Policy: Final grades will be assigned on a 10 point scale with 100- 89.5% earning
an A. 89.4-79.5% a B, 79.4-69.5% a C, 69.4-59.5 % a D, and below 59.4% an F. I do not
allow extra credit work.
Make up work: I do allow missed exams to be made up. You are strongly encouraged
not to miss exams since make up exams almost always result in a worse result than when
the exam is taken at the regular time. If you do miss an exam please see me to discuss a
make up. Please note that not being prepared is not a valid reason for missing an exam,
but valid reasons such as illness, family emergencies, or unexpected accidents are
accepted.
Course Requirements
Mid Term
Final Exam
Quizzes
Critical essays
Living History
Project and
Presentation
Reconstruction through
WWII
Cold War to 9/11
30 % of grade
6 quizzes, the lowest grade
will be dropped. Quizzes
will be announced.
Two critical essays from
assigned material in the
Reader. Two page
minimum each. See course
outline. Guidelines to
follow.
Interview a living person
who has experienced an
historical event. Write a
report of a minimum of
three pages with an
illustration, plus present to
the class. Guidelines to
follow.
15 % of semester grade
30% of semester grade
10% of semester grade
15% of final grade
Course Outline
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Tues. 9-26
Thurs. 9-28
Tues. Oct. 4
Thurs. Oct.6
Tues. Oct. 11
Thur. Oct. 13
Tues. Oct. 18
Thurs. Oct.20
Tues. Oct.25
Thur. Oct. 27
Tues. Nov. 1
Thur. Nov.3
Tues. Nov.8
Thur. Nov. 10
Tues. Nov. 15
Thur. Nov. 17
Tues. Nov. 22
Tues. Nov. 29
Thurs. Dec. 1
Tues. Dec. 6
Thur. Dec. 8
Tues. Dec. 13
Introduction, Expectations,
Outcomes, Review
Reconstruction, The New
South
The West/The Gilded Age
Textbook Chapter 16
Populism and Progressivism
1st Quiz
The Progressive Presidents
and American Imperialism
World War One and 2nd
Quiz
Textbook Chapter 18,19
1920s
The Great Depression and
the New Deal, 3rd Quiz
Mid Term Exam
World War II
The Cold War, Truman and
Korea
The 1950’s and Ike’s
administration,
Civil Rights, 4th quiz
Kennedy, Camelot and the
Cold War continues 5th quiz
LBJ, the Great Society, and
Vietnam
Nixon and Watergate
The protests of the 60s and
70s, 6th quiz
Ford, Carter, and the
malaise of the 70s
Reagan,
The wall comes down,
Bush I and Clinton
Bush II, 9/11, the Great
Recession, Begin Project
Presentations
Project Presentations
Final Exam
Textbook Chapter 17
Textbook Chapter 20 and
21
Chapter 22
1st Essay, Plunkitt of
Tammany Hall by Riordan
Textbook Chapter 23
Textbook Chapter 24 and
25
Lecture notes, Chapters 1625
Textbook Chapter 26
Textbook Chapter 27
Textbook, Chapter 28
2nd essay, Why We Can’t
Wait, Martin Luther King
Chapter 29
Textbook Chapter 30
Textbook Chapter 31
Textbook Chapter 32
Chapter 29
Chapters 27-32
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Academic Integrity: All students are expected to maintain academic integrity in
completion of all assignments, including exams, quizzes, written assignments, oral
presentations, etc. This includes cheating, plagiarism, and unauthorized
collaboration on an assignment. Violation of academic integrity will have sever
consequences and may include failure for the entire course.
Mission Statement: The Houston Community College System is an open-admission,
public institution of higher education offering academic preparation and life long learning
opportunities that prepare individuals in our diverse communities for life and work in an
increasingly international and technological society. The Northwest History Department
will provide an environment conducive to learning and encourages academic excellence.
Furthermore, the History faculty will encourage the development of the following
competences: Reading, writing, speaking, listening, critical thinking and computer
literacy.
Americans with Disabilities Act: Any student with a documented disability (e. g.
physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable
accommodations must contact the Disabilities Service Center at their respective college
at the beginning of each semester. Faculty are authorized to provide only the
accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office.
Notice: All students who take a course for the third time or more must now pay
significant tuition/fee increases at HCC and other Texas Public colleges and
universities. At HCC it is an additional $50.00 per credit hour. If you are
considering course withdrawal because you are not earning passing grades, confer
with your instructor/counselor as early as possible about your study habits, reading
and writing, homework, test-taking skills, attendance, course participation, and
opportunities for tutoring or other assistance that might be available.
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