Syllabus: History 1302 United States History since 1877
CRN 54871
Professor Meredith Bragg
Email: meredith.bragg1@hccs.edu
Office hours: 15 minutes before class
Fall, 2011
WLOP C252
Wed 7 pm to 10 pm
Note: If you do not attend class week one, the HCC System of Record will DROP you
from the course and you will not be allowed to re-register. This is an HCC Policy that
I cannot override.
Course Description:
This is a survey of American History from Reconstruction to the modern era. The course fulfills 3 hours
of the 6 hour American History requirement at Texas public universities.
Course Outline:
The course will focus on the development of the economic, social/cultural and political institutions
which have defined the development of the modern United States and its people. The central themes and
topics for this course include Reconstruction; Jim Crow and the American South; the Grant
Administration; the Old West; Immigration; Industrialization and Urbanization; Big Business; the Labor
movement; Populism; Progressivism; Imperialism and the rise of America as a world power; World
War I; the 1920’s; the Great Depression and the New Deal; World War II and the Atomic Bomb; the
50’s; Korea; the Civil Rights movement; the Cold War; Vietnam; LBJ and the Great Society; Watergate;
Ford; Carter; economic, foreign and political policy during the Reagan administration. The class will
end with the end of the Cold War.
Learning Objectives:
At the completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Identify important historical themes and use these themes to analyze and evaluate the historical
and contemporary issues;
2. Discuss events, disparate institutions, and issues that shaped the United States;
3. Identify historical individuals who were influential agents in constructing the American
experience and culture;
4. Explain the socio-political and economic experiences of American’s and their decedents;
5. To develop a clear understanding of the main trends and recurring themes in American History.
Required Readings:
Textbook:
Ayers, Edward L, et all, American Passages: A History of the United States Volume II
Monograph:
Thomas Bell, Out of this Furnace
Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried
1
Primary Source Readings:
You will be assigned primary source reading from time to time. Information from these readings
will appear on your three major exams. All primary source documents that are not available in
your required books will be posted to the Learning Web.
Attendance and Class Rules:
I expect you to attend every class meeting and BE ON TIME! Information for the exams will come from
lectures, so good class notes are crucial to your success. If you miss more than 3 classes, see me about
this problem. You will be marked as ABSENT if you are 15 minutes or more late to class or return late
from break. Further, I expect you to show both the instructor and your fellow students respect during
class meetings.
Should you decide to stop attending this class or you miss more than 12.5% of class time (per
student handbook) which is 3 class periods, you will be withdrawn. If this occurs after the
withdraw deadline, you will receive a grade of FX. FX stands for failure due to absences. Per
HCC policy, there will be no exceptions.
International students, veterans, and those on financial aid should be fully aware of the grade and
minimum hours policies affecting your situation. In particular, pay attention to the rules regarding
course withdrawals (W grades). Once a “W” is officially recorded it cannot be changed to a grade
regardless of circumstance.
Examinations and Grading:
There will be three major examinations covering lecture and classroom related material each worth 25
points.
There will be two book tests each worth 12.5 points. Book tests are mandatory. NOTE: You cannot
pass this course if you fail to take either book test. You must take both. You may use one 3x5 note
card with your handwritten notes on it for each book test. If it is not handwritten (no copies, shrink
copies, or computer generated cards), you will not be able to use it on the test.
Grading weight and format:
Exam I – 25 pts (Short answer) Sept 28th (date subject to change)
Exam II – 25 pts (Short answer) Oct 26th (date subject to change)
Book Test I – 12.5 pts Out of this Furnace (Short answer) Nov 2nd (date subject to change)
Book Test II – 12.5 pts The Things They Carried (Short Answer) Nov 30th (date subject to change)
Exam III – 25 pts (Short answer) Dec 14th regular class time per HCC Final Schedule
Final Average – your accumulated points out of 100 will be your average for the class.
Figuring percentage grades during the semester:
Exams – multiply your score for one exam by 4 to figure your percentage grade for that exam
Book Tests – multiply your score for one book test by 8 to figure your percentage grade for that
book test
Tests must be taken when scheduled. If you miss a test you will have to take the make-up exam which is
given on the last day of class at a time convenient for the instructor. Failure to take the make-up exam
2
will result in a grade of 0 for that test. You are only allowed to make-up one test and you must have
a documented excused absence, no exceptions.
HCCS Grading System:
A = Excellent 90-100 B = Good 80-89 C =70-79 D = 60 - 69 F = Failing below 60
Never assume that I shall "give" you a grade. Academic integrity is important! Your final grade is the
letter equivalent of the numeric average which you earn!
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.
The Learning Web:
You are responsible for all information posted on the learning web. We will discuss how to use it on the
first day of class. See me if you are having any problems retrieving information from the Learning Web.
To access your class go to www.hccs.edu, click on Southwest, and then the Learning Web. At this point,
the website will prompt you to find your professor, put in my name as Meredith Bragg. You will then be
directed to my page. Find your course 1302. When you click on your course you will find all
PowerPoint’s, lecture notes and links to outside reading assignments as well as examination review
sheets. Items will be posted as we progress through the course. Note that I will not post materials for
every lecture. It Is Imperative that you check the Learning Web before every class meeting.
Mobile Technology:
Phones and PDAs:
All telephones, blackberries, iPhones, Blootooth technology and other potentially distracting
devices must be turned off and put away before the start of class. Important calls must be taken
outside of the classroom (with my expressed permission given prior to the start of class). NO
electronic devices are allowed in the classroom during examinations. DO NOT TEXT
MESSAGE DURING CLASS!! It is rude to your classmates as well as the instructor.
Laptops:
You may use a laptop to take class notes only. Any use of wireless technology (i.e., surfing the
web, checking email, Facebook, games, etc) will result in PERMANENT forfeiture of your
classroom computing privileges.
Policy Regarding Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited by HCCS policy and the
rules of this class.
3
Plagiarism: the use of the ideas or words of another person (either in whole or in part) without
crediting the source. Plagiarism amounts to the theft of another person’s work and its
appropriation as one’s own.
Cheating: involves fraud and deception for the purpose of violating legitimate testing rules.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to: copying from another student’s test paper; using
materials not authorized by the instructor during a test; collaborating with another student during
a test; knowingly using, buying, or selling unadministered test materials.
Any questions about academic dishonesty should be referred to the Student Conduct section of the
College System catalogue. Violations of this policy will result in failure of the assignment and possible
automatic failure of the course and/or expulsion from the institution.
Disability Policy:
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc) who
needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the appropriate HCC Disability Support
Service (DSS) Counselor at the beginning of each semester. Faculty are authorized to provide only the
accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office. See website:
http://www.hccs.edu/students/disability/accom.htm#steps or contact SW ADA counselor:
Dr. Becky A. Hauri, Southwest College, 5407 Gulfton, Houston, Texas 77081
Phone: 713-718-7909; Fax: 713-718-7781; TTY: 713-718-7909
Any student with a disability certified by the Southwest College Disability Counselor will receive
appropriate accommodations in this class. Please make sure to consult me immediately and bring your
ADA documentation so I can ensure you have what you need.
Academic Calendar:
Topics and dates are subject to change.
Unit One (American Passages: Chapters 16 - 21 )
Aug 31st – Introduction to History 1302
Aug 31st – Chapter 16 - Chapter 16 - Reconstruction: It’s Rise and Fall, 1865-1877
Sept 7th – Chapter 17- An Economy Transformed: The Rise of Big Business, 1877-1887
Sept 7th – Chapter 18 – Urban Growth and Farm Protest, 1887-1993
Sept 14th – Chapter 19 – A Troubled Nation Expands Outward, 1893-1901 and Chapter 20 – Theodore
Roosevelt and Progressive Reforms, 1901-1909 and Chapter 21 – Progressivism at High Tide, 19091914
Sept 21st – Catch-up and Review
Sept 28th – Exam I
Unit Two (American Passages: Chapters 22 -25 )
Oct 5th – Chapter 22 – Over There and Over Here: The Impact of World War I, 1919-1921 and Chapter
23- The Age of Jazz and Mass Culture
Oct 12th – Chapter 24 – The Great Depression and Chapter 25 – The New Deal, 1933-1939
Oct 19th – Catch-up and Review
Oct 26th - Exam II and Chapter 26 – The Second World War, 1939-1945
Nov 2nd - Book Test I- Thomas Bell, Out of this Furnace
4
Unit Three (American Passages: Chapters 26 - 31)
Nov 9th – Chapter 27- Postwar America, 1946-1952 and Chapter 28 – The Eisenhower Years, 19531960
Nov 16th – Chapter 29 - The Turbulent Years, 1960-1968 and Chapter 30 – Crisis of Confidence, 19691980
Nov 23rd – holiday no class but prepare for the book test
Nov 30th – Book Test II – The Things They Carried and finish Chapter 30 – Crisis of Confidence,
1969-1980
Dec 7th – End of the Cold War and Review
Dec 14th – Exam III – given as the Final Exam
Good luck! I look forward to a great semester. Welcome to U.S. History!
5