2014-2015 Advanced Placement U.S. History Course Outline and Syllabus
Mr. Brandt Robinson
“Our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
THIS DOCUMENT WILL REMAIN IN YOUR NOTEBOOK AT ALL TIMES
Course Overview
I appreciate you for accepting the challenge of Advanced Placement United States History. Anyone can
be successful in APUSH, but APUSH is not for everyone. Not only is APUSH taught at the college
level, it is more rigorous and demanding than all American History courses offered in college. It requires
a supreme commitment! The central focus of our time together will be your passing the national APUSH
exam, taken in May, 2015.
The APUSH curriculum is a comprehensive examination of our nation’s history, spanning the Age of
Discovery in the late 15th century to the present. Not only are we responsible for examining four
hundred+ years worth of material, but we will also master the skills that are at the heart of APUSH. That
means lots of high level essay writing.
You can expect the pace of APUSH to be uncomfortably fast and at the same time you will be required to
meet all standards. If those two do not go hand-in-hand for you, please reconsider your decision.
Otherwise, welcome!
Teacher Information
We are entering a partnership. I am committed to maintaining a learning environment where all students
are valued and held to the highest standards. I will do whatever it takes to provide you with the guidance
and assistance you need to excel.
I am available for assistance most every day after school.
If you need to reach me for APUSH-related questions or concerns outside school, do not hesitate to
contact me at:
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phone: 784-9495
email: brandtrobinson@ymail.com
What You Need for the Course:
You are required to bring to class each day:
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basic supplies (paper and pen, black or blue only)
a notebook – your notebook will be a three-ring binder (1 ½ to 2 inches is ideal)
AP Test Information
In May, 2015 you – and over a half million other high school juniors! – will take the AP U.S. History
exam.
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The test is 3 hours and 5 minutes in length.
Part I – Multiple Choice: 55 multiple choice questions in which you have 55 minutes to complete.
Part II – Short Answer: 4 short answer questions
Part III – The Long Essay: 1-2 long essay questions
Part IV – The D.B.Q.: 1 document-based essay question
Main Texts
You will be assigned the following textbooks:
The American Pageant, Thomas Bailey and David Kennedy; primary text
The American Spirit (two volumes), Thomas Bailey and David Kennedy; these are primary source
readers.
Supplementary Readings
You will read excerpts from a variety of historical perspectives that will help you sharpen your focus.
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I strongly recommend that you purchase your own AP Test Prep book by the end of the first six
weeks. Because the AP test has been changed for the first time in nearly thirty years, I can not
recommend a book yet. However, if you go to Barnes and Noble Booksellers or visit the Internet,
you will find many guides.
Grading Scale
A – 90-100%
B – 80-89%
C – 70-79%
D – 60-69%
F – 59% and below
 90% of your grade comes from your performance on meeting the standards on formal assessments,
which include tests and essays. The other 10% comes from other coursework and home fun that will
be identified. You will have home fun every night!
 You will earn an A or B on every assignment, test and essay. If you do not meet this standard, be
prepared to complete correctives that also meet deadlines.
 If you do not meet the Advanced Placement academic standards for DHS, you will be removed from
the course.
Course Syllabus
The purpose of a course syllabus is to provide a road map for our journey through American history.
From time to time, we will encounter twists and turns; however, the road runs squarely through the
history below. Here are the basic units of study and corresponding information:
FIRST SEMESTER
Unit
Major focus
Time Period
Chapters
1
Native peoples in the
Americas; Rise of Spain
and England as empires;
Colonial America to 1700
1550 to 1700
1, 2, 3, 4
4-83
2
Colonial changes;
New France; clash of empires
1700 to 1763
5, 6
84-121
3
Road to Revolution;
Revolutionary War
1763 to 1783
7, 8
122-165
4
Mapping out a nation;
Constitution; Federalist
Period
1783 to 1800
9, 10
166-210
5
Jeffersonian Democracy;
Era of Good Feelings
1800 to 1824
11, 12,
parts of
14, 15, 16
211-255
6
Jacksonian Democracy;
Sectionalism, part I,
Era of Reform
1819 to 1840
13, parts of
14, 15, 16
256-
7
Manifest Destiny;
the “Peculiar Institution”
1840 to 1850
17, parts of
14, 15, 16
370-389
8
Sectionalism, part II;
the Road to Civil War
1848 to 1861
18, 19
390-433
9
Civil War; Reconstruction
1860 to 1877
20, 21, 22
434-499
10
The Gilded Age
1865 to 1900
23, 24, 25,
part of 26
500-589
Midterm Examination – All students will take the exam. This is a county policy.
Pages
SECOND SEMESTER
Unit
Major focus
Time Period
Chapters
Pages
11
Imperialism through World
War I
1880 to 1920
27, 28, 31
623-663,
705-727
12
Populism; Progressive Era
1890 to 1920
part of 26,
29, 30
664-704
13
1920s, Foreign and Domestic
1918 to 1932
32, 33
728-776
14
1930s, Depression and New Deal
1929 to 1939
34,
part of 35
777-814
15
Road to World War II;
World War II
1929 to 1946
part of 35,
36
806-855
16
The Cold War to 1960; the 1950s
1946 to 1960
37, 38
856-915
17
The “Stormy Sixties”
1960 to 1975
39,
part of 40
916-954
18
The “Other 1970s” and the
Rise of Conservatism
1975 to 2000
part of 40, 955-1013
41
May 2015 – Advanced Placement United States History Test – time to show all that you learned
Final Examination – may be exempted but why would you miss the chance!
What You Can Expect in Our Class
My commitment to each of you
I chose to become a teacher because I like helping people learn. Few things in life are as powerful as
being a part of the moment when learning happens. I am committed to doing all I can to help you meet
the standards for Advanced Placement United States History. You are worth whatever it takes!
Therefore, I promise to do all I can to:
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Treat you with the highest respect.
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Maintain the highest standards for what I am teaching.
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Work with and support your parent(s)/guardian(s) to help you get what you need to be successful.
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Maintain a fair system so that your grades truly reflect what you have learned.
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Fairly and consistently enforce our standards for behavior and learning.
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Have fun and celebrate your success throughout the year.
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Admit when I am wrong and gracefully apologize.
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Maintain a physical environment that meets your needs.
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Seek your input and advice for ways to make our classroom better and better.
Behavioral Expectations
You are expected to treat everyone and everything in our classroom with respect. I will follow and
enforce all county and school rules because you are worth it.
Formal Assessments
90% of your grade is based on tests and essays. If you do not earn an A or B on each test, you will
complete correctives and retake the test.
If you do not meet the standards for APUSH essays, you will complete correctives and rewrite part or all
of the essay.
Assignments and Make-Up Work
Attendance in any class is critically important. In APUSH it is essential. If your attendance is less than
exemplary, I will request a parent/guardian conference and possibly recommend your removal from the
course.
If you are absent, simply check the APUSH notebook for what you’ve missed. Any handouts or readings
for that date are located in the APUSH notebook on the bookshelf by the door. I am available after school
to help you.
Home Fun
YOU WILL HAVE HOME FUN EVERY NIGHT! We do not do “busy work” in APUSH. The purpose
of home fun is to extend what you already know about.
Academic Honesty
All forms of academic dishonesty – cheating, copying, plagiarism – will not be tolerated. The
consequences of violating the county and school policy are outlined in the Code of Student Conduct and
may include a failing grade for the assignment, a parental/guardian conference or removal from the
course.
Bottom Line
I am honored and privileged to have you in our AP United States History class this year. I hope that
when this year is over, you feel the course has been important to your education and the path you choose
in life. Yes, the course is extremely challenging. Yes, the demands are rigorous. You must believe in
yourself and be willing to celebrate your own successes and be prepared to accept a few setbacks along
the way. Learn from your mistakes, make adjustments, stay positive, and move on! The prize at the end
will be worth it! We are re in this together.
Thank you in advance…you are worth whatever it takes!
Brandt Robinson
Dunedin High School
(727) 784-9495 (home)
(727) 469-4100, ext. 1925 (school)
brandtrobinson@ymail.com
robinsont@pcsb.org
Dear APUSH Parent(s),
Thank you for supporting your child’s decision to accept the challenge of Advanced Placement United
States History (APUSH). I look forward to working closely with you to prepare your son or daughter to
meet the standards of the course. APUSH is a college-level class that requires an exceptional
commitment by students. The ultimate goal is passing the Advanced Placement national exam in May
2015, which may result in earning college credit for the course. Along the way, your child will critically
examine our nation’s rich history with emphasis on deep reasoning and analysis, especially in writing.
Your continuing support is essential to the successes we will share throughout the year. Please be assured
that I will do whatever it takes to help your child meet the challenges of the year ahead.
As you know, the world outside school demands that we perform our jobs at a high level of excellence.
We expect accuracy and precision from doctors, accountants, mechanics, and mail carriers, to name a
few. We also expect these standards to be met in a timely way. As such, the course is designed to hold
students accountable for the high standards of the APUSH curriculum, while also fostering responsibility
of meeting deadlines. By bringing this “outside-of-school” model into our classroom, I will be doing all I
can to help prepare your child to reach high standards of the course and beyond.
There are a few important details about APUSH that will challenge our students. First, home fun will
be assigned each night. Be prepared to regularly ask your child to “explain to me what you are learning
about in APUSH” (so much better than asking if they have homework!). Second, we do a great deal of
writing. Your help proofreading is greatly appreciated. Finally, when students do not meet standards,
mandatory correctives will be assigned to ensure standards are met.
This commitment to excellence is tough enough to manage at home when raising children or in an
apprenticeship program. But in school it is quite challenging in a class of 20 to 25 diverse learners.
Despite the challenge, your child is worth it. I am committed to staying in touch with you throughout the
year. Please do not hesitate to do the same.
Sincerely,
Brandt Robinson
X
Permission for Viewing Video Clips in APUSH
Effective 2008-2009, the Pinellas County School Board has issued the following restrictions of the
showing of videos and films in classrooms: 1. The use of videos and films must be relevant to the
curricula students are currently studying and 2. All videos and films must be G rated unless a permission
slip is signed by a parent. Throughout the year, we will view clips from several films that have a higher
rating than G. By signing this permission slip, you authorize your son/daughter to view these clips. If you
have additional questions, don’t hesitate to call me at home at 784-9495 or email me at
robinsont@pcsb.org or brandtrobinson@ymail.com
Thank you,
Mr. Robinson
I give permission for my child to view various film clips throughout the year.
________________________
Student Name (please print)
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Parent/Guardian Name (please print)
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Parent/Guardian Signature