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GCU 113: United States and Arizona Social Studies
& cross listed
HST 113: United States and Arizona Social Studies
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Arizona State University
Fall Semester 2012
Hybrid Format Course
Course line # Insert here
Overarching Goal of the Sequence of Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Social Studies
Courses GCU113/HST 113 and GCU 114/HST114:
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) met in Charlotte, North Carolina, in
May of 2011 to discuss “common state standards in social studies.” The CCSSO agreed that on
the following goal of K-12 social studies education: “The social studies is an interdisciplinary
exploration of the social sciences and humanities, including civics, history, economics, and
geography, in order to develop responsible, informed, and engaged citizens and to foster civic,
global, historical, geographic, and economic literacy.”
Before you can help your students meet this K-12 goal, you yourself must learn
disciplinary perspectives in social studies and how these different disciplines come together to
make you a responsible, informed and engaged citizen who displays civic, global, historical,
geographic, and economic literacy.
This is the first in a series of two social studies course requirements designed to help
preapre you to meet the goals of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) by
focusing on civic, historical, and geographic literacy. Your next class will expand the focus into
global and economic literacy.
1. Instructor Information:
Dates of classes:
Instructor:
Email:
Work Phone:
Office Hours:
Office Location:
Background:
Fall Semester 2012
Dr. Ronald Dorn
ronald.dorn@asu.edu
480-965-7533
MWF 10 to 11 am
Coor 5580
Ron Dorn has been a Professor of Geography (now Geographical Sciences
and Urban Planning) since 1988. He has been working with K-12 teachers
since 1995 in his role as co-coordinator of the Arizona Geographic
Alliance. He is the co-leader of the social studies consortia in the
Teaching Foundations Project.
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2. Course Information:
Catalog Description: Introduction to the United States and Arizona from the integrated social
science perspectives of history, geography, and government.
General Studies: Submitted for SB and H
This course meets the Social and Behavioral Sciences (SB) criteria, because it requires
students to learn about social scientists’ observations about human behavior and how
social science perspectives on human events contribute to civic dialogue. To accomplish
this, students learn social science theories and principles in government, geography, and
the social science side of history. Students learn about methods used to acquire social
science knowledge. Students also learn about the impact of social scientific
understanding.
This course also meets the Historical Awareness (H) criteria, because this course focuses
more than half of the grade on enhancing the awareness of students on the importance of
history in studying American and Arizona government, in studying the history of the
United States and Arizona, and in understanding the geographical context of the United
States and Arizona.
These two general studies requirements interweave with one another in a way that
promotes both social science understanding and historical awareness through
transdisciplinary perspectives.
Course Format: This course is designed to be taught in multiple formats: face-to-face, hybrid,
and online. This particular syllabus is designed for the hybrid format.
Waiver to Allow Posting to Student Examples: One aspect of the formative learning process in
this class involves instructor posting of exemplary examples on Blackboard with an analysis by
the instructor. These student examples will be posted anonymously. If you are willing to help
other students learn by way of your example, please sign the waiver provided in class that allows
the instructor to post your work anonymously. There is no grade incentive that accompanies
signing this waiver. There is just the incentive that you will be helping your fellow students
learn — recognizing that there is no grading curve for the class or for any assignment.
Required Course Texts, Materials and Resources: There are no required expensive textbooks
for this course.
1. Lectures, reading and other resources are available through hyperlinks posted on
blackboard.
2. ASU Blackboard Course Management Website at http://myasucourses.asu.edu (All
ASU students have FREE access to this web resource). The blackboard website will be
used to facilitate assignments and instructor feedback for the history and government
components of the course.
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3. A specially designed grading program (http://socialstudies.courseassign.com/ ) will
facilitate student engagement in the geography component of this class, modeling the
integration of technology into the learning process.
Student Learning Outcomes Linked to Educational Standards
The intended audience for this course are ASU students who aspire to become certified teachers
and any student interested in an integrated understanding of the social studies of the United
States and Arizona.
This is not a course in how to teach. It is a content-rich course about the social studies
(government, history, geography) of the United States and Arizona. This content does, however,
relate to a number of different educational standards that must be mastered by aspiring
elementary teachers. The content of this course is part of a sequence of two courses, cross-listed
in history (HST) and geography (GCU) that will prepare you to master these standards:
GCU 113 or HST 113: United States and Arizona Social Studies (SB, H)
GCU 114 or HST 114: World Social Studies (SB, G)
Educational
Standard
How this course connects
The AEPA
Test for
Middle School
Grades Social
Studies.
This course helps prepare students for the AEPA Field 40: Middle Grades
Social Studies Test in government, history and geography
Note: even if
you do not
plan to teach
in middle
school, having
deeper
knowledge of
what is taught
in slightly
higher grade
levels is
important in
helping you
make
connections
for your
students.
Course
Outcomes
Those
elementary
students
interested in
United States and Arizona Government:
Objective 0009: Understand the historical development of government in the taking the
United States.
AEPA Middle
Objective 0010: Understand the United States Constitution
Grades Social
Objective 0011: Understand the structure, organization, and operation of the Studies Test
federal government.
will be prepared
Objective 0012: Understand the relationship of government to the United
after taking this
States economic system
course and
Objective 0013: Understand the development of political parties in the United subsequent
States
courses in the
Objective 0014: Understand the election process in the United States
social studies
Objective 0015: Understand the role of political culture, public opinion, and
sequence.
the media in United States politics.
Objective 0016: Understand state and local government in the United States
Objective 0017: Understand the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship
Objective 0018: Understand basic features of democratic government in the
United States
Objective 0019: Understand state government and government of American
Indian nations in Arizona
United States and Arizona History:
Objective 0019 Understand the ideas, values, and institutions that have
shaped the culture of the United States.
Objective 0020 Understand developments in the arts, literature, science,
religion, and philosophy in the United States.
Objective 0021 Understand the role of immigration and cultural diversity in
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the continuing development of the United States.
Objective 0022 Understand European exploration of North America and the
development of colonial settlements.
Objective 0023 Understand the Revolutionary War and major developments
related to the creation of the federal government and establishment of U.S.
society.
Objective 0024 Understand the westward movement in U.S. history.
Objective 0025 Understand the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Objective 0026 Understand industrialization in the United States.
Objective 0027 Understand the U.S. rise to world power.
Objective 0028 Understand political and military developments, economic
trends, and social movements in the United States since WWI.
Objective 0029 Understand major developments in Arizona history.
United States and Arizona Geography:
Objective 0020: Understand the world in spatial terms
Objective 0021: Understand places and regions
Objective 0022: Understand physical systems
Objective 0023: Understand human systems
Objective 0024: Understand environment and society
Arizona State
Teacher
Standards
This is a course rich in academic knowledge and does not have any focus on
pedagogy. Thus, the standards addressed are 7 and 8:
Standard 7: The teacher has general academic knowledge as demonstrated by
the attainment of a bachelor’s degree. The teacher also has specific academic
knowledge in his or her subject area or areas sufficient to develop student
knowledge and performance to meet Arizona academic standards
Standard 8: The teacher demonstrates current professional knowledge
sufficient to effectively design and plan instruction, implement and manage
instruction, create and maintain an appropriate learning environment, and
assess student learning
Arizona
Student
Content
Standards
Addressed in
this Course.
This course uses explicit examples from Strand 1: American History:
(https://www.ade.az.gov/standards/sstudies/articulated/strand1.pdf)
This course uses explicit examples from Strand 3: Civics/Government of the
Social Studies Standard:
(https://www.ade.state.az.us/standards/sstudies/articulated/strand3.pdf)
This course uses explicit examples from Strand 4: Geography of the Social
Studies Standard:
(https://www.ade.state.az.us/standards/sstudies/articulated/strand4.pdf)
The course does not provide material at the level of elementary school
students. Rather, different performance objectives in Grades K-8 are
explained at the college level. For example, although Kindergarten students
are to explore the role of citizens by showing understanding of fair rules on
the playground and classroom, college students will have assignments
requiring them to show an understanding of the pathways of citizen
engagement and policy change.
Elementary
teachers
completing this
course and
subsequent
courses in the
social studies
sequence will
master these
standards.
Elementary
teachers
completing this
course and the
subsequent
courses in the
social studies
sequence will
have a collegelevel detailed
understanding
of the
knowledge
behind these
standards.
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Instructor-Student Trust: Trust is an important aspect of any successful educational setting.
In this class, the instructor anticipates that students come into this class: (a) trusting that the
course developers of the Teaching Foundations Project have compiled class material highly
relevant to aspiring elementary educators; (b) trusting that your course instructor greatly desires
you to do well in the class and will not employ such “tricks” as “gotcha” tests that assess
material that has never been presented; (c) trusting that grading will be done fairly with useful
feedback; and (d) trusting that the workload of the class accurately reflects Arizona Board of
Regents guidelines for three credit semester courses.
Commensurately, in this class, the instructor trusts that the students truly want to learn the
material as opposed to just meet a requirement. The instructor trusts that the students will let the
instructor know when any learning problems arise. The instructor also understands that students
do sometimes have problems in their everyday life that can interfere with learning, and that the
instructor wants to learn of these problems as soon as possible to come up with mutually
beneficial solutions that promote learning.
3. Course Policies

Professional Behavior: Your instructor expects that students will exhibit professional
behavior inside the classroom and in working with other students outside of the class on
assignments related to this class in addition to behavior in the classroom on ASU’s
campus. For students in the Mary Lour Fulton Teacher’s college, if the instructor
determines that your behavior at any time your behavior is ‘unprofessional’, the
instructor may refer the student to the Director of the Advising, Recruitment, and
Retention Office (ARRO) for the development of a Professional Improvement Plan
(PIP).

Attendance: Attendance is required, unless a valid reason is provided to the instructor –
such as a school function or a documented illness. An attendance sheet will be used to
document student attendance.

Late and Missing Assignments; Incompletes
Late assignments will be graded on the same scale as assignments turned in on time, if
the assignment is not more than 7 days late. However, late assignments pose a burden to
the grading process. Someone turning in an assignment late should not expect that
assignment to be graded in a timeline fashion. The instructor’s first grading and feedback
priority is to provide a response first to those students who do not turn in late
assignments; basically – a late assignment is always put at the bottom of the grading pile.
The instructor may lower the grade when a student turning in a late assignment if it is
more than a week late.
Missing assignments will be treated as a “zero” in the grading process.
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Incompletes are only allowed for reasons presented in this Arizona Board of Regents
Policy.

Academic Integrity/Plagiarism
The ASU Student Handbook contains the following information: “The highest standards
of academic integrity are expected of all students. The failure of any student to meet these
standards may result in suspension or expulsion from the university and/or other
sanctions as specified in the academic integrity policies of the individual academic unit.
Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to, cheating, fabrication,
tampering, plagiarism, or facilitating such activities. The university and unit academic
integrity policies are available from the Office of the Executive Vice President and
Provost of the University and from the deans of the individual academic units.”
The rest of the code, which consists of several pages, is available at the following URL.
http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/academic_integrity.htm.

Disability Accommodations for Students
Students who feel they may need a disability accommodation(s) in class must provide
documentation from the Disability Resource Center (Downtown campus UCB 160,
Polytechnic campus Sutton Hall 240, Tempe campus Matthews Center, or West campus
UCB 130) to the class instructor verifying the need for an accommodation and the type of
accommodation that is appropriate. Students who wish accommodations for a disability
should contact DRC as early as possible (i.e. before the beginning of the semester) to
assure appropriate accommodations can be provided. It is the student’s responsibility to
make the first contact with the DRC.

Religious Accommodations for Students
Students who need to be absent from class due to the observance of a religious holiday or
participate in required religious functions must notify the faculty member in writing as
far in advance of the holiday/obligation as possible. Students will need to identify the
specific holiday or obligatory function to the faculty member. Students will not be
penalized for missing class due to religious obligations/holiday observance. The student
should contact the class instructor to make arrangements for making up tests/assignments
within a reasonable time.

Military Personnel Statement
A student who is a member of the National Guard, Reserve, or other U.S. Armed Forces
branch and is unable to complete classes because of military activation may request
complete or partial administrative unrestricted withdrawals or incompletes depending on
the timing of the activation. For information, please see
http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi201-18.html.

Harassment Prohibited
ASU policy prohibits harassment on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, age, religion,
national origin, disability, sexual orientation, Vietnam era veteran status and other
protected veteran status. Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action,
including termination of employees or expulsion of students. Contact Student Life
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(Downtown campus 522 N. Central Ave., Post Office Room 247, 480-496-4111;
Polytechnic campus Administration building suite 102, 480-727-1060; Tempe campus
Student Services Building room 263, 480-965-6547; or the West campus UCB 301, 602543-8152) if you feel another student is harassing you based on any of the factors above;
contact EO/AA (480-965-5057) if you feel an ASU employee is harassing you based on
any of the factors above.
o Classroom etiquette: In order to enhance productivity and ensure that everyone is
treated with respect, the following standards for classroom decorum are expected.
o Cell phone ringers turned off.
o No side conversations, text messaging, note passing, etc.
o Arriving on time and, if unavoidably late, making as inconspicuous an entry as
possible.
o If you disagree with remarks made by the instructor or fellow students, do so
politely (we will do our utmost to operate on a non-partisan basis).
o Keeping the instructor informed of reasons for absences or delays in submitting
work.
o Using laptops in class only for taking notes and looking up course-related
material.

Grade Appeals
The professional responsibility for assigning grades is vested in the instructor of the
course, and requires the careful application of professional judgment. A student wishing
to appeal a grade must first meet with the instructor who assigned the grade to try to
resolve the dispute. The process for grade appeals is set forth in the undergraduate and
graduate catalogs, which are available at http://www.asu.edu/catalog
o Course/Instructor Evaluation: The course/instructor evaluation for this course will be
conducted online 7-10 days before the last official day of classes of each semester or
summer session. Response(s) to the course/instructor are anonymous and will not be
returned to your instructor until after grades have been submitted. The use of a
course/instructor evaluation is an important process that allows our college to (1) help
faculty improve their instruction, (2) help administrators evaluate instructional quality, (3)
ensure high standards of teaching, and (4) ultimately improve instruction and student
learning over time. Completion of the evaluation is not required for you to pass this class
and will not affect your grade, but your cooperation and participation in this process is
critical. About two weeks before the class finishes, watch for an e-mail with "ASU
Course/Instructor Evaluation" in the subject heading. The email will be sent to your
official ASU e-mail address, so make sure ASU has your current email address on file.
You can check this online at the following URL: http://www.asu.edu/emailsignup.

Electronic Communication
Acceptable use of university computers, internet and electronic communications can be
found in the Student Code of Conduct (http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi104-
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01.html ) and in the University’s Computer, Internet, and Electronic Communications
Policy (http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd125.html).

Technological Services and Support
The Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College encourages students to make use of technological
services available through ASU to make their learning experience more efficient.
Students with personal laptop computers or netbooks can connect wirelessly to the
Internet and to printing services on all four campuses and some PDS sites. The following
support services are available to support student computing needs.
Student Purchases:
Discounted pricing for students purchasing laptop or desktop computers is
available at through the ASU bookstore or online. (http://gomobile.asu.edu/)
The John Babb Scholarship provides $500 financial reimbursement for qualified
students. (http://gomobile.asu.edu/content/scholarship-info)
ASU Campus Classroom Connectivity:
In-class use of laptops is encouraged by the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.
In cases where students need to make presentations during class, most classrooms
have the capability of allowing laptops to connect to classroom projectors. Mac
laptops may require an adaptor. For collaborative work, social networking tools
are provided to ASU students through a Google partnership, including Google
docs, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, and sites.
(https://docs.google.com/a/asu.edu/#all)
Hardware and Software Support:
ASU 1:1 Technology Studios provide support to students on all four campuses for
hardware, software and operating systems, security, networking, etc.
(http://help.asu.edu/ASU_1to1_Technology_Studio) Virus scan software
downloads are available free for students. (https://webapp3.asu.edu/myapps/)
MyApps provides free software tools, online applications, and information about
discounted software for purchase. (https://webapp3.asu.edu/myapps/)
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4. Tentative Course Calendar of Topics, Lectures and Readings
Weeks 1-4: Promoting Disciplinary Thinking about the History of the
United States and Arizona [15 hours of lectures]
Course Topic
Introduction
Three Worlds Meet
(Beginnings to 1620)
Colonization and
Settlement (1585-1763)
Revolution and the New
Nation (1754-1820s)
Expansion and Reform
(1801-1861)
Civil War and
Reconstruction (18501877)
The Development of the
Industrial United States
and Arizona (1870-1900)
Era 7 The Emergence of
Modern America and
Arizona (1890-1930)
Era 8 The Great
Depression and World
War II (1929-1945)
Era 9 Postwar United
States and Arizona (1945
to early 1970s)
Era 10 Contemporary
United States and Arizona
(1968 to the present)
Standard
Connections
Lectures and Readings
Each link below opens a
new webpage that links
to online lectures and
PDF files of readings
Era 1
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Era 2
Era 3
Era 4
Era 5
Date of Class
Discussing
Material in
Person for
Hybrid Class
Week 1
Week 1
Week 1
Week 2
Week 2
Week 2
Era 6
Online presentations and
reading link
Week 3
Era 7
Online presentations and
reading link
Week 3
Era 8
Online presentations and
reading link
Week 3
Era 9
Online presentations and
reading link
Week 4
Era 10
Online presentations and
reading link
Week 4
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Weeks 5-10: Promoting Disciplinary Thinking about Government of
the United States and Arizona [15 hours of lectures]
Course Topic
Standard
Connections
Role of the State
National Standard
State Power
National Standard
Formation of the
American Idea
Revolutionary Origins
National Standard
The Constitution
National Standard
Federalism
National Standard
Congress
National Standard
The Presidency
National Standard
Interest Groups and
Parties
Social Movements and
Public Policy
Arizona Statehood and
Constitution
Arizona Legislative
and Judicial Branches
Arizona Executive
Branch
National Standard
National Standard
National Standard
National Standard
National Standard
National Standard
Lectures and Readings
Each link below opens a new
webpage that links to online
lectures and PDF files of
readings
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Online presentations and
reading link
Date of Class
Discussing
Material in
Person for
Hybrid Class
Week 5
Week 5
Week 6
Week 6
Week 7
Week 7
Week 8
Week 8
Week 9
Week 9
Week 10
Week 10
Week 10
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Weeks 11-14 Promoting Disciplinary Thinking about Geography of
the United States and Arizona [10 hours of lectures]
Course Topics
Standards
Lectures and Readings
Each link below opens a new
webpage that links to online
lectures and PDF files of
readings
Online presentations
explaining national geography
standards and Arizona social
studies standard and the
Arizona geography strand.
Date of Class
Discussing
Material in
Person for
Hybrid Class
Week 11
National Standard
1
Online presentations and
reading link
Week 11
Online presentations and
reading link
Week 12
Online presentations and
reading link
Week 12
Introduction to the
structure of geography
Review how to use the
CourseAssign website
to complete geography
project
Maps of the US and
Arizona
Mental Mapping of the National Standard
US and Arizona
2
Spatial Organization
of the US and Arizona
Physical and Human
Characteristics of the
US and Arizona
People create regions
in the US and Arizona
How Culture and
Experience influences
perceptions of the US
and Arizona
National Standard
3
National Standard
4
National Standard
5
National Standard
6
Physical Processes and National Standard
Patterns of the US and 7
Arizona
National Standard
Characteristics and
8
Distribution of
Ecosystems in the US
and Arizona
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Population
Distribution,
Characteristics and
Migration in the US
and Arizona
National Standard
9
Cultural Mosaics in
the US and Arizona
National Standard
11
Economic
interdependence in the
US and Arizona
National Standard
12
Settlement patterns
and functions in the
US and Arizona
Cooperation and
conflict in the US and
Arizona
Human Modification
of Earth's Surface in
the US and Arizona
How Nature Affects
People in the US and
Arizona
12
Online presentations and
reading link
Week 13
Online presentations and
reading link
Week 14
Online presentations and
reading link
Week 14
National Standard
10
National Standard
13
National Standard
14
National Standard
15
National Standard
16
Natural Resources in
the US and Arizona
Applying Geography
National Standard
to Interpret The Past in 17
the US and Arizona
National Standard
Applying US and
18
Arizona Geography to
Plan for the Future
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Weeks 15 Integrating disciplinary perspectives of social studies [5
contact hours]
Course Topics
Integrative Assignment: Student Presentations
Date of Class
Week 15
5. Student Assessment and Your Grade
Class Grading Scale
A+ 100% and up of A+
A 92-99.99%
A- 90-91.99%
B+ 88-89.99%
B 82-87.99%
B- 80-81.99%
C+ 76-79.99%
C 65-75.99
D 50-64.99%
E < 50
Course Assignments:
Disciplinary Understanding (40% of grade) demonstrated through inclass discussions (10% of grade) and end-of-class quizzes (30% of
grade)
You will be responsible for watching the lectures prior to the in-class meeting. These
lectures and associated readings will give you the background needed to participate in
class discussions and to complete the quiz question. [Please that there are no “high stakes
tests”.]
This is pretty vague, so examples will follow for each of the social studies disciplines
explored in this class.
History Example (History Quizzes will be worth 10% of the final grade)
In week 1, you watch lectures prior to coming to class on “Three Worlds Meet
(Beginnings to 1620)” and “Colonization and Settlement” (1585-1763).
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Before you arrive in class for the in-person meeting on these topics, you will
receive five potential quiz questions that could be asked. This is an example of
one of those quiz questions
History Quiz #1: In the context of the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, you
have been introduced to the term American Exceptionalism. Loosely defined, it is a
longstanding notion that the colonial experiments of the Thirteen Colonies (and later the
republic that grew out of them) were unique and destined for greatness; i.e., leadership,
on the international stage. There have been many contributors to this concept over the
years and they have not agreed entirely on what it means or how it should be employed.
But this is a core value in the American experience.
As a "quiz" I would like you to prepare a short analysis of American
Exceptionalism. Conduct an internet search and find 2-3 articles on the subject. Do not
just grab the first few that show up through your search engine. Try to select some that
genuinely interest you. Be sure that at least one takes a generally positive view on
American Exceptionalism while at least one is more critical (since it is a loaded concept
these days). In a few paragraphs, explore whatever combination of value and potential
danger that you see in how this idea has been used or could be used. Be careful to do
more than just report what others have claimed. Work with their evidence and reach your
own judgments.
A discussion board on Blackboard will allow you to begin the critical thinking
processes involved in developing your short analysis. You are encouraged post
questions about concepts and terms that might be unclear. You are encouraged to
critique this question — questioning why this information will help you achieve
the goal of the social studies courses. [Your discussion board postings will count
towards the 10% of the course grade allotted to in-class discussions. This
flexibility is intended to help students who may have an illness in a particular
week. However, most of the participation grade must derive from participation in
class.]
The discussion in class, led by the instructor, will focus on the five potential quiz
questions.
Towards the end of the in-class session, you will be told which one of the five
questions will be your required quiz question. Then, you will complete the quiz
that will be due at midnight the date of the in-class session. Students will be
encouraged to start the quiz answering process in class to allow for additional
Q&A with other students and the instructor.
Submission of your quiz is not the end of the learning process. The top quiz
examples will then be posted on Blackboard with an analysis of each quiz by the
instructor. The instructor will provide comments on the critical thinking
displayed, the quality of writing in evidence, as well as the learned history
content.
Discussion over these top quizzes will then follow online, where students can ask
for clarification.
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15
There will also be a separate discussion board on issues related to writing quality.
Throughout the semester, the instructor will post examples of good student
writing on this board — along with explanations of why the writing exemplifies
high quality. Threads on this discussion board will allow students to ask for
clarification and also to offer up their own examples of suggested revisions. With
each new quiz, the instructor will post new examples.
Students wishing to improve their quiz grade are encouraged to resubmit
their efforts by the deadline indicated online (typically 3 days after you receive
your grade).
Government Example (Govt Quizzes will be worth 10% of the final grade)
In week 7, you watch lectures prior to coming to class on The Constitution and
Federalism.
Before you arrive in class for the in-person meeting on these topics, you will
receive five potential quiz questions that could be asked. Here are two is examples
of possible quiz questions
One Constitution Quiz Question
Some have argued that dictatorships are more efficient and, in certain ways, more stable than
republics and democracies because they streamline the process of setting policy and can inject a
sense of unity and purpose into a society that might otherwise be fractured and adrift. As the old
saying went about fascism in Italy under Benito Mussolini, it was the only way to make the trains
run on time. Using the lecture material and any other impressions that you have of U.S. History
and current affairs, evaluate this statement.
Federalism Quiz Question
The first paragraph provides your basic answer to the first question, explained in several
sentences. Does it matter what level of government provides services?
Your second paragraph answers the second question: Are there some things that state and local
governments are better suited to handle?
Your third paragraph answers the third question: Are there some things that the federal
government is better suited for?
Please see the history example quiz section for what comes next.
Geography Example (Geography Quizzes will be worth 10% of the final
grade)
In week 13, you watch lectures prior to coming to class on various aspects of
Human Geography..
Before you arrive in class for the in-person meeting on these topics, you will
receive five potential quiz questions that could be asked. Here is an examples of a
possible quiz question.
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Name Geography Quiz Example: Stds 9-10-11-12-13
Description This quiz asks you to demonstrate your knowledge about five of the
national geography standards (9, 10, 11, 12, 13) that relate to human geography.
Instructions
The field of human geography focuses on everything to do with landscapes made by
people. Migration of people, the pattern of villages, the creation of suburbs, the
geography of wars and peace, the movement of the food you are thinking about eating for
dinner - all these things and more are a part of the geography of people.
This essay asks you to demonstrate your understanding of the basic standards of human
geography in the context of reviewing a movie or a book. This will be one of the
strangest book or movie review that you have ever done. Certainly, you can't find a
movie review on the internet that would fit!
Your movie or book review will have 6 paragraphs. The first paragraph will explain a bit
about the movie or book you are reviewing. Explain about the plot and the main
characters. This one paragraph is really your summary of the movie or the book from a
regular perspective.
The other 5 paragraphs will be all about each of the standards. In each of these standards
paragraphs, you will explain how that particular standard relates to your movie or book.
For example, standard 13 deals with the geography of conflict (war or even conflicts
between gangs in a neighborhood) and cooperation (peace). So think about your movie
or book, and think about how the geography of conflict and cooperation plays out in your
book or movie. Explain your thoughts.
Then, you do this for standards 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13.
Obviously, you would need to think about a book or a movie that has elements of each of
these standards. It is not acceptable to say: "my movie/book does not cover standard X".
You need to think about a book or a movie that has something related to all of these
standards. Luckily, this is not hard.
To complete the essay, first explain what these standards have in common, and please
include several examples to make your answer more thorough. Then, explain differences
in these standards, and please also include several examples to make your answer more
thorough.
FOR THIS PARTICULAR QUIZ QUESTION, YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO
THINK ABOUT PRESENTING THIS REVIEW IN THE FORM OF A VIDEO
REVIEW, POSTED TO YOUTUBE. This is not a requirement. However, creating
such a youtube review is encouraged.
Please see the history example quiz section for what comes next.
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Disciplinary Application of Content through Projects (30% of the grade)
The history, government, and geography projects all concern the issue of immigration. In
each project, you apply the discipline knowledge gained through lectures and internalized
through class discussions. Each of these projects relates to the issue of immigration along the
U.S. – Mexico border — focusing on disciplinary thinking like historian, political scientist and
geographer. Then, later in the final project, you will be tasked with weaving these perspectives
into a cohesive understanding.
History (10% of grade) — Re-living our immigrant past
Overview of Project: History is much more than learning timelines or the stories of key figures in
history. History is a perspective on thinking about issues.
Start by reading this essay by Jeffrey Kaye.
http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/docs/Jeffrey_Kaye_-_Hazleton_052010.pdf
You will see an essay connects to the contemporary story of immigration in Arizona through the
lens of historical thinking. Your disciplinary assignment is to prepare a similar essay that
connects SB 1070 and Arizona’s contemporary immigration issues to another issue of
immigration in America’s history. Your essay has the double goals of demonstrating that you
have learned how to think historically and also in giving you material that you can use in your
culminating project.
The length of the assignment is the same as Kaye’s essay. Your essay should have similar
elements of doing historical research about an immigration issue in the past, and then bringing
the reader “up to speed” with the present. Your essay will also address similarities with SB 1070
and its contemporary motivation.
You will have to do research on immigration on the internet. You can select a town in Arizona
and address the impact of immigration over time. You can select an important event at any
location in the United States. There are no constraints other than the requirements that your
essay will:
• Select a theme in the debate over SB 1070 that relates to a historical event relevant to
immigration
• Demonstrate a historical perspective in your essay by examining event(s) related to the
theme you select
• Follow Jeffrey Kaye’s lead in how to connect the past to the present in your essay,
demonstrating how thinking about our immigrant past guides your own thinking about
immigration
• Demonstrate that you are able to communicate ideas in writing and that you are able to
write in paragraphs that contain ideas, in full sentences with proper grammar, with
properly spelled words.
You will turn into blackboard Draft #1 in a .doc format by the class session in Week 4.
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You will then receive instructor comments through the “track changes” tool and your
preliminary grade.
Then, you will submit your revisions (draft 2) to a partner student (assigned in class). Your
partner student will review your paper and assess how your paper has or has not accommodated
the suggestions made by the instructor.
Then, you will turn in draft 3 to the instructor, along with draft 2 and the partner student review.
Additional instructions and the scoring guide will be provided during in-class sessions.
Government (10% of grade) — Podcast Presentation Guidelines
Overview of Project: Government can be an abstract concept, until you focus on a specific
issue. Immigration along the U.S. – Mexico border is the specific issue that ties together the
different elements of social studies in your final culminating project. In this government podcast
project, you will delve into a specific piece of legislation related to immigration. You can select
SB 1070 itself if you wish. You can select other legislation in Arizona that has been proposed or
that is being proposed right now. You can pick similar legislation in other states, or perhaps the
“Dream Act” at the federal level. This project is all about you delving into one piece of law or
proposed law related to immigration. I want you to become an expert in that piece of legislation.
This expertise will then make it much easier for you to complete the final project.
Listen to these podcasts about immigration and the law from different perspectives.
Examples of podcasts and interviews of those concerned with illegal immigration:
Todd Hartley’s Immigration Podcasts. Pick any one of them.
Interview with Sen. Russell Pearce.
Interview with Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Examples of podcasts concerned about the negative implications of anti-immigration legislation:
Lucas Guttentag, Director of the Immigrants' Rights Project at the ACLU, discusses current
litigation against current immigration laws and what that litigation is actually seeking to do. He
also gives an in-depth view into SB 1070 and the ways in which it could be enforced.
Ann Morse, Program Director of the National Conference of State Legislators, gives an overview
of NCSL by discussing their involvement in immigration reform, reports on bills and laws in the
states and what you can do to inform the debate.
Mo Goldman, an ALIA member, discusses how private immigration attorneys can work to combat
anti-immigration of legislature and the things an immigration attorney can do to impact media
and other organizations in their local area.
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Your assignment is to prepare a podcast about some aspect of immigration legislation that is
pending. The legislation can be pending at federal level (e.g. the “Dream Act”), in any state, or
even how a city has established policy in handling handling immigration issues. You can find
abundant examples by searching the Internet with terms like: immigration legislation and then
the location of interests (e.g., state, federal)
You are welcome to take any position, but your grade will be based on your podcast having the
the following components.
o You will start your podcast with the title of your presentation. You are not required
to present your name in the podcast, although you are welcome to do so. However,
your podcast must be labeled with your name when you post it to blackboard. For
example>> SmithRandy.mp3
o Describe the legislative issue: This should be about 25 to 50 percent of the content.
Describe the issue and why it is important.
o Select Policy: What policy are you supporting? It is always a good idea to acknowledge
alternate policies and briefly state why you reject them.
o ID Actors: What decision-making body has the authority to enact this policy? Who are
the key actors?
o Political Action: This is the most important part of the podcast and should be at least 25
percent of the content. Given the legislation and the actors, how would you use the
political process to influence the actors to make the decision you want them to make?
o Use of Course Concepts: Dropping government (political science) terms with the correct
usage into your podcast is also a good idea. Remember that all assignments in college
are ways to demonstrate learning.
You are encouraged to write out the text of your podcast and practice it in advance. You podcast
makes up 90% of the grade for this assignment. You will post an mp3 file to blackboard for this
assignment. Be sure to include name your podcast with your Last and First Name: for
example SmithRandy.mp3
The last 10% comes from you ranking class podcasts. In your ranking, you are not grading your
fellow students. Instead, you will select one of the following categories:
Most informative
Most relevant
Most timely
Best researched
Best presented
Most entertaining
You will just rank the top 5 in one category. You will use the following template in presenting
your ranking to the instructor.
Immigration Podcast Ranking
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Category of Ranking: YOU SELECT THE CATEGORY
Rank Title of Podcast Presentation Your explanation
1
2
3
4
5
The instructor will award additional “points” to the highest ranked podcasts in each category.
Geography (10% of grade) — Geography of the U.S. — Mexico Border (due
end of week 14) - Glog
Overview of Project: Geographical vocabulary sometimes gets in the way of a subject that is
intuitive. Population pyramids, scale, human systems and other terms are concepts easily learned
by elementary students. Thus, future teachers need to “get over” the vocabulary hurdle and just
learn to use geographical terminology to explain a geographic perspective. You will do this in
the form of a three-stage project aimed at applying your geographical knowledge to
understanding the U.S. – Mexico borderland region.
Stage 1: You will go on a guided scavenger hunt and obtain different geographical perpsectives
on the borderlands.
Stage 2: You will compile these geographical pieces in the form of a graphical blog, or a Glog.
This is an example completed by a past student:
http://alliance.la.asu.edu/socialstudies/US_AZ/geography/Glog_KimberlyteachesGeography.pdf
Stage 3: Your instructor will post everybody’s Glog to a website. Then, you can have access to
this material for your final project that asks you to integrate your understanding of borderlands
geography with government and historical perspectives.
Your geography assignment will use a website designed to facilitate feedback and your research
process. This is a tutorial on how you will access the project’s website and gradebook:
http://alliance.la.asu.edu/socialstudies/US_AZ/geography/LabEngineTutorial/LabEngine.html
For Course Review Purposes:
To access the geography activity, please go to this website:
http://socialstudies.courseassign.com/
Step 1: Click "Log in now"
Step 2: Use the following username: bb_jbass and password: 123456
to access the student view of the project
Step 3: Click on Lab Center
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Once you access the geography project website, the instructions for the assignment are
embedded in each piece of the assignment.
Integrating Social Studies Knowledge through a Culminating Project (30% of
grade)— SB 1070.
Arizona’s anti-immigration legislation SB 1070 has created considerable controversy within
Arizona and across the United States. Some have reacted by cancelling convention business in
Arizona, while others have reacted by promoting similar legislation in other states. You have
covered this issue from various angles in this course. Now, you are tasked with integrating social
studies through the issue of SB 1070. If you want a recap, please listen to a brief discussion of
the history behind SB 1070, by Margo Cowan, an attorney at the Pima County Public Defender's
Office.
Your culminating project starts by asking you to examine a population geography projection for
the future at this URL:
http://www.policylink.org/site/c.lkIXLbMNJrE/b.7086035/k.67C/America8217s_Tomorrow.htm
In this projection, by 2042 (this seems a long way off, but you will be teaching through the
transition portrayed in the animation), the United States will host a majority of people of color.
You probably know, already, that the young people of color you will be teaching are already a
majority of Americans.
For your culminating project, pretend that the year is 2042. Also pretend that you taught for
twenty years in elementary classrooms, and you have been working as the social studies
coordinator for your school district for the past few years.
You have been contacted by a “textbook” company to prepare the learning materials on SB 1070
and its legacy. The textbook company does not want a lesson. They want you provide
background knowledge for the parents of students who will be learning about SB 1070 and
its legacy. This particular textbook company has parental communication as an element of its
marketing to school districts, because parent involvement in student learning is an important
determinant in student success.
This textbook company has learned that university faculty are pretty worthless in being able to
prepare materials for the parents of elementary students. Thus, they are paying experienced
teachers and curriculum directors to prepare a draft of material for content-checking review by
the university faculty.
Exactly how you prepare background material is up to you and your creativity. Examples of
options include mock textbook-looking parent supplements, youtube video lectures,
encyclopedia articles, an NPR-format podcast like “All Things Considered”, a website with links
to a text, graphics, and podcast segments, or another format that you propose to your instructor.
Obviously, the technology of parental communication in 2042 will be something that we cannot
envision. Thus, pick a format that works for you.
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Your grade will be determined by the instructor, who will be filling out the following scoring
guide. You will be turning in a draft of your project the last week of class, when you present the
oral component of your project. Then, the instructor will provide to you the following scoring
guide filled out for your assignment, and you will have 1 week to respond to the grading and
submit a revision.
Task
Target
Include history
of SB 1070 and
following
events
You have learned that history
is not a timeline. It is not a
series of facts. Analyze and
evaluate the historical
context of SB 1070 and
extrapolate future events
based on that historical
context
You have learned that the
immigration issue involves
debates between federalism
and state actions. You have
learned the basics of U.S.
and Arizona government.
Your presentation will
present SB 1070 within the
context of this background,
and also have fun
extrapolating the civics
perspective on future events.
You have learned that the
geography of the U.S. –
Mexico borderlands is a
mult-faceted region. Your
presentation will summarize
the border geography at the
present time and extrapolate
how things might change in
2042. You can use material
from your Glog, and you can
also use material mined by
other students’ glogs as well.
No matter the format, your
Include
government
background on
SB 1070 and
following
events.
Include
geography
background on
SB 1070 and
the U.S.Mexico
Borderlands.
Weave history,
Score (did not try = 0;
deficient =1;
compliant =2;
exemplary = 3) and
feedback
Student Response:
When you turn in
your revision, you
will explain how the
revision dealt with the
feedback
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government,
and geography
into your
presentation.
Connect to
Science
Advances
Level of detail
and length of
presentation
GCU 113 Syllabus
communication to parents
will not include separate
handling of these disciplines.
Your analysis simply
includes discipline
knowledge and perspectives
within the presentation. If
you try to break these
disciplines apart, the
presentation will seem
artificial. Tell your story by
providing history, civics and
geography content.
Imagine how much science
has advanced in your
lifetime. Do you think you
will be using fossil-fueldriven vehicles in 2042 or
will there be hydrogen in
your tank fueled by solar
processes? Do you think
there will be surveillance
technologies able to detect
border crossers? Or, will
there be technologies to track
the movements of each
person? Pick a few changes
and weave them into your
anticipated future.
No matter the format of your
presentation (e.g., youtube
video lectures, an NPRformat podcast like “All
Things Considered”, a
website with links, podcast
segments, or a traditional
essay), your instructor will
want you to demonstrate that
you have become a
responsible, informed and
engaged citizen who displays
civic, historical, and
geographic literacy.
Be sure to
reference/cite/mention
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sources of ideas and
materials that you use. In
university classes, you get
kudos for telling the
source(s) of information you
present. So do this a lot.
Take a look at these links as
examples of the level of
detail and length you are
shooting for. Your instructor
understands that you are
freshman college students
and not professional media
presenters. Just shoot for
this level of length and
detail:
All Things Considered 1.
All Things Considered 2.
All Things Considered 3.
Video Lecture 1.
Video Lecture 2.
Video Lecture 3.
Oral
Presentation
Website: you are not
expected or wanted to
develop a comprehensive
website such as this example.
Instead, the idea is for you to
use a website format for
communicating the essence
of the issue to parents.
Your ‘less than 3 minute
presentation’ will provide a
synopsis of your longer
presentation. This is harder
than it sounds. You are
encouraged to practice in
advance and to send your
instructor your written script
in advance to review. All
students will present the last
week of the semester.
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