HISTORY 7 (Course Number 37411) – Political and Social History of the United States
RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT – NORCO COLLEGE
SPRING 2013 - COURSE SYLLABUS
Wednesday 6:00pm – 9:10pm
HUM 103
August 28, 2013 – December 11, 2013
Instructor: Dorothy M. Reina
E-Mail Address: dorothy.reina@rcc.edu
When e-mailing, please include the following: “Subject: Student – History 7 Wednesday”
**If you are unable to e-mail me, you can leave a message for me at the following telephone number:
(951) 222-8000 ext 5352. ALWAYS FOLLOW UP WITH AN E-MAIL AS I DO NOT CHECK THE PHONE
MESSAGES VERY OFTEN**
Website Address: http://websites.rcc.edu/Reina **All assignments, study guides, and a course material,
including a copy of the syllabus, are available on the website. PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A WEBENHANCED COURSE. IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO REGULARLY CHECK THE
WEBSITE FOR REVISIONS/ADDITIONS AND INFORMATION PERTINENT TO THE COURSE**
REQUIRED READING:
1) Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present, (New York: Harper Collins, 1999)
**PLEASE NOTE: THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR READING FREE OF CHARGE AT THE FOLLOWING
WEBSITE: www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.htm**
2) Howard Zinn: Voices of a People’s History of the United States
3) Anzia Yezerska, Breadgivers
4) Howell Raines: My Soul Is Rested:
Link to a PDF Version of the book A People’s History of the United States
http://www.thevenusproject.com/downloads/ebooks/Howard%20Zinn%20%20A%20People's%20History%20of%20the%20United%20States,%201492-Present.pdf
Link to a PDF Version of the book Voices of A People’s History
http://www6.svsu.edu/~jalewis2/HIST1700/PDF/HIST%201700%20Zinn%20Voices%20of%20Peoples
%20History%20Reader.pdf
PLEASE NOTE: If you have difficulty accessing the links, try the following: cut and paste the links into a
WORD document and then copy and paste the link from the WORD document to your web browser.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
 Survey course in United States History from Reconstruction to the present
 Explores the political, social, economic, and cultural development of the United States
 Topics include: Reconstruction, westward expansion, immigration, world wars, urbanization, political and social
movements, and class, race, and gender.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
1. Describe, interpret, and critically analyze historical information.
2. Identify various sources of historical information and research methodologies and distinguish between
primary and secondary sources.
3. Describe the origin, development, and influence of the political, economic, and social movements and ideas in
American life from the post-Civil War Period (Reconstruction) to the present.
4. Comprehend contemporary issues and problems in American society in light of their roots in the past.
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The intent of this course is not only to identify key events, cultural changes, and ideas of the time period, but also to
critically analyze and understand the significance of these events, cultural changes, and ideas. You will be required to
demonstrate these skills through your responses to questions posed in exams, written assignments, as well as through your
participation in class discussions.
ACCOMODATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Norco College provides services to students with disabilities through the Disability Resource Center
(DRC); located in the Center for Student Success Building. To request academic accommodations due to a
disability, please visit the DRC or contact the DRC staff at 372-7070. A DRC staff member will
confidentially review your concerns with you to determine any required accommodations. Once your
accommodations are approved through DRC, please bring your DRC documentation(s) to me so that we
may discuss your accommodations.
ADDING THE CLASS:
Students adding this section will be provided with a four digit add code. You are responsible for
completing the add process before the deadline to add. This deadline can be found in the printed
Schedule of Classes. If a hardcopy of the printed Schedule of Classes is unavailable the document is
always available on the college’s website (pdf). Add codes can be processed through your Web
Advisor account. If you fail to add the class by the deadline, you are not officially enrolled and college
policy prohibits you from continuing to attend class.
Be aware that your failure to pay fees/fines, to document prerequisites, to clear academic holds, or to
navigate personal problems may hinder you from adding this section. Please allow sufficient time to take
care of these issues before the deadline to add. Adding this course after the published deadline will
require documented extenuating circumstances involving severe illness, accident, or death.
DROPPING THE CLASS:
You may withdraw from this course by using Web Advisor prior to the drop deadlines. Deadlines are
available on Web Advisor. If there is a hold restricting use of Web Advisor for this purpose, you may
bring a completed ADD/DROP card to the Admissions counter of the college and complete the process
there. PLEASE NOTE: Students who choose not to continue the course are responsible for dropping the class.
After census date, I will NOT drop you from the course unless you violate classroom policies stated in item number
3 (below)!
CLASS REQUIREMENTS:
1) Observe all class and college policies; turn in all work as required, follow instructions, and observe common
rules of courtesy.
2) Please be respectful, thoughtful, and considerate towards yourself, your fellow students, and your instructor. In
addition, please arrive prepared to actively participate in the discussions we will have throughout the course.
3) All cell phones, beepers, pagers, computers, and watch alarms need to be turned off and put away
BEFORE the start of class! I do not allow the use of electronic devices in my classroom! If you are caught
violating this policy, you will be instructed to leave the classroom and you will receive an unexcused
absence for that day. If you violate this policy a second time, you will be asked to leave and you will be
dropped from the class!
4) Plagiarism is a form of cheating. Any time a student uses someone else’s work and claims it as his/her work,
it is plagiarism. Anyone who plagiarizes will receive a grade of “0/F” on the assignment. If a student
plagiarizes a second time, the student will fail the course and face disciplinary action which may include
expulsion from the college.
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PARTICIPATION/ATTENDANCE: Your participation is based on attendance and your attentiveness to class lectures
and/or activities. Therefore, you are expected to be on time and present for the ENTIRE class period.
If you are not present for the entire class meeting, you will be marked absent! Attendance and participation is
required and will be a determining factor in your final class grade. Anyone with 3 or more absences will receive a
failing grade of “0/F” on the Participation/Attendance grade for the class and your final class grade will be
impacted.
GRADING SCALE:
A = 360 – 400 points B = 320 – 359 points
F = 239 or fewer points
C = 280 – 319 points
D = 240 – 279 points
MAXIMUM POINTS AVAILABLE FOR EXAMS/ASSIGNMENTS:
150 Points – Exams (3 exams worth 50 points each)
**BRING #2 Pencil and SCANTRON FORM 882-E for ALL exams**
100 Points – Option A: Critical Book Analysis Paper (Breadgivers)
-OR100 Points – Option B: Critical Book Analysis Paper (My Soul Is Rested)
100 Points – Final Exam **BRING #2 Pencil and SCANTRON FORM 882-E**
50 Points – Participation/Attendance
400 Points = MAXIMUM NUMBER OF POINTS POSSIBLE
EXAM AND ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES/DEADLINES:
WEEK 2 – Wednesday, September 4, 2013 – Biographical Sketch and Syllabus/Class Materials Quiz
(REMEMBER TO BRING SCANTRON FORM 882-E TO CLASS)
WEEK 5 – Wednesday, September 25, 2013 – Exam #1
WEEK 7 – Wednesday, October 9, 2013 – Option A - Critical Book Analysis Paper (Breadgivers)
WEEK 9 - Wednesday, October 23, 2013 – Exam #2
WEEK 12 - Wednesday, November 13, 2013 - Exam #3
WEEK 13 – Wednesday, November 20, 2013 – Option B - Critical Book Analysis Paper (My Soul Is Rested)
WEEK 15 – Wednesday, December 4, 2013 – Last Day to Submit Extra Credit Assignments
WEEK 16 – Wednesday, December 11, 2013 – Final Exam
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MAKE-UP EXAMS WILL NOT BE GIVEN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE!
ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE IN-CLASS, AT THE START OF CLASS, NO LATER THAN THE
DATE SPECIFIED ABOVE. NO ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED PAST THE DUE
DATE.
DO NOT E-MAIL ANY ASSIGNMENTS. E-MAILED ASSIGNMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED
AND WILL BE DELETED, RESULTING IN A GRADE OF “0/F” FOR THE ASSIGNMENT**
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COURSE OUTLINE: HISTORY 7
WEEK 1: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 – Topics to be discussed: “Introductions” and “The American Civil War”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Afterword and Chapters 10 & 11
READ: Zinn and Arnove, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapters 10 & 11
VIDEO: Ken Burns “The Civil War” (approx. 30 minutes)
WEEK 2: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 - Topics to be discussed: “Reconstruction”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Afterword and Chapters 10 & 11
READ: Zinn and Arnove, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapters 10 & 11
WEEK 3: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 – Topics to be discussed: “Reconstruction” and “Westward Migration”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Chapter 11
VIDEO: Ken Burns “The West: The Geography of Hope” (approx. 30 minutes)
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WEEK 4: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 – Topics to be discussed: “Westward Migration” and “America at the
Turn of the Century”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Chapters 12 & 13
READ: Zinn and Arnove, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapters 12 & 13
VIDEO: The Century, Volume 1, “The Beginning: Seeds of Change” (approx. 30 minutes)
WEEK 5: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 – Topics to be discussed: “America in the 20th Century: Immigration,
Reform, and Expansion”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Chapters 12 & 13
READ: Zinn and Arnove, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapters 12 & 13
WEEK 6: Wednesday, October 2, 2013 – Topics to be discussed: “America on the Brink of War: Prelude to
World War I”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Chapters 12 & 13
READ: Zinn and Arnove, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapters 12 & 13
WEEK 7: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 – Topics to be discussed: “Grim Realities of the Great War: World War I
(1914-1918)”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Chapters 14
READ: Zinn and Arnove, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapters 14
VIDEO: The Century, Volume 1, “1914-1919: Shell Shock” (approx. 30 minutes)
WEEK 8: Wednesday, October 16, 2013 – Topics to be discussed: “World War I Continued: The Aftermath of
the Great War: Post-war changes” and “Vamps, Tramps, & Bathtub Gin: The `Roaring Twenties’”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Chapter 15
READ: Howard Zinn, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapter 15
VIDEO: The Century, Volume 1, “1920-1929: Boom to Bust” (approx. 30 minutes)
WEEK 9: Wednesday, October 23, 2013 – Topics to be discussed: “From Boom to Bust: The Great Depression”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Chapter 16
READ: Howard Zinn, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapter 16
VIDEO: The Century, Volume 2, “Stormy Weather” (approx. 30 minutes)
WEEK 10: Wednesday, October 30, 2013 – Topics to be discussed: “The ‘Good’ War: World War II (19411945)”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Chapter 16
READ: Howard Zinn, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapter 16
READ: Howell Raines, My Soul Is Rested
VIDEO: The Century, Volume 3, “Civilians at War” (approx. 30 minutes)
WEEK 11: Wednesday, November 6, 2013 – Topics to be discussed: “The Cold War Period: Babies, Bombs, and
the Beginnings of the Struggle for Equality”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Chapter 17
READ: Howard Zinn, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapter 17
READ: Howell Raines, My Soul Is Rested
WEEK 12: Wednesday, November 13, 2013 – Topics to be discussed: “1960s America: Civil Rights & Civil
Unrest”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Chapters 18 and 19
READ: Howard Zinn, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapters 18 and 19
READ: Howell Raines, My Soul Is Rested
VIDEO: The Century, Volume 4, “1960-1964: Poisoned Dreams” (approx. 30 minutes)
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WEEK 13: Wednesday, November 20, 2013– Topics to be discussed: “The Impossible Victory: Vietnam and the
War on the Homefront”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Chapters 20 and 21
READ: Howard Zinn, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapters 20 and 21
READ: Howell Raines, My Soul Is Rested
VIDEO: “Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam” (approx. 84 minutes)
WEEK 14: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 –Topics to be discussed: “America in the 1970s and the 1980s”
READ: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States – Chapters 22, 23, and 24
READ: Howard Zinn, Voices of a People’s History of the U.S. – Chapters 22, 23, and 24
WEEK 15: Wednesday, December 4, 2013 – Topics to be discussed: “The New Millennium: The 1990 and
Beyond”
WEEK 16: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 - FINAL EXAM: 6:00pm – 9:10pm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**Please Note: As with all things in life, this syllabus is subject to change – D.M. Reina**
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