HISTORY 360: The
The University of
Michigan-Dearborn
Fall 2007
T & Th
9:55-11:10
Course Website: https://ctools.umich.edu/portal/
OR
http://www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~ppennock/360home.htm
|
Professor Pam Pennock |
e-mail: ppennock@umd.umich.edu |
|
Office: 1240 SSB |
Office phone: (313)
593-5284 |
|
Office Hours: M, T, & W 11:30-12:30, Th
2:30-3:00 |
Dept. Office: 2nd floor SSB, 313-593-5096 |
|
*and by
appointment* |
|
Course Description
History 360 explores an
exciting and complex era in American history, the period from the end of World War
II, a turning point in this nation’s history, to the present. We will trace and critically analyze social
and political movements as well as foreign policies and cultural trends.
The course is structured
around three major themes:
- Shifts in
- Americans’ struggles to confront economic and
social inequalities during the postwar decades.
- Americans’ changing cultural values over the
second half of the twentieth century.
The materials featured in
this course are varied, ranging from primary documents to historians’
interpretations, documentary films, and images.
** The course is
rigorous, fast-paced, reading-intensive, and writing-intensive. It also
incorporates frequent class discussion of course materials.
Course Objectives
At the
conclusion of the course, students should have obtained:
substantial knowledge of the historical period
from a variety of perspectives
the ability to think critically and make their own interpretations
about the events, figures, and movements they have studied
the ability to understand and analyze primary documents
the ability to understand and criticize diverse historical
interpretations
improved writing and speaking skills
The course is demanding, and
I have high expectations of my students in this upper-level history
course. Students need to keep up with
the material and apply both their time and intellect to it.
Required Course
Steven Gillon, The
American Paradox: A History of the
Note:
Students need to get the second edition of this book, and get it quickly.
Steven
F. Lawson and Charles Payne, Debating the Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1968,
2nd edition, 2006 (ISBN 0742551091)
Choose one of the following books:
David
Farber, Taken Hostage: The Iran Hostage Crisis and America’s First Encounter
with Radical Islam, 2006 (ISBN 9780691127590)
Ronald
P. Formisano,
Important Note: Use of the course website is required. It contains not only all of your assignments and
schedule for readings, but also links to other required readings. The Social
Sciences building, the Library, as well as other campus buildings have
computers for your use. Printing
is normally free in all of these computer labs, but some of them require that
students bring their own paper. Please
talk with me as soon as possible if you have problems accessing a computer
and/or any links on the websites.
Course Requirements
Grading will not be on a
curve. Students must take the final exam
in order to pass the class.
1. Midterm Exam (20%)
The essay exam occurs in
class on October 9, and students should bring blue books. A study guide will be
provided in advance of the exam. I also urge students to come to me for
assistance in studying.
2.
Final
Exam (25%)
This
essay exam will cover material from the entire course but will concentrate on
material since the midterm. A study guide will be provided in advance of the
exam. The exam will occur during final exam
week - exact date and time to be announced.
Students must take the final exam in order to pass the course.
3.
Short writing assignments and Pop quizzes (20%)
I strongly believe that we
learn best when we have to put our thoughts into writing. Several times during the semester students
will write short essays that summarize or analyze the readings, both primary
and secondary sources. The due dates for these assignments are firm because I
design class discussions around them.
All assignments and due dates are listed on the course schedule.
I may give a pop quiz if I
discern that students are not engaged with the material.
4. Debating Civil
Rights Movement paper (10%)
This paper of 3-4 pages
requires you to compare & contrast the two historians’ essays in this book.
Due Oct 23.
5. Book Review paper (15%)
This paper asks you to write
a critical summary and analysis of Taken Hostage or Boston Against Busing. 4-5 pages. Due Dec. 4.
6.Attendance and Participation (10%)
I expect prompt and diligent
attendance in class. I assume that you
signed up for this class because you are interested in the topic, are eager to
learn, and want to be here.
Participation in class, whether during participatory lectures or during
designated discussion activities, is crucial to the learning process in this
course. The course will feature numerous
discussions, some of them led by students.
In order to participate intelligently and enthusiastically, you must,
first of all, attend class, second, have digested lectures and readings, and
third, have thoughtfully completed your writing assignments. Active participation can really make a
difference in your course grade.
Note on discussion: In this course we will consider many
controversial and touchy issues, especially at the end of the semester as we
get nearer to the present. Discussion
must remain respectful at all times. I
ask that students respect each other’s views and try not to monopolize the
conversations.
Course
Policies
If you feel that you will not
be able to abide by these policies, you are free to withdraw from the course.
Make-Up
Policy
Legitimate excuses
encompass emergencies, and they do not include work, vacation, or routine
appointments.
I do accept assignments via
email attachment (Word or .rtf files only) if an emergency arises and
you cannot give me a paper copy in class.
Homework/Short writing
assignments: Students must turn in
homework assignments during class on the day the assignments are due (not early,
not late) to receive full credit for the assignment. The reason for this policy is that I build
class discussion around the assignments.
- If you have a legitimate reason for
missing class on the day a homework assignment is due, you must contact me
as soon as possible, preferably the same day. You then may turn it in to
me no later than the beginning of the next class period
and still receive full credit.
- If you do
not have a legitimate excuse for an absence yet are able to turn in the
assignment early, I will give partial credit – as long as
you tell me about it ahead of time.
- If you
want to turn in the assignment late without a legitimate excuse, I will
not accept the assignment.
- I will not
accept more than two early/late homeworks per
student, especially because one of the purposes of the assignment is to
help students prepare for class discussion that day.
Papers (Debating Civil
Rights and Book Review): Papers
are due by the beginning of the class period on the associated due date, but
they may be turned in early without penalty. Unless a student presents me with
a documented, legitimate excuse, ten points will be deducted for each day that
a paper is late (including weekend days), and I will not accept a paper that is
over three days late.
Exams: Students with a legitimate excuse (e.g. serious
illness, death in the family) may make up a missed exam, but students must
contact me before the scheduled exam time. Make-up exams will only be given to those
students who can document a crisis.
Note on responsibility:
All students are
responsible for their own learning and for knowing the course policies. If you
have to miss a class, you are responsible for knowing what occurred during the
session, obtaining class notes and assignments from a classmate, and
making up the work. Habitual tardiness
or absence from class will negatively affect your grade.
Using
Laptop Computers In the Classroom
Students may use laptops in
the classroom as long as they stay “on task.” In other words, students may not engage
in e-mailing, extraneous internet searching, or work for other classes or work
during class time.
Email Etiquette
I
welcome students’ email communication.
Please sign your email messages to me and write clearly. (You would be
surprised at how often I cannot understand students’ messages and how often
students do not include their names.)
Academic
Misconduct
Plagiarism is a serious
offense. If I determine that a student
has plagiarized on any assignment, he/she will fail the course.
There are different forms
of plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when
you:
use
someone else’s exact words without putting quotation marks around them,
put quotation marks around someone
else’s exact words BUT fail to provide a reference or citation to the source
and page number,
paraphrase someone else’s words too closely
without using quotation marks (even if you do provide a citation) Don’t get
lazy when you’re paraphrasing!
use
someone else’s thoughts without a reference or citation to the
source (if you’re paraphrasing someone’s
words, you do not need quotation marks but you still need a citation) .
(For the
purposes of this course, however, students do not need to cite my lectures as a
source.)
If you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism,
please come talk to me. I don’t want
anyone to fail on account of misunderstanding.
I am
alert (and web-savvy)! Don’t do it!
The
university’s statement on academic integrity:
The
Disabilities
Students
who feel they need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should
contact me as soon as possible. At the
appointment we can discuss the course format, anticipate your needs, and
explore potential accommodations.
Students need to register with Disability Resource Services (1060 UM)
every semester they are taking classes.
For more information, contact Nancy Lehnert,
Disability Resource Services Assistant, 593-5430.