United States History II (U.S. History Since 1865)
Sections 26742, 26743, and 26744
SYLLABUS
Dr. Brad Reynolds
INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME
Welcome to your winter online U.S. history class called United States History Since 1865 (History 112 Online) with Professor Brad Reynolds. Please note that if you are viewing this prior to the first day of class then this website is subject to change! It does not become official until the first day of your class so please reread everything here at that time if you are viewing this prior to that date! Also, if you have not read the "Online Classes Welcome and Orientation Letter Plus Online FAQs," which is located at this website, then please do.
This is a 100 percent online course. You will be sending work to Professor Reynolds by email (to [email protected]) and you will be taking some exams at Canvas. Make sure you can access your account at Canvas. You can reach Canvas at https://coc.instructure.com/login/canvas. If you do not see your class listed, then check back. Your class will be listed by the first official day of classes. And if you do not see your name, and you recently registered for the class, give it a few days to populate.
THE DISCUSSION AREA OF THIS WEBSITE AND THE DISCUSSIONS AREA AT CANVAS
If you would like to communicate online with any of the other students in your class about the class material, or perhaps form a study group online, or if you have a general class question for Professor Reynolds that you wouldn't mind sharing with the other students so they could benefit from the answer too, then you can do a posting at one of two places. One is to the Discussion Area for this class which is located at this website. The other way you can communicate with the students in your class, or ask the instructor a general question, is to go into your Canvas account and click on "Discussions" which is listed on the left side of the page. Whichever way you decide to go, you should check the Discussion area of this syllabus and the Discussions area at Canvas several times each week for any class changes or updates to your class. You can post anything you want related to the class but remember that if you have a question of a personal nature, like something about your grade, you should send an email directly to Dr. Reynolds at [email protected]. And remember that you will be sending your work to Dr. Reynolds by email at [email protected] and not via the Discussion Area at this website or or the Discussions area Canvas!
Now, since it is important that you can access Canvas for this class so you can take your multiple choice exams, please do a posting to the Discussions area of Canvas BEFORE the first Thursday of the class or you might be dropped from the class! (Or you can do a posting to the Discussion Area of this website if you are sure you can access Canvas, but please do NOT post to both discussion areas.) Just say "hello" to everyone by doing a posting, with your full name and class section number in the subject area, your major, maybe an interesting fact about yourself, or anything else that you would like to share with the other members of your class. That way Dr. Reynolds will know if you are actively enrolled in the class and, who knows, you might connect with an old friend or make a new one! COURSE DESCRIPTION This is a 100 percent online class which means we do not have any formal face to face class meetings. All your news articles and history projects (which are discussed below) will be submitted by email to [email protected]. All of your multiple choice exams for this class will be taken at Canvas. If this or any of the other class material is not clear to you then please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Reynolds via email at [email protected] with your questions.
CLASS GOALS
This online course aims to acquaint you with the broad historical trends and the continuing controversies in American history since the end of the Civil War in 1865. It should help you realize that there are many ways to look at and respond to events. In so doing, the hope is that you will better understand the present so you can better shape the future. To help you you understand and appreciate the course information more, you should stay current with the news of the day by regularly reading a daily newspaper, weekly news magazine, or news website, and by keeping current with the reading assignments listed below. By the end of this course it is expected that you will know why the United States failed to reconstruct the Union as a truly democratic republic following the Civil War and what the struggle has been for civil rights, why and how the West was settled during the four decades following the Civil War and what impact that had on the U.S. economy and on the people of the West (especially the Native Americans), you will learn why and how the U.S. expanded into various parts of the world in the latter half of the nineteenth century and fought a war with Spain in 1898, why and how the United States became an industrial giant at the turn of the twentieth century and the impact that has had on the American people and government, why and how the U.S. became the world’s leading military power in the early twentieth century and has retained that title, how the U.S. has dealt with rapid economic take-off and then economic depression, why the United States fought two world wars in less than twenty-five years during the first half of the twentieth century, how a hatred for communism dominated American foreign policy for over four decades, how important social changes over the last one hundred years, and especially the last fifty years, have (and are) creating forces that will either make America still stronger in the new century or will tear it asunder, and how the war on terrorism has affected American policy at home and abroad.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES or SLOs
The specific Student Learning Outcomes or SLOs for this class, as listed in the course curriculum outline on file with the college, are that by the end of the semester you should be able to:
Assess the causes and ramifications of social, cultural, political, and legal change in the United States, and
Evaluate America's foreign affairs from the late 19th Century to the present.
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The specific Student Leaning Objectives that students should know by the end of the semester in this class, according to the class outline on file with the Curriculum Committee, are the ability to:
1. Appraise the social and political issues involved in Reconstruction, while comparing and contrasting various Reconstruction formats and evaluating the impact of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments;
2. Analyze the catalysts for western settlement, and the troubles between "the establishment" and Native Americans, while assessing the validity of assimilation venues such as the Dawes Severalty Act and education;
3. Evaluate the ordeals and progress of laborers in America over time, and assess the impact of ethnocentrism on labor legislation;
4. Articulate the agenda of the populist movement and discern the impact of race on farmers' alliances;
5. Assess progressivism's political and social reforms, including the diminished role of machine politicians;
6. Appraise the reasons for, and results of, American involvement in international affairs, from the Spanish-American War through the two world wars, and discern the cultural prejudices that have had an impact on international affairs;
7. Explain the causes of the Great Depression, while comparing and contrasting Hoover's and Roosevelt's governments;
8. Analyze the causes and results of the Cold War;
9. Assess and evaluate the causes and results of the Vietnam conflict;
10. Explain the causes and on-going results of America's African-American civil rights movement;
11. Appraise the cultural and political contributions of underrepresented populations;
12. Discern examples of national policies and practices at the local and state level, and explain the mutual impact of the nation and state upon each other; and
13. Demonstrate a familiarity with selected local and state political leaders and legislative or judicial issues.
CONTACT INFORMATION
The contact information below is good 24/7. When you send an email you will get a response as soon as possible and always within 48 hours. If you do not hear back from Dr. Reynolds within 48 hours, then please resend your original email on the third day and do not assume it was received. Also, please remember to ALWAYS INCLUDE your NAME and your CLASS SECTION NUMBER in the subject area of your emails. Please also include a detailed message so we can be resolve you question(s) quickly. Thanks!
(OR try [email protected] if the above email does not work for you, but please do NOT send the same email to more than one address at a time! Thanks.)
Dr. Bradley Reynolds
Dr. Reynolds holds history degrees from UCLA and USC. He has taught American history at three universities (the University of Southern California, California State University - Northridge, and the University of Vienna) and at two community colleges (College of the Canyons and El Camino College). He enjoys teaching and looks forward to discussing history with you!
THE TEXTS AND WHERE TO PURCHASE THEM
The two texts for this course are: Bradley Reynolds, American History, An Overview Since 1865, Eighth Edition (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012), ISBN 9780078119491, and A Patriot's History, by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen (New York: Sentinel, 2014), ISBN 9781595231154. Both books are available at the COC Book Store and various online sites. You can also order the books from the COC Book Store by calling 1-661-362-3355 or by emailing [email protected].
The American History book was written specifically for your class. It includes outlines of material you should learn and a chronology of major events. A Patriot's History will give you more insight to the material so it is expected that you will read both books. They are the only books you need to do well in the class. COURSE TOPICS For a list of course topics, please look at the Table of Contents in your course texts. COURSE READING ASSIGNMENTS
Your class reading assignments are to complete in the American History book Chapters 1-9 for your first exam, Chapters 10-17 for your second test, and the remainder of the book to answer your final exam. In A Patriot's History you should read Chapters 9-14 for test one, Chapters 15-18 for test two, and Chapters 19-22 for test three.
Besides reading your texts, you should read a current daily news source or weekly news source on a regular basis. You may be surprised at how much material in this class has a direct relationship to events today. So stay current with the news to enjoy the class material more and to help fulfill one of your class assignments which is to turn in ten current newspaper, magazine, or web articles which specifically reference the primary history of your class (U.S. history between 1866 and 1999). This described in more detail below in the "Course Policies and Grading" section.
COURSE GOALS
The primary goals of this class are that your will complete the class reading, assignments, and exams as scheduled and that by doing so you will gain an understanding of how important it is to know United States history to better comprehend the present and help you shape the future.
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS To achieve the primary goals of the class, you should read your texts as listed above, and read a daily or weekly news source to locate articles that specifically mention the primary content of this class so you can complete your ten news articles assignment as discussed below in the "Course Policies and Grading" section. The purpose of this assignment is to show you that there are things in the news all the time that you will better comprehend if you understand history.
Also remember to complete the ten history projects which are discussed in the "Course Policies and Grading" section below. The purpose of this assignment is to show you that there are many ways to learn and appreciate history.
Last, you need to complete your three multiple choice tests which are discussed below in more detail.
COURSE POLICIES AND GRADING
The grades in this class break down as follows:
You will take 3 MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAMS worth 20 percent each or 60 percent of your class grade. Their due dates are under the "Calendar..." section below. What each test entails is discussed in more detail below under "More Regarding the Multiple Choice Questions."
Another 10 percent of your class grade will come from your 10 HISTORY PROJECTS. Their due dates are under the "Calendar..." section below. What the projects entail is discussed in more detail below under "The History Projects."
Another 30 percent of your class grade will come from your 10 NEWS ARTICLES. Their due dates are under the "Calendar..." section below. How to do the articles is discussed in more detail below under "The History Articles."
REVIEW OF THE CLASS GRADING 3 Multiple Choice Tests worth 20 percent each or 60 percent of your class grade
10 history projects worth 10 percent of your class grade
10 history articles worth 30 percent of your class grade
CALENDAR OF IMPORTANT CLASSWORK AND THE DUE DATES January 3: On this first official day of your class, you should read the course syllabus carefully and, if you have not yet done so, read the "Online Classes Welcome and Orientation Letter Plus Online FAQs" located at http://bradleyreynolds.weebly.com. You should also start reading your assigned texts and start working on your first two projects and two articles which must be received before midnight this Friday! (Note that your projects and articles can relate to any primary topic covered in your texts between 1866 and 1999 and do not have to relate directly to what you are reading at the moment. Remember too that your articles and projects need to be mailed in separate emails to [email protected] and that each email needs to include in the subject area your full name and class section number.) If you have any questions about the class material you should email Professor Reynolds this week at [email protected]. And don't forget to sign into the Discussions area at Canvas or the Discussion Area of this website before Thursday!
January 4: Remember that you need to do a hello posting to the Discussions area of Canvas or Discussion Area at this website before midnight to avoid being possibly dropped from the class. And don't forget to start working on your first two projects and two articles which must be received before midnight COC time this Friday. Please cut and paste your projects and your articles (and all your other work) directly into the emails you send to [email protected]. Please also send each item in a separate mail and include your name and section number in the subject area of every email! Yes, it's a bit more work but it will make tracking your work a lot easier. Remember too that you can turn in your projects and articles early and that you are encouraged to do so at least 72 hours prior to when they are due so that you have time to redo something if necessary (work is not accepted late). January 5: By this first Thursday of class, you should have reviewed both books assigned to your class and you should have read the first few assigned chapters in each book. You might want to also reread the "Online Students Welcome and Orientation Letter Plus Online FAQs" at this website since the Q and A section might have more meaning now. And don't forget that your first two articles and two projects must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. tomorrow COC time. Remember too that your articles and projects do NOT have to relate to what you are currently reading, they must be sent in separate emails, and they can reference any period of class between 1866 and 1999.
January 6: By 11:59 p.m. COC time today your first two articles and your first two projects must be received. Don't forget to put all work directly into your emails, send each item in a separate email, and put your full name and class section number in the subject area of each email. January 9: By today, the start of your second week of class, you should have started working on your second two articles and second two projects which must be received by 11:59 p.m. this Friday COC time (bringing your total number of articles and projects completed to four each). Make sure you are also keeping up with your reading since your first multiple choice exam will be posted to Canvas a week from Friday. Be sure to review the multiple choice questions in the back of your American History book and you should do well on the exam. :) January 13: Today, the second Friday of your class, your second set of two articles and two projects are due via email to [email protected] no later than 11:59 p.m. COC time, bringing your total number of completed projects and articles to four each. Remember to cut and paste your articles directly into your emails and to include a link to your source. Also remember to put your full name and your class section number in the subject area of your emails and to send all work in separate emails.
January 16: Today, at the start of your third week, you need to start working on your third set of two articles and two projects which must be received no later than Friday at 11:59 p.m. COC time. You need to also prepare for your first multiple choice exam which will be posted at Canvas under "Quizzes" before noon COC time on Friday (and probably at 12:01 a.m.) and which you must complete by 11:59 p.m. COC time Friday.
January 20: Today, no later than 11:59 p.m. COC time, your third set of two projects and two articles must be received at [email protected] (bringing your total number of articles and projects completed to six each). Make sure you cut and paste your work directly into your emails (no attachments), that you send everything in separate emails, and that you put your name and class section number (not your class number) in the subject area of all emails you send. Also today, before noon COC time (and most likely at 12:01 a.m.), your first multiple choice exam will be posted at Canvas under "Quizzes" to the left of your screen when you open Canvas. It is a timed exam (you have 60 minutes to complete the 100 multiple choice questions). You cannot stop the exam once it begins without ending the test so make sure you have reviewed the multiple choice questions in the back of the assigned American History text before you take the exam, and do not hit any back buttons. While you have until 11:59 p.m. COC time to complete the exam, you are STRONGLY urged to take the exam early in case of a technical problem, and especially before 9 p.m. COC time. You are NOT guaranteed the option of retaking the test due to a technical problem at your end. (And if you do have any technical problems, you should contact Dr. Reynolds immediately and NOT COC!)
January 23: Today, as you start your fourth week of class, you should be working on your fourth set of two articles and two projects, which must be received by 11:59 p.m. COC time this Friday, and you should be preparing for your second multiple choice exam which will post on Friday.
January 27: Today before noon COC time (and mostly likelt ay 12:01 a.m.) your second multiple choice exam will be posted to Canvas under "Quizzes". Remember, you must complete the exam no later than 11:59 p.m. COC time and you should take the exam as early as you can in case of technical difficulties. (Remember too that if you do have technical difficulties you should contact Professor Reynolds immediately and NOT contact COC.) Also, remember that your fourth set of two articles and two projects must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. COC time. Don't forget to cut and paste your work directly into your emails (no attachments), to send all work in separate emails, and to include your full name and class section number (not your class number) in the subject area of your emails.
February 1: As you start your last week of class, you should be working on your last set of two articles and two projects (bringing your total to ten each), and you should be preparing for your last multiple choice exam this Friday.
February 3: Today, no later than 11:59 p.m. COC time, your last two articles and last two projects must be received. Also today, before noon COC time, and likely at 12:01 a.m., your third multiple choice exam will be posted to Canvas. Remember, you must complete the exam no later than 11:59 p.m. COC time and you should take the exam as early as you can in case of technical difficulties. (And remember that if you do have technical difficulties you should contact Professor Reynolds immediately and NOT contact COC.)
Congratulations - you have completed the course! REVIEW OF IMPORTANT CLASS DATES
January 3: Class Begins!
January 4: Sign into the Discussion Board before midnight COC time to avoid being possibly dropped from the class!
January 6: Your first two projects and two articles must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. COC time.
January 13: Your second set of two projects and two articles must be received by 11:59 p.m. COC time.
January 20: Your first multiple choice exam will be posted to Canvas before noon and must be completed no later than 11:59 p.m. COC time, and your third set of articles and projects are due.
January 27: Your second multiple choice exam is available at Canvas before noon today and must be completed no later than 11:59 p.m. COC time, and your fourth set of two projects and two articles must be received today no later than 11:59 p.m. COC time.
February 3: Your last set of two projects and two articles must be received today no later than 11:59 p.m. COC time, and your third multiple choice exam will be posted to Canvas before noon.
MORE REGARDING THE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
The multiple choice questions will come for the most part from the questions at the end of each chapter of the American History text, so if you study the questions in Chapters 1-9 for your first multiple choice test you should not have too many surprises. And if you study the multiples at the end of Chapters 10-17 for test two you should not have too many surprises. And if you study the remaining chapters for your third multiple choice test then you should do well on it too! The multiple choice tests will be available at Canvas under "Quizzes" on the dates listed above. Each test will be posted no later than noon COC time, and most likely at 12:01 a.m. Note that the multiple choice tests are timed (you will have 60 minutes for each of your multiple choice exams, and each exam has 100 questions), so be prepared before you go to take each exam, just as you would in a face to face class! Do NOT take the exam with an open book. Study the questions ahead of time and you should have plenty of time and do fine.
Also make sure you user a good connection! Most students in face to face classes finish the 100 question multiple choice test in 45 minutes or less, so extra time has been built into the tests in case of problems. Still, you are STRONGLY ADVISED to take the multiple choice exams early on the days they are posted so that if you have any technical problems they can be hopefully resolved before the deadline of when you test must be completed. And if you do have a technical issue, make sure you contact Dr. Reynolds immediately and do NOT contact COC. You will hear back from Dr. Reynolds within 24 hours with a solution to your problem, however, note that if you contact Dr. Reynolds later than 9 p.m. COC time then you will likely not get the chance to retake the exam. And note that you are NOT guaranteed the right to retake an exam for a technical problem at your end! Also, keep in mind that your failure to do an exam will result in zero, which means an F for that test plus one lower class grade. Remember too that the multiple choice tests cannot be taken late under any circumstances. So make sure you take the exams early on the days they are posted, that you have a good computer connection, and that you have adequately prepared for each test before you go to take it.
Again, please note: if you do have a technical problem with an exam, you need to send an email to Professor Reynolds at [email protected] as soon as the problem occurs and before 9 p.m. COC time on the day of the exam so Professor Reynolds will have time to address your issue.
THE HISTORY NEWS ARTICLES Besides your exam grades, 30 percent of your class grade will come from the ten history news articles assignment. The purpose of this assignment is to show you that there are articles in the news all the time which specifically mention the primary content of your class. So look for articles that specifically reference the primary material you are studying, which is U.S. history between 1866 and 1999. Also note that the articles must come from a current news source (meaning something published within the term dates of your class) like a daily newspaper or news website, or a weekly newspaper or weekly news magazine. (However, do NOT use a history oriented magazines or history websites, do not get your articles from a newspaper or magazine blog, do not use "This Day in History" blurbs, and do not go to sites like theNew York Times"Topics" since doing so defeats the purpose of this assignment which is to show you there are articles all the time in the news that specifically mention the primary content of your class). When you find what is required, put it in an email with an active link to the source (or you can scan or photo the article and send it as an attachment if you are using a hard copy of something but make sure you also send a copy of the page number, the date, and the name of your source). Then write a review about what the article says, what one needs to know about American history to understand the article, what one might learn about American history from reading the article, and what the article specifically mentions about the primary content of your class, which is U.S. history from 1866 to 1999.
Make sure you submit your articles by their due dates mentioned in the "Calendar..." section above if you plan to complete this assignment, and remember that you can turn articles in early (and you should try to do so at least 72 hours before they are due so you will have time to redo an article if needed)! Also remember that your articles do NOT have to relate to what you are currently reading for the class. They can be on any subject related to the primary history of your class U.S. history) between 1866 and 1999.
If you turn in all the articles by their due dates you will receive an "A" for this part of your class grade. Eight articles will earn you a "B," seven a "C," and six a "D." If you turn in less than six accepted articles then you will get an F for this assignment, but that's better than a zero which is what you will get if you turn in nothing. (A zero is an F for the assignment plus one lower class grade!) So turn in something! And make sure you keep a copy of what you submit until you are told by Dr. Reynolds that your article was graded and recorded! Then keep the "accepted" email until you get your final class grade! THE HISTORY PROJECTS Another class assignment is to complete your ten history projects which is worth 10 percent of your class grade. The purpose of this assignment is to show you that there are many ways to learn the history you are studying. To find some suggestions of the history projects that you can do, click on "Projects" at the website you are viewing. There you will also find the worksheets for some projects. Things you can do include attending a lecture on something related to the primary content of this class, writing a book review on a book related to the primary content of this class, visiting a museum or library to see an exhibit related to the primary content of this class (if you do this make sure you keep the receipt so you can send a copy of it with your review), critiquing a historical cartoon or poster or photograph of something related to the primary content of this class, interviewing someone who knows about information related to the primary content of this class, or even analyzing a song or video game about a topic related to the primary content of this class. (If there is something else you want to do and it is not in the Projects section of this website, then send an email to Professor Reynolds requesting approval for the project and you will likely get it if the project relates to the primary history of your class.) Whatever you decide to do, remember that you are expected to do ten projects (at least five different ones, meaning you can do any type of project two times) and you should follow the directions for each project as stated on each worksheet (or you make up your own questions as long as you state what the project is, how it relates to the primary content of your class, and what you learned about the primary content of your class from doing the project and/or what you needed to know about the primary history of your class to understand the historical significance of the project as it relates to the primary content of your class). Also, please make sure that the work you reference for your project is from within the term dates of your class (so, for example, if you do a museum review or a film review or a lecture review, make sure it comes from something you did within the dates of your class term) and make sure that what you select relates to a primary topic of your class, U.S. history, between 1866 and 1999. Once you have completed your projects you should cut and paste your work into separate emails to Professor Reynolds at [email protected]. If any of this is unclear, be sure to contact Professor Reynolds via email for a further explanation.
If you complete all ten history projects by their due dates, which are mentioned above in the "Calendar..." section above, then you will get an "A" for this part of your class grade. Eight accepted projects will earn you a "B," seven projects will earn you a "C," and six projects a "D." If you turn in less than six accepted projects then you will get an F for this assignment, but that's better than a zero which is what you will get if you turn in nothing. (A zero is an F for the assignment plus one lower class grade!) So turn in something! As with the news articles, you can turn in your ten history projects either individually or in total anytime prior to their due dates to receive full credit, but you should try to turn them in sooner than later and preferably at least 72 hours before they are due so if something is rejected or lost you will have time to redo it. And make sure you keep a copy of each project until you know it has been approved by Dr. Reynolds! Then keep the accepted email until you get your final class grade!
CHEATING, COPYING AND PLAGIARISM
Unfortunately, a note needs to be made here about cheating, copying, and plagiarism. If you are caught cheating because you copied someone's work, or if you plagiarize, you will receive a zero for all your projects or articles and you may be subject to further disciplinary action including suspension or expulsion. So make sure you obey the rules! If you have any questions about any of this make sure you ask Professor Reynolds.
IF YOU DECIDE TO DROP THIS CLASS If you decide to drop this class it is your responsibility to do so before the drop date. If you remain in the class you should plan to complete all the class assignments by their due dates. WELCOME TO THE CLASS!