Required Texts

James Davidson & Mark Lytle. After the Fact. Volume 2, Fourth Edition.

James Roark, et al, The American Promise. Volume 2, Compact Edition.

All texts are available in the Palomar College Bookstore and Off-Campus Books (1450 W. Mission Road, San Marcos), and must be purchased at the beginning of the semester.

Class Objectives

We will pursue several major themes within the parameters of our historical period. These include:

Regional Economic Growth and Social Change: Economic cycles of boom and bust will be studied, as well as their relationship with the process of immigration and social change.

Foreign Relations: The emergence of the United States as a global military power from the end of the 19th century until the present.

Media and History: The value of print and visual media as historical sources, from the Muckrakers of the late 19th century to the films of Oliver Stone in the late 20th century.

Political Cycles: Cycles of political reform in response to economic and social changes since the Civil War.

Grades are based upon the following criteria.

Attendance

The class meets three hours each week, not including district holidays. Students enrolled in the course are expected to arrive on time and attend each meeting, as class participation is important for success in the course.

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class by handout sheet up until the official deadline for dropping a class, Friday, March 10.

If you find it impossible to continue attending this class, you are expected to personally drop the class. If you stop attending the class after the official drop deadline and your name is still on the grade sheet at the end of the semester, an "F" may be entered next to your name.

Essay Exams

There will be one mid-term examination and a final exam based upon information and ideas presented in the course through the course texts, films, lectures, Internet assignments, and in-class discussions.

Each assignment will be a take-home exam. You will be allowed a minimum of two weeks to complete each assignment.

Research Project

Each student will be assigned a topic from the course that will be the subject of an 8 page research paper. Those students who wish to pursue their own topics must gain my approval before week six of the semester. Topics will be assigned within the time period 1936 - 1975.

The Grading Formula

1. Class announcements regarding assignments will usually be made only once. If you are absent or late to class, it is your responsibility to find out any needed information and to obtain that information from another student. This information will also be available on the course Internet page.

2. All graded assignments must be typed when submitted for evaluation. Students who do not have access to a typewriter or word processor at their home should use the word processing systems available at Palomar College.

3. As mentioned in the Palomar College Catalog, each student is expected to spend at least 2 hours per week in preparation for each hour you spend in class.

For this 3 unit class, that would be 6 hours per week for class preparation. This class is designed to prepare you for transfer to the CSU or UC systems.

4. I ask that you observe a positive and polite attitude toward your instructor and fellow students. Do not talk while I or your fellow students are speaking and "have the floor" in class.

Your comments, questions, and observations that are appropriate to our class are always welcome. I promise you to create a cheerful and friendly classroom environment. You will get the utmost respect from me and I will expect no less from you.

5. The following behavior is not acceptable in a college classroom. Should any students commit one of these acts, they will be required to leave the classroom, and your instructor has the option of suspending their attendance for several class meetings:

Eating food in the classroom.

Talking to other students in the class during a lecture by the instructor, while a film is being shown to the class, or while another student has the floor.

Consistent late arrival to class.

Reading or doing homework for another class.

Sleeping at one’s desk.

Also, please turn off your beepers or portable telephones when you enter the classroom.

6. If you are unavoidably delayed in arriving to class, do not enter the classroom late and disrupt my presentation to the class. Please wait until there is an appropriate moment to enter.

If there are special circumstances which force you to miss a portion of the class, or if there are other special considerations that you feel I should be aware of, please speak to me before class about them.

Week 6 (February 23-25)

Midterm Exam topics assigned.

American Promise, chapter 23.

Week 7 (February 28-March 3)

After the Fact, chapter 10.

Week 10 (March 27-31)

American Promise, chapters 26 and 27.