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Hist 440: U.S. History

1945 to Present

HIST 440

Sean Duffy
Soc. Sciences Rm. 124A
seduffy@u.arizona.edu
621-1586

Syllabus

Grading:


Participation 35%
Mid-term 25 %
Final Exam 25%
Web Review 15%

All students are expected to follow the Arizona Student Code of Conduct I take plagiarism very seriously. If you are not sure what does and does not constitute plagiarism, check here at the University of Indiana

Participation: You are expected to have completed the assigned readings before class meets. Participation is based on your willingness or ability to interact with your fellow students in our (almost) daily discussion activities. Although discussion and in-class activities are the prime consideration, you may also get in-class writing assignments or pop quizzes on the readings. Participation activities will include group exercises and role-playing. Your interaction with your fellow students, in particular assignments, is as critical as answering questions in discussion.

Final Exam/Midterm: these tests will have a strong emphasis on essay writing. Key elements of a good historical essay include structural (intro, good topic sentences) and thematic (strong thesis, historical background). I will hand out several possible essay questions in advance; you will choose 1-2 for each exam. In addition, there will be a short identification/short answer section. The tests are not cumulative. Make-up exams will only be given under extreme documented conditions. See General Tips for exam advice.

Web Review: Pick a historic event, person, or topic (bring in to class on Dec. 26) from 1945 to the present. Overly broad topics will be narrowed down.

Research 3 websites, a total of three from the four following categories: the federal government (.gov), education (.edu) or organizations (.org), and public domain (.com)

Paper will be a combination of 5 shorter writing assignments:

  • 1 page of historical significance of the event
  • 1 page each of websites and their interpretations/portrayal of event
  • 2 page compare and contrast between pages, including layout, appeal, etc

DRC: Students who require accommodations to participate fully in this course should register with the Disability Resource Center and contact me as soon as possible to discuss access issues. Information about the DRC can be found at drc.arizona.edu

Rules:

You are all adults so the following should be unnecessary.

Disruptive behavior is not tolerated in class. Please remember to turn off cell phones, pagers, etc. Snacks and drinks are acceptable; meals are not.. If you must arrive late once or twice, please sit yourself in the most unobtrusive manner possible.

Attendance is MANDATORY!! You have one free absence. Each additional undocumented, unexcused absence will result in a full letter grade reduction on your final grade.

Finally, as we may have discussions on controversial or heated topics, I ask that we treat each other respectfully in class.

Important Dates:

Dec. 24-25 : No Class
Dec. 26: Bring research paper topic into class
Jan. 1: No Class
Jan.2: Websites e-mailed to me
Jan. 5: Midterm
Jan. 8: Website reviews due
Jan. 13 Final Exam