Course Syllabus

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US History

Mr. Newell

Class Syllabus

 

 

Welcome to US History class.  We are going to be in for a fun and informative year.   This year we will follow the people, events and facts that surround the shaping of the United States of America.  We will follow the story from the early days of settlement to the more contemporary issues that we are confronted with today.

 

In the course, we will take more of a thematic approach, moving chronologically through the information but stopping to examine certain situations/events that need closer examination.  As the course moves along, we will be doing a variety of assessments.  They will come in the form of short papers and reflections, quizzes, presentations of various lengths, and class debates.  There also will be 3 research papers, one during each term.  The final spring paper will be the basis for a major presentation that serves as the Final exam in the course.  

 

The breakdown of how assessments are graded to determine a final grade are as follows; 20% daily work, 50% papers, quizzes, and 30% class participation(this includes speaking in class, and having all necessary materials ready when class begins).  PLEASE SPEAK IN CLASS!!  We want people to feel free to give their thoughts.  Disrespectful behavior will NOT be tolerated during our discussions.  

 

Late work will be accepted but penalized.  Students should speak with me if there is any chance that they may not make a certain deadline.  I am much more flexible in giving extentions if I am talked with before hand.  All major papers will be given the opportunity to be revised, with the chance of half of the points being earned back.  All students will also be using Turnitin.com to check their work to clarify any citation/research issues to avoid any plagarism problems.  We want to know what YOU think by submitting ORIGINAL work.  Please do not ‘cut and paste’, copy, or take other people’s work without giving them their credit.  

 

I am available anytime for extra help.  I do not have a set classroom so let me know when and where you would like to meet and we can make it happen.  I am also available via email as well, so please shoot me a message if you have questions at any time and I will try my best to respond promptly.  You can also call my cell in case of an emergency, (207) 890-5953.  

 

 

Course texts - 

  1. Howard Zinn - 
  2. The State Department Website - online text

Course Summary:

Date Details Due