ap u.s. history course guide, 2asdf013-14-1 (1)

8/13/2019 AP U.S. History Course Guide, 2asdf013-14-1 (1)

1/6

AP United States History, 2013-14 D R. MURRAY

Course descri tion

This Advanced Placement course surveys the history of the United States from the age of Europeanexploration to the present. Among other things, the course seeks to explain how a collection of seeminglyinsignificant English colonies, located on the frontier of estern !ivili"ation in the seventeenth century,gradually evolved into the twenty#first century$s most powerful and influential nation#state. In classdiscussion, the emphasis is on issues, problems, and interpretations, not on reviewing the textbook;consequently, much of the burden of mastering the factual content must be borne by the individualstudent. %aily reading assignments are at least &' pages in length, and fre(uently longer. Students areexpected to read carefully and thoroughly and to come to class ready to discuss the material.

Course re!uire"ents

1. Ma#or $ritten Assi%n"ents There will )e at least * ma+or graded assignments each semester. Thesemay include unit tests, papers, and pro+ects. The point values of these assignments will vary. At times,

(uests,- papers, and pro+ects may take the place of unit tests.2. &ui''es do not assign a lot of (ui""es in this class. am more likely to assign (ui""es if conclude that

students aren/t preparing ade(uately.3. (ote)oo*s All students should keep a separate note)ook for history. 0eading notes are an integral part of

a well#designed note)ook. Study (uestions have )een provided for each unit to help you read moreeffectively1 there are general (uestions to help you identify the )ig issues- of the unit, as well as morespecific (uestions to guide your nightly reading. 2ou are 34T expected to answer each (uestion in writing1use the (uestions to help identify main ideas and to assess how well you understand the material.

4. Mood+e 2ou can find the unit sylla)i and the study (uestions on the course 5oodle page.Supplementary materials 6e.g., handouts, historical documents7 are also posted on the 5oodle page. Theremay )e reading materials posted on 5oodle that don/t actually list on the sylla)us1 unless say otherwisein class, you are not re(uired to read them. 8rom time to time, we may also use 5oodle for threadeddiscussions.

5. AP a" There is no Pingry final exam in this course. 9ike all students of AP courses at Pingry, you arere(uired take the AP U.S. :istory exam in 5ay. If you do not take the exam, for whatever reason, youwill be required to take a final exam in June. In addition, the !" designation will be removedfrom your transcript and replaced with a #onors" designation. This course is designed to provideyou with the concepts, skills, and knowledge necessary for the examination. I cannot promise you,however, that every fact on the examination will be discussed in class. $ome of the preparationdepends on you. 2ou may wish to consider purchasing an AP review )ook. Some students find themuseful1 others do not .

6. Researc Pro#ects There will )e several pro+ects re(uiring research 6i.e., using materials in additionto those assigned )y me7, and therefore multiple opportunities to hone your research skills. 2ou will )e

re(uired to write a research paper in 5ay, following the AP exam.

/radin% sca+eTo figure out your grade, will take the total num)er of points you have earned and divide it )y the total num)er of

points availa)le. That percentage will correspond to the letter grades listed )elow.

&''#;< A=


2/6

;@#;' A# @#>' %#

2


3/6


4/6

(uotation marks7 or paraphrase it 6i.e., put it into your own word 7, and then cite the source. !opying a passage from a source, changing a few words, and passing it off as your own language 6i.e., not using(uotation marks7 constitutes plagiarism, e"en if you u e a citation F !arenthetical citations and a 2orks

ited" page are required for all written work, with the exception of in1class essays. 3es, you need tocite the textbook, unless I say otherwise. Use the parenthetical citation 6or 59A7 format descri)ed inThe Pin#ry $anual of Style . f you don/t understand the citation system descri)ed in the $anual Gor you

aren/t sure a)out whether something needs to )e citedGask me. hen in dou)t, cite it.

. C eatin% Students are expected to complete their work on their own, unless given specific permission to work in groups. That means no unauthori"ed help from fellow students, parents, )rothers,sisters, tutors, et. al., unless specifically say so. Unauthori"ed help on written assignments and oralreports is considered a violation of the :onor !ode. If I give you an essay question 4or a collection ofpossible essay questions5 before a test, you are expected to work on the question 4or questions5yourself; it is '67 a group assignment. 36% *+ '67 8862+/ 76 $# *+ +$$ 36%78I'+$ 6* 7#+$I$ $7 7+ +'7$ 2I7# 36%* 0+8862 $7%/+'7$ 2#+'!*+! *I'9 36%* +$$ 3$: :owever, it/s fine for you to meet with other students to review dates,names, and other factual material.

;. A)sences 2ou are responsi)le for finding out what you have missed when you are a)sent. amnot responsi)le for reminding you. f you are a)sent the day of a test, you must see me the day you return,so that we can schedule a make#up test. Tests that are not made up promptly will )e treated in the sameway as late papers.

Course "ateria+s

%ivine, Breen, illiams, Dross, H Brands, The %&erican Story , 8ifth Edition 6This is the main text.7 3umerous handouts containing scholarly articles and primary sources posted on 5oodle

/oa+s

To help you appreciate the complexity, diversity, and richness of the American experience.

To provide a rigorous, college#level history course that is interesting, challenging, and appealing.

To help you )ecome more adept at evaluating rival interpretations of events and historical developments.

To help you to strengthen the skills needed to craft a coherent, analytical essay, emphasi"ing the synthesis ofmaterial from different sources.

To encourage you to )ecome )etter informed a)out, and more interested in, the world around you.

To provide you with the knowledge, skills, and ha)its of mind that you will need to approach the AdvancedPlacement exam with confidence.

To help you see that knowledge is interconnected, and that what you learn in American 9iterature class isrelevant to what you are studying in history.

To convince you that talk without su)stance is of little value, that opinions must )e supported with reasonand evidence.

To encourage you to evaluate your own political and personal values, inviting you to think without tellingyou what to think.

4


5/6

Ma#or o ics

The catastrophic impact of European coloni"ation upon America/s indigenous peoples

The esta)lishment of permanent hereditary slavery as the solution- to the colonial la)or shortage

The Puritan mission to esta)lish a city upon a hill,- a theme which has )ecome an essential and enduring part ofAmerica/s perception of itself

The conception of America as a melting pot- and the myth 6and reality7 of the self#made man-

The origins and effects of the American 0evolution, including the uni(uely American emphasis upon individualfreedom and self#reliance

The development of the U. S. !onstitution, the evolution of constitutional interpretation, and the growing tendencyfor Americans to see the constitution as a sacred text

The impact of rapid territorial and economic expansion upon the new repu)lic in the mid# nineteenth century,including the emergence of religious revivalism, literary romanticism, social utopianism, and political reform

The causes and conse(uences of the !ivil ar and 0econstruction, the latter of which include the emergence of a powerful central government, the rapid development of industrial capitalism, and the conflict )etween the plight ofAfrican#Americans under the Iim !row system and the ideals of American democracy

The creation of Jsmokestack AmericaJ in the late & ''s, the growing estrangement )etween capital and la)or, andthe turn#of#the#century Progressive efforts to humani"e the industrial city

America$s emergence as a world power and the impact that this has had upon America/s foreign policy and its perception of itself

nativism, populism, isolationism, and other conse(uences of the tension )etween America/s agrarian, traditionalist past and its ur)an, cosmopolitan future

The contri)utions made )y )lacks, :ispanics, Asians, and other minority groups to modern American culture

The Dreat %epression and the creation of the American welfare state

The confrontation with the Soviet Union in the !old ar and the impact of anticommunist on domestic politics andculture

The civil rights movement, the Dreat Society, and the growth of political and cultural radicalism in the &;K's and&;>'s

The reinvigoration of conservatism in the &; 's and the culture wars- of the present day

5


6/6

56

9ike all Pingry history courses, ! %. $. #istory is designed to draw upon and strengthen the following skillsL

0eading Skills

dentifying the argument. 0estating ma+or ideas in concise form. Asking intelligent (uestions. %istinguishing relevant from irrelevant material. %istinguishing )etween fact and opinion. Evaluating the credi)ility of different views. Altering reading approaches to a variety of purposesL skimming, reading for main ideas, factual mastery. Using what you already know to help you comprehend new material. Using new material to challenge and modify what you already know. 0ecogni"ing )ias. 5aking inferences and drawing conclusions. 0ecogni"ing and comprehending complexity and am)iguity.

riting Skills

Be a)le to write an effective and well#organi"ed essay that includesL

an introductory paragraph a thesis statement )ody paragraphs with topic sentences a concluding paragraph, and citations and a orks !ited- page.

Be a)le to write for different purposes, includingL

to analy"e, to synthesi"e, to compare and contrast, and to support conclusions and persuade your reader of the validity of your thesis.

Analysis H nterpretation Skills

Be a)le to analy"e and interpret material in the following formsL

!harts and graphs 5aps and map sym)ols :istorical atlases Political cartoons Art and literature Misual materials

5iscellaneous Skills

Utili"ing li)rary and nternet resources 8orming and defending opinions )ased upon evidence 5astering large amounts of information for presentation on an examination or in a paper Effectively communicating ideas orally 0ecogni"ing recurring themes Effectively organi"ing a note)ook

.

6

ap u.s. history course guide, 2asdf013-14-1 (1)

Documents