CORE 130G - AMERICAN
CIVILIZATION
FALL, 2004
Hafey-Marian Hall - Room
301 M-W-F 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM
Instructor of History, King’s College
THE CORE CURRICULUM
The
CORE Curriculum is central to all undergraduate degrees at King's College. It
lays the foundation for a liberal education that will be reinforced in the
major program and continued throughout life. CORE courses are broadly based so
that fundamental human issues and problems are approached from diverse
viewpoints represented by a variety of disciplines.
THE CORE CURRICULUM:
CIVILIZATION SEQUENCE
Civilization
courses are designed to explore in some depth the complex dimensions of the
human experience. These courses study the cumulative experiences of the past to
assist in understanding our complex world and assist in the responsible shaping
of the future of that world.
CIVILIZATION: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
OBJECTIVES
1. To be familiar with the main stages of
civilization as an expanding force which has produced
important forms of political, social,
economic, and cultural organization which are our common heritage;
2. To identify major events, persons, and ideas
which contributed to the development of
western, including American, and
non-western attitudes and institutions;
3. To develop concepts which give meaning and
order to the raw material of man's recorded past;
4. To identify and to analyze significant
problems and situations as they relate to the continuing
issues of contemporary life.
GOALS
1. To improve understanding of the major events
which have influenced the modern world;
2. To understand the influence of the past on
contemporary events and problems;
3. To be an intelligent consumer and evaluator
of information about events taking place in the world;
4. To develop a global perspective which
recognizes the political, economic, and cultural
interdependence of all nations.
CORE 130: AMERICAN
CIVILIZATION
American
Civilization is the first course in the Civilization sequence of the CORE
Curriculum. The study of American Civilization is celebration as well as it is
critique. It examines achievements and failures; triumphs and tragedies; hopes
and frustrations. It cannot lay claim to prognostication yet it should offer
guidance and direction in shaping the future. The study utilizes static data to
evaluate and to analyze the dynamic forces and ideas by which men and women
have shaped the American story of their times.
This discipline asks that we focus on the past that we might see the
present more clearly as well as better respond to the forces and ideas of our
times. Historical literacy is essential to the education of the professional
man or woman of the 21st century and his or her ability to judge and decide
both private and public issues in a context which respects appropriate
traditions. American Civilization focuses on the development of the
Specific Benefits of
CORE 130: AMERICAN CIVILIZATION
1. It hones skill at evaluating data for
authenticity or spuriousness, reliability or unreliability; it
trains the mind to weigh and to ponder
before acceptance or rejection.
2. It expands understanding and knowledge of the
uniqueness of the American democratic experience.
3. It encourages the development of independent
thinking, as well as the application of deductive and inductive
reasoning, in the formation and validation
of hypotheses and conclusions.
4. It compels acknowledgment of the complexity
and variety of the American experience and
recognizes the painful price paid by so
many in the past.
5. It confronts us with the moral problem of
making judgments about those who occupied
center stage in our American past.
6. It stimulates and develops problem-solving,
skeptical judgment and decision-making analysis.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
TEXTBOOK
Davidson,
James West et al. NATION OF NATIONS: A Concise Narrative History of the
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Any form of academic
dishonesty (plagiarism, etc.), as discussed in your Student Handbook, can
result in a failing grade in the course and additional action by college
officials. Let this be a “word to the
READING ASSIGNMENTS
The
General Course Outline identifies specific readings from your text. There will be additional readings announced
in class. Both your text reading and additional readings, if assigned, must
be read prior to classroom lecture and discussion.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
Three
(3) brief research papers will be assigned.
Guidelines and topics for each assignment will be distributed as
appropriate. Exploration of various research resources including the library
and reliable on-line sources will be
encouraged in the completion of these assignments. Upper-class students will be
expected to demonstrate proficiency in applying the writing and critical
thinking developed in CORE 110 and CORE 100. All students will be expected to
submit papers in typed or word processed form.
***Handwritten
work will NOT be accepted. Papers
not submitted on time will be severely penalized by two (2) points per day!
TESTS
There
will be three (3) written tests given during the semester including the final
examination. The first two tests are listed in your course outline. The third (final) examination will be given
according to the Registrar's examination schedule. The tests will be based on
the lectures and text reading materials, as assigned. The general structure of the tests may be
identification, multiple choice, short answer and/or essay. Each test will be
non-comprehensive and will review the most recent materials covered.
QUIZZES AND EXTRA-CREDIT
Throughout
the semester there may be quizzes and extra-credit assignments given to help
you acquire, maintain, or (just maybe?) exceed your grade goal.
CLASSROOM PARTICIPATION
Regular
participation is expected from each student. Your participation
will be noted and weighed in the overall semester grade evaluation (10%) as a
growth/development factor.
ATTENDANCE
As
learning partners, you and I are expected to attend classroom lectures/discussions on a regular
basis. Students are responsible for all
materials discussed and be prepared to actively participate in lectures
and
classroom discussions. I am responsible
for the presentation of subject matter in an environment conducive to your
learning experience. Rules of the
College regarding class attendance will be followed strictly. There will be a MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE ABSENCE of
THREE (3) - excused OR unexcused. Students arriving after the roll is taken
will be marked absent and must meet with the professor after class if they wish
to have the absence changed. Absence on
the day of a scheduled test will NOT be excused unless a serious reason has been
explained to the instructor (in advance, if possible) and arrangements for a
make-up test are made within five (5) class days of the scheduled test. It is the RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT to
arrange the make-up with the professor.
It will be within the discretion of the professor to permit any and all
exceptions to these rules based on the evidence presented. Three consecutive absences or a pattern of
absence (or lateness) over a three week period will initiate an Excessive
Absence Report to the College Student Services Office.
SEMESTER GRADE
EVALUATION
The
determination of the final semester grade will be based on the successful
completion of all requirements for the course using numerical values as
follows:
• Tests: Total - 60% = Tests I, II, and III -
60% (20% each)
• Written Assignments -30% ( each 10%)
• Participation - 10%
GRADING SCALE:
The
general grading scale to be used is as follows:
A+
= 98 A = 95 A- = 92
B+
= 88 B = 85 B- = 82
C+
= 78 C = 75 C- = 72
D+
= 68 D = 65 F
= 59
OFFICE CONTACT / OFFICE
HOURS
*Personal
consultations are welcome and encouraged.
*Test
reviews and "rough drafts" of papers are strongly encouraged during
office hours or at other convenient times.
Office: HM 312
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday 11:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
Other times by
appointment.
Phone: 208-5900 Ext. 5637
Messages may be left with the Faculty
Assistants in Hafey Marian Hall, 208-5900 - Ext. 5702.
E-mail: sjkase@kings.edu
GENERAL COURSE OUTLINE:
TOPICS and
(This schedule is tentative and is subject
to amendment by the instructor.)
Chapters
Topic
Review
of Syllabus & Overview 8/30
1-2-3 Old
Worlds, New Worlds, and Settlements in
4 A
Mosaic of Eighteenth Century
5-6 The
Creation of A New Republic-American People & Revolution
Additional
7-8 The
Republic Launched
Additional
The
Bill of Rights
9 The
The
Second War for
10-11 The
Opening of
12 The
Fires of Perfection
13-14 The
Old South , Western Expansion, and the Rise of Slavery Issue
15 The
16 The
Civil War & the Republic
17 Reconstructing
the
18 The
New South and Trans
19-20 Industrial Order,
Urban Order
21 The
Political System Under Strain
22 The
Progressive Era and Toward a New Century
December
10th (Last Class) Final Review
TEST DATES
Test #1 – October 4,
2004
Test #2, November 8,
2004
Final Exam: Scheduled by the Registrar (Week of December
13-17)
PAPER DUE DATES
Paper #1 –
September 27, 2004
Paper #2 – November
3, 2004
Paper #3 – December
6, 2004
OTHER IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
September 6: Labor Day – No Classes
October 15–17: Fall Recess – No Classes
October 22-24: King’s Homecoming
November 24-28:
Thanksgiving
Library of Congress Government Guide