COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course will survey the history of the United States from the end of the Civil War.

REQUIREMENTS:

Students are required to attend and to participate in class and to complete all reading and writing assignments and exams. All students are required to activate their Loyola e-mail accounts by the second week of the semester unless they have their own account through an ISP. Every student MUST subscribe to the class listserv. Instructions on subscribing to the listserv will be distributed in class.

REQUIRED READINGS:

Tindall, America: A Narrative History v.II

Doctorow, Ragtime

Additional internet readings will be assigned when appropriate.  If you do not have a PC, you may use the facilities available on campus, especially the Humanities Lab BO 448.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Students are required to attend all classes.  I will allow two absences.  Upon the third absence ten points (one letter grade) will be deducted from the student’s final grade with an additional ten point deduction for each further absence.  Tardiness will not be tolerated. Students who are habitually late will be informed by me as such after which time their late arrivals will be counted as absences. If you have an extraordinary reason for missing class, you must notify me in advance of the absence (or after in cases of emergency) and have supporting material, e. g., doctor's notes, etc.

SPECIAL NEEDS:

If you have special needs related to physical or learning disabilities, please make arrangements through the Office of Academic Enrichment.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Students will be required to read all assignments, write a short paper, and take a mid-term and a final exam. Additional internet readings and e-mail assignments may be required (TBA).

MAKE-UP TESTS AND EXTENSIONS:

Make-up tests and/or extensions will be allowed only in extraordinary circumstances.  To receive permission for a make-up test or paper extension, the student must contact me BEFORE the scheduled test or assignment deadline except in cases of emergency.

GRADING:

Grades will be assessed on a standard ten point scale (90-100=A, 87-89=B+, 80 86.9=B, etc.,  59 or below = F).  The short paper will be worth 30% of your final grade;  class participation will be worth 10%, the exams will be worth 60% (30% each) of your final grade.  The in-class writings and email will receive a check “*” or an “x.” The cumulative number of *’s and x’s will be used to determine your numerical grade for the in-class exercises which will be figured in to my subjective assessment of your class participation. These two items will be the basis of your class participation grade.

INTEGRITY OF SCHOLARSHIP AND GRADES:

Please read the “Integrity of Scholarship and Grades” statement on pp. 45-46 of the Undergraduate Bulletin.  Any student caught plagiarizing or cheating will receive an “F” for the entire course and the incident will be reported in writing to the Dean.

REVISION OF SYLLABUS:

 I reserve the right to revise this syllabus at any time during the semester.

ASSIGNMENTS AND DEADLINES:

Specific reading assignments, deadlines, and test schedules will be posted on the web site shortly.

N. B. Students may submit a rough draft of the short paper to me at any time in the semester with the exception of the week before the deadline.

ABSOLUTELY NO BEEPERS OR CELL PHONES WILL BE TOLERATED IN MY CLASS!

HOME

Week One:

July 3 -- Tindall, ch. 18
July 5 -- Tindall, ch. 18 cont.
July 6 -- Tindall, ch. 19
July 7 -- Tindall, ch. 19 cont.

Week Two

July 10 -- Tindall, ch. 20
July 11 -- Tindall, ch. 21
July 12 -- Tindall, ch. 22
July 13 -- Tindall, ch. 23
July 14 -- Tindall, ch. 24

Week Three

July 17 -- Tindall, ch. 25
July 18 -- Tindall, ch. 25 cont.
July 19 -- Tindall, ch. 26, check out the poetry of Langston Hughes, and Countee Cullen.
July 20 -- Tindall, ch. 27
July 21 -- Mid Term Exam

Week Four

July 24 -- Tindall, ch. 28
July 25 -- Tindall, ch. 29
July 26 -- Tindall, ch. 30
July 27 -- Tindall, ch. 31
July 28 -- Tindall, ch. 32

Week Five

July 31 -- Tindall, ch. 33; short paper on Ragtime due.
August 1 -- Tindall, ch. 34
August 2 -- Tindall, ch. 35
August 3 -- Tindall, ch. 36
August 4 -- Final Exam

Short Paper Assignment:

Write a 3-5 pp. doublespaced paper on the glimpse of American culture in Ragtime. You may approach the essay as an overview of the aspects of American society as presented in the novel or you may consider specific aspects of the book. The paper should be your best, polished effort. Consult the history department guidelines for help in constructing the paper.