MERROL HYDE MAGNET SCHOOL

ADVANCED PLACEMENT UNITED STATES HISTORY

SYLLABUS

2006-2007

 

Instructor:  Charlie Lewis,

                   Lewisc5@k12tn.net

 

Course Design:  AP US History is a challenging course that is meant to be the equivalent of a freshman college course and can earn students college credit.  It is a full year survey of American History from the Age of Exploration to the Present.  Solid reading and writing skills, along with a willingness to devote considerable time to homework and study, are necessary to succeed.  Emphasis is place on critical and evaluative thinking skills, essay writing, interpretation of original documents, and historiography.

 

Course Objectives: 

  • Master a broad body of historical knowledge
  • Demonstrate an understanding of historical chronology
  • Use historical data to support an argument or position
  • Differentiate between historiographical schools of thought
  • Interpret and apply data from original documents, including cartoons, graphs, letters, and other primary sources
  • Effectively use analytical skills of evaluation, cause and effect, compare and contrast
  • Work effectively with others to produce products and solve problems
  • Prepare for and successfully pass the AP Exam

 

Course Text and Readings:

  • The American Pageant, Textbook, Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey
  • The American Political Tradition, Hofstadter
  • A Book of your choice and Instructor approval pertaining to information being covered for each Six-Weeks

                           August 14th- Exploration to Constitutional Convention

Required- Mayflower, Nathaniel Philbrick or  The Puritans, Jack Cavanaugh*

                           November 3rd- New Nation to Slavery Crisis

                                                     Strong Recommendation- When the Mississippi ran

                                                     Backwards, Feldman.

                            December 8th- Civil War and Reconstruction

                            January 29th- Industrial Revolution and Populism and Progressivism

                                                     Strong Recommendation- 1912, Chace

                            March 8th- World War I to the Present

          *Due at the beginning of the School Year

         

 

 

Important Web Sites

apcentral.collegeboard.com                                          www.congresslink.org

foundingfathers.com                                                      besthistorysites.net                                        

 

 

Course Purpose:  The Course has several purposes. First and foremost, the student will learn U.S. History and Government.  The Course is also intended to prepare the class to take the AP U.S. History Exam in May, 4 2007.

 

Organization of the Class:  Material presented in the class will be divided in Units.  Ideally, the Units will correspond with the School System’s Nine Week periods.  Assignment sheets will be given to the students every two weeks. “Discussion Questions” (DQs) will prepare the student for the Unit Examination.  Students will be responsible for organizing the materials presented in the class.  The Semester Examination, the AP Examination, and the Final Examination are inclusive of all materials covered to the respective date.  A ‘three-ring binder” will be kept in the classroom for each student to “keep up” with all past assignments. Grades will be given on Notebook Checks every two weeks.

 

Tests:  Tests will usually be scheduled on Mondays when possible. The test format will be two out of three DQs provided, 50% of the grade, and approximately 20 multiple choice questions, also 50% of the grade.  Tests will be “timed.”  “Timed Testing” is a major skill needed to be successful in this program.  A Unit Examination will be administered.  This examination will contain a (EQ), Essential Question (no choice), and a (DBQ), a Document Based Question, and multiple choice questions.

  • DBQs are questions specifically designed to test a student’s knowledge of a historical point.  A Primary document is provided to the students that will enhance the student’s answer.

 

Study Techniques:  The reading load is considerable.  The Textbook, The American Pageant, must be read.  Chapters will be assigned based on the Unit Course Outline.  Also, the Hofstadter Book, The American Political Tradition must be read because it offers the student information and techniques that are crucial for the AP program.  The student will have to have basic knowledge of US History, and be able to apply, analyze, and synthesize the information.  Hofstadter’s book will model this process.  Also, Hofstadter will provide the crucial element of historiography.

  • Historiography is the study of primary and secondary (usually revisionist history) documents in order to understand how the author applied and analyzed their understanding of the historical period.  Finally, almost always, the document is greatly influenced by the time period in which it was written.  Example:  An AP student would watch the 1915 Classic movie, D.W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” to understand the cultural and racial attitudes of early 20th Century American Society, not to study the Reconstruction Period.

Students will be assigned essays (Each Thursday, a primary source document), lecture notes, class presentations, and Seminars during the Units.  Each student will choose a “study partner.”  They may share these assignments.  All grades will be based on the individual’s performance.  However, “Sharing” will provide the student with an “economical” process to gain the information.  Reading the texts, and completing these assignments will require approximately 30 to 45 minutes of outside study five days a week for this class.  If students do not have the work ethic that this course demands, he/she will affect the work load, not the grades, of the class.  Remember, we are competing on a National level!