Syllabus

Prof. Dominic Carrillo
Grossmont College
domcarrillo@yahoo.com
History 109, Spring 2005
M/W 11-12:15 pm (5837)
T/Th. 2-3:15 pm (5840)
Room 544b

History 109 examines, interprets, and re-interprets the last century and a half of United States history. The course combines lectures, readings, slides, hand-outs, memoirs, music, websites, and films in order to study the progression of U.S. history in the recent modern era. We will begin by briefly defining the characteristics of modern history and then identify the significant social, cultural, political, and economic conflicts that have been unique to U.S. history, yet coincide with international developments and policies over the past century. Through selected sources, this course will represent diverse perspectives through the lenses of race, class, and gender. Such attention to multiple perspectives, documents, and histories is designed to deepen historical understanding, cross-cultural sensitivity, and stimulate high-level critical thinking. Chronologically, the course will take the student from Civil War Reconstruction to our current post-9/11 era. The intellectual focus of this class will be on articulating the significance of historical events within this frame, critically thinking about them, using the past to illuminate the present, and engaging in rational analysis, rather than simply regurgitating numerous trivial names, dates, and places.

• Students are expected to attend every lecture, arrive to class on time, take notes thoroughly and consistently, exhibit appropriate college classroom behavior, do the required reading, be prepared to discuss the week’s readings, and complete all course assignments.
• All graded assignments must be completed in order to receive a passing grade.
• Any assignments turned in late will automatically be marked down one full letter grade.
• Students will be penalized for more than two unexcused absences or instances of excessive lateness throughout the semester.
• In the event of excessive lateness or absence, the student’s final grade will be reduced or they may be dropped from the class by the instructor.
• The instructor may excuse absences only if they are discussed prior to the class to be missed AND the reasons for one’s absence involve extreme emergency or illness.
• All cell phones and personal electronic devices which have the potential of making noise must be turned off during class time.
• Students who repeatedly engage in distracting or disruptive behavior will be asked to leave the classroom and may be dropped from the class.
• Maintaining a positive and respectful learning environment is always essential for student success and a rewarding classroom experience.
• Respect-- maximum respect-- for others and yourself is the number one rule in this and any classroom.
• My job, as your professor, is to try my best to provide a positive, academic, open, insightful, valuable, relevant, and interesting classroom experience for students from many diverse backgrounds, who will undoubtedly move on to equally diverse, successful, and rewarding careers. Thus, all the aforementioned requirements and policies are necessary for our mutual success.

Students with disabilities who may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact Disabled Student Services & Programs (DSP&S) early in the semester so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. Students may contact DSP&S in person in room 110 or by phone at 619-644-7112, or 619-644-7119 (TTY for Deaf)

Exam #1: Exams will consist of short answer, fill-in, and multiple choice questions. They are designed to check for student reading, comprehension, and understanding of coursework material. Exam #1 will be taken week 4 and will include all significant material covered up to that point. Test question examples will be provided.

Exam #2: Exam #2 will be taken week 8 and will include all significant material covered between weeks 5 and 8.

Film Paper: 3 to 4 page, typed analysis of any one of the films we will have seen or that I have recommended during the course of this class. The student’s task is to place the film in its historical context, assess the significance of the film as a historical document, and to synthesize knowledge gathered from related readings and lectures; then apply that to a critical, in-depth analysis of the film. Due Week 11. Examples will be provided. I highly recommend editing papers at the Writing Center before handing them in to me.

Research Paper : 5 to 6 page historical research paper on any approved topic which falls within the broad scope of American History between 1865 and the present. The details on paper expectations-- including the cover page, thesis statement, content, research methods, references, etc-- will be discussed and examples will be provided in class at least 2 weeks prior to the due date. Due Week 15. I require that students edit their research papers at the Writing Center before handing them in to me.

research paper guide

Final Exam: This exam will be comprehensive and will cover all readings, lectures, class discussions, and films throughout the course. It will include essay questions, short- answer essays, multiple choice, fill-in, vocabulary matching, and true/false questions. The final exam is designed to evaluate the student’s mastery of coursework. The final will account for a large percentage of one’s grade and should be prepared for accordingly. A general study guide will be provided. Week 18.

Participation and Attendance : Active student participation and contribution in relevant class discussions, group work, and consistent note-taking will be weighed into final grades, and could be the difference between an "A" and a "B" (or a "D" and a "C," depending on one’s approach/perspective)

Extra Credit: The only extra credit assignment accepted in this course will be a critical reading journal which analyzes (not summarizes) each week’s class readings in 1-2 hand- written pages. A notebook with a minimum of 30 hand-written journal pages turned in at the end of the semester, if done properly, could earn a student up to 10% in extra grade points.

1.) John Faragher, et. al., Out of Many: A History of the American People (text)

2.) Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States.

3.) Malcolm X and Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

4.) HAND-OUTS: there will be numerous in-class hand-outs throughout the semester which will play a central part in introducing comparing and contrasting primary and secondary documents. (if you miss class, then you miss the hand-outs)

WEEK 1 (Jan. 24-27) Approaching History/ Civil War Reconstruction

Reading:

* introduction to Lies My Teacher Told Me, James Loewen.

*Chapter 1 from History on Trial, Gary Nash, et. al.

*Chapter 17, Out of Many, Faragher

*clips from Reconstruction, documentary video

WEEK 2 (Jan. 31-Feb. 3) Reconstruction

*Chapter 9, People’s History, Howard Zinn

*primary documents from the Reconstruction era.

*Chapter 17, Out of Many, Faragher

*Reconstruction, documentary

WEEK 3 (Feb. 7-10) Native American Lives

*Chapter 18, Out of Many, Faragher

*Chapters from Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Dee Brown.

*Sitting Bull, documentary

WEEK 4 (Feb. 14-17) Immigration, Labor Struggles and Robber Barons

*Chapter 19, Out of Many, Faragher

*Chapter 10 and 11, People’s History, Howard Zinn

*primary document and article hand-outs

WEEK 5 (Feb. 21-24) American Expansionism/Imperialism

*Chapter 2 from Sorrows of Empire, Chalmers Johnson.

*Chapter 12, People’s History, Howard Zinn

*Chapter 20, Out of Many, Faragher

WEEK 6 (Feb. 28- Mar. 3) WWI and Modern America

*Chapter 21, 22, 23 (select sections), Out of Many, Faragher

*Chapter 1 from Lies My Teacher Told Me, James Loewen.

*Chapter 13 and 14, People’s History, Howard Zinn.

WEEK 7 (Mar. 7-10) The Great Depression Era

*primary documents and documentary clips

*Chapter 24, Out of Many, Faragher

*Chapter 15, People’s History, Howard Zinn

*Chapters 1-5, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X and Alex Haley.

WEEK 8 (Mar. 14-17) World War II America

*Chapter 25, Out of Many, Faragher

*Chapter 16, People’s History, Howard Zinn

*primary documents

*Chapters 5-11, The Autobiography of Malcolm X

*Why We Fight documentary clips

WEEK 9 Spring Break (March 21-26)

WEEK 10 (Mar. 28-31) Cold War Begins-- 1950’s

*Chapters 26 & 27, Out of Many, Faragher

* primary documents: Joe McCarthy, Robeson, etc.

*documentary clips from "Fog of War" and Paul Robeson: Here I Stand.

WEEK 11 (Apr. 4-7) Civil Rights Movement and the "Double V"

*Chapter 28, Out of Many, Faragher

*Chapter 17, People’s History, Howard Zinn

*Chapters 11-15, The Autobiography of Malcolm X

*documentary films: MLK and Malcolm X.

WEEK 12 (Apr. 11-14) 1960’s: Turbulence and Vietnam

*Chapter 29, Out of Many, Faragher

*Chapter 18, People’s History, Howard Zinn

*Chapters 15-19, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X and Alex Haley.

*documentary films: "Fog of War" and/or "Hearts and Minds."

WEEK 13 (Apr. 18-21) Into the 1970’s

*Chapter 29, Out of Many, Faragher

*Chapter 19, People’s History, Howard Zinn

*documentary films: Attica, Eyes on the Prize, and/or Incident at Oglala.

WEEK 14 (Apr. 25-28) Politics of the 1970’s

*Chapter 30, Out of Many, Faragher

*Chapter 20, People’s History, Howard Zinn

WEEK 15 (May 2-5) 1980’s-- The Reagan Years

*Chapter 30, Out of Many, Faragher

*Chapter 21, People’s History, Howard Zinn

*primary documents and documentary film: Roger and Me

WEEK 16 (May 9-12) 1990’s Clinton Era and Globalization

*Chapter 31, Out of Many, Faragher

*Chapter 23 and Afterword, People’s History, Howard Zinn

*primary documents and Chapter 9 from Sorrows of Empire, Chalmers Johnson.

WEEK 17 (May 16-19) Post-9/11 America

*Chapters 1,10, and prologue from Sorrows of Empire, Chalmers Johnson.

*articles, documents, and documentary footage.

WEEK 18 FINAL EXAM (May 23-26)