Assessment procedures and policies:
Class Work:
Every class shall begin with questions posed randomly to two students at the blackboard. Students are invited to pose questions, the instructor approves or disapproves of the posed questions and directs the question to a student at the blackboard. That way all students are involved in formulating the question and following on the ways it is answered. If the student at the board fails to answer the question, the instructor addresses the question to the class. There correct answers provide 99 point to the category of class work in the total list of assessment. In addition to questions, class work grade includes, evaluation of preparedness, class participation in discussion and intellectual vigor in formulating responses and ideas.
Note-Taking:
Students are required to take notes using Cornell system. Every class they must take notes on the proceedings and material presented by the instructor and the students making summaries and presentations.
Summaries and Presentations:
Students are required to prepare summaries on a particular topic from the text book and from on-line resources and present the content in class. Likewise students choose a topic for individual research presentation once a trimester on atopic which is not in the textbook and prepare a research based presentation in class.
Essay writing: Students are required to write at least two document based essays in a given trimester. As a group in class students read and discuss the historical document. The instructor explains the origin of the document and ways of its interpretation. Students are then invited to write a document based essay using the rubric criteria of assessment provided by the instructor. Students are required to submit the paper to their account in Turnitin.com.
Tests:
Students will take a test approximately every two weeks on the content of one or two units in the syllabus. The tests will usually combine multiple choice questions and regular questions.
Grades for all categories of activities are entered into Engrade.com. Students are encouraged to follow their performance on Engrade.
The overall grade for the trimester is composed of the following
Class work 10%
Note-taking 10%
Summaries 10%
Tests 30%
Presentation 20%
Essays 20%
Materials: Students shall use the text book> Call for Liberty, as one of the sources for learning. Equally important are materials distributed, discussed and provided by the instructor in class. Almost every class we shall use Internet resources, such as documents, videos and documentaries. Students are required to take notes on the content of those materials. The complete list of those resources will be too long. It includes biographies of American Presidents, letters, declarations, speeches, and other relevant materials.
History of the USA, Advanced.
Dr. Vladimir Brovkin
2015- 2016 Academic Year. American School of Marrakech.
The purpose of this course is to provide a survey of American History in accord with the AERO standards. We begin with the pre-Colombian America and follow the chronological outline to the second half of the 20th century. The course is organized in units, each of them lasting approximately a week and focusing on a key event, or historical problem. This survey devotes equal attention to political, economic, cultural religious and social history of America. The course uses the content as a basis for learning skills, such as note-taking, public presentation, research paper writing, content analysis, quantitative analysis, economic analysis, comparison, making conclusions, evaluating evidence, seeing the bias and distinguishing fact and opinion.
Dr. Vladimir Brovkin
2015- 2016 Academic Year. American School of Marrakech.
The purpose of this course is to provide a survey of American History in accord with the AERO standards. We begin with the pre-Colombian America and follow the chronological outline to the second half of the 20th century. The course is organized in units, each of them lasting approximately a week and focusing on a key event, or historical problem. This survey devotes equal attention to political, economic, cultural religious and social history of America. The course uses the content as a basis for learning skills, such as note-taking, public presentation, research paper writing, content analysis, quantitative analysis, economic analysis, comparison, making conclusions, evaluating evidence, seeing the bias and distinguishing fact and opinion.
The Content:
Week 1
The Age of Discovery and Pre-colonial America.
Enduring Understanding: The first globalization begins. Cultures clash with catastrophic consequences. Rise of new mentality, new horizons and new trade patterns.
Week 2
The Spanish Empire in Americas in the 16 and 17centuries.
Enduring Understanding: the power of Religion as a driving force of political action; the power of gold as a driving force in Spanish colonization.
Week 3
English Society in the early 17century: The Anglicans, the Catholics and the Puritans.
Enduring Understanding: Religion as a unifying or as a dividing force in history.
Week 4
Jamestown, the first settlement, first encounters of civilizations.
Enduring Understanding: human interaction of individuals from different civilizations; economic and cultural practices define human action.
Week 5
Tobacco colony, proprietary colony and a crown colony: patterns of colonization in the first half of the 17th century.
Enduring Understanding: Diversity of American society is rooted in the economic, political, religious and social diversity of settles and their habits views, religion and values.
Week 6
The English, the French, then Dutch and the Spanish rule in North America in the 17 century in comparative perspective.
Enduring Understanding: People tend to reproduce in a new place what is familiar, comfortable and easy for them. Why do the Spanish Christianize the indigenous people, the French deal with them and the English push them out?
Week 7
Turbulence in the colonies: Leister rebellion, Witch trials, and establishment of royal domination in New England.
Enduring Understanding: Students will focus on the two questions. To what extent the colonies were replicas of the patterns in the old world and to what extent a response to the physical reality they faced? To what extent fear and superstition affect human action?
Week 8
Diversity of American colonies in religion, ethnic origin, patterns of government, and patterns of production and trade.
Enduring Understanding: Students will be able to distinguish between the cultural, ethical and religious differences among the colonies which shaped their political commitments.
Week 9
The Great Awakening, Education, Universities, culture and press in the first half of the 18th century.
The Age of Enlightenment, the idea of liberty, division of power and rule of law. John Lock, Montesquieu, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. Enduring Understanding: intellectual origins of American system of government, division of power, religious toleration and justice.
Week 10
Towards Revolution: Statutory neglect and Abominable Acts. Intransigence of George III and escalation of the colonists’ agenda 1770 – 1776. Enduring Understanding: the dynamics of a revolution as a sequence of escalating demands, expectations, priorities and radicalization of the agenda.
Week 11
The War of Independence‐regular armies, local militias, the French involvement, Dunmore declaration and the blacks. Enduring Understanding: War of independence as a revolution, as an International war, and as a civil war in the colonies.
Week 12
From Confederation to Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Ratification process. The Presidency of George Washington and Adams. Federalists and Anti‐federalists. Sedition and Alien Acts and Kentucky Virginia resolve.
Enduring Understanding: Students will delve into complex issues of Constitutional law, rights of state and rights of the Federal government. Lasting attributes of Jeffersonian democracy
Week 13
Jefferson Presidency: Louisiana Purchase, Republic of Farmers, Embargo. The Presidency of Madison and Monroe, the war of 1812, the new states, Missouri compromise, Monroe Doctrine. Enduring Understanding: Conflicts between matters of principle and matters of political expediency Jefferson faced.
Week 14
The Presidency of Andrew Jackson, trail of Tears, Tariff crisis, Supreme Court, system of legalized corruption> the spoils system. Enduring Understanding: discriminatory, tragic policy towards the Indians.
Week 15
The Texas story, from Austin colony to US state, slavery issue, view of Texas in the North, independent republic, where is the frontier? Mexican American War. The California story, from a Spanish province to a US State. The Compromise of 1850. The Gold rush, indigenous people.
C Domestics politics in the USA as background for external expansion> Slave or non/slave states.
Week 16
TOWARDS THE Civil War, Dred Scott case, Harpers ferry, Douglas Lincoln debates, elections of 1861, the states’ rights controversy. The Civil War, Virginia Theater, Mississippi theater, major battles, public opinion, rise of Radical republicans, the Confederacy and its weaknesses.
Enduring Understanding: Civil war as a tragedy, as a challenge to morality, decency, justice, as death of hundreds of thousands, as destruction of property and civilian population, as a deep crisis of society.
Week 17
The Reconstruction, radical republicans’ agenda, the Amendments, the impeachment, the military, the news assemblies and black codes, the KKK. Enduring Understanding: why civil rights agenda was abandoned after a radical and dynamic beginning.
Week 18
President Grant and other corrupt officials, demise of Reconstruction, land speculation, wild West, fighting the Indians, suppressing the strikes, America in the 1880s and 1890s. Enduring Understanding: the way America went through industrialization.
Week 19
Politics in the gilded age, Industrialization, the rise of the populist party, the new immigrants, the robber barons, the women’s, movement.
Enduring Understanding: The changing face of American society, religious and ethnic diversity.
Week 20
The Segregated South, Supreme Court separate but equal ruling, the life of elites, the middle class, the working class and the rural laborers.Enduring Understanding: why America went back on civil rights and established segregation.
Week 21
The Age of Imperialism , America and the Great powers at the turn of the century, Spanish American War, the rise of Japan, manipulating Mexico, United fruit company in Central America the takeover of Hawaii, Panama, Cuba, Costa Rica, the Platt amendment.
Enduring Understanding: the nature of American imperialism in comparison with British, French, Japanese and Russian.
Week 22
The Presidency of Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison and McKinley, the smoke filled rooms and the bosses in politics and business.
Enduring Understanding: Was Big Business in control of the US government? Where is the republic of merchants and farmers?
Week 23
The Progressive Era, the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, Trust busting, redefining the role of the state, reforms in business practices and labor rights, West VA strike, the contours of the Square Deal. Enduring Understanding: The nature of the fundamental reforms of Theodore Roosevelt.
Week 24
The Presidency of Taft, the elections of 1912, the beginning of Woodrow Wilson’s presidency. Enduring Understanding: Why did the era of reform continue under two fllow up Presidents of different parties?
Week 25
America in World War One: from neutrality to fighting, the contours of victory, the Red Scare, Wilson’s 14 Points, the relations with the Allies and the Senate. Enduring Understanding: Why did Wilson lose his fight with the Senate?
Week 26
The Roaring twenties and the coming of the Crash, the mentality of the ruling elite, the isolationism, the market frenzy and manipulation, the tariffs and the crisis of capitalism. Enduring Understanding: unregulated markets lead to a crash. Capitalism without a cast of supporting institutions leads to crisis over and over again.
Week 27
Americas in the 1930s: the bonus march, the strikes and shootings, the unemployment, the despair, and hope. Roosevelt’s revolution, the state as the job creator. Enduring Understanding: The dynamics of FDR/s revolution
Week 28
The USA in WW II: The Pacific Theater, the Mediterranean theater, and the D Day. Enduring Understanding: why America won the war?
Week 29
The Presidency of Harry Truman, domestic troubles, McCarthyism, Red Scare II, the beginning of the Cold War, Breton Woods, NATO and containment. Enduring Understanding: the architecture of American world leadership.
Week 30
The 1950s and Eisenhower, Civil Rights movement, the awakening of the South, the military industrial complex, American imperialism in Latin America and the Cuban revolution. Enduring Understanding: the origin, dynamics and consequences of the civil rights movement.
Week 31/32
America in the 1960s: the assassinations Kennedys, ML. King; Vietnam war, the antiwar movement. Students for Democratic society, Women’s Movement, Black Panthers, new culture, students’ revolt.
Enduring Understanding: new social, cultural and ethical revolution in America.
Week 33
The Nixon Presidency and Watergate, Détente with USSR and China.
Enduring Understanding: architecture of American world leadership.
Week 34
The Reagan Era, supply side economics, the Contra affair, the missile crisis, redefining American role in world affairs. Enduring Understanding: the nature of the computer revolution, new technologies and post/industrial age.
Week 35
The Dot. Com revolution, the new age of Globalization, The presidency of Bush I and Clinton. Demise of the unions, manufacturing, capital flight, illegal immigration, collapse of the Soviet Union. New challenges. Enduring Understanding: New challenges of the 21 century.
Week 1
The Age of Discovery and Pre-colonial America.
Enduring Understanding: The first globalization begins. Cultures clash with catastrophic consequences. Rise of new mentality, new horizons and new trade patterns.
Week 2
The Spanish Empire in Americas in the 16 and 17centuries.
Enduring Understanding: the power of Religion as a driving force of political action; the power of gold as a driving force in Spanish colonization.
Week 3
English Society in the early 17century: The Anglicans, the Catholics and the Puritans.
Enduring Understanding: Religion as a unifying or as a dividing force in history.
Week 4
Jamestown, the first settlement, first encounters of civilizations.
Enduring Understanding: human interaction of individuals from different civilizations; economic and cultural practices define human action.
Week 5
Tobacco colony, proprietary colony and a crown colony: patterns of colonization in the first half of the 17th century.
Enduring Understanding: Diversity of American society is rooted in the economic, political, religious and social diversity of settles and their habits views, religion and values.
Week 6
The English, the French, then Dutch and the Spanish rule in North America in the 17 century in comparative perspective.
Enduring Understanding: People tend to reproduce in a new place what is familiar, comfortable and easy for them. Why do the Spanish Christianize the indigenous people, the French deal with them and the English push them out?
Week 7
Turbulence in the colonies: Leister rebellion, Witch trials, and establishment of royal domination in New England.
Enduring Understanding: Students will focus on the two questions. To what extent the colonies were replicas of the patterns in the old world and to what extent a response to the physical reality they faced? To what extent fear and superstition affect human action?
Week 8
Diversity of American colonies in religion, ethnic origin, patterns of government, and patterns of production and trade.
Enduring Understanding: Students will be able to distinguish between the cultural, ethical and religious differences among the colonies which shaped their political commitments.
Week 9
The Great Awakening, Education, Universities, culture and press in the first half of the 18th century.
The Age of Enlightenment, the idea of liberty, division of power and rule of law. John Lock, Montesquieu, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. Enduring Understanding: intellectual origins of American system of government, division of power, religious toleration and justice.
Week 10
Towards Revolution: Statutory neglect and Abominable Acts. Intransigence of George III and escalation of the colonists’ agenda 1770 – 1776. Enduring Understanding: the dynamics of a revolution as a sequence of escalating demands, expectations, priorities and radicalization of the agenda.
Week 11
The War of Independence‐regular armies, local militias, the French involvement, Dunmore declaration and the blacks. Enduring Understanding: War of independence as a revolution, as an International war, and as a civil war in the colonies.
Week 12
From Confederation to Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Ratification process. The Presidency of George Washington and Adams. Federalists and Anti‐federalists. Sedition and Alien Acts and Kentucky Virginia resolve.
Enduring Understanding: Students will delve into complex issues of Constitutional law, rights of state and rights of the Federal government. Lasting attributes of Jeffersonian democracy
Week 13
Jefferson Presidency: Louisiana Purchase, Republic of Farmers, Embargo. The Presidency of Madison and Monroe, the war of 1812, the new states, Missouri compromise, Monroe Doctrine. Enduring Understanding: Conflicts between matters of principle and matters of political expediency Jefferson faced.
Week 14
The Presidency of Andrew Jackson, trail of Tears, Tariff crisis, Supreme Court, system of legalized corruption> the spoils system. Enduring Understanding: discriminatory, tragic policy towards the Indians.
Week 15
The Texas story, from Austin colony to US state, slavery issue, view of Texas in the North, independent republic, where is the frontier? Mexican American War. The California story, from a Spanish province to a US State. The Compromise of 1850. The Gold rush, indigenous people.
C Domestics politics in the USA as background for external expansion> Slave or non/slave states.
Week 16
TOWARDS THE Civil War, Dred Scott case, Harpers ferry, Douglas Lincoln debates, elections of 1861, the states’ rights controversy. The Civil War, Virginia Theater, Mississippi theater, major battles, public opinion, rise of Radical republicans, the Confederacy and its weaknesses.
Enduring Understanding: Civil war as a tragedy, as a challenge to morality, decency, justice, as death of hundreds of thousands, as destruction of property and civilian population, as a deep crisis of society.
Week 17
The Reconstruction, radical republicans’ agenda, the Amendments, the impeachment, the military, the news assemblies and black codes, the KKK. Enduring Understanding: why civil rights agenda was abandoned after a radical and dynamic beginning.
Week 18
President Grant and other corrupt officials, demise of Reconstruction, land speculation, wild West, fighting the Indians, suppressing the strikes, America in the 1880s and 1890s. Enduring Understanding: the way America went through industrialization.
Week 19
Politics in the gilded age, Industrialization, the rise of the populist party, the new immigrants, the robber barons, the women’s, movement.
Enduring Understanding: The changing face of American society, religious and ethnic diversity.
Week 20
The Segregated South, Supreme Court separate but equal ruling, the life of elites, the middle class, the working class and the rural laborers.Enduring Understanding: why America went back on civil rights and established segregation.
Week 21
The Age of Imperialism , America and the Great powers at the turn of the century, Spanish American War, the rise of Japan, manipulating Mexico, United fruit company in Central America the takeover of Hawaii, Panama, Cuba, Costa Rica, the Platt amendment.
Enduring Understanding: the nature of American imperialism in comparison with British, French, Japanese and Russian.
Week 22
The Presidency of Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison and McKinley, the smoke filled rooms and the bosses in politics and business.
Enduring Understanding: Was Big Business in control of the US government? Where is the republic of merchants and farmers?
Week 23
The Progressive Era, the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, Trust busting, redefining the role of the state, reforms in business practices and labor rights, West VA strike, the contours of the Square Deal. Enduring Understanding: The nature of the fundamental reforms of Theodore Roosevelt.
Week 24
The Presidency of Taft, the elections of 1912, the beginning of Woodrow Wilson’s presidency. Enduring Understanding: Why did the era of reform continue under two fllow up Presidents of different parties?
Week 25
America in World War One: from neutrality to fighting, the contours of victory, the Red Scare, Wilson’s 14 Points, the relations with the Allies and the Senate. Enduring Understanding: Why did Wilson lose his fight with the Senate?
Week 26
The Roaring twenties and the coming of the Crash, the mentality of the ruling elite, the isolationism, the market frenzy and manipulation, the tariffs and the crisis of capitalism. Enduring Understanding: unregulated markets lead to a crash. Capitalism without a cast of supporting institutions leads to crisis over and over again.
Week 27
Americas in the 1930s: the bonus march, the strikes and shootings, the unemployment, the despair, and hope. Roosevelt’s revolution, the state as the job creator. Enduring Understanding: The dynamics of FDR/s revolution
Week 28
The USA in WW II: The Pacific Theater, the Mediterranean theater, and the D Day. Enduring Understanding: why America won the war?
Week 29
The Presidency of Harry Truman, domestic troubles, McCarthyism, Red Scare II, the beginning of the Cold War, Breton Woods, NATO and containment. Enduring Understanding: the architecture of American world leadership.
Week 30
The 1950s and Eisenhower, Civil Rights movement, the awakening of the South, the military industrial complex, American imperialism in Latin America and the Cuban revolution. Enduring Understanding: the origin, dynamics and consequences of the civil rights movement.
Week 31/32
America in the 1960s: the assassinations Kennedys, ML. King; Vietnam war, the antiwar movement. Students for Democratic society, Women’s Movement, Black Panthers, new culture, students’ revolt.
Enduring Understanding: new social, cultural and ethical revolution in America.
Week 33
The Nixon Presidency and Watergate, Détente with USSR and China.
Enduring Understanding: architecture of American world leadership.
Week 34
The Reagan Era, supply side economics, the Contra affair, the missile crisis, redefining American role in world affairs. Enduring Understanding: the nature of the computer revolution, new technologies and post/industrial age.
Week 35
The Dot. Com revolution, the new age of Globalization, The presidency of Bush I and Clinton. Demise of the unions, manufacturing, capital flight, illegal immigration, collapse of the Soviet Union. New challenges. Enduring Understanding: New challenges of the 21 century.