Dr. Kriste Lindenmeyer
Admin. Bldg. 709
410-455-6521
email: lindenme@umbc.edu
Office Hours: Wed. 5:00-6:30 pm

TA: Rob Webber
Admin. Bldg. 7th floor
410-455-2312
email: rwebber1@umbc.edu
Office Hours:

  American History:
1877 to the Present

HIST 102-0101 and
HIST 102H-0101
 
Wed. 7:00 - 9:45 pm
Lecture Hall 1

Course Description and Requirements

This course surveys U.S. political, social, cultural, and economic history since 1877. The primary objective is to encourage students to ask and answer questions about the varied cultures and ideas contributing to the development of the United States since the late nineteenth century. Historical facts provide an essential foundation for understanding the basic trends and issues of the past, but this is not a course in memorization. Only through critical analysis will you be able to understand history and therefore do well in this class. I will emphasize writing, reading, and the historical significance of events, people, and ideas. Students are accountable for assigned readings on the dates indicated in the Course Schedule (located on the Blackboard website under Course Information and Assignments) and are also responsible for video and other multimedia materials presented in class.

The Course Schedule is located on the Blackboard website http://blackboard.umbc.edu (under the "Course Information" button) and as a backup (in case the Blackboard server is not working) at http://www.research.umbc.edu/~lindenme/hist102/schedule.htm

I expect students enrolled in this course to uphold the UMBC Code of Student Conduct for Academic Integrity. In Spring, 2002, UMBC adopted the following statement emphasizing the importance of academic integrity for faculty and students:

By enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities of an active participant in UMBC's scholarly community in which everyone's academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty. Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and helping others to commit these acts are all forms of academic dishonesty, and they are wrong. Academic misconduct could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is not limited to, suspension or dismissal. To read the full Student Academic Conduct Policy, consult the UMBC Student Handbook, the Faculty Handbook, or the UMBC Policies section of the UMBC Directory.

By enrolling in this course students agree to adhere to this statement of Academic Integrity.

On-Line Syllabus

Required Texts and Internet Reading Assignments for All Students

Additional Required Texts for Students Taking the Course for Honors Credit

Course Requirements (Grades will be posted to the Blackboard Course website)

  • 2 Midterm Examinations (200 points---100 points each). The midterm examinations will cover material presented in lectures and assigned readings. Each midterm will consist of identifications (10 @ 5 points each = 50 points), multiple choice (10 @ 2 points each = 20 points), and a topical essay (30 points). Students who take the examination on the originally scheduled date will be permitted to use "test aids." (A "test aid" must be no larger than the surface of one-half sheet of paper, 8.5 inches x 5.5 inches.) The midterms are scheduled for 10/8 and 11/12
    •
  • Weekly Blackboard Quizzes (100 points/plus 20 possible extra credit points) Each quiz is worth up to 10 points and will cover readings in America, The Way We Lived, and/or assignments linked to the Course Schedule.  There will be no make-ups for quizzes. You may take all twelve quizzes. This means that it is possible to earn up to 120 points in this category (therefore, a perfect score would include 20 extra credit points). All quizzes are posted to the Assignments section of the Blackboard course website and must be submitted electronically. I will not accept quizzes in any form other than by electronic submission. The quizzes are timed. You will have 15 minutes to complete each quiz. Due dates are firm. In other words, I will not accept late quizzes. Quizzes are due each Wednesday by 6:30 pm. Answers to each week's quiz will be posted to the course website after the due date for each quiz. The quizzes are designed help you to keep up with the readings and will serve as the basis of multiple choice questions for the midterms and final. The quizzes are NOT group projects. Students should do their own work and complete the quizzes without help, although you are permitted to use your own notes or the reading assignments to help complete each quiz. Hint: the more quizzes you take, the better your chances to do well in the course.
     
  • Final Examination (200 points)
    The final examination will consist of a comprehensive essay question (100 points) selected at random from a series of questions distributed at least one week prior to the scheduled exam date. The second 1/2 of the final examination is limited to material covered since the second midterm and will consist of identifications (10 @ 5 points each = 50 points), and short answer/multiple choice (25 @ 2 points each = 50 points). The final exam is scheduled for MONDAY, 12/15 8:30-10:30 pm.
     
  • Exceptions for Students Taking the Course for Honors Credit
    Students enrolled in HIST 102H may choose to take the final examination OR write a 10 page research paper on an approved topic. All topics must be approved by November 1, 2003. All honors students are required to attend and participate in the 5 special discussion sections scheduled throughout the semester. All will take place on Wednesday nights from 8:30-9:45 pm. Failure to attend and participate will result in a reduction in the student's total points (and therefore the semester score).
     
    HIST 102 and HIST 102H Grade Requirements
    Summary
    2 Midterms (10/8, 11/5)   200 pts              
    Quizzes   100     (20 possible Extra Credit Points)          
    Final (or research paper for honors* credit)  (12/15)   200                
    Total   500 pts              
                         
     *honors credit also requires attendance
    and participation in the 5 scheduled discussion
    sections.    		                    
              HIST 102 Semester Grading Scale          
    A   450- 500 90%>   B   400- 449 80%>
    C   350- 399 70%>   D   300- 349 60%>
              below 300 F          

    • *Make-up Policy:
    Arrangements for make-ups must be made by midnight the day the examination is scheduled. Students will not be permitted to use a "test aid" during make-up examinations. If you miss a midterm or the final and do not notify me in advance, you may not take a makeup. As a general rule, all make ups should be completed within one week of the originally scheduled test. If you take a make-up for either one of the midterms or for the final, you may NOT use a test aid. Warning: I am strict about this policy.