Class Overview
This is a course that focuses on U.S. History from 1865 to the present. This class will begin with a discussion of the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction. From there, the course will examine the Industrial Revolution, Immigration, Progressivism, The Great Migration, World War I, Women’s Suffrage, the Roaring Twenties, The Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, Segregation and Race Relations, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and the now even-more-important role of the U.S. in the Middle-East. This course will also look at important contributions such as, music, sports, television, film and computers, and the ways in which they helped to reshape popular culture.
Although this course will by no means be exhaustive, students will be given a solid foundation on which they can build in their future studies. Indeed, students are encouraged to speak with me about any other topics of particular interest.
I will provide reading assignments throughout the school year. Please note that history is a reading intensive subject and developing effective reading skills is essential to mastering it. Students are responsible for making sure that they receive any reading assignments announced during class. (Absence is not an excuse for missing such an assignment.)
In addition to the assigned readings, we will also “read” a variety of films and documentaries. By this I mean that any films we view are to be given equal weight with the books, articles, or other readings. Students will be just as responsible for the material presented in the films as they will be from the reading assignments. Yes, you should take notes.
Although this course will by no means be exhaustive, students will be given a solid foundation on which they can build in their future studies. Indeed, students are encouraged to speak with me about any other topics of particular interest.
I will provide reading assignments throughout the school year. Please note that history is a reading intensive subject and developing effective reading skills is essential to mastering it. Students are responsible for making sure that they receive any reading assignments announced during class. (Absence is not an excuse for missing such an assignment.)
In addition to the assigned readings, we will also “read” a variety of films and documentaries. By this I mean that any films we view are to be given equal weight with the books, articles, or other readings. Students will be just as responsible for the material presented in the films as they will be from the reading assignments. Yes, you should take notes.
