FALL 2000
HISTORY 217
U. S. HISTORY TO 1877
Professor: Dr. Donald E. Wilson, DBH 114, 726-2005
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday, 1:30-4:00; Tuesday & Thursday, 10:00-11:00
Other times can be arranged.

This course is an historical survey of United States history to 1877. The course is designed to help you understand the essentials of U.S. history and to be able to interpret, organize, and communicate your knowledge in written form.

TEXTS: William Graebner, et. al., The American Record, Vol. I
David W. Blight, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels

ATTENDANCE POLICIES (CLASS): In order to understand the continuity of history and the cause and effect relationships of one period to another, it is essential that students attend class. Students are held responsible for the material presented in every lecture along with the reading assignments.

ATTENDANCE POLICIES (EXAMS): Exams are crucial to the course and students are expected to make every effort to complete them as scheduled. A student will be excused from a scheduled exam only in the most unusual circumstances and only with a written excuse. Examples of acceptable excuses would be: (1) illness requiring a doctor or nurse's attention. The nature of the medical problem must be included in the excuse and a recommendation that the student not go to class. A simple note from a nurse or doctor indicating that the student visited the clinic or office is not acceptable; (2) approved schools functions with an excuse request from the Registrar's office; (3) a death in the immediate family, with a note from the parent or guardian. Examples of unacceptable excuses are: oversleeping, forgetting to come to class, forgetting the exam, car trouble, traffic problems, fear, nervousness, broken romances, etc.

MAKE-UP POLICIES (EXAMS): Students missing an exam with an acceptable excuse will be permitted to make-up the missed exam during the last week of the course. Students missing an exam without an acceptable excuse will receive an automatic "F" on the exam missed and will receive a numerical score no higher than a 50% or 10 points below the lowest score in the class, whichever is lower.

ENRICHMENT CLASS: Approximately every third hour is designated "Enrichment Class" and will be used for special class discussions, movies, or other activities related to a specific subject.

QUIZZES: Short daily quizzes will be given on some assignments as announced. These quizzes will be given during the first 10 minutes of a class session. Students will be permitted to drop the two lowest quiz grades at the end of the semester. Make-ups will not be given for missed quizzes.

EXAMS: Exams will assess writing skills as well as course content. Approximately 50% of exam content will follow an essay format.

FINAL GRADE: The final grade will be derived from examinations, quiz grades and term project. It will consist of 1300 points as follows:

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8/8/00