Rosemary Bell, Professor of History

 

MWF 9:10 am- 10:00 am and T/TH 8:10am - 9:25 am * Phone: 650 738-4213 * E-mail: bellro@smccd.net * Office: Building 1, Room 102 * Office hrs: MWF 10-11am , T/TH 9:30-10:30 or by appt.

 

Partially satisfies American History and Institutions requirement. Recommended: Eligibility for ENGL 800. Transfer credit: UC; CSU (D1), (CAN HIST 8).

Our story begins about 30,000 years ago when hunters crossed the Bering Straits from Eurasia into the Americas. Throughout the semester we discuss the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the impact of the European arrival, colonial life, the American War for Independence, nation-building, and the "bone in the throat" - slavery and the Civil War.

Book

The required book for class is Created Equal, A Social and Political History of the United States, Volume I to 1877 by Jones, et al. You may purchase it at the bookstore.

 

Key Themes in the Course

I am aware that students sometimes feel overwhelmed by the vastness of the subject. We will make no attempt at a comprehensive examination of all the information, however, we will focus on some important aspects of the social life, political behavior and cross-cultural relationships of the people we meet. This course is not meant to be rote memorization,

 

My Goals For The Course - at the end of this course I would like you to have the ability to:

1. Communicate effectively your ideas both orally and in writing

2. Develop critical reading and interpretative skills

3. Understand and apply definitions of words and strengthen your vocabulary

4. Listen responsively and attempt to maintain a level of open mindedness

5. Apply ideas and concepts from not only American history, but world history to present day events.

 

Responsibilities

Your responsibilities include reading the required assignments before coming to class and being prepared for exams or written assignments. This means having a scantron/bluebook and pencil.

 

Attendance

It is important that you come to class. You will be allowed four absences, any over this number and I will deduct three points for each additional absence from your final grade. Chronic lateness will also be penalized by a deduction of five points at the end of the semester. I also have the option of dropping you from the class for chronic absences, lateness or poor academic performance.

Exams

There will be a series of quizzes, exams and class discussions. The quizzes may be unannounced. Keep up with the readings, come to class, ask for help and you shouldn't have any difficulty. Exams must be taken on the days assigned. There will be no make-ups unless a doctor's note on official stationary is provided. Format of the make-up exams will be at the discretion of the instructor.

Assignments

You can earn a total of 425 pts. for this class. The breakdown is as follows:

4 Quizzes (either in-class writing, multiple choice, fill-in) (25 pts. each)

2 map quizzes (25 pts. each)

1 reflection paper (25 pts.)

1 writing assignment (50 pts.)

Midterm exam (100 pts.)

Final Exam (may be cumulative) (100 pts.)

 

Grading Breakdown

425-385 =A

385-345 =B

345-305 =C

305-265 =D

below 265 =F

 

 Please:

1. No sleeping

2. No pagers

3. No cellphones

4. If you are going to be absent for more than one consecutive class, please call me. This is for your protection as well as mine.

5. If you need to leave early please let me know before class begins.

6. Please do not give me elaborate excuses as to why you weren't in class or why you did not do the assignments. I'll respect you more if you tell me the truth.

7. Please be courteous and respectful of others.

 

Integrity

I can not emphasize strongly enough the importance of maintaining and respecting academic integrity. What we're talking about is cheating and plagiarism. Cheating is the act of obtaining academic work through the use of dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent acts. Plagiarism is taking someone else's work and passing it off as your own. I have "zero tolerance" for cheating and plagiarism. If I catch you plagiarizing (and believe me I will!), you will receive an F for the course. If you want to discuss this further please see me or check out page 24 in the Skyline College catalog.

 

My door is always open should you have questions,concerns or problems.

---

Bell's Home page

Course outline

Bulletin Board

Skyline's home page

Sp 2004