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DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY, POLITICAL SCIENCE &

PHILOSOPHY
HISTORY 1302, AMERICAN HISTORY FROM 1877 TO PRESENT, 3 CREDITS,
ONLINE
COURSE MEETING TIMES, LOCATION: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Fall 2023

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Instructor: Michael McDaniels, Adjunct Instructor
Office Location: Upon Request
Office Hours: M-TH 5:30-6:30 pm, via zoom upon request
Office Phone: The best way to contact me is through Blackboard or email
Office Fax: n/a
University Email Address: michael.mcdaniels@tamuk.edu
Preferred Form of Communication: email

COURSE DESCRIPTION
History 1302 is a survey of the United States from the end of Reconstruction to the present day. This
course is designed to educate students regarding the major social, economic, and political trends since
1877 that helped shape the history of the United States.

COURSE INFORMATION
Textbook(s) Required:
Eric Foner, “Give Me Liberty: An American History,” Seagull 6th Edition, Vol. 2, ISBN-10: 039341826X, $25-
70

Eric Foner, “Voices of Freedom: A Documentary, 6th Edition, Vol. 2, ISBN 10 0393696928, $7-20

*You may purchase the textbooks if you would like, but I will be adding each chapter to the weekly
modules in PDF format. So to reiterate, IT IS NOT REQUIRED TO PURCHASE THE TEXTBOOKS FOR THE
COURSE

Technology Requirement(s):
The student must be able to access the internet through a reliable computer, as well as have basic
knowledge of Blackboard.

STUDENT LEARNER OUTCOMES

The core objectives for History 1302 include critical thinking skills, communication skills,
personal responsibility, and social responsibility.

Specific Southern Association of Colleges Learner Outcomes

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1. Students will be expected to identify major events, concepts, and figures in U.S. history since
1877.
2. Students will be expected to analyze historical evidence and perspectives to apply
reasonable criteria in the formulation of plausible historical arguments.

Specific Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Objectives

Critical Thinking Skills
Students will analyze historical evidence and perspectives in order to formulate plausible
historical arguments.
Communication Skills
Students will be able to develop an appropriate and defensible thesis statement (interpretation)
supported with historical evidence.
Personal Responsibility
Students will identify and analyze the interaction of multiple causes and effects related to past
ethical dilemmas.
Social Responsibility--Intercultural competence: Students will be able to identify the
comparative characteristics and cultural interactions of the diverse populations of American
identities since 1877.

MARKETABLE SKILLS
Research and Critical Analysis: Teaching students how to conduct thorough research, critically analyze
primary and secondary sources, and synthesize information will equip them with skills that are highly
valued in various professions. These skills are applicable in fields such as law, journalism, content
creation, and market research.

Effective Communication: Enhancing students' ability to articulate complex historical concepts and
narratives through clear and engaging communication is essential. This skill is valuable in careers such as
writing, public relations, teaching, and even in business settings where effective communication is
crucial for success.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS & ASSESSMENT

PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSIS

Objective: A “primary source” a documented first-hand account, or similar source, that constitutes
direct evidence for an object of study. In history this can consist of diaries, newspaper articles, film
footage, or any other artifact that directly pertains to the subject at hand. Not every source is reliable
but can provide context for understanding the world in which it was written. It is by analyzing primary
sources that historians gauge the significance of past events.

This helps me measure a student’s understanding of the material while also giving them the forum to
elaborate their thoughts on a given topic. Each analysis is worth up to 10 pts each totaling 100. Check
the syllabus and Blackboard for due dates. Some of the questions are not answered "directly" in the
textbook but rather you need to take the content from the text and formulate your own answer.

Voices of Freedom: The sources will come from the “Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History” book
and you will choose two primary sources from the required chapter and answer questions at the end.

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Answers should be well fleshed out and academic. Your own words please, not what is written in the
textbook.

Citations: For each question, you must cite one (and only one) sentence directly from the primary
document that backs up your answer. Please provide the page number for your cited sentence in a
parenthetical reference such as (Foner, 60). Don’t forget to put quotation marks around your direct
quote.

QUIZZES:
There will be ten multiple choice quizzes throughout the semester worth 10 pts each.

Make sure to check the syllabus for due dates. I also reserve the right to change up the quiz format
from week to week at my discretion. The questions on the quizzes will be directly transferred to the
exams.

EXAMS:

To measure your mastery of the content, you will complete a total of 4 exams consisting of multiple
choice, short answer, matching, and essay questions. These will be worth 60% of the total course
grade.

To prepare for the exams, you will need to read each relevant chapter while also completing the
corresponding quizzes. The questions will be taken directly from the quizzes and the essay questions will
be provided beforehand. You are not to use notes, textbooks, flashcards, classmate, cellphones or the
internet for these exams. Only your minds. The exams will require the use of the lockdown browser and
it is up to the student to ensure the program is set up beforehand.

Students will have the same amount of time as on-campus students to take these exams.

Exam dates are posted on the syllabus and Blackboard weeks ahead of their due date. There will only be
a limited time for students to see the correct answers of the exam on Blackboard—usually the day after
the exam is due. A student may makeup an exam at the discretion of the instructor.

If a student has a problem with an earned grade on an exam, he/she must wait 24 hours before
contacting the instructor to discuss the grade.

GRADING
Primary Source Analyses: 100 points (20% of the term grade)
Quizzes: 100 points (20% of the term grade)
Exam 1: 50 points (10% of the term grade)
Exam 2: 50 points (10% of the term grade)
Exam 3: 100 points (20% of the term grade)
Exam 4: 100 points (20% of the term grade)

Total: 500 points possible

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Rounding/Curved Grades: I will only round each student’s grade up 1 pt. Meaning, if your final grade is a
59.6%, I will give you a 60%. However, if your final grade is a 58.4%, I will not curve the grade up to a
60%. This is only to be fair to everyone involved. All grades will be posted throughout the semester on
Blackboard.

Grading Scale: A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69, F=0-59

COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1: 8/21 – 8/27
Read Syllabus
Read Ch. 16 “America’s Gilded Age, 1870-1890”
8/27: Introduction due by 11:59 pm
8/27: Ch. 16 Quiz due by 11:59 pm

Week 2: 8/28 – 9/3

Read Ch. 17 “Freedom’s Boundaries, at Home and Abroad, 1890-1900”
9/3: Ch. 17 Quiz due by 11:59 pm
9/3: Ch. 17 Primary Source Analysis due by 11:59 pm

Week 3: 9/4 – 9/10

Read Ch. 18 “The Progressive Era, 1900-1916”
9/5: Labor Day Holiday
9/10: Ch. 18 Quiz due by 11:59 pm

Week 4: 9/11 – 9/17

Read Ch. 19 “Safe for Democracy: The United States and World War I, 1916-1920”
9/17: Ch. 19 Quiz due by 11:59 pm
9/17: Ch. 19 Primary Source Analysis due by 11:59 pm

Week 5: 9/18 – 9/24

Read Ch. 20 “From Business Culture to Great Depression: The Twenties, 1920-1932”
9/24: Exam 1 (Ch. 16-18) due by 11:59 pm
9/24: Ch. 20 Primary Source Analysis due by 11:59 pm

Week 6: 9/25 – 10/1

Read Ch. 21 “The New Deal, 1932-1940”
10/1: Ch. 21 Quiz due by 11:59 pm
10/1: Ch. 21 Primary Source Analysis due by 11:59 pm

Week 7: 10/2 – 10/8

Read Ch. 22 “Fighting for the for Freedoms: World War II, 1941-1945”
10/8: Ch. 22 Quiz due by 11:59 pm
10/8: Ch. 22 Primary Source Analysis due by 11:59 pm

Week 8: 10/9 – 10/15

Read Ch. 23 “The United States and the Cold War, 1945-1953”
10/15: Exam 2 (Ch. 19-22) due by 11:59 pm

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10/15: Ch. 23 Quiz due by 11:59 pm

Week 9: 10/16 – 10/22

Read Ch. 24 “An Affluent Society, 1953-1960”
10/22: Ch. 24 Primary Source Analysis due by 11:59 pm

Week 10: 10/23 – 10/29

Read Ch. 25 “The Sixties, 1960-1968”
10/26: Last day to drop a course or withdraw from current semester
10/29: Ch. 25 Quiz due by 11:59 pm
10/29: Ch. 25 Primary Source Analysis due by 11:59 pm

Week 11: 10/30 – 11/5

Read Ch. 26 “The Triumph of Conservatism, 1969-1988”
11/5: Exam 3 (Ch. 23-25) due by 11:59 pm
11/5: Ch. 26 Quiz due by 11:59 pm

Week 12: 11/6 – 11/12

Read Ch. 27 “From Triumph to Tragedy, 1989-2001”
11/12: Ch. 27 Quiz due by 11:59 pm
11/12: Ch. 27 Primary Source Analysis due by 11:59 pm

Week 13: 11/13 – 11/19

Read Ch. 28 “A Divided Nation”
11/19: Ch. 28 Primary Source Analysis due by 11:59 pm

Week 14: 11/20 – 11/26

Read whatever you want. Or don’t. It’s Thanksgiving.
11/23: Thanksgiving!
Week 15: 11/27 – 12/3
11/29: Last Class Day

Week 16: 12/4 – 12/7

Final Exams
12/7: Exam 4 (Ch. 26-28) due by 11:59 pm

COURSE AND UNIVERSITY PROCEDURES/POLICIES

INSTRUCTOR’S POLICIES
Attendance
This is an online course and will require independent study. Assignments will be open all week and it is
up to the student to check Blackboard, their email, and assignment due dates.

Late/Missing Work/Extra Credit

A student may complete an assignment for reduced credit at the discretion of the instructor. There are
absolutely no excuses for missing an assignment, as they will be open all that week. Illnesses, academic
outings, or athletics are not valid excuses for missing a post! They are all open early. As far as exams

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are concerned, the student has two days after the missed exam to email the professor to schedule a
make-up at the instructor’s discretion.

Extra Credit: There will be no extra credit opportunities in this class. There is more than enough work
already!

UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Six Drop Policy
The following provision does not apply to students with Texas public college or university credits prior to
Fall 2007. The Texas Senate Bill 1231 specifies the number of course drops allowed to a student without
penalty. After a student has dropped six courses, a grade of QF will normally be recorded for each
subsequent drop. Additional information on Senate Bill 1231 is available at the Registrar’s Office at (361)
593-2811 and at Academic Procedure: Drop Policy.

Students with Disabilities

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides
comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation
requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for
reasonable accommodations of their disability. If you believe you have a disability requiring an
accommodation please contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) as early as possible in the term at
(361) 593-2904. DRC is located in the Life Service and Wellness building at 1210 Retama Drive.

Classroom Conduct Expectations

Students are referred to the Student Code of Conduct section of the Student Handbook. Students are
expected to assume individual responsibility for maintaining a productive learning environment and
conduct themselves with the highest regard for response and consideration of others. Ongoing or single
behaviors considered distracting will be addressed by the faculty member initially, but if the behavior
becomes excessive and the student refuses to respond to the faculty member’s efforts, the issue will be
referred to the Dean of Students. In the case of serious disruptive behavior in a classroom, the instructor
will first request compliance from the student and if the student fails to comply, the instructor has the
authority to ask the student to leave the classroom. The student is expected to comply with the
instructor’s request and may subsequently contest this action using procedures established by the
department. If the student fails to leave after being directed to do so, assistance may be obtained from
other university personnel, including the University Police Department. The incident shall be handled as
an academic misconduct matter using established departmental procedures for academic misconduct to
determine if the student should be allowed to return to the classroom.

Academic Misconduct
Students are expected to adhere to the highest academic standards of behavior and personal conduct in
this course and all other courses. Students who engage in academic misconduct are subject to University
disciplinary procedures. Student are expected to be familiar with the current Student Handbook,
especially the section on academic misconduct, which discusses conduct expectations and academic
dishonesty rules. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to:
1. Cheating: deception in which the student misrepresents that he/she has mastered information
on an academic exercise that he/she has not mastered; giving or receiving aid unauthorized by
the professor on assignments or examinations.

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2. Aid of academic dishonesty: Intentionally facilitating any act of academic dishonesty. Tampering
with grades or taking part in obtaining or distributing any part of a scheduled test.
3. Fabrication: use of invented information or falsified research.
4. Plagiarism: unacknowledged quotation, and/or paraphrase of someone else’s work, ideas, or
data as one’s own in work submitted for credit. Failure to identify information or essays from
the internet and submitting them as one’s own work also constitutes plagiarism. Please be
aware that the University subscribes to the Turnitin plagiarism detection service. Your paper
may be submitted to this service at the discretion of the instructor.
5. Lying: deliberate falsification with the intent to deceive in written or verbal form as it applies to
an academic submission.
6. Bribery: providing, offering or taking rewards in exchange for a grade, an assignment, or the aid
of academic dishonesty.
7. Threat: an attempt to intimidate a student, staff or faculty member for the purpose of receiving
an unearned grade or in an effort to prevent reporting of an Honor Code violation.

Other forms of academic misconduct included but are not limited to:
1. Failure to follow published departmental guidelines, professor’s syllabi, and other posted
academic policies in place for the orderly and efficient instruction of classes, including
laboratories, and use of academic resource or equipment.
2. Unauthorized possession of examinations, reserved library materials, laboratory materials or
other course related materials.
3. Failure to follow the instructor or proctor’s test-taking instructions, including but not limited to
not setting aside notes, books or study guides while the test is in progress, failing to sit in
designated locations and/or leaving the classroom/test site without permission during a test.
4. Prevention of the convening, continuation or orderly conduct of any class, lab or class activity.
Engaging in conduct that interferes with or disrupts university teaching, research or class
activities such as making loud and distracting noises, repeatedly answering cell phones/text
messaging or allowing pagers to beep, exhibiting erratic or irrational behavior, persisting in
speaking without being recognized, repeatedly leaving and entering the classroom or test site
without authorization, and making physical threats or verbal insults to the faculty member, or
other students and staff.
5. Falsification of student transcript or other academic records; or unauthorized access to
academic computer records.
6. Nondisclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications of other university records.
7. Any action which may be deemed as unprofessional or inappropriate in the professional
community of the discipline being studied.

Harassment/Discrimination
Texas A&M University-Kingsville does not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion,
national origin, age, disability, genetic information, gender, gender identify or sexual orientation (or any
other illegal basis) and will investigate all complaints that indicate sexual harassment, harassment, or
discrimination may have occurred. Sexual harassment and sexual assault are types of sex discrimination.
Such sexual misconduct is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Any member of the university
community violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action. A person who believes he/she has
been the victim of sexual harassment or unlawful discrimination may pursue either the informal or the
formal complaint resolution procedure. A complaint may be initially made to the Office of Compliance at
(361) 593-4758, complainant’s immediate supervisor, a department head, a supervisory employee, or
the Dean of Students at (361) 593-3606 or the Office of Compliance at (361) 593-4758. Regardless of

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who the complaint is filed with, the Compliance Office will be notified of the complaint so it can be
investigated.

The following needs to be added ONLY on syllabi for classes that may involve a circumstance that could
be harmful to an unborn child.
Pregnant Students
Any pregnant students, or student planning on becoming pregnant, should consult their health care
provider to determine what, if any, additional precautions are needed, based on their individual
situation. It is the responsibility of the student to communication their needs to the faculty member or
Office of Compliance as soon as possible in order for risk-reduction to being when it can be most
effective, and to determine if additional modifications are necessary. While the university cannot
mandate that the student notify it that she is pregnant or is planning to become pregnant, the university
strongly recommends that students do provide notification, so appropriate steps can be taken to ensure
the health of both parent and child. To communicate health circumstances or to request additional
information, please contact Joe T. Henderson, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer at
joe.henderson@tamuk.edu or (361) 593-4758.

The syllabus and schedule are subject to change.