City College of New York

US Society USSO 101

Fall 2024

Professor Kareen Williams

History Department 5118 NAC
Office Hours: 11:15-12:15 Monday/ Wednesday & by Appointment
Phone: 212-650-7475
Email: [email protected] send all email assignments/
communications to this address I will respond to email inquiries during the
weekday within 24 hours. However, please be aware that I will NOT respond
to emails after 5:00 PM during the weekday nor on Saturday and
Sunday.

Part I.
Course Description: This course is designed to aid students with little or no
background in American history. Consequently, this class focuses on major
themes i.e. social, intellectual, economic and political movements that swept
the country and created the United States, as we know it today. As a part of
the College’s General Education Curriculum, this course is designed to
enhance your understanding of the US experience in its diversity.
Course Objectives:
By the completion this course students will develop the following:
1. Be able to read from a critical perspective;
2. Know how to construct a thesis statement with a clear and persuasive
claim;
3. Evaluate the sources of information;
4. Analyze, summarize, and synthesize information from diverse sources;
5. Apply information gained through research to a given situation;
6. Communicate to others information, conclusions, and arguments
through writing, graphs, and other visual rhetoric;

1
 7. Appropriately cite sources of information;
8. Have a basic understanding of American history with all its diversity,
and
9. Have the intellectual curiosity to research issues/ problems/ questions
about American history.
Part II.
Teaching/ Learning Strategies
The following strategies will be utilized to assist students in meeting the
needs of the course objectives:
1. Lecture/ discussion.
2. Audio-visual media.
3. Internet technologies including:
4. Word Document presentation.
5. Written and reading Assignments.
Course Policies:
Attendance
Attendance is a requirement for this course not a suggestion. Every student
is entitled to calm, settled, classroom environment. Late attendance, leaving
during class and early departures disturb everyone and is unacceptable.
Lateness must be ameliorated by speaking with the Professor at the
beginning/ conclusion of the class. Attendance is based on the college
handbook guidelines. Generally, when a student is absent for more than
10% of the total class meetings, he or she is subject to a grade of “F” for
excessive absences. Additionally, consistent lateness will affect your overall
grade for the course, this policy is non-negotiable and cannot be corrected
via extra credit.
Participation
Participation in class discussions is essential to achieving the objectives for
this course. It is expected that each student will engage in critical reading
and thinking. Several strategies will be utilized to facilitate this process:
2
  Readings are to be completed prior to class.
 Responsiveness; be active in responding to discussion boards and general questions.
 Inquisitiveness; be eager to learn and intellectually curious.
 Students will be expected to give feedback to peers and faculty
during class discussions. Students are expected to help each other
achieve the objectives for the course, working together provides a
great source of support.

 DISCUSSION BOARD RUBRIC

Criteria Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Exemplary
Quantity & Does not submit at Submits at least one Submits one initial
Timeliness least one initial initial response, and response and two or
response and or does at least two peer more thoughtful peer
not submit at least responses. responses.
two peer responses.

3 POINTS 3.75 POINTS 5 POINTS

Cell Phones/ Laptop use in Class

Respect for faculty and classmates requires that you do NOT listen to music,
use cell phones (text or leave the class with the phone), read
magazines, or prepare for other classes during class. Repeated text
messaging (smart watch included) while in class will result in a 30-point
grade deduction for the course. Laptops are subjected to the same rules
as cellphones. Being allowed to use a laptop in class is a privilege not a right
and students abusing this privilege by browsing the net, engaging in internet
chats, etc. will not be allowed to use the computer in class. If a student is
caught on the phone during exams that student will receive an F for that
assignment.
Communication/ Blackboard
Students are expected to check Blackboard regularly. Announcements,
updates, assignments, and all other relevant course material will be posted
3
exclusively via Blackboard regularly. Students should prepare for class by
reading the assigned chapter for that week. Students are encouraged to use
Blackboard to communicate with faculty and peers. Urgent messages will be
sent via email and posted to the announcement page so check Blackboard
regularly.
Classroom Courtesy
A well-suited classroom should be free from any condition not conducive to
learning. Courteous and non-intimidating behavior is appropriate for the
professional student. Please be present on Blackboard Collaborate Ultra on
time for classes that might be scheduled online in case of pandemic related
issues or weather emergencies. Please refrain from engaging in-side
conversations that do not pertain to the materials of the class. If a student
has relevant information to share, he or she may do so using the raise your
hand icon in Ultra.
Accommodations
“Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable
accommodations if determined eligible by the Learning Resources and
Disabilities Coordinator. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this
course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student’s
eligibility from the Disabilities Coordinator. It is the students responsibility to
initiate contact with the Learning Resources and Disabilities Office and to
follow established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to
the instructor.”
Academic Integrity
Academic dishonesty/ AI usage or plagiarism on papers is not allowed.
Ignorance of what constitutes plagiarism or cheating is no defense.
Plagiarism or cheating results is an automatic “F” for the assignment. All
written work is expected to be coherent and grammatically correct. It is
expected that students will ask the Professor for clarification and opinion or
visit the Writing Center for assistance on all writing assignments.
4
Miscellaneous but Relevant Information
It is the student’s responsibility to confirm with the instructor about any
assignments submitted via email. If an assignment is submitted via email
and I cannot open that file, the assignment is considered late. And students
should always carry a hard copy (meaning paper copy) of any assignment
submitted via email, when they return to class (in case the file was un-
readable due to computer formatting issues). Students should retain the
original copy of all graded work until the end of the semester, in case of any
grading errors.
Course, examination, and assignment schedules should be adhered to by the
student. It is the student’s responsibility to check the schedule of exams
and course requirement schedules as well as changes to the schedule.
Students are responsible for all course requirements whether they have been
present for announcements. Absence is no excuse.
Student Athletes must notify the professor in advance with due time
available to compensate for work missed for athletic functions.
Work is due on the assigned date; work submitted late if accepted by the
instructor, is worth 80% of the total grade (the exception to this rule is any
work submitted in the last days of the semester is greatly reduced by 50%).
There is no INCOMPLETE. All work must be submitted on the assigned date or
by the last due date for all late assignments. Work not submitted is the
equivalent to a “0.”

Course Assignments and Grading System

Final Grades for the course will be assigned as follows:

Percen Letter Grade
t
93-100 A
90-92 A-
85-89 B+
5
82-84 B
80-81 B-
79-75 C+
74-72 C
70-71 C-
69-60 D
59-0 F

Grading System

1. Attendance and Participation 10%

2. Midterm 25% Identification & Essays
3. Final Exam 30% Identification & Essays
4. Essays (2) 25%
5. Homework/ Discussion Boards 10% Reading text that co-
insides with lecture.

Part III.

Assigned Text: Allan Brinkley, The Unfinished Nation, 8th Edition,

Combined Volume ISBN 978-0-07-3513331 or 10th Edition ISBN 978-

1-26-0726831

BOOKS: Essay Assignments: (Required for the Essay’s)

Choose one out of the following books to research and write your
essay/paper.
1. Paul Finkleman, Defending Slavery. ISBN 978-131-9113100.
2. David Howard, MLK, Malcolm X, & the Civil Rights Struggle of the
1950s & 1960s. ISBN 978-0312-395056.
3. Judy Yung, The Chinese Exclusion Act & Angel Island. ISBN 978-1319-
077860.
6
Analytical Essay’s/ Paper

To evaluate student’s ability to read and understand historical

scholarship, two reflection essays are assigned as a part of this course. Using
the assigned text, choose a chapter and write an essay analyzing a topic
discussed by the author. (The textbook for the course is NOT the
assigned book for this assignment and using the textbook
exclusively to complete the assignment is an automatic F). There are

no prompts or questions for this assignment, the choice of topic is yours to

choose. You can use any approach in this essay meaning you can agree/
disagree with the author, you can choose to reflect on the topic, or you can
make a comparison to current events if possible; the choice is yours. The
assignment is structured in this way to foster intellectual curiosity about
historical events within American history, students need to examine and
think about history beyond class discussions. Other sources such as
newspapers, journals, and internet sources can be used on this assignment.
Assignment Criteria:
The First essay is 1-3 pages in length; and the Second essay is 2-4 pages in
length. Please do not exceed the required number of pages because I will not
read beyond the assigned number of pages. Paper format is double-spaced,
and size 12 (Times Roman) fonts only. The margins in Microsoft word are
automatically set to 1-inch leave that setting in place. Choosing to
manipulate Microsoft font size and increase margins will only lead to a grade
reduction for the assignment.

 Footnote/endnote and bibliography citations are needed to cite the

use of all sources. The format for the paper is MLA or Chicago
manual no other formats are allowed for this assignment.
 Paraphrasing is quoting so cite all information. Not citing your paper is

7
 an automatic F.
 Not using one of the assigned texts is also an automatic F.
Rules to Remember; when discussing people/organizations full names
must be used the first time, for example the full name of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People must be used first then it
can be abbreviated later in the paper NAACP; also, do not refer to historical
figures by their first name, for example Dr. Martin L. King is never Martin.
Your essays/ papers are based on the subject matter of the assigned
books. “Deciding what topic to write about can seem overwhelming. Out of
an apparently infinite range of possibilities, how do you choose? The process
is more manageable if you break it down into its component parts: 1.
Choosing a broad subject that interests you, narrowing your focus to a topic
that you will be able to write about in the time allotted; 2. Deciding what you
want to know about that topic, and, finally formulating the research question
you want to answer in your paper.”
 The topic of the essay/papers should be based on any of the
documents/ content found in the books dealing with the various issues
such as, racism, slavery, the wealthy domination of society, or
women’s role in America.
 Your essay/papers are not bound to the time frame which the books
represent, students are allowed to write comparative essays that
connect the past and present however, the topics MUST come from
the book, but essays/papers based on the past are also acceptable.
 No Summary’s will be accepted, you need to show analytical thought
on the subject matter. Analysis is saying/arguing why something
happened!
Your topic is the subject you have chosen to write about. If you merely
collect bits of information about your topic, you will not write an effective
essay/paper. “A history paper, like many other kinds of academic writing,
usually takes the form of an argument in support of a thesis—a statement
8
that reflects the conclusion you have reached about your topic after a careful
analysis of the sources.”
 A thesis is not a description of your paper; a thesis is not a
question; a thesis is not a statement of opinion. “A thesis is a
statement that reflects what you have concluded about the topic
of your paper, based on a critical analysis and interpretation of
the source materials you have examined.” The thesis, then, is
the heart of your paper. It presents what you have concluded
about the topic under discussion and provides the focal point for
the rest of the essay.
 Papers will be submitted as a word document/PDF using a link
created for that assignment on Blackboard. For Face-to-Face
classes papers will be submitted in hard (paper) copy in class.
Extra Credit
For those students who are failing the class, consult with the instructor
for extra credit assignments, if help is possible.

Course Schedule

Week Virtual Classroom Readings Assignments Due

Dates 0r F2F Classroom Text: Alan Brinkley Dates
Week 1 Introductions & Review
8/28 of Syllabus
Week 2 Watch:” America before Chapter 1: Collison Discussion
9/2-9/9 Columbus” of Cultures p. 1-23 “Columbus Hero
Read: Columbus Packet or Villain”?

Week 2: Review
book & Choose
topic
Week 3 Lecture: Colonial Society Chapter 3: Society & Week 3:
9
9/11-9/18 Culture in ProvincialDevelop a Work Contin.
America p. 54-82 Cited page &
Thesis.
Week 4 Lecture: Empire in Chapter 4: Empire in Week 4: Write
9/23-9/30 Transition Transition p. 83-105 Essay
Week 5 Lecture: American Chapter 5: The Discussion
10/7-10/9 Revolution American Rev. p. “Motivation for Essay 1
10/2 & Read: Revolution Packet 106-132 the American Due:
10/14 Rev.”? 10/9
College
Closed
Submit Essay 1
Week 6 Lecture: Jeffersonian Era Chapter 6:
10/16-10/23 Jeffersonian Era p.
154-183
Week 7 Lecture: Jacksonian Chapter 9: Week 7: Review TBA
10/28-10/30 America Jacksonian America assigned text & Midterm
p. 201-224 Other Sources. Exam
Week 8 Lecture: The Question of Chapters 11 & 12: Discussion
11/4-11/6 Slavery! Cotton Slavery & Old “Did
South p. 251-271; Reconstruction
Antebellum Culture Succeed”?
& Reform p. 272- Week 8: Choose
295 Topic & Develop
Thesis.
Week 9 Lecture: Reconstruction EXAM Week 9: Write &
11/11-11/13 Chapter 15:
Reconstruction &
New South p. 351-
379
Week 10 Lecture: Imperialism Chapter 19: The Submit Essay 2 Essay 2
11/18-11/20 Crisis of Empire p. Due:
454-486 11/20
Week 11 Lecture: The Progressive Chapter 20: The
11/25 Era Progressives p. 481- 11/27-12/1
11/27-12/1 517 Break
Break
Week 12 Lecture: WW 1 & It’s Chapters 21 & 23:
12/2-12/4 Impact America & the Great
Watch: “The Great War p. 518-542
Depression” The Great
Depression p. 563-
586
10
Week 13 Lecture: Great Chapter 24: The
12/9-12/11 Depression Conclude New Deal p. 587-
610
Week 14 Lecture: Extra Credit
12/11 Debate Question for TBA
last day of debate TBA
classes
Week 15 12/15-12/21
Final Exams Final Exams TBA EXAM TBA
Week 16

****Please note that all dates are tentative and subject to change by the professor. Additionally, the
lecture schedule sometimes runs a week or two behind due to holidays and days that the college is
closed. ****

11