AP US History
Introduction to AP History Courses:
The AP program is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials presented by United States history. The program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses. Students should learn to assess historical materials-- their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance-- and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. Conclusions must be drawn based upon an informed judgment and presented with evidence in persuasive written responses. The AP exam will be administered in May.
This is a very rigorous course of study that will require tremendous effort and commitment of your time. The reward is in the additional skills you will build as a result of your hard work (and, of course, the college credit you may earn).
Scope of course:
The AP United States history course deals with the period 1492 AD to present. The following is a rough outline of areas to be emphasized:
Discovery and Settlement 1492-1650
America and the British Empire 1650-1754
Revolution and the New Republic 1754-1800
The Age of Jefferson 1800-1816
Nationalism, Economic Expansion, and Sectionalism
The Age of Jackson 1828-1848
Territorial Expansion and Sectional Crisis
Creating an "American" culture
The Civil War Era and Reconstruction 1850-1877
New South and the Last West
Industrialization and Corporate Consolidation
Urban Society
Intellectual and Cultural Movements
National Politics 1877-1896: The Gilded Age
Foreign Policy 1865-1914
The Progressive Era
The First World War
The 1920's
Depression, New Deal, and Diplomacy 1929-1941
The Second World War
Eisenhower and Modern Republicanism
Kennedy's New Frontier; Johnson's Great Society
The Nixon Era
The United States Since 1974
- excerpted from The College Board Advanced Placement Course Description
Methods of Instruction:
There is an extensive body of reading required to be successful in this course. While the reading will be dealt with in class, the student is responsible for dealing with the basic text and preparing questions/concerns for class discussion. There will not be daily "notes" given on the basic text.
All of the following will be a part of this class.
-Group work and presentations (verbal, in front of the class)
-Readings with questions to answer
-Analyzing primary sources, taking notes from these sources, and preparing outlines
-Compare/contrast essays
-Lectures/note taking
-Test writing/grading
-Research and presentation in various forms
-Harvard’s Case Method
Harvard Business School- The Case Method:
I have completed a program at Harvard Business School called the Case Method Institute. This program will be included in our studies this year and I am very excited to share it with you. We will look at many cases used at Harvard Business School which will put you in the shoes of various decision makers throughout history. The cases you will be presented with are difficult. It will be a challenge for both you and I. We will work through them together however and really experience history in a new, exciting way. Get ready to experience history in the present tense!
When we prepare a case, your participation is crucial and will be graded. Barring extenuating circumstances, you will be required to make 2 meaningful comments during our discussion and decision days. If you are absent on these days, you will be required to make up your discussion points.
I will be working closely with the Institute this school year as we work through the cases. They depend on our feedback so the program can flourish. At the end of each case I will ask you to fill out an anonymous survey that will help the Institute make decisions about currently used and brand new cases.
For additional information about this program please visit this link:
Grading:
All written assignments done outside of class will be considered as either quizzes or tests. There will be periodic quizzes on the reading assignments, and there will be formal essay/multiple choice tests. With the exception of reading quizzes, you will be given at least four days notice of all formal tests, and due dates for research papers/projects/reaction papers and interpretations will be announced in a manner appropriate to the assignment.
Quizzes: 10-30 pts
Essays: 20 pts
Tests and Projects: 70-100+ pts
Homework: 10-20 pts
Miscellaneous Information:
Please come to class on time, and be ready to start immediately. "Tardy" means that you are not in the room and seated before the scheduled start of class. Please do not show up here a few seconds before class begins asking if you can go to your locker to get your books etc…that is to be done prior to the start time.
Extra Help:
I am available after school each day from 2:20-2:45. I can be found in room 261 or the Social Studies office. I check my email regularly throughout the day so please don’t hesitate to reach out as I normally respond quickly.
Good luck and have fun this year!