The American Studies course has combined the English and Social Studies curricula to create an interdisciplinary approach to the study of America. Students are be able to cogently analyze and synthesize themes in American political and social history as well as their relationship with popular media, such as literature, film, reportage, music, theater, and art from concurrent time periods. This course differs from the typical English III or U.S. History course as literary and historical subject matter are often investigated thematically as opposed to chronologically or linearly. Students recognize and evaluate the historical, cultural, and personal perspective of several historical and literary sources through class discussion, oral presentations, research, and written expression. American Studies also differs from the typical English III and U.S. History course as a team teaching approach is emphasized with opportunities for large group instruction through the use of schedule blocking as well as small group instruction through activities and simulations.

COURSE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• How does the balance between ideology (hope, goals, faith, and dreams) and reality (reason, conflict, and actuality) influence our sense of what it means to be an American?
• How does diverse cultural and social upbringing shape our knowledge of society and ability to coexist with each other?
• How do we maintain our individual self – our personal freedoms and identity – while participating (conforming) to the needs of the democratic society?
• What political, economic, social, cultural, and religious forces motivated the creation and evolution of America and how do they affect the decisions we make in our nation?
• How does our immersion in they study of history, literature, the arts, and media assist in constructing and modifying our understanding of America and being an American?
• How do the American people utilize their imagination and resourcefulness to create new technologies and to pursue new understandings and as a result what are the positive and negative outcomes generated on the American individual, the country, and the global community?
• How do the American natural and ideological landscapes, their forces, immensities, and potentials shape our lives and motivate us to learn more about ourselves?

COURSE INFORMATION

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• What political, economic, social, cultural, and religious forces motivated the creation and evolution of America and how do they affect the decisions we make in our nation?
• How does diverse cultural and social upbringing shape our knowledge of society and ability to coexist with each other?
• How do the American natural and ideological landscapes, their forces, immensities, and potentials shape our lives and motivate us to learn more about ourselves?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• summarize the motivations for settling in the Americas.
• identify the different colonies and their social, political and economic development.
• identify Winthrop’s and Bradford’s main ideas.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• analyze the motivations and ideals of American colonization.
• explain the conflict between idealism and utopias and the struggle with reality in the American experience.
• explain the effects of the "savage wilderness" and "a city upon a hill" in creating the utopian American image that helped to develop colonial economies and politics.
• analyze colonial rhetoric.
• compare and contrast the themes in The Crucible and The Catcher in the Rye.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast the ideas of individualism and conformity in the both the colonial experience and the 1950s.
• predict the outcome of settlement, distance and time upon the creation of a unique American view of morality, religion and sense of self and the community.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• gauge the outcomes of the collision of the American political, economic and religious culture with the British political, economic and religious culture of the 17th Century.
• evaluate the impact of landscape on the creation of identity.
• evaluate the ideals, differences and experiences of the American colonists and judge their ability to govern and defend themselves effectively.

COURSE INFORMATION

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How does the balance between ideology (hope, goals, faith, and dreams) and reality (reason, conflict, and actuality) influence our sense of what it means to be an American?
• What political, economic, social, cultural, and religious forces motivated the creation and evolution of America and how do they affect the decisions we make in our nation?
• How does our immersion in the study of history, literature, the arts, and media assist in constructing and modifying our understanding of America and being an American?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• summarize the events that led to the American Revolution.
• identify the major battles and strategies of the American Revolution.
• describe how Holden struggles to conform to 1950s America.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• chart the advantages, disadvantages of being a colony of Britain versus an independent nation.
• debate the use of the Sugar and Stamp Act, 10,000 troops in America and the Proclamation Line of 1763 using both the British and the Colonial point of view.
• analyze how The Catcher in the Ryecan be told from different points of view: i.e., Sally, the cabbie, etc.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast the Boston Massacre and the Kent State Massacre and examine point of view.
• compare and contrastthe revolutionary qualities of Colonial literature to that of the 1950’s and J.D. Salinger.
• analyze how Whitman and Dickinson created a unique and revolutionary American voice in Poetry.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• examine how The Catcher in the Rye can be considered a revolutionary text.
• analyze the impact of the Declaration of Independence, Common Sense, and Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography on the Colonies and future Americans.
• predict the future of the new nation.

COURSE INFORMATION

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How do we maintain our individual self – our personal freedoms and identity – while participating (conforming) to the needs of the democratic society?
• How does diverse cultural and social upbringing shape our knowledge of society and ability to coexist with each other?
• What political, economic, social, cultural, and religious forces motivated the creation and evolution of America and how do they affect the decisions we make in our nation?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify the issues confronting the United States at home and abroad, specifically relating to American ideals of freedom, isolation and expansion.
• identify the attributes of Washington’s literary voice.
• explain the enduring legacy for each of the first four American presidents.
• recognize the conflict between differing ideologies of Federalist-Anti-Federalist and Federalist/Democratic-Republican as inherent in the American political and cultural mindset.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• analyze how the Constitution changed and strengthened the government of the United States.
• analyze the Bill of Rights and its necessity in helping to build American society.
• outline the enduring legacies of each president and determine which decisions were in keeping with and which departed from Washington’s guidelines for governance.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast the idea of creating a new country to the creation of new musical and literary genres, i.e., American Rap music.
• compare and contrast opposing philosophies of the Federalist and the Democratic Republicans.
• examine the growth of the United States and its impact on foreign and domestic relations.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation concerning American idealism, republicanism and reality.
• evaluate the actions and policies of successive Administrations to maintain American idealism and its unique place in the world against the economic, political and military realities from both without and within.
• evaluate the actions and policies of the 1809 to 1815 period as a realization of American idealism and ideology or as a realization of the limits and weaknesses of the American Experiment.

COURSE INFORMATION

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How does the balance between ideology (hope, goals, faith, and dreams) and reality (reason, conflict, and actuality) influence our sense of what it means to be an American?
• What political, economic, social, cultural, and religious forces motivated the creation and evolution of America and how do they affect the decisions we make in our nation?
• How do the American people utilize their imagination and resourcefulness to create new technologies and to pursue new understandings and as a result what are the positive and negative outcomes generated on the American individual, the country, and the global community?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify the lead factors in making America an industrialized nation.
• hypothesize various reasons the Europeans and Asians emigrated to America.
• enumerate the ideals and ideology of the Progressive movement and its leaders.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• compare and contrast loose capitalism, strict capitalism, social Darwinism, the Gospel of Wealth and Rags to Riches as justifications of the Gilded Age.
• analyze how Fitzgerald’s novel and Miller’s play evolve the understanding of the American Dream from Alger’s initial mythological understanding.
• investigate the 1920’s as a period of tradition versus change, xenophobia, the Lost Generation, and radical social norms.
• analyze the conflict between conformity and counterculture in the 1950’s.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast social similarities between the 1920’s and 1950’s .
• compare and contrast opposing philosophies of the Federalist and the Democratic Republicans.
• compare and contrast immigration trends from the 19^thto 20^thcenturies.
• debate whether the Era of Good Feelings was a time of nationalism or sectionalism.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• evaluate which era best represents the ideals of the American Dream.
• judge how each American story critiques the American Dream.

COURSE INFORMATION

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How does the balance between ideology (hope, goals, faith, and dreams) and reality (reason, conflict, and actuality) influence our sense of what it means to be an American?
• What political, economic, social, cultural, and religious forces motivated the creation and evolution of America and how do they affect the decisions we make in our nation?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• trace the changes in American foreign policy from the Farewell Address to involvement in the Great War and identify the factors that moved the United States into breaking with its traditional foreign policy.
• identify the purpose of Wilson’s 14 points and explain America’s rejection of the Treaty of Versailles.
• enumerate O’Brien’s ideas of how to tell a true war story.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• examine the impact of the first and second Red Scares in America.
• analyze how O’Brien’s writing style effectively communicates the emotions and actions of being a soldier.
• investigate America’s foreign policy options following WWII.
• analyze the impact of the Cold War on American society and politics.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast similarities and differences between the Korean and Vietnam wars.
• compare and contrast the themes of O’Brien’s novel to poetry about Vietnam.
• compare and contrast America’s motivations for fighting world wars.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• sequence the battles fought in the Pacific and evaluate the impact of America’s use of the Atomic Bomb.
• judge how effectively authors use literary devices to communicate their feelings about the Vietnam War.
• debate the success of America in Vietnam.

COURSE INFORMATION

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How do the American people utilize their imagination and resourcefulness to create new technologies and to pursue new understandings and as a result what are the positive and negative outcomes generated on the American individual, the country, and the global community?
• How do the American natural and ideological landscapes, their forces, immensities, and potentials shape our lives and motivate us to learn more about ourselves?

CONTEN OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify the reasons why America wanted to move west.
• define imperialism and its effect on the economy.
• list American storytellers who describe various American journeys.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• analyze the ideals and ideology of Manifest Destiny.
• analyze how storytellers develop an American theme.
• investigate how the physical landscape of America changed as citizens moved westward.
• analyze the impact of the Cold War on America’s decision to begin the space race with Russia.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast Wolfe’s use of fiction and non-fiction techniques.
• compare and contrast America’s motivation and outcome of the Mexican War and the Spanish-American War.
• compare and contrast the journeys of Lindberg, Byrd, Armstrong, and Glenn.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• debate America’s motivation for declaring war on Mexico.
• judge how effectively authors use literary devices to communicate their feelings about the American Journey and the discovery of new frontiers.
• evaluate the various effects of Manifest Destiny on American society and geography.

COURSE INFORMATION

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How do we maintain our individual self – our personal freedoms and identity – while participating (conforming) to the needs of the democratic society?
• What political, economic, social, cultural, and religious forces motivated the creation and evolution of America and how do they affect the decisions we make in our nation?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify the historical needs that precipitated the 1840’s reform movement.
• define democracy and what it means to Americans.
• list the attributes of American Romanticism, Transcendentalism, and Realism.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• analyze the ideals and ideology of the Progressive movement and its leaders.
• analyze how Poe, Emerson, Thoreau and Twain construct their stories.
• investigate FDR’s New Deal and its impacts on American society and economy.
• analyze the purpose of LBJ’s Great Society.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast similarities and differences between the following literary eras: Romanticism, Transcendentalism, and Realism.
• compare and contrast similarities and differences between the presidencies of Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt.
• compare and contrast the cultures of the 1960’s and 1970’s.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• sequence the rise in the counterculture movement in America in the ‘60’s and ’70’s.
• judge how effectively authors use literary devices to communicate their feelings about the American Journey and the discovery of new frontiers.
• debate the constitutionality of the New Deal.

COURSE INFORMATION

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How does the balance between ideology (hope, goals, faith, and dreams) and reality (reason, conflict, and actuality) influence our sense of what it means to be an American?
• How does diverse cultural and social upbringing shape our knowledge of society and ability to coexist with each other?
• What political, economic, social, cultural, and religious forces motivated the creation and evolution of America and how do they affect the decisions we make in our nation?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify the causes of the American Civil War.
• identify the social status of freedmen following the Civil War.
• define the term Jim Crow south and explain how it impacted America in the Post-Reconstruction era.
• list Wright’s examples of American Hunger in his autobiography.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• analyze the effect of Nat Turner and John Brown on the American Abolition movement.
• analyze how Wright uses literary techniques to engage the reader.
• sequence the events leading up to the Civil War politically, socially and militaristically.
• analyze American Rhetoric that addresses the African American experience.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast themes in the writings of Whitman, Hughes, and Wright.
• compare and contrast the messages of Washington and DuBois.
• compare and contrast the various messages of the Civil Rights Movement, specifically the non-violent and violent ideologies.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• write a well-supported response in MLA style to the question: Are we Free in America, utilizing at least 3 texts from this course.
• evaluate the effectiveness of Abolitionist writing (Douglass and Garrison) versus Pro-Slavery writing (Fitzhugh).
• sequence the events leading to the rise in the Civil Rights Movement.
• judge the effectiveness of the American Government in passing legislation that gave African Americans more freedoms.
• debate the results of the Civil Rights Movement: did it achieve success?

COURSE INFORMATION

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How does diverse cultural and social upbringing shape our knowledge of society and ability to coexist with each other?
• How do we maintain our individual self – our personal freedoms and identity – while participating (conforming) to the needs of the democratic society?
• How does our immersion in the study of history, literature, the arts, and media assist in constructing and modifying our understanding of America and being an American?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify the major historical events that shaped the Woman’s Movement.
• identify the purpose of the Lowell Mills in advancing women’s place in society.
• define the cult of domesticity and true womanhood.
• list the literary devices used by Woman Writers.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• analyze the effect of the Civil Rights Movement on the Women’s Rights Movement.
• analyze how Woman Writers uses literary techniques to engage the reader and build their
• sequence the events leading up to the 2008 election.
• analyze Roe v. Wade.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast themes in Women’s writings from the 19^thand 20^thcenturies.
• compare and contrast the ‘20’s new woman to feminists of the 1960’s.
• compare and contrast working conditions and pay between genders over time.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• write a well-supported literary essay on the effectiveness of woman writers’ message.
• evaluate the effectiveness of Betty Freidan’s The Feminine Mystique.
• judge the effectiveness of the American Government in passing legislation that gave Women more freedoms.
• debate the impact of the 19^thAmendment.

COURSE INFORMATION

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How do the American people utilize their imagination and resourcefulness to create new technologies and to pursue new understandings and as a result what are the positive and negative outcomes generated on the American individual, the country, and the global community?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify major issues facing the 21^stcentury.
• define past and present social problems and their eventual or probable solutions.
• brainstorm possible topics for college essay.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• analyze major issues discussed by the current president and congress.
• predict future social issues that will plague America in light of current cultural conditions.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast various approaches to the college essay.
• compare and contrast causes of reform movements to predict the next social reform movement in America.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• write a well-developed college essay that establishes a unique voice and explains how student will impact future generations.
• evaluate local, state, and federal actions that have addressed social issues past, present, and future.