History 420 - Fall 2016 - Dr. Gayle Olson-Raymer
Founders Hall 147
go1@humboldt.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30-11:30 and by appointment
The course syllabus - available online at http://users.humboldt.edu/ogayle/hist420/420Syllabus2016.html - is divided into four parts: Course Description and Requirements, Course Themes and Course Outline, Student Learning Outcomes, and HSU Policies. Please note that the professor retains the right to revise this syllabus at any time during the semester.
Course Description. This is the capstone course for the SSSE major that enables students to connect social science content to state education standards and critically access their own progress and skills acquisitions in the major. Additionally, it incorporates the capstone experience of completing a portfolio of your work completed while working on your major courses throughout your time in the Social Science Major, as well as completing the anonymous exit survey.
This course is unique within the History Department because it combines both content and method. While historical content drives the course, the content will be accompanied by various teaching methods that can be used in the secondary classroom to encourage critical analysis and to help you assess what students have learned. Additionally, this course is designed to give you a good understanding of the what it is like to actually teach history and in so doing, to help you decide whether or not you really want to become a history teacher and to embark upon a journey of lifelong learning. And finally, this course is designed to create a collegial community of pre-teachers who will explore specific historical topics, examine and learn good teaching practices, and to enter into a dialog and engage in debate about how to teach historical content.
Required Reading. It is essential that you complete the required reading before coming to class on the day of the reading assignment.
Other requirements:
Required Assignments: There are five types of requirements for this course, each of which are explained in detail below. If you click here, you can access a list of all assignments required for completion of the course.
1. Methods Assignments (280 points).
2. Research Paper and Lesson Plan (270 points). You will pick ANY TOPIC on either U.S. or World History that corresponds with either the 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade California Social Science Standards. In the first part of this assignment, you will conduct research on your topic and write a short research paper. Then, in the second part of this assignment, you will convert your research paper into a 3-5 day lesson plan. Assignments and dates related to the completion of the research paper and lesson plan are as follows:
Part I: Research. This is where you conduct research on your topic, develop a thesis, write your research paper, and test your thesis based upon the results of your research. There are three separate steps in this part. Please note that you must keep all three assignments and include them in your final portfolio.
- Research Topic Selection and completion of Research Worksheet (20 points) due on October 4th. Click here to access the worksheet.
- Research Historiography and completion of Brief Historiography Worksheet (30 points) due on October 6th. Click here to access the worksheet.
- Research Paper (50 points) due on October 20th
- Your paper must be no longer than 5 typewritten, grammatically correct pages. Your paper must incorporate the following four components:
- A discussion of the thesis upon which you originally based your research.
- A comparison of the differing interpretations of your topic that you researched from at least 2 different sources.
- Your interpretation of the topic based on evidence gained from your 2 different sources.
- A concluding statement about how and why your original thesis did or did not change after conducting your research.
Part II: Lesson Plan. This is where your convert the knowledge you gained from conducting your research and writing your research paper into a 3-5 day lesson plan. There are three separate steps in this part.Please note that you must keep all three assignments and include them in your final portfolio.
- Lesson Plan Worksheet completion (20 points) due on October 25th. Click here to access the worksheet.
- First draft of lesson plan (50 points) due no late than November 17th. You will each make a 45-minute appointment with your professor during the week of November 11-18th so you can have a one-on-one discussion of your first draft. NOTE - THIS FIRST DRAFT MEANS YOU MUST ADDRESS ALL REQUIRED COMPONENTS OF THE LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE (found at http://users.humboldt.edu/ogayle/hist420/lessontemplate.html) BUT THEY CAN STILL BE IN A DEVELOPING STAGE.
- Final lesson plan (50 points) is due no later than December 1st. You will each make a 45-minute appointment with your professor during the week of November 28-December 2nd so you can have a one-on-one discussion of your final draft. THIS FINAL LESSON PLAN MUST FULLY AND COMPLETELY ADDRESS ALL REQUIRED COMPONENTS OF THE LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE (found at http://users.humboldt.edu/ogayle/hist420/lessontemplate.html). Please note that with your final lesson plan, you must include the first draft with your professor's comments.
3. Cold Call Reviews (50 total points or 10 points each for 5 cold calls ). On nine days that you have required reading/viewing/listening, I will pose questions directly related to the assignment to all students who are present. Because I will not ask for volunteers, you must be ready each day you have a required reading/viewing assignment to engage in a collegial discussion about the assignment. You will be called on at least five times; if you are called on more often, you will receive extra credit points.
- Questions will be broad-based and will require analytical thinking. To prepare you for the class "cold call," you should think about the following for each of the required readings:
- What are the 3-5 ideas/themes/topics that you believe are most important to understand in the reading?
- What new academic language words or phrases did you encounter in the reading? You must be able to define them and explain how and why they are important to understand the article's content.
- What questions remain after you completed the reading?
- The following point system will be used to determine the score for your answers:
- 10 points if you engage intellectually in the conversation by addressing the specifics of the question and if your response indicates a deep understanding of the reading assignment;
- 8 points if you engage intellectually in the conversation by addressing most of the specifics of the question and if your response indicates a solid understanding of the reading assignment.
- 6 points if you engage in the conversation by addressing some of the specifics of the question and if your response indicates an average understanding of the reading assignment.
- 4 points if you can say anything about the required reading.
- 0 points if you cannot engage in the conversation, are unable to address the specifics of the question and you have little to no understanding of the reading assignment.
4. Exit Survey (20 points). The survey is designed to help History faculty understand more about our majors - your background and interest in history; what courses were and were not most beneficial to you as an SSSE major; and what skills were best taught and what skills should be improved in your required courses. Additionally, the survey compiles data about courses offered or not offered in the History Department; about the strengths or weaknesses of other history offerings (History Club, History Conference, Majors Meetings, History Day); about the strengths or weaknesses of advising for the major; and about any suggested changes to strengthen the experiences for future majors. You will receive information about how to access the survey sometime during the first several weeks of classes. You must have completed the survey no later than December 8th.
5. Portfolio (50 points). The portfolio consists of major written works produced for required courses in the History-SSSE major, including research and lesson plans written and designed for required courses as well as any other major research and writing assignments completed in your history courses. You must turn in your portfolio on December 8th. The final portfolio must be submitted in a well-organized folder that includes each of the following components:
Grades. You have an opportunity to earn 670 possible points. The grade breakdown is as follows:
Course Themes and Course Outline
Course Themes. Four broad themes about historical methodology will be interwoven throughout the course content:
Unit I: Analyzing the characteristics and responsibilities of good history teachers and the lessons they teach. This unit focuses on the characteristics of good history teachers, the elements of excellent lesson plans, and the types of teaching methods that keep students interested in history.
Unit II: Teaching the Constitution (October 4 - 20). This unit focuses on gaining a better understanding of the controversy, conflict, and compromise surrounding the creation of the Constitution - and how to teach about the important consequences.
Unit III: Teaching the Era of Manifest Destiny - Progress is not always progressive (October 25 - November 17). This unit is designed to deliver content on the era of Manifest Destiny while also incorporating many teaching methods we have already discussed as well as new ones.
Unit IV: Wrapping it up
Student Learning Outcomes
The Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for this course are designed with the SLOs for all Humboldt State University courses as well as for the SLOs required for the Department of History.
Student Learning Outcomes for HSU:
Effective communication through written and oral modes. Critical and creative thinking skills in acquiring a broad base of knowledge and applying it to complex issues. Competence in a major area of study. Appreciation for and understanding of an expanded world perspective by engaging respectfully with a diverse range of individuals, communities and viewpoints.Student Learning Outcomes for History 420 connect to the above SLOs for HSU as well as the SLOs for the History Department. The Department's SLOs are noted in bold below and the specific SLOs for History 420 are noted in bullets under each.
- Writing. Students learn to develop and support a complicated argument, employ proper paragraphing and transition techniques, and properly paraphrase, quote, and cite sources.
- You will use the writing skills learned in the History-SSSE major in every course requirement. Your writing skills will especially be demonstrated in your annotated chronologies and your standards-based lesson plans that require multiple types of academic writing.
- You will be asked to demonstrate effective communication through written and oral modes by writing two detailed two-day lesson plans and sharing the results of your lesson plan writing in class with your colleagues.
- Research. Students learn to create advanced research criteria, use sources in support of an argument, and properly cite a variety of primary sources and create a bibliography.
- You will be asked to conduct solid historial research for most course requirements. The two lesson plans require extensive research involving primary and secondary sources, an understanding of howsuch research can be applied to a middle or high school history course, and a chronological understanding of the chosen topic.
- You will be asked to demonstrate critical and creative thinking skills as well as demonstrate an appreciation for and understanding of an expanded world perspective through the research conducted for the two detailed two-day lesson plans.
- Critical Thinking. Students learn to use advanced methods to analyze disparate sources, form original arguments regarding historical events or phenomena, and critically analyze the validity of arguments regarding causality and significance of historical events or phenomena.
- You will be asked to use critical thinking when completing every course requirement, as well as during the discussions that take place during every class period. Your critical thinking skills will especially be demonstrated by creating standards-based and content-rich lesson plans that require students to use their critical thinking capabilities and by reflecting upon the research and writing demonstrated in your portfolio.
- You will be asked to demonstrate critical and creative thinking skills in acquiring a broad base of knowledge and applying it to complex issues through the research and writing of two lesson plans that demonstrate the complexities of writing and implementing the U.S. Constitution and of conceptualizing and implementing U.S. Federal Indian policies.
- Historiography and methodology. Students learn about specific complex historiographical changes and debates, about different methods’ applicability and limitations, and about different schools of analysis and their premises, implications, and limitations.
- You will gain a better understanding of what historians actually do by learning the theories, viewpoints, and various perspectives of historians. Your historiographical and methodological skills will especially be demonstrated by creating lesson plans that show how and when historians agree and disagree about causes and consequences of the historical topics under study.
- You will be asked to demonstrate competence both in the knowledge of your historical content and the manner in which you will share and present this knowledge to your colleagues.
- Oral Presentation. Students learn to convey complicated information clearly, use appropriate media, and engage an audience.
- You will be required to give an oral presentation of both of your lesson plans to a group of your peers.
- You will be asked to demonstrate effective verbal communication sharing the results of your lesson plan research and writing in class with your colleagues.
HSU Policies
Please note that you are responsible for knowing the following information about HSU policies:
Academic Honesty. Students are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty and integrity. For HSU's definitions of academic honesty and cheating, as well as the consequences of and appeal process for being accused of cheating, see http://studentaffairs.humboldt.edu/judicial/academic_honesty.php. In History 395, you will be expected to work on your own - attend class and your school placement as well as completing the pre- and post-essays. While you are free to collaborate with one another outside of class, while in class and at your placement, your work must be your own.
Add/Drop policy: Students are responsible for knowing the University policy, procedures, and schedule for dropping or adding classes found at http://www.humboldt.edu/~reg/regulations/schedadjust.html
Emergency evacuation: The evacuation plan for the classroom, which is posted on the orange signs, can be accessed at http://studentaffairs.humboldt.edu/emergencyops/campus_emergency_preparedness.php During an emergency, information can be found campus conditions at: 826-INFO or online at http://www.humboldt.edu/~humboldt/emergency.
Attendance and disruptive behavior: Students are responsible for knowing policy regarding attendance and disruptive behavior found at http://studentaffairs.humboldt.edu/judicial/attendance_behavior.php
Students with Disabilities: Persons who wish to request disability-related accommodations should contact the Student Disability Resource Center in the Learning Commons, Lower Library, 826-4678 (voice) or 826-5392 (TDD). Some accommodations may take up to several weeks to arrange. http://www.humboldt.edu/disability/