Syllabus

LEHIGHTON AREA HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE TITLE: CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN HISTORY


 * INSTRUCTOR:** Mr. Feifel

Prentice Hall, N.J., 2000.
 * TEXT BOOK:** Moss, George Donelson. America in the 20th Century, 5th Ed

and T-W-Th from 2:20-3:00 PM.
 * TIME AVAILABLE FOR HELP**: I will be available by appointment during my prep period

in U.S. history from World War II to the present.
 * COURSE DESCRIPTION:** This course will cover the major developments and events

principles our nation stands for and of the people who shaped and preserved them.
 * OBJECTIVES AND GOALS:** The students will discover, understand, and appreciate the

Students will define the world today through the people, polices, and events in our country since 1945.

The students will relate current events to our history and to our future.

Get Involved: Ask Questions. Answer Questions. Discuss Issues.

1. Be in your seat and quiet when the bell rings 2. Bring all class materials with you to class. 3. Follow all teacher directions promptly and all class and school rules 4. Be Courteous to everyone. Treat others the way you wish to be treated. 5. Foul language is not tolerated and will require discipline. 6. In class discipline will include the following consequences: writing assignments, alternative seating arrangements, teacher detentions, and logical consequences.
 * CLASS RULES AND DISCIPLINE**:

In-class assignments, homework, prompts, web quests, research reports, quizzes, and Chapter tests.
 * GRADING**: Grades will be based on a point system. Graded material will consist of

__RETAKES__: Tests may be retaken with in four days of receiving your grade. The test will be all essay. If you are absent the day of a test, you will make up the test the day you return.

__EXTRA CREDIT__: Extra Credit will be given to those ONLY students who complete all of their work and wish to raise their grade through additional means.

__LATE WORK__: If you are absent the day its due, it must be handed in the first day you return or it is late.

__TARDINESS__: If you are late to school and miss a quiz or an in-class assignment, as per school rules, you will receive a zero for the work missed.

__ABSENT/FIELD TRIP/SPORTING EVENT/ SCHOOL EVENT__:If work is due the day you are absent, you must hand it in the next class you attend. If you don’t, you will receive a zero. If you are to miss class due to a field trip or sporting event, any work due that day must be handed in before you leave for that event. If you do not, it will be a zero.

__TEXTBOOK:__ It must be brought to class and a cover must be securely on it. If you don’t bring the book to class or it is not covered you may be required to stay after school for detention to cover it. (No elastic covers allowed)


 * PAPERS/PROJECTS:** (Subject to Change)

1. Biography: Who is the most influential American since 1945. 2. Compare and Contrast: Take two historically significant items, compare and contrast them. 3. Current Events topic: Choose from a list of contemporary history topics or come up with your own. All have to be approved by Mr. Feifel. No two topics can be the same. Topics are a first come first serve basis.


 * TOPICS TO BE COVERED**:

TOPICS: Origins of the Cold War Truman Foreign Policy Post-War culture and Domestic Growth Eisenhower administration Civil Right's Movement Communism, the Red Scare, and McCarthyism The Korean War TIME: 3 weeks
 * Unit 1: The 1950s (Chapters 9 & 10)**

TOPICS: Kennedy's New Frontier Castro and the Bay of Pigs The Cuban Missile Crisis Kennedy Assassination Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society Vietnam Civil Right's in the 1960s Rebellion, Protest, & Radical Change TIME: 3 weeks
 * Unit 2: TURBULENT 60’s (Chapter 11 & 12)**

TOPICS: Nixon Administration Expanding and ending the Vietnam War Kent State Stagflation Detente and Opening China Watergate Carter Administration Iran Hostage Crisis Rise of power in the Middle East TIME: 3 weeks
 * Unit 3: NIXON AND THE 1970’s (Chapter 13 & 14)**

TOPICS: The Reagan Administration Reaganomics Cold War Revival Issues with Central America G.H.W. Bush Administration End of the Cold War War in the Persian Gulf Middle East and a Rise of Terrorism MTV Generation TIME: 3 weeks
 * Unit 4: REAGAN’S 80’s (Chapter 15 & 16)**

TOPICS: Clinton Administration Republican Uprising in Congress Ethics and Impeachment technological revolution G.W. Bush Terrorism and Gulf War II Time: 3 weeks.
 * Unit 5: POST COLD WAR WORLD (Chapter 17)**


 * FLEX TIME EXPECTATIONS**:

Flextime is an academic block. Students are expected to use flextime constructively. Students should makeup any work missed in history class, retake tests and, if needed, seek remedial help,. I may also teach a lesson if a class gets behind for any reason. Be prepared! DO NOT COME TO CLASS WITHOUT SOMETHING TO WORK ON.