Course+Guidelines

=Introduction to Social Studies=

**University Laboratory High School 2010 – 2011**
This course is designed to introduce you to various ways of studying and thinking about the histories and cultures of human societies, past and present.
 * //Course overview://**

In the first part of the year, we will explore the history of rights in our own society, by studying the principles of the U.S. Constitution, the processes by which people of color and women gained the right to vote, and modern civil rights movements in the U.S. We will also learn more about how historians work: what kinds of evidence they look for, and how they use different kinds of sources to make sense of the past.

In order to further develop our skills in historical inquiry, we will then work for several months on an extensive oral history project. This will involve interviewing people from our local community who have been involved in struggles for equal rights, putting individual experiences into a broader context, and preparing these materials to be used in a student-produced radio documentary, which will be broadcast on public radio.

In the last part of the year, our focus will shift to the histories and cultures of other peoples. As part of the sequence of world history courses offered at Uni, we will study the development of early humans and the emergence of ancient civilizations (primarily in ancient Mesopotamia, the Levant, Egypt and Persia).

Throughout the course, you will be asked to consider different kinds of evidence and arguments, to ask and answer questions thoughtfully, and to think about the causes and consequences of forces that have shaped people’s lives in different times and places.

You will need to purchase your own copy of Donald Ritchie’s book, //Doing Oral History//. You may also need to purchase an additional text related to the topic of this year's oral history project (more information on this will be provided early in the school year). Otherwise, readings will be provided in class and/or made available on line. In the last part of this course, our main text will be //The Flow of History, Vol. 1: Prehistory and Early Civilizations to c. 1500 B.C.E.//, by Uni history teacher Chris Butler. You will be given a copy of this text in class when we are ready to use it.
 * //Course materials://**

Please let me know whenever you have any questions, concerns or problems. I am available to meet with you during my free periods (3, 4, 5 and 8), at lunch or by prior arrangement, after school. Outside of class, you are likely to find me in Room 215 (the office of the Department of Social Studies). You can also reach me by e-mail at: jmorford@illinois.edu. I look forward to working with you this year, and to helping you achieve your personal best!
 * //Contact information://**

My policies concerning grading, homework, absences, academic integrity and behavior in the classroom are explained below.

//**Assessments and grading:**// Your grade for each marking period will be calculated in the following way:

- Your grade is based primarily on your performance on a variety of **graded formal assessments**: these include quizzes, “quests,” tests, written assignments, oral presentations and projects. Every assessment will be announced and explained in advance, and I will tell you how heavily each one will be weighted in your term average (for example, a quiz generally counts once, while a longer “quest” or written assignment may count twice, and a comprehensive test or sustained project could count three times). I will help you calculate and keep records of your formal assessment average, so that you can know where you stand and how to gauge your progress in this class.


 * - Homework** assignments will be given regularly to help you prepare for and/or apply what we do together in class. These assignments may include reading, taking notes, writing and/or answering questions, working on projects or independent research, or studying material presented in class. //Most homework assignments will be evaluated holistically for completion and effort//. In other words, for the most part, your progress on homework will be recorded on a “pass/fail” basis in my gradebook. However, some homework may be -- without prior warning -- collected and graded. All assignments must be presented to me in class on the day they are due (unless your absence is excused, see below). If you miss this class due to a late arrival or early dismissal, you are still responsible for giving me your homework before the end of that school day, and for completing on time any homework assigned for the following day.

- In this class, you will have one **“freebie”** for each marking period. This means there will be no penalty //the first time// you fail to complete or to bring completed homework to class. However, for __each__ additional homework assignment that you do not have completed and in hand when class begins, __one point will be subtracted from your formal assessment average.__ It is thus in your interest for you to complete all homework assignments following the directions given, and to come to class prepared.

- By giving your best effort to homework and class work, you can earn a “**quality bonus**:” up to three extra points, to be added to your overall average at the end of the marking period. The decision to award a quality bonus will be made on the basis of your performance in these areas: preparation for class, quality of homework and written work done in class, participation and respect for others in class discussions, attentiveness and engagement in group activities, and overall behavior in class. Please note, however, that if you miss __more than two__ homework assignments (including your one freebie) in any given term, you will be __ineligible__ to receive any extra points (and will instead be losing points). Also, //any overall grade higher than 97% must be earned without “quality bonus” points added//.

All work, whether homework, class work or formal assessments, must be made up in a timely fashion. __For a one-day excused absence, all work/testing must be made up within 24 hours__. Failure to comply with this will result in a grade of zero (no credit). When you are absent, please do your best to find out that day what work was assigned, by checking these places: this WIKI, your Uni email, any syllabus already handed out, and your “assignment buddy” (a reliable classmate). Feel free to email me if you have further questions. It is //your responsibility// to find out what you missed, and to make up the work promptly. Extended absences and extenuating circumstances will be handled as outlined in the school handbook. If you know in advance that you will be absent, please ask about upcoming assignments, so that you can more easily keep up with the class.
 * //Absences://**

If you are not in class and in your seat by the time the bell has rung, you will be recorded and reported as tardy. Recurrent tardies are not only detrimental to your progress; they can also be disruptive of the learning environment for others. If you do arrive late at school or to this class, you are expected to enter the classroom quietly and get to work, without distracting others. It is your responsibility to find out about and make up any work missed due to tardy arrivals, just as in the case of absences, by talking to me at the end of class.
 * //Tardy arrivals://**

Doing your own work and giving credit to others for what they have done are essential to your success in life. There will be no tolerance for plagiarism or cheating of any kind. Plagiarism involves using other people’s work without giving proper credit, thereby claiming it as your own. Once we have reviewed the guidelines for citing others’ work, you will be expected to follow them. You are encouraged to talk with classmates about assignments given, but unless otherwise specified in the directions, //any work – including homework – that is submitted in your name is to have been prepared (formulated, stated, written, etc.) by you, using your own words//. Likewise, when you are participating in any formal assessment, you are expected to follow all guidelines given (e.g., no talking, no looking at notes or other materials, no leaving the room in the middle of a test). Any student found to be guilty of plagiarism or cheating in any way will receive a grade of zero and be subject to disciplinary action, as outlined in the school handbook.
 * //Academic integrity://**

In this classroom, all students have the right to learn and the person in charge has the right to teach; no one has the right to disrupt others as they learn or teach. You are therefore expected to:
 * //Your behavior in class://**

- Come to class prepared with the necessary materials, and your homework done. - Listen whenever //anyone// is addressing the class, without talking or interrupting. - Follow directions given by the person in charge, as soon as they are given. - Refrain from disturbing or distracting others in any way during class. - Show respect for others in your language and behavior at all times.

Should you demonstrate any on-going difficulty in abiding by these expectations, I will ask you to meet with me outside of class. Should it be necessary, I will not hesitate to bring your parent/guardian(s) and/or the assistant principal into the conversation.

It has been a real joy for me to work with students like you in the past, and I have every expectation that we will have a wonderful learning experience together this year!