HIST 326-99 | Living in America: Home, Hearth, and Housing

Prof. Douglas Knerr
Email: dknerr@roosevelt.edu
Office: AUD 818D | Office Hours: F 4-5pm
Phone: 312-341-2337
Homepage : http://faculty.roosevelt.edu/knerr

Books

McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses.
Bitner, Confessions of a Subprime Lender.
Clark, The American Family Home, 1800-1960.

RU Bookstore

Course Topics and Session Notes

Responsibilities

Consider E. M. Forster's words from Howards End: "Only connect!...Live in fragments no longer." Collaboration is essential to the success of the course. We are a community of scholars, and it is your responsibility to come to class prepared and ready to discuss the issues of the day. The success and value of the course depends on your preparation and participation. Thoughtful consideration of the assigned material is expected, but you are also required to search out additional relevant materials, to talk with others about the course material, and to connect seminar topics to broader themes in your life and the lives of others.

Turn off you cell phones, complete your assignments and exercises, engage your classmates in lively discussion, carefully prepare your presentations, ask questions, challenge us, and amaze us!  You are the course, so accept that responsibility and make learning fun and engaging for all of us as we:

> Analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, questions, and points of view.
> Enhance critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
> Understand the scholarly dimensions of our topic.
> Improve written and oral communications skills.
> Formulate significant questions about our topic which we never stop asking.

Evaluation Rubric and Progress Tracking

Evaluation Rubric for written assignments.  Read it carefully and consider your progress against these standards as you craft your assignments.

Progress tracking reports are brief self-assessments that probe your mastery of the course material. The purpose is to help you reflect on your learning, build confidence in your knowledge, and help identify where you may need additional emphasis. Reports are available at midterm and the week before Thanksgiving break.

Assignment Values and Due Dates

Artifact Analysis | 10 percent
Two Context Papers | 15 percent each
Research Paper | 30 percent
Final Exam | 15 percent
Participation | 15 percent

Except for Participation, you may adjust the value of the assignments plus or minus 5 percentage points of my baseline weights.

The Department mandates the use of the plus/minus grading system. Follow this link to see the GPA equivalents for each letter grade.

General Information

Please contact me if you need to miss a class. Of course, you remain responsible for all assignments and course requirements missed and assume full responsibility for making alternative arrangements. Make-up assignments are available at the discretion of the professor, but I promise to use as much discretion as possible. Please do not hesitate to contact me by telephone or email regarding any problems concerning this class. I want you to succeed. If there's a problem that affects your performance, I'll work with you to develop a strategy for success.

Plagiarism, the path to failure and humiliation...read about it HERE

Student Links on the RU Website, where you'll find official policies on religious holidays, ADA accommodations, confidentiality, and other important information.