Welcome to AP United States History
History is about much more than learning about the past. Studying history helps us to understand the present and prepare for the future. It is impossible to be a truly educated person without these important skills. And the United States needs educated people. Since we, as citizens, have the responsibility to participate in our government and keep it functioning effectively, it’s crucial that we educate ourselves and take advantage of the opportunities we have to learn – about ourselves, each other, our nation, and the world.
Over the course of the next ten months, we will study United States history from the colonial period to the present. During that time, I hope that you will develop:
1. a greater enjoyment of, and satisfaction from, the learning process in general and the study of history in particular;
2. a broad understanding of United States history that will serve as a foundation for further academic pursuits (and prepare you for the AP exam in May);
3. the skills and abilities that will help you become an educated person, and;
4. an enhanced understanding of the role of the United States in the world today.
Expect that this course will further develop your academic abilities and your intellectual curiosity. To do this, you will be expected to participate in class in a variety of ways, including classroom discussions and debates, academic presentations, role-playing activities, writing assignments, group work, and interactive lectures.
As an AP student, you are responsible for completing all assigned work in a thorough and timely manner. This includes all reading from the text and other sources. The amount of history that we need to cover before the May exam is so vast that it will be impossible to spend class time reviewing everything that you are assigned to read. You must therefore take the initiative to keep up with all assigned reading, take your own notes on the material we cover, and ask questions when you come across content and concepts that you do not understand.
Given our time constraints, I will do my best to avoid spending class time teaching you facts about history that you can read for yourself. Of course, I will be happy to answer questions about your reading, but my goal is to spend our time together in class engaged in informed discussions and activities about the most interesting and meaningful concepts of our nation’s history. This will make the course much more enjoyable for all of us. But to accomplish this, you must come to class having done your homework.
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