Purpose of Course . The purpose of this course is to discuss U.S. History from 1877 through the present, examining the major people, events, and themes of this period. How your final grade is determined .
Attendance is mandatory .
However, it is to your benefit to come to class, for a substantial portion of the material I plan to discuss is either not covered in the textbook or will be covered by me in more detail than the textbook . You can miss up to four days of class without any impact on your attendance grade. I will hand out the attendance roster within 5 minutes of the start of class. If you arrive late without a valid excuse and, therefore, do not sign the roster, I will count you absent for that day . I do not want to hear excuses about the time it takes to walk across campus.