OASA: the course syllabus

UNIT ONE

UNIT TWO

UNIT THREE

To see the dates of classes and other events, access the calendar.

Seminars
#	Week	Topics for study / discussion	Assigned reading	Hours
1	I	Survey. Introduction to the course.	In-Survey US History Timeline US History Timeline by infoplease.com	1	1
2	II	The US History: the main events that led to formation of the United States of America as it is now.	VOA American History Series: Columbus Sails, Others Follow, and Spain Is on Top of the World. VOA American History Series: A Difficult Life for English Settlers. VOA American History Series: How a Desire for Religious Freedom or Land, or Both, Led to Colonies. VOA American History Series: Slavery Arrives as Colonial Expansion Heads South. 200th Anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. American History Series: Jefferson Gets Louisiana Territory From France. Lewis and Clark Expedition Helped Open American West. Lewis and Clark, Part 1. Lewis and Clark, Part 2. Lewis and Clark, Part 3. Team ONE Team TWO	1	1
3	III	The US Geography and its Political Division.	The US Geography Encyclopedia. Geography-of-the-United-States Geography-of-the-Eastern-United-States Geography-of-the-Interior-United-States Geography-of-the-Western-United-States States of the United States 50 states USA Geography List of regions of the United States Bible Belt Black Belt Cotton Belt Corn Belt Grain Belt Rust Belt Snow Belt Sun Belt Climate of the USA and Canada; Safety Considerations for a US/Canadian Holiday - Extreme Weather Conditions US Maps. Physical Map of USA. Map Gallery.	1	1
4	IV	The US Government: the system of checks and balances.	"How does our system of checks and balances help protect our rights?" "The Executive Branch: Powers of the Presidency" "The Legislative Branch: The Reach of Congress" "The Judicial Branch: Interpreting the Constitution" "PRESIDENTIAL POWERS IN TIMES OF EMERGENCY: Could Terrorism Result In A Constitutional Dictator?"	1	1
5	V	The US Elections: the Electoral College.	"Who Can Vote and Who Can Be Elected" "Step-by-Step on the Campaign Trail" "The Electoral College." "The Electoral College System." "What is the Electoral College?" How the Electoral College Works - And Why It Works Well Direct Election of the US President: Unacknowledged Perils. Time For Reform? Considering the Failures of the Electoral College The electoral College: An Unacceptable Way to Elect Our President	1	1
6	VI	The US Mass Media: the Internet�s Bigger Role in the US Election 2008.	Election 2008: Web Gains but TV Still Rules. If there is an ad after opening the page, skip it by clicking on "SKIP THIS WELCOME SCREEN" in the upper right corner or wait till the article opens in a few seconds. Will the 2008 USA election be won on Facebook? Internet Influence on Election 2008. Election 2008: Measuring the Power of "Netroots". Media and the Election. The Media's Election. The Web�s Role In The 2008 U.S. Presidential Election. Commentary on the impact of the internet on the 2004 election. Growing Internet role in election. Election 2008: The Internet Campaign. YouTube in Election 2008. Study: Americans use Net to look beyond sound bite.	1	1
7	VII	PART I TEST (The test is on http://oasa.ninehub.com/)		1	1
8	VIII	The US Economy: the Role of Government in the Economy.	"School, and Family Budgets Under Pressure." "Bush Offers Plan to Save Fannie, Freddie." "Government Steps In To Rescue Fannie, Freddie." "US Announces Plan to Support Mortgage Giants." "Too Big to Fail, the Next Step: US Seizes Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac." "US Government Takes Over Two Major Financial Firms." "Government Taking Over Fannie, Freddie." "Global Nightmare: If Fannie And Freddie Had Failed." "Feds Take Over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac." "US rescues giant mortgage lenders." Read the text "The Role of Government in the Economy." Read the text "The Role of Government," April 07, 2008. By America.gov. Read the text "Government Role in Business." By Answers.com.	1	1
9	IX	The US Social Security.	Read "The US Healthcare System." Read "Healthcare in the United States." By Samuel D Uretsky, PharmD. Read or listen to "U.S. Health Care: World's Most Expensive." Read or listen to "U.S. Health Spending: Looking for a Cure." By VOA Special English. Read or listen to "Rising Health Care Costs One of 'Biggest Challenges'." Read "U.S. Society > Health Care." Optional reading - "Health care in the United States." Study the bar chart "Reasons for No Health Insurance Coverage Among Uninsured Persons Aged <65 Years." National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2004. Scan through "The Reason So Many Americans are Uninsured." By ezinearticles.com. Scan through the text and find the paragraphs about the uninsured - "This is America - Health Care in the United States." Scan through "Health Care Crisis: The Uninsured." By PBC.org. Scan through or listen to "Census: Fewer Americans Lack Health Insurance." By NPR.org. Optional reading - "A Decline in Uninsured is Reported for 2007." By NYTimes. Scan through or listen to "California Center Works for Americans Without Health Insurance." By VOA news. Read or listen to "Many Immigrants Not Getting Health Care." By VOA news. Read or watch "Health Care for Illegal Immigrants in USA Remains Point of Contention." By VOA news. Optional reading - "Immigrants Facing Deportation by U.S. Hospitals." By NYTimes. Read "The patients' bill of rights in medicare and medicaid." By hhs.gov.	1	1
10	X	The US Population: immigration.	"VOA American History Series: A Difficult Life for English Settlers." "VOA American History Series: How a Desire for Religious Freedom or Land, or Both, Led to Colonies." "VOA American History Series: Slavery Arrives as Colonial Expansion Heads South." "American History Series: By 1750, Almost One in Four People in the Colonies Were Slaves." "Immigrants: America's Industrial Growth Depended on Them." "American Lawmakers React to Flood of Immigrants in Late 1800s." "Census figures show dramatic growth in Asian, Hispanic populations." "U.S. Minority Population Continues to Grow." "Hispanics in America." "A Nation of Immigrants, Divided Over the Subject of Immigration." "With All the Talk About Illegal Immigration, a Look at the Legal Kind." "Bush Proposes Temporary Worker Program." "New U.S. Citizens Dream of Business Success, Raising Families." "U.S. Minorities Will Be the Majority by 2042, Census Bureau Says." "Immigrants, Births Put US on Way to 400 Million by 2043."	1	1
11	XI	The US Education.	Ivy League. By Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. What are Ivy League Universities? By DiscoverAbroad.com Ivy League. By answers.com Brown University. University's official site. Brown University. By Wikipedia. Columbia University. University's official site. Columbia University. By Wikipedia. Cornell University. University's official site. Cornell University. By Wikipedia. Dartmouth College. College's official site. Dartmouth College. By Wikipedia. Harvard University. University's official site. Harvard University. By Wikipedia. University of Pennsylvania. University's official site. University of Pennsylvania. By Wikipedia. Princeton University. University's official site. Princeton University. By Wikipedia. Yale University. University's official site. Yale University. By Wikipedia.	1	1
12	XII	PART II TEST (The test is on http://oasa.ninehub.com/)		1	1
13	XIII	The US Culture and Traditions.	"Holidays in the United States." (www.america.gov) "Celebrate! Holidays in the USA: Introduction." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "We answer a listener's question about holidays (Labor Day, Veterans Day)." (28 August 2003. VOA Special English.) "Holiday Shopping Season in the U.S." (03 December 2004. VOA Special English.) "Holiday Gifts." (19 December 2003. VOA Special English.) "Holiday Gifts: So What Have Americans Been Buying This Year?"* (23 December 2005. VOA Special English.) "Americans Celebrate Martin Luther King Day." (22 January 2008. VOA.) "US Holiday Honors Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King, Jr." (21 January 2008. VOA.) "Bush Honors Martin Luther King." (21 January 2008. VOA.) "Martin Luther King Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "America's First President Honored at His Home." (18 February 2008. VOA.) "President's Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "Memorial Day." (24 May 2002. VOA Special English.) "Memorial Day and Military Memorials." (27 May 2003. VOA Special English.) "Memorial Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "Independence Day." (04 July 2004. VOA Special English.) "Fourth of July Celebration." (03 July 2003. VOA Special English.) "Celebrating July Fourth With Fireworks, Music, Picnics and Parades." (02 July 2006. VOA Special English.) "Ooh! Ahh! Sis-Boom-Bah! Music to Go With the Fourth of July Fireworks."** (03 July 2005. VOA Special English.) "Independence Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "Why September for U.S. Labor Day?" (03 September 2004. VOA Special English.) "Labor's Day" (29 August 2008. VOA.) "Americans Prepare to Celebrate Labor Day." (31 August 2007. VOA.) "Labor Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "Columbus Day."* (VOA) "Columbus Day (Why Isn't America Named for Columbus?)." (09 October 2003. VOA Special English.) "Columbus Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "Veterans Day." (11 November 2002. VOA.) "Veterans Day." (10 November 2003. VOA.) "Veterans Day: Honoring Those Who Served, and Sacrificed." (09 November 2006. VOA Special English.) "Veterans' Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "Thanksgiving." (15 November 2001. VOA Special English.) "Thanksgiving." (22 November 2002. VOA Special English.) "At Thanksgiving, Turkeys Fly Out of Stores." (20 November 2006. VOA Special English.) "Thanksgiving Day: Filled With Family Traditions and, Oh Yes, Food." (19 November 2006. VOA Special English.) "Thanksgiving Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "Christmas Traditions and Music." (23 December 2002. VOA.) "Christmas Trees." (03 December 2001. VOA Special English.) "Special Trees and Plants Are Part of the Christmas Tradition." (24 December 2007. VOA Special English.) "White Christmas: One of the Best Loved Holiday Songs." (22 December 2007. VOA Special English.) "Santa Claus: Do You Believe?" (23 December 2006. VOA Special English.) "Christmas Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "A Special Story for Christmas: 'The Gift of the Magi'." (23 December 2005. VOA Special English.) "A question about Groundhog Day." (29 January 2004. VOA.) "Valentine's Day." (14 February 1999. VOA.) "Music for Valentine's Day." (13 February 2003. VOA Special English.) "Many Express Love with Flowers on Valentine's Day."** (14 February 2007, VOA.) "Valentine's Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "New Orleans and Mardi Gras." (07 March 2003. VOA.) "Mardi Gras." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "Listener Question About St. Patrick's Day." (13 March 2003. VOA.) "St. Patrick's Day in US." (15 March 2007. VOA Special English.) "St. Patrick's Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "Earth Day 2003." (17 April 2003. VOA.) "Arbor Day." (30 April 2004. VOA Special English.) "Arbor Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "Question About Mother's Day." (09 May 2002. VOA Special English.) "Mother�s Day." (07 May 2004. VOA.) "Mother's Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "Question About Father's Day." (13 June 2002. VOA Special English.) "Father's Day." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.) "Halloween and Edgar Allan Poe." (25 October 2002. VOA.) "Halloween." (05 February 2002. VOA.) "Halloween." (English Language Program Division, US Information Agency.)	1	1
14	XIV	The US Religious Diversity.	Read "Religion in Colonial America." By students of University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 2001. Read or listen to "Virginia Colonists." An excerpt from "American History Series: A Difficult Life for English Settlers," by Nancy Steinbach, VOA Special English. Read or listen to "Massachusetts Colonists." An excerpt from "American History Series: A Difficult Life for English Settlers," by Nancy Steinbach, VOA Special English. Read or listen to "Puritans." An excerpt from "American History Series: How a Desire for Religious Freedom or Land, or Both, Led to Colonies." Read or listen to "Quakers." An excerpt from "American History Series: How a Desire for Religious Freedom or Land, or Both, Led to Colonies." Read or listen to "Maryland Colonists." An excerpt from "American History Series: Slavery Arrives as Colonial Expansion Heads South."	1	1
15	XV	American Indians.	Optional reading - "First Peoples," by Paul Thompson, VOA Special English. Read or listen to "American History Series: Buffalo, 'Mystery Dogs' (Horses) and the Lives of the Plains Indians," by Paul Thompson, VOA Special English. Native people believed that the bison offered everything they needed. Nothing went to waste. But hunting them was difficult -- until the Spanish brought horses to North America in the 1500s. Read or listen to "American History Series: A Clash of Cultures in the New World," by Paul Thompson, VOA Special English. Differences over land ownership and religion led to mistrust between European settlers and Indian tribes. The arrival of diseases from Europe further damaged relations. Read or listen to "Native Americans Went to War to Protect Their Lands," by Frank Beardsley, VOA Special English. Read or listen to "Native Americans Fight Two Wars Over Land Rights," by Frank Beardsley, VOA Special English. Optional reading - "How the Western United States Was Settled," by Frank Beardsley, VOA Special English. Read "United States Respects Indian Tribes' Right to Self-Determination," by America.gov. Read "Indian reservation," by Wikipedia. Watch "30 days - Life on an Indian Reservation." A 2008 video. "Morgan Spurlock will leave America as he knows it, without ever actually leaving US soil, to live with a people who many see as refugees in their own country, when he heads west to spend 30 days with the Native American Indians on the Navajo Nation." Read "Life in the USA. Indian Reservations," by USA tourist community. Study the maps below: a map of Indian reservations or a map of the United States, with non-reservation land highlighted, a physical map of USA or US Maps.	1	1
16	XVI	Women in the United States.	"Women in the Military." By VOA Special English. "A Soldier's Life: Women in the U.S. Military." By Jerilyn Watson, VOA Special English. "Role of Women in US Military Gets Renewed Debate." By Al Pessin, VOA Special English. "More Women Become National Leaders; When Will the U.S. Follow?" By Nancy Steinbach, VOA Special English. "Women in Congress." By Jerilyn Watson, VOA Special English. "The First Black Woman Elected to the U.S. Congress." By Lawan Davis, VOA Special English. "First Black US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm Dies at 80." "Indra Nooyi to Lead PepsiCo." by Jill Moss, VOA Special English. "Hewlett-Packard Ousts 'Most Powerful Woman in Business'." By Mario Ritter, VOA Special English. "Harvard Gets a Female President; Progress Slows at Other Colleges." By Brianna Blake, VOA Special English. "Does John McCain Support Equal Pay for Women?" By Lahle Wolfe, About.com. "McCain On Equal Pay For Women." Youtube video. "It's Time for Working Women to Earn Equal Pay." "The Equal Pay Act of 1963."	1	1
17	XVII	PART III TEST (The test is on http://oasa.ninehub.com/)		1	1
18	XVIII	REVISION\Out-Survey		1	1
19	XIX	FINAL TEST (The test is on http://oasa.ninehub.com/)		1	1
Total				19	19

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UNIT ONE

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