OK class

This class over-all was very informative. It was also, however, boring. My advise to anyone taking this class is to complete as many summaries as possible and to participate in class as much as possible. Not doing summaries makes a big difference and can lower your grade dramatically. The proffessor is a good guy and is very friendly. That's pretty much I can say about this class.

To Prospective AMS 111 students

I enjoyed this class very much not just because I am a History major, but because the Professor provides articles and topics that we as students and educated people should be aware of. In the beginning it seems like just another American history class but the articles do become more interesting as well as the topics. You have to be prepared to read and hand in one page summaries for every article, wich is due whenever the next time class meets. The only time you will get a break from reading will be when you see movies and even then you'll have to write a summary about what you saw in the movie. If you get full credit on almost all your summaries then you won't have to take the midterm. In class, the Professor discusses the articles that were due that day and as long as you grasp the concept of the articles in your summaries he will give you full credit. He also provides extra credit in case you need to improve you summary grades. Overall he is a good and fair teacher. I highly recommend his class if you are willing to do the work!

My overall opinion of this course

This class is deceivingly interesting. It starts out as this rerun history class from high school about our fore fathers and the drama that lead to the civil war but then when you actually get into it, there is a lot about the progression of the conflicts that i didnt know so i learned a lot about how people could have seen Lincoln as a hypocrit more so than the freedom fighter he's known to be. Another thing thatI learned was that there are many points of views to war. Woman of elkton definately opens eyes. Its a point of view that not many know about. Before we talked about this, I thought the start of womens rights was a progression of shorter skirts, shorter hair, and tighter clothes. One thing I am thankful for was the how we covered different views of Iraq. Before, when this war started, everyone was saying "oh, its cuz of oil". I wasnt really a fan of listening to people but going over some of the material I kind of believe we were over there for the oil. But I also didnt know about Abu Graib and how there are a lot of ways this war is affecting us. I would still be oblivious if i wasnt forced to read a lot of this. overall good class. If you arent a writer, this doesnt count towards a writing intensive course so choose something else.

Class Review for Future AMS 111 Students

What can I say? American Studies 111 is a history elective focused on American experiences in the face of armed conflicts. For those who detest history, turn back. However, for those who are interested in history, especially that of our great country, you will encounter certain aspects of our nation during such times as the Civil War, World War II, and more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This course truly did open up my eyes to certain things that I did not know previously on these topics.
I didn't know what to expect with this course until the first day. As Professor Swihart read over the syllabus, I said to myself, "You must be kidding me!!" Almost every class throughout the semester, you are required to read anywhere from 1-3 articles, some short (2-3 pages), some long (20-25 pages), and then hand in at least a one page summary (either handwritten or typed double-spaced), the next class. In class, you will then discuss what you have read.
Though it seemed like a lot of work, there was ONE thing I saw in the syllabus. If you do all but three summaries up until the mid-term, you were EXEMPT, yes I said EXEMPT, from taking the mid-term. So basically it's just as good as a 100% on the mid-term. It said the same for the final as well. However, about midway through the course, Professor Swihart said that regardless of what anyone does with the summaries after the midterm, everyone must take the final. Though I didn't know the reason behind the sudden change, I just rolled with it (I must admit....I was a little angry....I still got love for you Professor!!). I didn't want to take a final, but he gave us the questions ahead of time in order to prepare for them before hand, which I thought was quite noble.
I wish this course would have fulfilled a writing intensive requirement (which it could have), but did not. However, I do believe that this coming semester (Spring 08'), this couse is given as a writing intensive course. A little too late for me, but now you can expect that there will be a decent amount of writing in a course when it is considered "Writing Intensive". If I would have known there would have been this much writing involved, I wouldn't have registered for the course. Although, if it fulfilled a writing intensive requirement, then that would have been a whole different story. All in all, I did enjoy the course and what it had to offer, despite the sometimes demanding work schedule.

My Advice to Prospective Students:

1) If Professor Swihart offers that same deal of doing all but three summaries and you are exempt from the mid-term, try to do it. It only benefits you and your grade because not only are you doing all the summaries, which are weighted the most at 40% of your grade, but you also will get an automatic 100% on the mid-term and don't have to worry about. Whatever the case may be, try not to fall too behind in the summaries because IT WILL get overwheming.

2)Staple your work!! He will take points off...

3)Once again, if you are not a history buff, or you don't like to read and write too much, this is not the course for you. (Though this coming semester you will receive a writing intensive credit for your work....much like the one I think my class deserved. But...what is, is what is!!)

class review!

If you are a history or prelaw major this class is definitly for you! If not don't rule it out just be aware that this isn't an easy elective course! Although this is a very demanding course if you put the work in you will definitly walk away from it with something. Professor Swihart is extremely knowledgeable on all the topics and is very good at breaking down all the information for all the non-history majors, like myself, to understand.
If you are looking for an easy A with as little work required as possible get out of this class now! If you are interested in learning a lot about American war's and how they affect our culture here's what you are in for...
For every class you are assigned AT LEAST one reading on various topics and are required to hand in at the beginning of class a page long summary of each article. This may seem easy but some of these articles are very long and difficult to understand, others are shorter and more interesting!
Two very good aspects of the class:
1. You are not graded on being entirely right or wrong, Professor Swihart looks to see that you actually read the entire article and put an honest effort into understanding it and then you spend the class discussing the article so even if your summary isnt exactly right you leave the class knowing what it was about
2. NO TEXTBOOK!! all of the articles are provided online!
Overall I think this class is worth taking if you have the time to put in the work, although at times I was overwhelemed by the workload in the end I am glad that I stuck with it and feel I learned a lot.
One last piece of advise if you choose to stick with this course... Don't leave the readings until the night before class!
~Maureen B.

Fall 2007 Students:

This is your spot to share your wisdom with future students in Swihart's AMS 111 course. What should new students expect? How did you get the reading and writing done? How did you prepare for the midterm and final? What were the readings like? How did you prepare for class? What's the way to get a good grade? How much time per week did you need to spend on the work in this class? To whom would you recommend this class or who do you think should avoid it? Etc, etc, etc.

Basically, what would you have liked to know back in September on the first days of class?

(NOTES: You're welcome to post something after the class is over too, but obviously I won't be able to give you extra summary points then. Nothing you write here will affect your grade negatively.)