Saint Ignatius College Prep

Chicago History
Fall 2019
Course Expectations
Mr. McPherson
nathan.mcpherson@ignatius.org
Office - Room 220
Classroom – 145

Course Summary
This course aims to provide students with an understanding of Chicago’s history from the city’s time
as a frontier town through the modern Chicago we live in today. In our study of Chicago’s past, the
class will delve into the themes revolving around Chicago politics, economics, ethnicities, race,
labor, culture, and Chicago’s ongoing endeavor to be an international city. One of our “big
questions” is just that – Is Chicago truly a “Global City”? Students will read selections from
Chicago: A Biography (2009) by Dominic Pacyga, the novel Boss by Mike Royko, as well as shorter
selections from a broad range of sources. Selections from Chicago literature will also be incorporated
into the course.

Course Goals and Student Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate a more complex understanding of American history that will be
focused on the development of Chicago as a metropolis, and its effect on the rest of the
country.
2. Students will understand the political structure of Chicago and Cook County and be prepared
to be active citizens of Chicagoland.
3. Students will understand the political, social, and cultural history of Chicago, and be able to
use that knowledge to analyze the current situation and events in Chicago, and present their
vision of the future.
4. Students will demonstrate higher analytical skills in reading, writing, and speaking as they
prepare for the challenges of a college education.

Course Plan
Unit One: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know: Chicago Politics
Unit Two: The City that Works: Chicago’s Economy
Unit Three: Who is a Chicagoan? A city’s changing demographics
Unit Four: Paris on the Prairie? Chicago Art, Architecture, and Music
Unit Five: When the World Was Watching: Chicago’s “Global” Moments
Unit Six: Where Are We Now? Contemporary Chicago
Classroom Expectations
Preparedness
It is your responsibility to come to class prepared to learn every day. Please be in your seat when the
bell rings. Since this course revolves around a significant amount of project based learning, your
contributions to the class and to small groups will be paramount. A positive attitude will be the best
preparation you can have at the beginning of the year!

Dress Code
The dress code outlined on pages 30-32 of the Student Handbook will always be enforced in this
class. All students are responsible for always wearing their ID, as well. I do actually enforce this!

Respect
Please always be respectful of your peers and listen when people are speaking. We will create a
family atmosphere amongst our class and I will ensure that our class is a place that all students feel
comfortable expressing their thoughts. All ideas are welcomed and invited, however, hateful or
prejudiced comments will not be tolerated.

iPad – Acceptable Use

The iPad is a wonderful tool that we can use to analyze history, access incredible amounts of
information and sources, and also use to communicate ideas in creative methods. Please read
the Technology Responsible Use Policy on page 24-25 of your Student Handbook. There will be
specific times during class when we use our iPads and certain times when I may ask the class to put
them away. The following activities will never be acceptable in class:

 Playing Games
 Instant messaging, Snapchat, Facebook Twitter, etc.
 Getting notifications during class
 Looking at websites that are not directly connected to what we are studying in class
 Using proxies to circumvent the school’s internet filter
 Touching another person’s iPad without their consent
 Taking pictures/video of another person without their consent

Homework Policy
All homework and test dates will be posted for each unit on the course website
at http://www.chihistory.weebly.com. Homework will be checked daily.
If a student is absent, any test or quiz that is missed due to an excused absence must be made up the
day that student returns. Please check the class website for missed assignments.

No late work will receive credit. Other major projects can be turned in within 3 days of the due date
for reduced credit. Students who have excused absences will be allowed to turn in homework the day
after they return to school.

Academic Integrity
All issues dealing with academic integrity are explained on pg. 20 of the Student Handbook.
Attempts to plagiarize, cheat, or otherwise represent someone else’s work as your own, will be
punished to the fullest extent as outlined in the Student Handbook. Whether you are working on a
homework assignment, a project, or research paper, all information taken from another source must
be cited. Unless I say otherwise, all assignments are individual assignments.
Any instances of plagiarism or cheating will result in a 0 for the assignment for all complicit parties.

Grading/Assessment Policies
Saint Ignatius Grading Scale
100 – 98 A+
97 – 93 A
92 – 90 A-
89 – 87 B+
86 – 83 B
82 – 80 B-
79 – 77 C+
76 – 73 C
72 – 70 C-
69 – 67 D+
66 – 63 D
62 – 60 D-
59 and Below = F

Components of your grade

Grades will include tests, projects and papers, quizzes and homework. There will be approximately 5
tests per semester. Tests will be a combination of written definitions, multiple choice and short
answer/essay. Other types of assessments will include projects, papers and presentations. The final
project, “Chicago History Fair” will comprise 15% of your grade.

Honors Project Fall 2019

There will be a detailed project assigned to students in the Honors section of Chicago History. More
information on this assignment will be posted on the course website
at http://www.chihistory.weebly.com