Requirements
Books
We will use two books in this course: A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn, and A Patriot’s History of the United States by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen. Both books are available in the university bookstore, as well as numerous other vendors. Any edition of either book is fine.
Weblog
You are required to obtain a Plus-level subscription to TypePad, a weblog service at http://typepad.com. The service is $8.95/month, but because you automatically receive 30 days free, the total cost for a semester is around $27.00, or roughly the cost of a college textbook. You are free to cancel your subscription at the end of the semester, but TypePad is a great service should you wish to continue blogging beyond this course. Please do not ask to use another service; I will only accept blog posts published through TypePad. TypePad is a reliable, easy-to-use service, and I do not have time to help troubleshoot other blogging services. You are, however, free to publish your blog posts on your personal blogs if you have them, but you must turn in your blog assignments through your TypePad blog.
Camera
Access to a camera, digital or film, is also required for this course. You can use any film camera, even a disposable camera (which usually cost around $5.00). You must, however, obtain digital copies of your pictures. In most cases, you can ask to have your photos copied onto a compact disc. Digital cameras are available through the STAR lab (http://media.gmu.edu/), though you should contact them for details.
You will need access to a camera to complete National Mall Photo Album project, discussed elsewhere.