History 310 (Telecourse)
United States History to 1877
Dr. Stuart GraybillSacramento City College
Office: RN 211Office Hours:
Phone: 558-2309MW 12:00-1:00 p.m.
E-mail: ri. 11:00-12:00 p.m.
Website:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will examine the historical development of American society and culture to 1877. Course materials will introduce students to the origins and consequences of the major historical forces (economic, social, cultural and political) that helped shape life in America to the end of Reconstruction.
This section of History 310 is a TELECOURSE – that is, in addition to reading materials, students are required to view a series of video lectures on U.S. history to 1877 (broadcast on Comcast Cable Channel 16, and SureWest Channel 22, Monday and Wednesday nights, at 5:00 p.m. – the broadcast schedule of video lectures follows at the end of this syllabus). VHS tapes and DVD recordings of the video lectures are available at the media counter on the lower level of the Learning Resources Center. Students may borrow these tapes and view them in the Learning Resources Center. There are also a limited number of VHS tapes and DVDs of all the video lectures in the course available for semester rental (also at the media counter, Learning Resources Center, lower level). VHS tapes and DVDs are $20 for the semester.
Finally, students are required to attend an initial orientation meeting (Thursday January 24, 5:30-6:50 p.m., Rodda North 208) and a small number of class meetings thereafter to complete examinations on the videos and course reading materials.
TIME COMMITMENT:
Telecourses generally require much more out-of-class time from students than ordinary lecture courses.
An ordinary lecture course at Sacramento City College contains roughly fifty-four (54) hours of class sessions. The College and its faculty generally expect students to devote approximately two (2) hours to course work outside class for every hour inside class (to read course materials, complete assignments, study for exams, etc.). This means that students should expect to devote approximately one hundred and sixty (160) hours of labor, total, to complete the necessary work for an ordinary lecture course at SCC.
Television courses, however, contain far fewer “class” hours. For example, the total length of the video lectures and in-class examinations for this telecourse is just seventeen (19) hours. Nevertheless, students are still expected to devote the same amount of effort to a telecourse as they would to an ordinary lecture course (approximately one hundred and sixty [160] hours of labor). So, telecourses generally contain more reading and writing assignments than an ordinary lecture course. Thus the total volume of reading and writing assignments for this telecourse generally exceeds that of an ordinary lecture course.
REQUIRED READING MATERIALS:
Textbook for the Course: The American Promise, Vol. I: To 1877, 3rd edition
(Roark, et al)
Telecourse Guide:Telecourse Guide for Shaping America, 3rd edition
(Alfers, Kenneth)
Additional Books:The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741 (Zabin, Serena)
Dred Scott v. Sandford (Finkelman, Paul)
The items above are available for purchase in the College store
and also on reserve in the Learning Resources Center.
GRADED ASSIGNMENTS:
Students are required to complete EIGHT SHORT ESSAYS, TWOMIDTERM EXAMS, and a FINAL EXAM. The relative value of these assignments, as a percentage of your course grade, is provided below:
Papers-- 50% (approx. 6.25% of course grade per essay)
Exams -- 50% (approx. 16.5% of course grade per exam)
The essays will assess students' command of two of the course readings, The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741, and Dred Scott v. Sandford. The midterm and final examinations will assess students’ command of the textbook, telecourse guide, and class material (videos) through essays. Students must bring BLUE BOOKS to exams. Blue Books may be purchased at the College Store.
The exam schedule is provided below:
First Midterm Exam: Thursday, February 21 5:30-6:50 p.m., RN 208
Second Midterm Exam:Thursday, April 3 5:30-6:50 p.m., RN 208
Final Exam:Thursday, May 15 5:45-7:45 p.m., RN 208
A weekly reading and assignment schedule (begining on page 10 of this syllabus) also contains dates for exams and completion of essay assignments.
ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS (PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION!!!!):
The subject matter for the first four essays is The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741: Daniel Horsmanden’s Journal of the Proceedings – edited by Serena Zabin. The subject matter for the last four essays is Dred Scott v. Sandford, a collection of documents and analytical essays on the U.S. Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision (1857) – edited by Paul Finkelman.
The essays should be composed in the following manner: each essay should be approximately 3 pages, typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, 1" margins. Each essay should contain an introductory paragraph, a body, and a conclusion.
The introduction should provide just that - an introduction to the topic you're examining. The basic elements of an introduction can generally be identified in the opening paragraph of a good newspaper article. Reporters generally attempt to identify early in the article the Who, What, Where, and When of the piece. In many newspaper articles, the reporter introduces Who the story is about, What was the incident to be described, and Where and When it occurred, often in the first sentence of the article. You should strive for such clarity and brevity in introductions to your essays. A good introduction also provides a thesis statement (a sentence or sentences that decisively state an argument or position that the author intends to develop and demonstrate in the essay).
The body should be composed of several paragraphs that support your thesis and the main points of your essay. Above all, the body of your essays provide the EVIDENCE, FACTS, and EXAMPLES, drawn from the reading materials, that rationally support your thesis. More than any other single criteria, your essays will be judged on the care and diligence you demonstrate in your effort to understand the arguments, ideas, facts, and evidence contained in the books.
For the purposes of the essays you will be writing, the term "evidence" includes examples, concrete facts, and major ideas drawn from the reading assignments. Thus your arguments in your essays should contain numerous quotations, drawn specifically from the reading, and your writing should carefully examine the evidence and main ideas of the books you will be reading.
The conclusion can be constructed in a variety of ways: it may be a brief summary of the main points of your essay; it may also be a restatement of your thesis. But the best conclusion is one that demonstrates the HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE of the issue at hand and your analysis of it.
Papers will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
1. Organization, logic, coherence (that is, introduction, thesis, body, conclusion, etc.).
2. Content (quantity and quality of evidence, level of analysis, level of command of subject matter).
3. Grammar, syntax, spelling.
FINALLY! SINCE THIS IS A HISTORY COURSE, EACH PAPER YOU WRITE SHOULD MAKE CHRONOLOGY CRYSTAL CLEAR! THAT IS, BEFORE YOU SUBMIT AN ESSAY MAKE SURE YOUR WORK CLEARLY EXPLAINS ALL THE RELEVANT DATES AND THE RELEVANT SEQUENCE OF EVENTS. INDEED, THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF EVERY ESSAY SHOULD CLEARLY INDICATE THE TIME PERIOD IN QUESTION, AND ALL SUBSEQUENT PARAGRAPHS SHOULD MAKE THE CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE OF EVENTS CLEAR.
A WARNING ON PLAGIARISM - WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?
Plagiarism is the use of somebody else’s material (as if it were your own) in a paper or an essay without giving credit to the author. The following are examples of the criteria that will be used in this class to identify plagiarism:
1. The use of somebody else’s exact wording, whatever the material, without indicating the source and without using quotation marks or other accepted typographical devises to identify the sentences, paragraphs, and passages obtained from an author. Changing a few words here and there in a sentence, paragraph, or paragraphs, is not sufficient to avoid plagiarism!
2. Borrowing the whole pattern of organization and points of view of a source without giving credit via standard in-text written citations and clear identification of source/sources.
3. Borrowing facts, figures, or ideas that originated with, and are the property of, a particular source rather than a matter of common information available in many sources.
4. Collaborating with other students to the extent that two or more assignments are identical in wording, pattern of organization, or points of view.
Plagiarism is literary thievery and, thus, it is a serious offense (and I treat it seriously). It can lead to dismissal from the college and severe negative long-term implications for completing a college or university education in the United States.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR ESSAYS:
There are two options for delivering your essays to the professor:
1. Printed paper or type-written copies may be delivered to the following address
(delivered personally or via U.S. Mail):
Prof. Stuart Graybill
Behavioral and Social Sciences Division, RN 226
Sacramento City College
3835 Freeport Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95822-1386
ATTENTION:
If you wish to receive a reply from me with comments and a grade, via U.S. Mail, please
include a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your essay.
2. Students may also send their essays to me electronically, via e-mail:
Essays may be sent to the following address: .
* Special instructions for those who choose to submit essays Via E-mail
(PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW!!!!):
FOR ELECTRONIC RECORD KEEPING PURPOSES, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW PRECISELY! (because, computers can’t intuit your intent) IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW PRECISELY, YOUR ESSAY WILL BE RETURNED TO YOU UNGRADED (AND LATE PENALTIES WILL APPLY IF YOUR ESSAY IS NOT SUBMITTED CORRECTLY ON TIME)!
DO NOT!! REPEAT, DO NOT!!!! COMPOSE YOUR ESSAY IN YOUR E-MAIL PROGRAM!
Write your essay in a word processing program and save it, preferably, as a Microsoft Word Document (.doc) or in Rich Text Format (.rtf).
The file name of the essay should be titled with your last name followed by the essay number.
For example: Smith1.rtf, or Smith1.doc. (no spaces between characters!)
In the subject line of the e-mail message, students should write, History 310, and the essay
number.
For example: History 310, Essay 1.
In the body of the essay, students should write their full name and the essay number at the top of
the first page. Finally, students should then send their papers to me as an attachment to their e-
mail message.
AGAIN, DO NOT COMPOSE YOUR ESSAY IN YOUR E-MAIL PROGRAM!
IF YOU SUBMIT YOUR ESSAY VIA EMAIL, AND YOU WANT ME TO RETURN YOUR ESSAY, GRADED WITH COMMENTS, YOU MUST FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE PRECISELY. ESSAYS THAT DO NOT CONFORM TO THE INSTRUCTIONS ABOVE MAY NOT BE ACCEPTED AND WILL NOT BE RETURNED (INDEED, I MAY NOT EVEN BE ABLE TO READ THEM ON MY COMPUTER).
POLICY REGARDING MISSED EXAMS:
-If you miss one of the midterm exams, there is one make-up exam at the end of the course (in the
second hour of the final exam period. You may only make up just one exam, however, so I strongly
urge students to take midterms on the scheduled dates!
POLICY REGARDING MISSED ESSAYS:
-YOU MUST COMPLETE SEVEN ESSAYS IF YOU WISH TO PASS THE COURSE! If you do not
turn in seven essays, you will not pass the class. Of course, if you turn in all the exams, you will
maximize your chance to earn the best possible score in the class.
POLICY REGARDING LATE PAPERS:
-Late papers will be assessed ONE FULL GRADE PENALTY, and late papers will not be accepted
beyond one week following the scheduled due date of that particular essay. So read the syllabus
carefully and arrange your personal schedule so that you submit your work on time.
RECOMMENDED COURSES:
COMPLETION OF ENGRD 310 (or ESLW 320 and ESLR 320) AND ELIGIBILITY FOR
ENGWR 100 IS STRONGLY ADVISED!
STANDARDS FOR CLASSROOM COURTESY:
1. Cell phones and pagers must be either turned off or set on vibrate mode!
2. Students are not permitted to answer cell phones or other devices in class! If you absolutely must
return phone calls during the class period, please do so outside the room (and if you anticipate that
you may need to answer a phone, please position yourself close to the exit so that you do not
disrupt the class when you leave).
3. Plan ahead so that you arrive in class on time!
LEARNING ACCOMODATIONS
Students who have a learning disability or a physical disability that requires special accommodation should inform me at the beginning of the term. Students who present to me proper verification from the disability center on campus will be accommodated.
EXAM PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS
The midterm and final examinations are structurally identical to one another. The exams will be divided into THREE parts. The first two parts will require students to write essays, while the third part is an extra credit section derived from the chronology tables at the end of each chapter in the textbook, The American Promise (a sample exam follows on page 9).
Near the end of each Lesson of the Telecourse Guide for Shaping America is a section titled, “PRACTICE TEST.” Within that section is a subsection titled, "ESSAY QUESTION(S)" In this section there are one or two, and, occasionally, three questions. On the midterm and final examinations I will select four essay questions from the Telecourse Guide and place them in parts I & II of the exams. Students will then write ONE essay in each of these sections.
By the time you complete reading each Lesson of the Telecourse Guide, you should be prepared to write an in-class examination essay on each of the "ESSAY QUESTIONS" described in the “PRACTICE TEST” section of that Lesson.
On PART I of the first midterm exam, I will choose, at random, TWO of the "ESSAY QUESTIONS" from Lessons 1-3 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 4 "ESSAY QUESTIONS" in Lessons 1-3). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those two questions - the one question that you think you are best able to answer.
On PART II of the first midterm exam, I will choose, at random, TWO of the "ESSAY QUESTIONS" from Lessons 4-6 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 5 "ESSAY QUESTIONS" in Lessons 4-6). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those two questions - the one question that you think you are best able to answer.
On PART I of the second midterm exam, I will choose, at random, TWO of the "ESSAY QUESTIONS" from Lessons 7-9 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 4 "ESSAY QUESTIONS" in Lessons 7-9). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those two questions - the one question that you think you are best able to answer.
On PART II of the second midterm exam, I will choose, at random, TWO of the "ESSAY QUESTIONS" from Lessons 10-12 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 5 "ESSAY QUESTIONS" in Lessons 10-12). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those two questions - the one question that you think you are best able to answer.
On PART I of the final exam, I will choose, at random, TWO of the "ESSAY QUESTIONS" from Lessons 13-19 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 9 "ESSAY QUESTIONS" in Lessons 13-19). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those three questions - the one question that you think you are best able to answer.
On PART II of the final exam, I will choose, at random, TWO of the "ESSAY QUESTIONS" from Lessons 20-26 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 15 "ESSAY QUESTIONS" in Lessons 20-26). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those three questions - the one question that you think you are best able to answer.
Students should prepare for the exams by intensively studying the textbook and video lectures to answer the essay questions in the practice test sections of the lessons in the Telecourse Guide. Students may prepare 3x5 cards to assist them in answering the essay questions from the lessons.
EXAM PREPARATION CARDS ARE OPTIONAL - YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO CREATE AND USE THEM! Naturally, however, those who do create and use the cards tend to be more successful on the exams than those who do not.
ALL EXAMS MUST BE COMPLETED IN A BLUE BOOK! IF YOU WISH TO HAVE THE PROFESSOR RETURN YOUR BLUEBOOK BEFORE THE NEXT EXAM, PLEASE PROVIDE AN ENVELOPE WITH SUFFICIENT POSTAGE TO RETURN YOUR BLUEBOOK VIA US MAIL (and, of course, you may come by the professor’s office hour and pick up your exam in person).
If you choose to prepare cards, you must submit those cards with your blue book. Also, if you choose to prepare cards, you must conform to the following rules for composing the cards:
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPOSING EXAM PREPARATION CARDS: