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History 310:

History of the United Statesto 1877

Professor Julia K. KehewSCC Davis, Summer Session 2

E-mail: -Th8-10:05a.m., Room 108, #11531

Website:

This course covers the development of American Institutions and society through Reconstruction and partially fulfills American Institutions requirements. The course emphasizes the role played by political, economic, social, cultural, and intellectual forces on the culture and development of multiple ethnic groups in a comparative format.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

describe and analyze the evolution of principles on which the institutions of the United States are based.

  • recognize the contributions of different cultural groups to U.S. History.
  • analyze historical arguments with enhanced critical thinking skills.
  • analyze historical arguments with enhanced writing skills.
  • evaluate current issues in light of the past.
  • examine the influence of geographic, physical, and natural resources on American History.
  • recognize the inclusionary and exclusionary distinctions of our cultural heritage, based on race, gender, class, creed, or other conditions.
  • demonstrate an understanding of the role ethnocentrism has played in the social, cultural, and political development of America.

GRADING:

Participation 20 points

Quizzes100 points10 quizzes – see schedule for due dates.

First paper, 5-6 pgs. 50 pointsdue beginning of class, Thursday, July 5

Midterm 80 pointsin class, Monday, July 9.

Paper rewrite 50 pointsdue beginning of class, Monday, July 23.

Final Exam100 pointsin class, Thursday, August 2.

Total Points:400

Grades will be assigned on the following basis:

360-400 points:A

320-359 points:B

280-319 points:C

240-279 points:D

0-239 points:F

REQUIRED BOOKS:

James Henretta, et. al., America’s History (volume 1: to 1877), ISBN 9780312387914

Albert Hurtado, Intimate Frontiers,ISBN 9780826319548

You may use an earlier edition of the textbook if you like. The textbook is also available as an ebook rental from CourseSmart:

LEARNING ACCOMMODATIONS:

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 have obtained verification from the appropriate campus authorities will be accommodated.

Class Schedule

Week One: June 25

25 Monday

Reading:Read the syllabus and other course documents; America’s History, Chapter 1

Lecture:Before Jamestown: Europe and the Atlantic World in the 15th and 16th Centuries.

26 Tuesday

DUE: Quiz 1: Syllabus Quiz

Reading: America’s History, Chapter 2

In-Class Exercise: Cultural Misunderstanding

Lecture: The Chesapeake – Early Settlements and Labor

27 Wednesday

Reading:America’s History, Chapter 3

Lecture: Early Settlements: New England

Lecture: Religious Freedom in the Colonies

28 Thursday- DUE: Quiz2: Bacon’s Rebellion Documents

DUE: Quiz 3: The Chesapeake versus New England

Reading:America’s History, Chapter 4; Bacon’s Rebellion Document Packet

Discussion: Bacon’s Rebellion Paper Brainstorming Session

Lecture: Changes in the Chesapeake – the 17th versus the 18th centuries

Week Two: July

2 Monday - DUE: Quiz 4: Intimate Frontiers Ch. 1-2

Reading: Intimate Frontier, Ch. 1-2

Lecture: The Origins of Race

Lecture: Spanish Colonial America Part 1.

3 Tuesday

Reading:America’s History, Ch.5

Lecture: Spanish Colonial America, Part 2.

Lecture: The Seven Years’ War

4 Wednesday – HOLIDAY!

5 Thursday- Bacon’s Rebellion Paper Due!

DUE: QUIZ 4: The Seven Years’ War

Reading:America’s History, Ch. 6

Lecture: The Coming of the American Revolution

Lecture: Midterm review

Week Three: July 9-12

9 Monday–DUE: Quiz 5: The American Revolution

Midterm! Please Bring Exam Booklet!

10 Tuesday-

Reading: America’s History, Ch. 7

Lecture: The Founding of a Nation

Lecture: The Early Republic, Part 1

11 Wednesday:

Reading: America’s History, Chapter 8

Lecture: The Early Republic, Part 2.

Lecture:A Second War for Independence – The War of 1812

12 Thursday:Quiz 6: The War of 1812

Reading:America’s History, Chapter 9

Lecture: The Market Revolution

Week Four:July 16-19

16 MondayDUE: Quiz 7: The Market Revolution

Reading:America’s History, Chapter 10

Lecture: The Rise of Political Democracy

Lecture: The Jacksonian Presidency

17 Tuesday-

Reading: America’s History, Ch. 11

Lecture: True Womanhood and Antebellum Reform

Discussion: Paper Rewrites

18 Wednesday

Reading:America’s History, Chapter 12

Lecture: The Peculiar Institution: Antebellum Slavery

Lecture: Sex and Slavery in the Old South

19 Thursday- DUE: Quiz 8 – Intimate Frontiers, Ch. 3-4-5-6

Reading:Intimate Frontiers Chapters 3-4-5-6

Lecture:The Rise of Abolition

Lecture: Cultural Encounters in the West, Part 1.

Week Five: July 23-26

23 Monday - Paper Rewrites Due!

Reading: America’s History, Ch. 13

Lecture: Cultural Encounters in the West, Part 2.

Lecture: Politics and Westward Expansion Part 1

24 Tuesday- DUE: Quiz9: Reform Movements

Lecture: Politics and Westward Expansion Part 2

Lecture: Slavery and the Problem of Westward Expansion

25 Wednesday

Quiz 9: Expansion of Slavery

Lecture: The Rise of the Republican Party

Lecture; The Emergence of Abraham Lincoln

26 Thursday

Reading: America’s History,Ch. 14

Lecture: The Civil War

Week Six: July 30-August 2

30 Monday–DUE: Quiz 10: The Civil War

Reading: America’s History, Ch. 15

Lecture: Reconstruction

Lecture: The American West, part I

31 Tuesday

Lecture: The American West, Part 2

Lecture: Conclusion

1 Wednesday

Discussion: Final Review

2 Thursday

FINAL EXAM – PLEASE BRING EXAM BOOK!

CLASS POLICIES

Missed exam policy: Exams cannot be made up except in extraordinary circumstances. Substantial documentation will be required. Contact me via email as soon as humanly possible if you find that you have no choice but to miss an exam.

Course Ethos: We must create a space where everyone feels that class is a safe forum for expression. We must all keep open minds to recognize, honor, and encourage all ways of thinking and being in the world. Everyone needs to be able to express their ideas without fear of ridicule. We may not always agree with the readings, lecture material, or with each other, but we must all fight to hear other truths and accept – not merely tolerate – the validity of other points of view.

Participation: Your participation grade will be determined by your contributions in class. This includes your level of preparedness and participation in class discussions. If you are not in class, you cannot participate in discussion, and this will be reflected in your grade.

Attendance: If you miss class, you are responsible for getting the information you missed from another student. I do not provide my lecture notes to students for any reason. Since other students are not always the most reliable source of information, I recommend you attend class regularly and take extensive notes for yourself. NEVER ask me if you missed anything important in class. Of course you did!

Plagiarism:Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty; as such, it will not be tolerated. The Student Honor Code defines plagiarism as: “1. Incorporating the ideas, words, sentences, paragraphs or parts of another person’s writings without giving appropriate credit, and representing the product as your own. 2. Representing another’s artistic or scholarly works such as musical compositions, computer programs, photographs, paintings, drawings or sculptures as your own. 3. Submitting a paper purchased from a research or term paper service, including the internet. 4. Undocumented Web source usage.”I expect students to do their own work at all times in this class. Students who plagiarize on assignments or cheat on exams will receive a failing grade for the assignment or exam, and will be referred to the appropriate campus authorities.

Classroom Etiquette: Please arrive to class on time, and turn off and PUT AWAY all cell phones before entering class. Do not talk when the instructor or another student is addressing the class. You can expect the instructor to behave as a professional at all times, and the instructor expects that you will also behave in a professional manner.

*******The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.********

ASSIGNMENTS:

Reading Assignments: Daily reading assignments must be completed prior to class. We will discuss aspects of the readings in class, and questions about the readings will come up on the quizzes and exams. Take notes on your reading. Books should be read to identify themes that come up in class and in other readings.

Quizzes:Students are required to take 10 quizzes worth 10 points each online using D2L. Make sure you have an active D2L account – go to to set up your account and to see my class information. Quizzes are typically 5-10 true/false questions that cover main points from reading assignments and lecture, and must be completed BEFORE class on the day the quiz is listed as due. Quiz questions will be given in random order and students are allowed 1 attempt to complete the quiz within 2 hours.Missed quizzes cannot be made up.

Midterm and Final Exam: The week before the exam, I will give you a study guide with a list of possible essay questions and identifications. The actual exam questions and identifications will be drawn from this list. For both exams, you will be given a list of 10 identifications and will need to choose 8 to answer. For the essay portion, you will be given a choice of 2 questions on part A, and will choose one to answer. You will then be required to answer a specific essay question (no choice) on part B. In total, you will answer 2 essay questionsand 8 identifications for both the midterm and final.

The Papers: There will be two papers due for this class.

For the first paper, a packet of historical documents pertaining to a particular historical event will be available for you on the course website.Your job will be to analyze the documents in the packet and write a paper that makes an argument or states an opinion describing the event, citing the documents to provide evidence to support your argument or opinion.

For the second paper, you will use the feedback I provide to rewrite the paper and will be graded on improvement. For the second paper, you MUST submit the first paper AND the rewritten paper. Papers are due at the beginning of class on the date specified.

IMPORTANT! Every piece of information that comes from the textbook, lecture, or documentsand is used in the paper, whether quoted directly or put in your own words, MUST be cited appropriately. See examples at the end of the syllabus for how to cite your sources. Papers are due at the beginning of class on the date specified. Papers MUST be stapled. Assignment submissions via email are not acceptable. Late papers will receive a 10 point deduction for each class period late. Papers will not be accepted past 2 classes following the due date.

Structure of the Paper:

You will be writing a formal academic paper using formal academic English. This type of paper is organized in the following standard format:

  1. The Introduction. . The introduction states the topic of the paper, gets the reader’s attention, and makes the subject appear interesting and important. The introduction also makes clear how the topic will be organized, and in what order the analysis will be presented. The last sentence of the introduction paragraph states the main argument.
  2. The Body. The body of the paper is the examination of the subject that has been introduced in the introduction in the order stated in the introduction. In the body of the paper, the argument is fleshed out and the evidence from the documents is presented to convince the reader that the argument is valid. The paper should flow from point to point smoothly with transitions between each paragraph.
  3. The Conclusion. The conclusion is a summary wrap-up of the topic. In a reasonably short paragraph, the conclusion restates paper’s main argumentand summarizes the major points of evidence.

Assessment Criteria: I will use the following criteria to assess your paper:

Thesis/Argument

The argument is clearly stated and it is not merely descriptive. The argument offers an analysis of evidence.

Evidence

The paper provides specific information and examples from the historical documents, textbook, and lecture notes to support its main ideas/argument. The paper uses ONLY the required sources – documents, lecture, and textbook. The paper does not rely on overly long quotes.

Historical Context

The paper places the documents within a historical period and provides an assessment of how the documents reflect multiple perspectives within this historical context.

Organization

The paper has a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a topic sentence that states the central idea holding the paragraph together. Transitions unite the essay. All paragraphs relate to the argument, and that relationship is clear.

Mechanics

Sentences are clear and free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Quotes are introduced and integrated into the text. Paper does not use contractions. Citations are appropriate and follow required format.

Conclusion

Restates the important conclusions of the paper and sums up the argument. Does not introduce new ideas or information.

Grading Checklist

After your papers are graded, I will give you a checklist similar to the following one showing the areas that need work. It is a good idea to use this checklist to proofread your paper before turning it in to avoid losing points unnecessarily.

Please work on the following issues:

Thesis/Argument

  • The argument needs to be clearly stated in the introduction.
  • The argument needs to be more specific and not merely descriptive.

Evidence

  • The paper needed more specific examples from the historical documents,

textbook, and lecture notes to support its main ideas/argument.

  • Include citations for ALL evidence used, even if paraphrasing.
  • Use ONLY the required sources for the paper.

Historical Context

  • The paper needed to place the documents within a historical period and

provide an assessment of how the documents reflected multiple

perspectives within this historical context.

Organization

  • The paper needed a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
  • Each paragraph needed a topic sentence that states the central idea

holding the paragraph together. Transitions unite the essay.

  • Paragraphs needed to relate to the argument.
  • Paper needs to pay attention to chronology and discuss events in the order that they happened.

Mechanics

  • Sentences must be clear and free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
  • Quotes must be introduced and integrated into the text.
  • Paper must not use contractions.
  • Citations must follow required format.
  • Paper must not use personal pronouns.
  • Paper must be required length.
  • Paper must be written in past tense.
  • Titles must be underlined or italicized within text.

Conclusion

  • Needs to restate the main argument and sum up the evidence.
  • Must not introduce new ideas or information.

Paper Tips:

1. PLEASE STAPLE YOUR PAPER before handing it in.

  1. The paper should conform to page length requirements (5-6 pages), NOT INCLUDING the works cited page and title page. The paper should be typed, double-spaced, with properly sized margins. Font size should be no smaller than 10 point and no larger than 12 point. You may use Times New Roman or Arial as your font, and do not use italicized versions of these fonts.
  2. The paper should not be divided into chapters using subheadings. The paper should flow together using transitions.
  3. The first sentence of a new paragraph should be indented, not separated by additional line spacing.
  4. Proofread carefully. There should be no misspelled words, no contractions (example: can’t, don’t, isn’t), no abbreviations, and no personal or possessive pronouns. Do not use “I” or “you” or “us” or “our” or “my”.
  5. Please follow these examples for in-text citations:

From the textbook: First author’s last name and page number. Example: (Henretta, 264).

From lecture: The word “Lecture” followed by the date of lecture. Example: (Lecture, 1/27/10).

From the document packet: Document number only. Example: (Document 10).

  1. Do not use overly long quotations in a paper of this length. If a quotation is over 6 lines in length, paraphrase parts of it and only quote the most significant portions.
  2. When quoting material from your documents, be sure to introduce the quotes. In other words, incorporate the quoted material into a complete sentence. For example, you might write:

In her speech to the Academic Senate in July 1999, noted historian Mary Doe admitted, “Writing a research paper is the most inhumane form of torture known to man,” (Document 10).

Do not let a quote stand alone without introduction, such as:

“Writing a research paper is the most inhumane form of torture known to man,” (Document 10).

  1. Always write about history using past tense. Nathaniel Bacon is dead. He says nothing and believes nothing anymore, but he said and believed many things in the past.
  2. DO NOT USE SOURCES FOR THIS PAPER OTHER THAN THOSE REQUIRED BY THIS ASSIGNMENT. You may use the textbook for background information and you may use lecture material, as long as they are cited appropriately. HOWEVER, the paper should primarily draw on the document packet. Use no other sources in writing the paper.
  3. The Works Cited page should use MLA format to give the complete information for the textbook. You may simply list the document numbers used without additional information. Also list lectures and the dates of lectures used.