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Class Information for Spring 2008:
Sections: TTh 9:30-10:55, SOCS 207, Section 2266
TTh 2:00-3:25, SOCS 207, Section 2278
Office: 202G Social Sciences
e-mail: cgold@elcamino.edu
Phone: 310-660-3751
Office Hours: Monday 9:30-10:30; 12:00-1:00; 2:30-3:00
Wednesday 9:30-10:30; 12:00-1:00
Tuesday 3:30-4:00
Syllabus for Spring 2008:
Course Description
In this course you will learn about the major political, diplomatic, economic, and social developments in the United States from the colonial period through Reconstruction. You will discover how African, Indian, and European cultures merged to create a uniquely American society, and how this new society developed and grew until it burst the bonds of colonialism with the American Revolution. You will follow this new nation through its early economic and political development and its expansion into the west where it conflicted with Native Americans and Mexicans. We will study the Civil War that literally tore the nation apart and then trace the nation’s efforts to heal its wounds and rebuild the South with the federal program of Reconstruction. Our nation has an exciting history that continues to shape our world today. I hope this class will show you that history can be interesting, entertaining and meaningful to your life.
Required Reading
· Gary Nash, et al., The American People: Creating a Nation and a Society Vol. I (to 1877). Concise 6th edition, 2008.
· Course Reader. Available for sale in the campus bookstore.
· David Blight, Ed., Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.
Grade Distribution
2 Midterms (20% each) 40%
Final Exam 20%
Paper 25% (outline 5%; final draft 20%)
Participation 15%
Midterms and Final Exam
The midterms and final exam will include identifications, a primary document analysis, and an essay question. You will be given study questions to help you prepare, and you must use a blue book.
Lectures
Students are responsible for all the information conveyed in the lectures. Students should take notes during lecture and should borrow someone’s notes for days that they are absent. The lecture outlines are in the course reader, which should be brought to class everyday.
Paper
Students will write one 5-7 page paper based upon Frederick Douglass’s Autobiography. We will discuss writing methods in class and students will submit a thesis statement, outline, and final draft.
Participation
Active participation in class discussion is important to success in the course. Assigned readings must be completed in order to effectively participate. Your final participation grade is based on your attendance, group projects, and class participation.
Group Projects
Every week students will divide into small groups to discuss primary document materials drawn from the course reader and textbook. Group answers will be graded and will form part of the participation grade. Please bring the course reader with you to class on days with case study discussions. In the event of absence, students are permitted to make-up two group projects.
Attendance
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every class. More than 3 absences in the semester will adversely impact your grade. One percentage point will be deducted per absence over four unless written notification of a medical or other extraordinary reason is provided.
Classroom Etiquette, Cheating, and Late Policy
Students are expected to treat each other and the Professor respectfully. Disruptive behavior interrupts learning and creates a tense classroom environment. Please contribute to a positive learning experience for yourself and the other students. Arrive on time, prepared to participate in class. If you need to leave early, please notify the Professor before class. Out of respect for all the students’ hard work, cheating and plagiarism will absolutely not be tolerated. Plagiarism occurs when you take credit for the original ideas and/or words of another person. Plagiarism or cheating on any assignment or exam will incur a 0 for the grade. For late assignments, the grade will be reduced by one full grade for each class meeting it is late.
Reading Assignments and Lecture Notes
Students should complete the assigned reading before coming to class. Do not fall behind in the reading, as it will be difficult to catch up. Try to make it a habit to do your class reading in the evening or day before we meet. Also, plenty of important information will be conveyed in lecture so be sure to pay attention and take notes.
Student Outcomes and Assessment
1. Given a primary or secondary source relating to the history of the U.S. Since 1877, students will accurately identify the source and apply appropriate historical methods to explain what the source reveals about its historical context.
2. Upon completion of History 1B, students will identify and explain major social, economic, political and cultural themes in U.S. history since 1877 in a course exam or written assignment.
3. Given primary and/or secondary source(s) pertaining to a significant aspect of economic, political, social or cultural life in United States history since 1877, students will develop and persuasively argue an historical thesis in a written or oral assignment that effectively uses the sources as evidence.
Weekly Meetings and Assignments
Week One
Feb. 12 Course Introduction and Prehistoric America
Feb. 14 Three Worlds Collide
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 1
Group Project: Indians and Europeans
Week Two
Feb. 19 Three Worlds Collide
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 2
Sept. 21 Three Worlds Collide and Colonization
Reading Assignment: Course Reader, “Sources, Jamestown”
Group Project: Jamestown
Week Three
Feb. 26 Colonization of North America
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 3
Feb. 28 Slavery
Group Project: Slavery
Week Four
March 4 Slavery
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 4
March 6 Colonial Society
Group Project: Colonial Massachusetts Statistics
Week Five
March 11 Colonial Society
March 13 Salem Witch Trials and the Spanish Missions in California
Week Six
March 18 Midterm #1
(Covers Nash, Chapts. 1-4)
March 20 The American Revolution
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 5
Week Seven
March 25 The American Revolution
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 6
March 27 The American Revolution
Film: The Patriot
Week Eight
April 1 The American Revolution
Film: The Patriot
Group Discussion: Hollywood Film, Entertainment and History
April 3 Building the New Nation and the Young Nation
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 7
Group Project: The Bill of Rights
SPRING BREAK – April 7-11
Week Nine
April 15 Thomas Jefferson and the Agrarian Republic
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 8
Group Project: The Cherokee Removal
April 17 The Changing Nation
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 9 and 10
Week Ten
April 22 Jacksonian America
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 12
Group Project: Women’s Rights and the Seneca Falls Declaration
April 24 Midterm #2
(Covers Nash, Chapts. 5-10, 12)
Week Eleven
April 29 Slavery and the South
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 11
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, pp. 1-125.
Group Project: Slave Spirituals
May 1 Film: Amistad
Week Twelve
May 6 Film: Amistad
Thesis and Outline Due
Group Project: Film Discussion
May 8 Expansion and Manifest Destiny
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 13
Week Thirteen
May 13 Expansion and Manifest Destiny
Group Project: Manifest Destiny
May 15 The Civil War
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 14
Week Fourteen
May 20 Paper Due
The Civil War
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 15
Group Project: Fighting the Civil War
May 22 The Civil War
Week Fifteen
May 27 Reconstruction
Reading Assignment: Nash, Chapt. 16
May 29 Reconstruction
Group Project: Ku Klux Klan
Week Sixteen
June 3 Final Exam
(Covers Nash, Chapts. 11, 13-16)
June 5 Pick up final exam and course grade consultation
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