Course Syllabus: History of the United States to 1865, HI105A

MITCHELL COLLEGE Fall 2013 HI105A Course Syllabus: History of the United States to 1865, HI105A Credits: 3 Instructor: Ms. Mary Loose, Associate Professor Office Hours: (M. 1:00-2:00 &4:00-5:00, TR. 11:30-2:30) other times by appointment Office location: Montauk House, Room 203 Phone number: 860- 701-7714 E-mail: [email protected] Class location: Nathan Hale, 110 Class time: M. & R. 8:30-9:50

This course will be delivered in a blended mode and on the following dates (9/5, 9/19, 9/26, 10/10, 10/24, 11/14, 11/21) students are expected to view the assignments either through streaming, Vbrick, or on reserve in the library. Located on your course is a list of films, instructions for Vbrick, lecture outlines, assignments, and ABE assessment rubric. Please note that to view films on V-Brick you must use a computer on campus.

CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION HI105 History of the United States I (Global and Diversity ABE Level 1) History of the United States to 1865 is an introductory survey course which covers the colonial period followed by a study of the confederation, constitutional and early national periods. Such topics as governmental development, territorial expansion, abolitionism, women’s rights and the emergence of political parties will be discussed. The final section of the course will cover the causes of the Civil War and the impact the war had upon American society.

PREREQUISITES: CW101 or permission of the instructor

COURSE TEXT: George B. Tindall & David Shi, America, a Narrative History, Brief, Volume 1, 9th. Edition, Norton & Company, New York, 2010.

Additional Readings: David E. Shi & Holly A. Mayer, For the Record, A Documentary History of America, Volume 1, Norton & Company, New York, 2010.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1 The general goal of this course is to examine the changing nature of the American political, social, economic, and cultural climate.

 Students will evaluate basic factual historical information and identify multiple historical perspectives.

 Students will differentiate how world cultures shaped opinions, perceptions and judgments of native peoples.

 Students will interpret primary sources and summarize the meaning and significance of primary documents in writing and oral communication.

 Students will critique and evaluate the significance of historical events to present day society.

 Students will evaluate the philosophical concepts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States and summarize in writing the significance of these documents to the United States of American.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

 This class will be a combination of an on-line course with assignments to be viewed and completed on line as well as a traditional course. Please note in the syllabus when you are expected to be in the class room. Each date is clearly marked.

 Class participation. All students are required to contribute to topic discussions and to complete assignments on line.

 Attendance is required. All students are expected to arrive to class on time and to remain the entire class period. If a student must leave early he or she should inform the instructor prior to the beginning of class.

 As part of the college’s movement toward ability-based education (ABE), the Humanities Department has selected Global and Diversity as the primary ability that will be assessed in this course. The document paper over the South’s Justification for the Civil War will be assessed measuring the criteria linked to this institutional ability. Details for this assessment will be posted on the course page.

2 GRADING POLICY:

 One exam (20%)…October 7, 2013 (Chapters 1-8)  Document paper/ABE assessment paper (40%)…September 16, 2013 &November 21, 2013  Final exam: (20%)… Date to be announced.  Class attendance/participation/homework (20%)  This instructor disapproves of missed exams. However, if a student is unable to take the exam on the assigned date, he or she has one week to make up the exam and must have a written valid reason as to why it was necessary to miss the exam. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor concerning missed exams. In addition every effort should be made in advance of the exam to notify the instructor (either in person or by voice mail) as to why he or she cannot be in class. For changes in the final exam schedule the student is required to follow the procedures listed in the student handbook.

 ABE assessment is due November 21, 2013 and will be evaluated using the ABE rubric for Global and Diversity.

 The final grade is determined by the addition of the exam (20%) the document paper and ABE assessment (40%), attendance and class participation (20%), and the final exam (20%)

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Attendance is required. All students are expected to arrive on time and to remain in the classroom for the duration of the class. If it is necessary to leave the class early please notify the instructor prior to the beginning of the class. Students may bring water to class but other beverages and food are not permitted. No cell phones in class. Please remember to turn them off prior to the beginning of the class.

College Policy on Student Electronic Devices in the Classroom (FCW approved 12/2/09):

It is the right of every college student to be educated in an environment that is free from distraction from the educational activities being conducted in the classroom. To support students’ right to a distraction-free educational environment, the following policy on use of electronic devices in the classroom is recommended to all faculty and students at Mitchell College:  All electronic devices, including cell phones, MP3 players, iPods, or pagers, must be turned off during class time.

3  In the case of medical emergency, or family need, when contact with the student is required, a cell phone may be left on during class time, with permission from the instructor. The cell phone must be set to vibrate to minimize the level of distraction for other students.  Laptops are to be used only in the following circumstances: . As an approved reasonable accommodation for a student with a disability certified by the Office of Disability Support Services/Learning Resource Center. Laptops used for the purpose of disability accommodation are restricted to this purpose only and may not be used for other purposes. . There has been prior permission granted by the instructor to an individual student. . There is a classroom requirement for laptop use initiated by the instructor.

 A student’s use of electronic devices in the classroom without prior permission, including cell phones, MP3 players, iPods, or pagers may result in the student being requested to leave the classroom, and an absence may be recorded for the student for that class.

POLICY ON ACADEMIC HONESTY: See Mitchell College Handbook page 17.

ADA Policy: In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990/as amended in 2008 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Mitchell College is committed to ensuring that no otherwise qualified student, on the basis of his/her disability, will be denied access to course content, materials or activities. Students are asked to discuss approved accommodations with their instructors in private, at the beginning of the semester so that appropriate and timely arrangements can be made. Students or instructors with questions or concerns regarding the delivery of accommodations or services should contact Disability Student Services at 860-701-5790.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1 (8/26-29) Read Chapter 1, The Collision of Cultures, Introduction to the course and classroom expectations. Read Chapter 2, Britain and Its Colonies. Bring the Document book For the Record to class. We will review several documents in class.

4 Week 2 (9/5) No class on 9/2 Labor Day View film on Vbrick “Pocahontas Her True Story” and prepare questions for class on Monday September 9. Read Chapter 3, Colonial Ways of Life

Add/Drop ends 9/3 2013

Week 3 (9/9-9/12) Read Chapters 4& 5 The Imperial Perspective and From Empire to Independence.

Week 4 (9/16-19) First paper is due on Monday September 16, 2013. Late papers will lose one grade level. “Clash of Cultures” Read Chapter 6, The American Revolution. On Thursday September 19 students are to view on Vbrick the film, “The Man who would Not Be King” and answer questions based on the film. Early academic Reports due to Registrar by Noon on September 20, 2013.

Week 5 (9/23-26) Read Chapter 7 Shaping a Federal Union. The Federalist Era. Read from For the Record The Articles of Confederation. On Thursday September 26 view the film over the Constitution located on the course page and prepare questions to be handed in on Monday September 30.

Week 6 (9/30-10/3) Read Chapter 8, “The Federalist Era” and from For the Record the following selection “George Washington, From Farewell Address (1796”).

Week 7 (10/7-10) Mid-term exam on October 7 covering Chapters 1-8. Read Chapter 9, The Early Republic View Film Lewis and Clark and answer questions posted on line. Bring to class on October 17, 2013 Mid- term grades due to Registrar on October 11, 2013

Week 8 (10/17) No Class on October 14, 2013 Columbus Day Read Chapter 10, Nationalism and Sectionalism and Chapter 11, The Jacksonian Impulse Read Chapter 12, The Dynamics of Growth.

Week 9 (10/21-24)

5 Read Chapter 13, An American Renaissance: Religion, romanticism and Reform On Thursday October 24 view film on the “Underground Railroad” and prepare questions based on the film.

Week 10 (10/28-31) Read from For the Record the following selections: Frances Anne Kemble, From a Woman’s account of Her Southern Sojourn, Frederick Douglass, From Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. We will read these documents in class. Read Chapter 14, Manifest Destiny.

Week 11 (11/4-7) Chapter 15, The Old South November 8 last day to withdraw from class

Week 12 (11/11-14) Chapter 16, The Crisis of Union Read from For the Record the following selections: Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Fugitive Slave Law, The Republican Party, The Republican Platform and From the Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857). On Thursday 11/14 students are to view the PBS Civil War Series “The Cause” on line and answer questions.

Week 13 (11/18-21) Read Chapter 17, The War of the Union View on Vbrick Massachusetts 54 Second ABE paper due on the South’s justification for leaving the union.

Thanksgiving vacation November 25-29

Week 14 (12/2-5) Continue with Chapter 17 and the Civil War Last Day of class December 5, 2013

Final Examination Period December 6-12 Final exam will cover material from the mid-term through the Civil War. Your final exam is scheduled for December 12 at 8:00a.m.