University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Course Syllabus: History 1510
Course Title: U.S.: Birth of a Nation, 1607-1789
Contact Hours: 45
Term: Spring 2014
Credit Hours: 3
Faculty: Nina Ellis Frischmann
Email: cfrischm@uccs.edu
Office Hours: M/W: 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. OR by appointment
Office Location: Columbine Hall 2057
Faculty Beliefs
My teaching philosophy (adapted from Kim Solga): My teaching is intimately connected
to my ongoing research program; it is also the primary way in which I make my work public
and activist. Form and content go hand in hand in my classroom: scholars learn by doing, and
they learn about how to learn – now and in the future – from the various structures I use to
communicate our shared investment in the materials we study. I want my scholars to leave my
classroom with an appreciation for history, but also with a clear sense of how they, as citizens
and scholars, may go on to think critically in their work and lives, wherever they may go. My
pedagogical practices are motivated by my core belief that teaching and learning are
themselves public, activist, even broadly political acts, and that by sharpening our
commitment to engagement in all aspects of classroom work we, as teachers, take a lead role
in shaping engaged, critically aware and publically active citizens.
My beliefs about educational purpose: I believe that education leads to several beneficial
outcomes for its participants: critical thinking, personal enrichment, vocational goals, value
development, and social change.
My beliefs about students: I believe that all students come to my classroom with a variety of
experiences to offer their classmates and me. Through an exploration of our prior preparation,
personal interests, and the course material, I believe we will have a broad knowledge base to
share with one another. I accept that students possess different learning styles, which I keep in
mind as I design my courses. I also understand students have a variety of competing
requirements on their time. This course does require a minimum of 12 to 15 hours per week of
work / preparation outside of class. Please keep this in mind as you plan your schedule.
My beliefs about teaching role(s): I believe my role is to be a facilitator of knowledge. In
order to fulfill that role, I often assume the position of being the "First Learner", which
resembles that of a role model, resource consultant, and coach. I understand this may be
disconcerting for students who are used to a lecture-only approach to teaching.
Method(s) of instruction: I believe active participation in class is the way to learning. I will
use a variety of teaching methods designed to promote student learning: lectures, animations,
class discussions, video clips, academic papers, and reflective writing.
Course Description
This course will examine the development of the United States from the colonial period
through the ratification of the Constitution, with an emphasis on the causes, events, and
results of the American Revolution. This class focuses on developing, practicing, and
developing the skills historians use when constructing knowledge in this discipline. Scholars
will read a selection of original sources.
Course Materials
Required
Title: The American Promise, Volume 1
Edition: 5th
Author: Roark et al.
Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin’s
Title: Reading the American Past, Volume 1
Editor: Michael P. Johnson
Unpublished: Get on Bb – Primary Sources
Title: Myne Owne Ground: Race and Freedom on Virginia’s Eastern
Shore: 1640-1676
Author: T.H. Breen and Stephen Innes
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Title: Escaping Salem: the Other Witch Hunt of 1692
Author: Richard Godbeer
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Title: Writing History
Author: William Kelleher Storey
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Core Competencies and Outcomes
The faculty of the History department created six core competencies and outcomes history
majors will achieve before they graduate. In this course, we will focus on two of the
competencies:
1. Articulate an original argument, critical analysis, and complexity of reasoning in writing
and oral discussion.
2. Use, integrate, and discuss primary source evidence effectively (based on an
understanding of historical research methods) in writing and oral discussion.
Study Skills I want YOU to learn:
1.
Plan “ahead of time” for your coursework
2.
“Translate” coursework into your own learning style
What YOU want to learn:
1.
2.