Palomar College – HIST 101
United States History before 1877: Forming and Sundering a Nation
MW 8:00am-9:20am: NS-312 Section 70263
MW 9::30am-10:50am P-22 Section 71207
MW 12:30pm-2:00pm: P-20 Section 70264
Fall 2010
Instructor:
Office Hours:
Office Extension:
Email:
Website:
Myspace:
TTh 8:00am-9:20am: P-22 Section 70267
TTh 9:30am-10:50am: SW-2 Section 70272
Professor Jahnel
MW 11:00am-12:30 pm; 3:30-4:00pm: TT 11:00-11:30am and by appointment
x3274
Office P17-L
bjahnel@palomar.edu
http://faculty.palomar.edu/bjahnel/
http://www.myspace.com/bowtieprof
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
Textbook:
Outline:
Other:
Optional:
Bring to class daily:
Foner, Eric Give Me Liberty! Volume 1, 2nd Edition, 2008.
Jahnel, Forming and Sundering a Nation HISTORY 101 Course Outline
One 3-ring binder for your history portfolio (see below)
Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History.
Portfolio; Course Lecture Outline; Copy of U.S. Declaration of Independence and U.
S. Constitution
A note on the textbooks: I recognize students need to find very cheap alternatives, as books are the most
expensive cost for students. Online editions are available for some books. The textbook can be “rented”
online for a year or bought in a specialized digital format at:
https://www.wwnorton.com/gateway/buychoice.asp?site=foner2v1_ebook Abebooks.com and amazon.com
sell used copies as well. Textbooks will also be on reserve in the library for your use.
Course Description
The events that transpired from the late fifteenth century on the North American Continent gave rise to the
formation of a new nation in the late eighteenth century. But the birth of the United States was neither guaranteed nor
without growing pains; by the nineteenth century, America was embroiled in a nation-splitting war. This course will
explore the important basic factual, thematic, and historiographical concerns in the fields of political, social, and economic
history for this time period.
Requirements, Goals, and Expectations
Course Outlines: You will be required to read and take notes on a chapter a week from the textbook America’s
History. During the lectures, you will also be assigned readings to analyze and summaries to that will be combined with
your class and book notes in a 3-ring binder. This will become your "Early American History Portfolio." The portfolio will
become a study guide, a valuable tool for take-home test portions, and eventually will be graded. We may have a single
media presentation during the first section of the course, depending on time schedules and conflicts. This course is
divided into four sections, each of which ends in a formal examination.
Student Learning Objectives: History 101 is more than a required course; it lays the foundation of understanding the
development of the American Nation. We’ll examine the unexpected triumphs and the often unspoken atrocities that
helped create the United States. Some surprises may crop up -- many of our most cherished “truths” about the past have
often been misconceptions or fables. For example, Paul Revere never finished “his” famous midnight ride. The process
of understanding history is more than passively listening and taking notes. Regurgitation, a poor technique for weight
loss, is even less effective as a tool for learning. In covering these nearly 400 years of history, we should arrive together
at the end of the course with these basic skills and goals mastered:
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Be able to master the three levels of historical information: factual, thematic, and historiographical.
Discuss the differences in historical texts (secondary and primary) and be able to identify and discern the most
important points of texts. Create from these identified points a clear and cohesive essay or summation of these
main topics.
Demonstrate college-level writing and in that writing show effective argumentation. For example, be able to
effectively argue in an essay the validity or falseness of a particular historical position, mustering facts, themes,
and arguments from a variety of course materials.
Develop an appreciation of the uses of history and an understanding of the “historical process.”
Gain a more balanced picture of the rich and multitextured experiences that have helped contribute to the
United States’ emergence as a nation.
Leave this course armed with an adequate base of historical knowledge that will further enhance your ability to
critically assess modern arguments that appeal to historical precedent.
Professor Jahnel
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History 101 Syllabus
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Understand the nature of what it means for something to be an “historical fact” and the importance of peer
review versus simplistic opinion or supposition.
Evaluations: The big question: How will I be graded? (I know it is more “correct” to state that the most important part of
the course is the process of learning. This is true. But all teachers have been students at one time; I KNOW it was
always my biggest short-term concern. The benefit of long-term knowledge I always seemed to appreciate much more
after the final exam was turned in.)
Exams: There will be three major exams and a special final, the BHFE. The three major exams are noncumulative and will often consist of an in-class evaluation of recall and evaluation involving major people, events, trends,
themes, and historiography. You will often be called upon to identify the person, place, or event, and then briefly explain
the reason for its historical significance. You may be assigned part of all of a test as a take-home essay. For the takehome portions of the test, you will be able to use your notes, books, and other written study materials to help create your
argument or theme. The tests that contain take-home essays will have fewer questions on the in-class section than any
test that contains only the in-class segment. The three tests will be worth 15% of your grade each. The fourth test,
known as the BHFE, is your final exam and will be a comprehensive take-home essay examination worth 30% of
your grade. I may instruct you on take-home assignments to turn in portions of your work through our online course
system called Blackboard, which you access with your student login information from the web address:
http://www.palomar.edu/blackboard/
BHFE FINAL: Your take home final exam will be due on the date noted in the calendar section below. Classes
will still meet on final exam hours for a special activity and failure to attend will count double (four hours) against your
attendance schedule. No Late finals will be accepted.
History Portfolio: You will be responsible for maintaining a 3-ring binder in which you will keep class notes
and summaries of articles and chapters from your textbook. These portfolios will be worth 25% of your grade, and should
prove to be a relatively easy grade to do well on, since what you have to do for free in most classes (take notes) you will
receive credit for within this class. I will announce a week before I request reviews of your portfolios, so that you may
have time to organize them and prepare them for grading. The first turn in for portfolios will be between the first and
second examinations and cover book chapters 1-8, class notes on sections 1 and 2 of the outline, and any short
dorky papers (SDPs) I have assigned in the meantime.
Quizzes: There WILL be occasional quizzes in History 101. These will not be announced. However, being
astute mathematicians as well as historians, you probably have noted that if the exams are worth 75% (15+15+15+30)%
of your grade and the portfolio is worth the other 25%, then all 100% of your final grade should already have been
accounted for. The pop quizzes are instead a chance to not only help you gauge your progress and mastery of the
course, but can also help add a point to an examination or essay. These pop quizzes constitute the only form of “extra
credit” in the course. There is no make-up available on quizzes -- if you miss the class when the quiz is held, you will be
unable to reap the benefit of possible extra points for something you might stumble over during a test or essay.
I do reserve the right to give a single quiz that can count toward your final grade.
Research Paper: You luck out this time -- no research paper!
It is assumed that all students will take exams at the proscribed times, unless other arrangements are made to
the contrary. I have two versions of each exam -- the “fair” and the “rough but still fair.” The fair exam is the one that will
be given on the scheduled date. Since during a makeup it would be unfair to your fellow students to have you take the
same exam, it leaves me only with my rougher exam to administer should you miss the scheduled examination.
Therefore, it is to your benefit to take the exam when it is scheduled. Should an extraordinary circumstance occur which
forces you to miss an exam, the make-up must be scheduled at the earliest possible date. See also rules on LATE
WORK, below.
Late Work: I have simple policies about everything, late work included. You may turn in late work, but it will always be
graded LAST, after every other assignment from every other class is graded. This means that early in the semester you
have an excellent chance of getting your work evaluated even if a day late. However, nearer the end of the semester, I
may run out of time and late work may receive no grade at all. I always reserve the right to lower the grade of work
turned in late.
FINAL GRADE: Each piece of work will be evaluated on the standard 100-point academic scale and then weighted
according to the percentages described above. Pop quizzes may add points to essays or tests, as determined by your
instructor, but in no case will any form of extra credit add more than three (3) points to your final grade. Nonetheless,
those three points can mean the difference in a letter grade!
Academic Dishonesty: The rules of academic dishonesty are clear and the penalties far outweigh the minor benefits
you may receive. You may not look at another person’s test; solicit aid outside of your own written or reading materials
for take-home exams or essays; use crib notes, secret computer codes, reappearing ink on test pages, or 2-way receivers
during tests; or generally employ any other mundane or extraordinary ways to circumvent doing your own work in class.
Any person found cheating will receive an automatic ZERO and will be referred to the appropriate channels at Palomar
College for possible further disciplinary action or expulsion.
Attendance: Attendance will be kept at every class meeting. In a course such as this, which relies heavily upon the
interaction between lectures and readings, it is crucial that you attend class. It is even rumoured the instructor tends to
give pop quizzes on days of low attendance. Strong, clear note-taking ability is a skill necessary to do well in this course.
You may also bring a tape recorder to class in order to help you with your notes. If during the course of the semester a
student misses more than FIVE HOURS of instruction, then the student’s further work in the class will no longer be
Professor Jahnel
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History 101 Syllabus
graded. Failure to take the responsibility to drop a course by the drop deadline will result in an “F” on your
report card for this course.
Waiting Lists and Class Enrollment: Only students who are actually enrolled in History 101 will be graded. Students
on waiting lists are NOT CONSIDERED ENROLLED and must be added manually by obtaining an add number
from the instructor. I will collect the name of all students who are on the waiting lists and those who desire last-minute
entry into the course. If an opening occurs I will notify students by the second week of class they may join the class. ANY
STUDENT WHO RECIEVES A NUMBER TO ALLOW THEM TO ADD THE COURSE MUST DO SO BY THE DATE ON
THE CALENDAR BELOW OR THEY LOSE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENROLL IN THE COURSE.
Class Procedures: All Professors have their quirks; perhaps I am quirkier than most. I have some very specific rules
about classroom decorum that involves cellular phones and the wearing of hats in class. These are outlined on the first
day and you are expected to follow these and any other appropriate guidelines of classroom decorum as instructed.
Final Notes: We are all here to learn. That includes your instructor. In this exploration of such an extraordinary time, we
may all find some of our perceptions challenged and questions which spur discussion or debate can lead to new historical
understandings on both sides of the academic fence. My job as your instructor is to be your guide through the vast
mazes of information pertaining to this time period. Your job as fellow scholars is to embark on this journey with the
proper tools, an open and inquisitive mind, and a willingness to discipline yourself to the more mundane steps that will
enable you to excel. I am always available during my office hours in the history department, or can arrange an
appointment by telephone or departmental mail for other conferences. Do not hesitate to consult with me if you are
having a difficulty with the material or an assignment; since my expectations for you are high, there is no reason your
expectations of me should be any less. Together, we shall explore, gain a new understanding of the material in the
course, and most of all, enjoy the learning process!
Okay, last final note: The items on the schedule or in the syllabus are open to some flexibility. It may be due to time
constraints or other factors that some topics may have to be lectured on a different date, or if the class has put a
particularly strong effort into a particular essay I reserve the right to alter some of the weight of the grades. In all cases
you will be notified well in advance of any changes in the course content or policies.
Calendar Information
Class Begins:
Late ADD Deadline:
Holiday- No Class:
Holiday- No Class:
Holiday- No Class:
BHFE DUE:
FINAL EXAM:
Monday. August 23
August 30 (Only with permission of Prof. Jahnel)
Monday. September 6
Friday. November 12
Thursday November 25 & Friday. November 26
Monday, Dec. 6 (MW) or Tuesday, Dec. 7 (TTH)
You must still attend your final examination time schedule, listed below.
You attend only the single class listed below on the week of the 13th – 17th.
Please Note that classes in BOLD with an * note classes that meet
AT A DIFFERENT TIME THAN USUAL!
CLASS NORMALLY MEETS AT::
MEETS FINALS WEEK FROM:
MW 8:00am-9:20am: NS-312
*MW 9:30am-10:50am: SW-2
* MW 12:30pm-2:00pm: P-20
TTh 8:00am-9:20am: P-22
* TTh 9:30am-10:50am: SW-2
Monday Dec 13 8:00am-9:50am
Wednesday, Dec 15 10:00am-11:50am
Wednesday Dec 15 Noon-1:50pm
Thursday Dec. 16 8:00am-9:50am
Tuesday Dec. 14 8:00am-9:50am
Professor Jahnel
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History 101 Syllabus
Your Historical Autobiography
The first way we encounter history is to engage in discussing our own history.
As I am interested in you as a person, our first class assignment will be to write a
brief personal biography to be turned in next class.
What must be on it:
Your name: First and Last name as it appears on the roll sheet, and any
nickname you like, prefer, or wish you had in (parentheses).
A Description of yourself: A short physical description of yourself (so I can match
names to faces): Feel free to be creative! You can doodle a self-portrait, or for
the computer inclined, if you desire you may attach a real photo.
More importantly, who are you? Where are you life? What goals have you set for
yourself, what are your personal interests?
What interests do you have that you might enjoy learning about in this course?
Do you like wars? Fashion? Interested in religious history, business, technology,
ethnic studies, gay and lesbian history, economic history, or the history of
sports? Let me know… we have more information than time to cover it, so we
have to exclude some things. Letting me know what interests YOU will help
shape the lectures.
Finally, make sure to place the commitment as discussed in class on your upper
right hand corner of your biography.
Professor Jahnel
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History 101 Syllabus