AMERICAN HERITAGE 100
Brigham Young University
Winter Semester 2012
11:00-11:50 M/W, 140 JSB (003-007; 029-047; 105)
12:00-12:50 M/W, 140 JSB (001-002; 008-013; 024-028; 048-055; 63; 71; 106-107)
1:00-1:50 M/W, 140 JSB (014-023; 056-062; 65-69; 108-109)
Instructor: Jenny Hale Pulsipher
Assistant Professor, History Department
Email: jenny_pulsipher@byu.edu
Office: 2142 JFSB
Office Hours: M, 3-4 PM
Course Materials:
Frank W. Fox and Clayne L. Pope, City Upon A Hill,3rd Edition (required).
Packet readings, available in the bookstore (required).
iClicker, available in the bookstore (required).
American Heritage 100 is a study of the American Founding, focusing particularly on the ideas,
people, and economic and political systems that shaped the United States of America and
influenced the political systems of many other countries. The course combines insights and
methodology from the fields of economics, political science and history. It also draws from the
scriptures and teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints relating to divinely
inspired principles of good government. Through these materials, lectures, and discussions, this
course investigates the Founding not only as an historical event in the past but also as a shaping
force in the present.
All lectures, quizzes, exams, discussions and assignments are designed to meet the following
course objectives:

To deepen your understanding of the founding principles and institutions of the United
States of America.

To demonstrate the relevance of the American Founding to your own life.

To evaluate the role the United States has played and now plays in world affairs.

To encourage you to take an active part in civic affairs.
American Heritage is a challenging course, but one that the Board of Trustees of Brigham Young
University considered so important that they mandated it for all students. Like all courses, what
you get out of American Heritage will largely be determined by what you put into it. If you
consistently read the assignments before class, attend and actively engage in lectures and labs,
you will learn a great deal in this course and gain a revitalized appreciation for the principles
embodied in the American Founding. If you don‟t prepare and actively engage in the course,
you can count on a long, frustrating semester.
How To Do Well In American Heritage:

Study the texts and readings with great care. Their purpose is to stretch you and make
you think. Class lectures are based on the assumption that you are already thoroughly
familiar with the assigned reading materials. So read each chapter BEFORE the
appointed lecture. Then read the chapter over again. If there are concepts that still elude
you, come to the Review Room and talk to the TAs.

Come to lab prepared. Show up not only with reading assignments completed but with
notes on the readings and questions to ask the TA. Students who do this tend to score
high in their preparation quizzes. They also tend to do well in the course as a whole.

Attend lectures faithfully and take careful notes. Approximately half of the exam
questions will come exclusively from lecture materials. Take notes on the media
presentations as well as the lecture itself, for these often embody important points.

Study carefully for exams. Like the readings, American Heritage exams are consciously
designed to challenge you and make you think. They require true understanding, not
simple regurgitation, and thus will often require you to apply a concept to an unfamiliar
set of circumstances. Group study is a good strategy, for it requires verbalization.
Making use of the Review Room is another good strategy. But don‟t wait too long—
there is always a rush at exam time.
We have prepared video and written materials to help you navigate this course, study effectively,
and test your comprehension of principles and concepts. They are available on the course
website (http://americanheritage.byu.edu/Pages/Home.aspx) under the tabs “About the Course,”
“Learning Tips,” and “Games and Activities.”
ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES AND COURSE COMPONENTS
American Heritage Office: All administrative questions should be addressed to the American
Heritage office.
Coordinator: Erica Germaine
Email: americanheritage@byu.edu
166 SWKT
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
Phone: 422-6076
Teaching Assistants and Labs:
Teaching assistants (TAs) are responsible for labs held Thursdays and Fridays and are available
for individual assistance during their office hours (see Review Room below). The TAs are
experienced and highly qualified and should be contacted first when questions arise. See the
current University Class Schedule for information relating to hours and rooms of labs. PLEASE
NOTE THAT ALL STUDENTS MUST REGISTER FOR AND ATTEND A LAB FOR
WHICH THEY ARE REGISTERED.
Labs are held on Thursdays and Fridays. The specific section of the course you register for
determines which lab you attend. The purpose of the lab is to review difficult concepts from
lectures and readings, and to give students a chance to discuss the material in a smaller, more
personal setting. Moreover, some materials will be presented only in the labs, and quizzes will
be given in labs. There is a direct correlation between lab attendance and class performance.
Review Room:
The American Heritage Review Room has two purposes: review and tutorial help. First, the
reviews are designed to help students who need extra help on specific subjects. A list of which
subjects are being reviewed will be available on the American Heritage website at
americanheritage.byu.edu. Second, TAs will be available for individual questions. Their office
hours will also be posted on the website. Students who have availed themselves of this free
tutorial have attested to its value.
Review Room: 173A SWKT
Hours: 9 am to 4 pm
Phone: 422-2357
Exams:
There will be three examinations during the semester. All exams are objective and consist of
multiple-choice and matching questions. The first two will be worth 200 points; the final exam
will be worth 250 points, and it will be comprehensive. Note that some questions will be drawn
from class lectures and media, while others will be drawn from reading assignments.
Exam schedule:
First midterm: February 14-17 (16th and 17th late period)
Second midterm: March 20-23 (22nd and 23rd late period)
Final: April 14-18
All exams will be administered in the Grant Building testing center. You may take an exam on
any day during the examination periods listed above, within the Testing Center hours. Contact
the testing center (422-2861) for schedule information.
At the testing center you will be required to show your student ID card. All examinations need to
be taken with a #2 pencil. ALLOW YOURSELF SUFFICIENT TIME TO TAKE EACH
EXAMINATION. STUDENTS WHO ARE UNABLE TO FINISH AN EXAM OR TOO LATE
TO RECEIVE AN EXAM WILL RECEIVE PARTIAL OR NO CREDIT. No exams will be
given out less than one hour prior to closing time. All exams will be picked up 15 minutes prior
to closing time.
If circumstances beyond your control make it impossible for you to take the exam during the
scheduled examination period, contact the American Heritage office (422-6076) BEFORE the
exam period has ended. It is absolutely necessary that students in American Heritage follow this
procedure because of the large class size. STUDENTS WHO DO NOT MAY EXPECT
PENALTIES. There will be no late period for the final exam, nor will it be given early. (Please
note that the final exam DOES NOT run the entire week of finals.)
Students may review their own copy of an exam with a TA in the American Heritage Lab (166
SWKT), but only for ONE WEEK after the exams have been handed back. While it is advisable
to review the exam with your own TA, any TA can help you. No exams, either your own or
department copies, will be available during reading days or the final exam period. However, the
TAs will be available during their office hours to help you during reading days.
Papers:
There are two short (3-4 pages) essay assignments in this course, due on Feb. 2/3 at the START
of labs and March 15/16 at the START of labs. For details on the essay topics and tips for doing
well on these assignments, please see the Essay Assignment Sheet at the end of this syllabus.
Quizzes:
You will be given weekly quizzes in lab. These will be based on the weekly reading assignments
and will count toward 10% of your grade. The two lowest quiz scores will be dropped.
Films:
In order to aid students in assimilating the main concepts of the course, two films, A More
Perfect Union, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, will be shown during the semester. You will
be asked questions about each film on exams.
Citizenship and Service:
Involvement in civic life is at an all-time low in the United States. Fewer people vote, volunteer,
join clubs, write letters, or visit with neighbors than ever before. People aged 18-25 are the least
involved of all. One of the goals of this class is to encourage you to become active, engaged, and
informed citizens. For this reason, I have made the following course requirement:
Provide 10 hours of service over the course of the semester. Most of you already have both the
expectation and habit of serving within your church community. For that reason, no churchbased service (i.e., a church calling or church service project) will count for this requirement,
which will contribute to your participation grade. The service you choose should benefit an
individual, contribute to a civic organization (like a school, political party, charity, etc.), or
advance a policy initiative that you care about.
The American Heritage course website will include information about local and campus
organizations that need volunteers. One such organization in need of a large number of
volunteers is the TOPS program through BYU‟s Center for Service and Learning. TOPS is a
tutoring program for underprivileged children in the Provo Public School District.
You will need to clear your service activity with your TA by the 2nd lab of the semester (January
12th or 13th). You will fill out a timecard (attached at the end of the syllabus) of the hours that
you served in the community and hand it to your TA at the beginning of the last lab (April 5th or
6th).
iClickers:
You are required to purchase an iClicker. During lectures, I will occasionally ask you to respond
to questions using your iClicker. Among other benefits, this gives an opportunity to get a sense
of class opinion, to check for understanding of specific concepts, and to give you a chance to
practice answering application questions. Your attendance at the lecture will be recorded through
your iClicker responses to these questions. You must purchase and register your own iClicker.
Details of how to register will be given in class and are available on the American Heritage
website. You should never bring someone else„s iClicker to record their attendance in class.
Doing so is an example of academic dishonesty and will result in significant penalties for both
parties.
Grading:
As with any large college class, American Heritage is graded on a curve. This means that there
is a certain set percentage of A‟s, B‟s and C‟s. We have found in our thirty-plus years of
offering this course that the curve results in higher student grades than a traditional grade
breakdown (ie, 90-92% = A-, 93-100% = A).
Grades will be computed on the following point basis:
First midterm:
Second midterm:
Final:
Quizzes:
Service Hours:
Papers:
200
200
250
100
50
200
1000
Borderline cases are always determined by subjective criteria, such as lab attendance, preparation
and quiz scores, the active solicitation of help, and other evidence of a serious commitment. You
can regularly check your grade on Gradebook.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Incompletes:
We adhere to University policy on incompletes, which is that an incomplete (I) is given only
WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND THE STUDENT‟S CONTROL MAKE IT
IMPOSSIBLE to complete the required work within the prescribed time. Arrangements must be
made between the course coordinator and the student prior to the end of the semester. The “I” is
never given when a student is failing or has failed the course. Circumstances beyond the
student‟s control do not include poor performance in class, heavy work load, engagement or
marriage.
Preventing Sexual Harassment:
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any
participant in an educational program or activity receiving federal funds. Title IX covers
discrimination in programs, admissions, activities, and student-to-student sexual harassment.
BYUs policy against sexual harassment extends not only to employees of the university but to
students as well. If you encounter sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please talk
to your professor; contact the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895 or 367-5689 (24-hours); or
contact the Honor Code Office at 422-2847.
Access:
Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that
reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which
may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the Services for
Students with Disabilities Office (422-2767). Reasonable academic accommodations are
reviewed for all students who have qualified, documented disabilities. Services are coordinated
with the student and instructor by the SSD Office. If you need assistance or if you feel you have
been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through
established grievance policy and procedures. You should contact the Equal Employment Office
at 422-5895, D-282 ASB.
FERPA:
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99)
is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. American Heritage is
committed to upholding this law, but due to the size of the class, we need your participation to do
so. You will be asked to sign a permission slip that allows us to hand back your papers in the
filing cabinets in the American Heritage Review Room and to allow your quizzes to be graded in
class by other students. If you do not feel comfortable signing this permission slip, you will need
to get with your TA during his/her office hours to receive any assignments back.
COURSE CALENDAR
The following course calendar will be held to rigorously in terms of exam, movie and assignment
dates. Lecture topics may be adjusted as needed. For the reading assignments, note that
CP=Course Packet and FP= Fox and Pope‟s City Upon a Hill. Pay careful attention to page
numbers; for some lectures, only parts of chapters are required.
DATE
DAY
SCHEDULE
READING ASSIGNMENTS
SECTION I: ANTECEDENTS TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM
WEEK 1
Jan. 4
Wednesday
Jan. 5-6
Thursday/Friday
WEEK 2
Jan. 9, 11
Monday/Wednesday
Jan. 12-13
Thursday/Friday
WEEK 3
Jan. 16
Jan. 18
Monday
Wednesday
Jan. 19-20
Thursday/Friday
WEEK 4
Jan. 23, 25 Monday/Wednesday
Jan. 26-27
Thursday/Friday
WEEK 5
Jan. 30
Feb. 1
Monday/Wednesday
Course Introduction
FP: Introduction
CP: Dallin H. Oaks, “Rights and
Responsibilities”
LABS
Power and Freedom
LABS
CP: John Locke, excerpt from The
Second Treatise of Civil
Government; David Hume, excerpt
from A Treatise of Human Nature;
Doctrine and Covenants 101: 7680; Mosiah 29
Service ideas cleared with TA
NO CLASS: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
Beginning the World FP: Chapter 2
Anew
CP: Mayflower Compact; John
Winthrop, “Little Speech on
Liberty” & “A Model of Christian
Charity”
LABS
English Sources of
American
Government
LABS
FP: Chapter 3
CP: Magna Carta; Petition of Right
Economics and the
Founding
FP: Chapter 4; Appendix A
CP: Adam Smith, excerpt from An
Inquiry into . . . Wealth of Nations
Feb. 2-3
Thursday/Friday
WEEK 6
Feb. 6,8
Monday/Wednesday
Feb. 9-10
Thursday/Friday
WEEK 7
Feb. 13,15
Monday/Wednesday
The American
Constitution
Feb. 1417
T-F
Feb. 15-16
Wednesday/Thursday
Feb. 16-17
Thursday/Friday
MIDTERM #1
Tuesday and Wednesday, Regular Period
Thursday, Late Period ($5 late fee)
Friday, Late Period ($7 late fee) Must have the test in
hand by 11:00 am
Exam in Testing Center. Be sure to go with enough time
before TC closes.
(NOTE: It is your responsibility to find out when the testing
center closes, and how long lines are running, so that you
can avoid getting cut short on the time you need to finish
your exam.)
Film – A More Perfect Union
Feb 15th and 16th at 5:00 and 7:30 pm in 140 JSB
LABS
WEEK 8
Feb. 20
Feb. 21-22
Monday
Tuesday/Wednesday
Feb. 23-24
Thursday/Friday
NO CLASS: President’s Day. Lecture on TUESDAY.
Rights and
FP: Chapter 7; The Bill of Rights
Ratification
and Amendments; Federalist #10;
Federalist #51 (Appendix C)
LABS
WEEK 9
Feb. 27,29
Monday/Wednesday
Politics as Usual
LABS
Breaking with Britain
PAPER #1 DUE IN LABS
FP: Chapter 5; Declaration of
Independence (Appendix C)
CP: Daniel Leonard,
“Massachusettensis”; John Adams,
“Novanglus”; Edmund Burke,
excerpt from “Speech on
Conciliation”; Samuel Johnson,
excerpt from Taxation no Tyranny
LABS
SECTION II: A NEW REPUBLIC
FP: Chapter 6; The Constitution
(Appendix C)
CP: Jack Rakove, Chapters 5-6 of
James Madison and the Creation of
the American Republic
FP: Chapter 8; Chapter 9; George
Washington‟s Farewell Address
(Appendix C)
Mar. 1-2
Thursday/Friday
WEEK 10
Mar. 5,7
Monday/Wednesday
Mar. 8-9
A House Divided
FP: Chapter 10, Chapter 11,
Abraham Lincoln, “Gettysburg
Address” and “Second Inaugural
Address” (Appendix C)
CP: Abraham Lincoln, “First
Inaugural Address”
Thursday/Friday
LABS
Part III: America Interprets the Founding
WEEK 11
Mar. 12,14 Monday/Wednesday
Mar. 1516
LABS
Thursday/Friday
WEEK 12
Mar. 19,21 Monday/Wednesday
Mar. 2023
T-F
Mar. 2122
Mar. 2223
Wednesday/Thursday
Thursday/Friday
WEEK 13
Mar. 26,
28
Monday/Wednesday
Mar. 29-
Thursday/Friday
Fighting the Machine
LABS
FP: Chapter 12
CP: Andrew Carnegie, “On
Wealth”; Robert Dahl, “What the
Framers Couldn‟t Know”
PAPER #2 DUE IN LAB
Commerce and
FP: Appendix B
American Society
MIDTERM #2
Tuesday and Wednesday, Regular Period
Thursday, Late Period ($5 late fee)
Friday, Late Period ($7 late fee) Must have the test in
hand by 11:00 am
Exam in Testing Center. Be sure to go with enough time
before TC closes.
(NOTE: It is your responsibility to find out when the testing
center closes, and how long lines are running, so that you
can avoid getting cut short on the time you need
Film: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mar 21st and 22nd at 5:00 and 7:30 pm in 140 JSB
LABS
American
Exceptionalism?
LABS
FP: Chapter 13
CP: Jeffrey R. Holland, “Except the
Lord Build the House”; Dallin H.
Oaks, “The Divinely Inspired
Constitution”
30
WEEK 14
Apr. 2,4
Monday/Wednesday
Apr. 5-6
Thursday/Friday
Week 15
Apr. 9,11
Monday/Wednesday
The Impact of the
Founding Today
Saturday-Wednesday
Final Exam,
Saturday, Monday-Wednesday
Exam administered by the Testing Center. Typically, the
Testing Center proctors the American Heritage final in
the Joseph Smith Building. Lines can be long during the
exam period, so be sure to go with enough time before
the Testing Center closes.
(NOTE: The American Heritage Final does not run the
whole week of finals. It is your responsibility to find out
when the testing center closes, and how long lines are
running, so that you can avoid getting cut short on the time
you need to finish your exam.)
FINALS
APR. 14,
16-18
The Search for
Justice
FINAL LABS
FP: Chapter 14
CP: Plessy vs. Ferguson; Martin
Luther King, Jr., “Letter from
Birmingham Jail”; John F. Kennedy
Inaugural Address
CITIZENSHIP TIMECARD
DUE IN LAB
FP: Chapter 15
Arthur Brooks, “Why Giving
Matters,” BYU Forum, Feb. 24,
2009
http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewit
em&id=1826
Citizenship Timecard for
Date
Hours
Served
Organization
I completed the above hours of service for American Heritage 100.
Signature
Activity