Syllabus
Course Objectives
As much as possible, every element of this class—from lectures to assignments to exams—is designed to advance the following objectives:
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Help students critically assess their obligations as citizens in our
constitutional system through understanding historical circumstances in which American independence was declared and in
which American liberty was provided with an enduring constitutional form.
Teach students the importance of social structure and rules in
securing good outcomes from government and the economy.
Teach students how American constitutionalism reflects a prudent
regard for the corruption of human nature as well as an underlying
respect for the sacred character of natural human rights, by exploring the relationships among the ideas of constitutionalism, human
freedom, societal equality, and a well-functioning democracy.
Make students aware of the economic dimension of constitutional
liberty, including the contribution of economic freedom to both
character and prosperity, the advantages and limitations of market
mechanisms, and ongoing debates about the proper scope of
government in relation to the economic sector.
Enable students to recognize and to become intelligently conversant in distinctively LDS perspectives on the Constitution, generally to help them appreciate the political and social conditions of
the Restoration.
Familiarize students with later challenges to the early tradition
of American constitutionalism, including consequent changes in
the spirit and functioning of the Constitution from the Civil War
through the New Deal and beyond.
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Syllabus
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Give students a greater appreciation for the opportunities and
challenges associated with civic engagement, in part by becoming actively involved in political or community-based activities
related to issues they care about.
Required Texts
Fox, Frank W. and Clayne L. Pope. 2010. City upon a Hill: The
Legacy of America’s Founding. 2nd edition. Provo, UT: BYU
Academic Publishing. This text contains all of the basic concepts
that you will use in this course.
• Course Readings Packet. The other readings for this course are
contained in the course reading packet which you can find under
the Course Resources module in Brainhoney.
In addition to these readings you will have a teaching assistant who
will answer questions you may have about your reading, give you feedback
on your assignments, and coordinate the grading for you for this course.
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Required Film
A More Perfect Union. To access this film, use the following steps:
1. Open a web browser and go to lib.byu.edu
2. Under the Find Other Materials section, click Byugle (Streaming
Video). You will be prompted to enter your Net Id and password.
3. In the search field, type A More Perfect Union. Click Search.
4. Under the video’s thumbnail, click Watch Video.
If you are having trouble streaming the video, you can also access the
film in the Learning Resource Center (LRC) on the 4th floor of the Harold
B. Lee Library (HBLL) if you are near BYU campus. The video can also
be purchased from amazon.com.
Teaching Assistant
Your teaching assistant will be Kempton Cox. Email any questions to
ta_ahtg100@byu.edu.
In addition to your teaching assistant, you can contact the course
administrator, Erica Germaine, for help with any logistical or administrative problems you may have as you go through the course.
Lessons
There are 15 lessons in this course as follows:
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AHTG 100: American Heritage
Lesson 1
Problem of Government
Lesson 2
City upon a Hill
Lesson 3
The English Legacy
Lesson 4
A Conflict of Interests/Founding of a Market
Economy
Lesson 5
The American Revolution
Lesson 6
Designing Government
Midcourse exam 1
Lesson 7
Starting the Engine of Government
Lesson 8
From Unity to Political Parties
Lesson 9
The Founding and Historical Change
Lesson 10
Empire of Liberty
Lesson 11
Finishing the Founding
Midcourse exam 2
Lesson 12
The Rise of Government/Market Weaknesses
Lesson 13
America and the World
Lesson 14
Living with Judicial Review
Opinion paper due
Lesson 15
American’s Founding Heritage
Application assignment portfolio due
Final exam
Lesson Structure
Our goal for you as you go through this course is to help you understand
the basic principles and concepts involved in the American founding and
apply these principles and concepts to the societies you see around you.
Many of these concepts are universal and can be used to understand not
only the American founding but also the problems of government facing
the United States today and those of other countries as well. Each lesson
will follow the same format:
Reading Assignment
First, read the assigned reading of that lesson. As with all independent
study, reading is the most efficient and important means of study. You
will shortchange yourself if you try to get by without reading the assigned
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Syllabus
material or only reading it superficially. To be successful in this course,
you must read the assigned material carefully.
Reading Quiz
Second, after completing the reading, you will take a quiz designed to
test you on the reading. The results will be immediately available to you.
The questions will not be graded, but it is a pass/fail quiz. You cannot
move on to the next section of the lesson until you pass it with 100%, so
please complete your reading.
Key Concepts and Main Points
Third, after the reading quiz, you will review a list of concepts and important points associated with this lesson. You will have the opportunity to
view illustrations associated with these points. If you do not understand
any of the listed concepts, go back to the reading for clarification or contact your teaching assistant for help.
Application Assignment
Fourth, you will then do the application assignment associated with this
lesson in which you will apply one of the concepts of the lesson to a current issue or problem. The paper will be one page in length.
You will finish the assignment after every lesson. You can submit your
paper electronically to the TA for review. The TA will provide feedback
to make sure you understand the concept. See the syllabus for How to
Submit Your Assignment for Review by TA below.
The individual application assignments will not be graded until you
submit all the papers electronically as the application assignment portfolio
at the end of the course. See the Application Assignment Portfolio section
for instructions on how to submit your application assignment portfolio.
How to Submit Your Assignment for Review by TA
To save, then submit each paper electronically for review by the
TA, follow these steps:
5. Type your paper in a word-processing program (such as Microsoft
Word).
6. When you save the file, click the Save as type: drop-down list.
7. Select Rich Text Format (*.rtf).
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AHTG 100: American Heritage
© BYU Independent Study
8. Use the course number, your first and last name, and the
assignment name for the filename. For example, AHTG100_
EricaGermaine_OpinionPaper.rtf.
9. Click Save.
10. Submit the lesson’s .RTF file by clicking the Application
Assignment Review by TA link found under the respective
lesson’s module in BrainHoney (see figure below.
Click the Application Assignment Review by TA link in Brainhoney
11. Click Open.
12. Click the Browse button, and then locate the file you wish to
submit.
13. When you are finished, click Submit. You will be asked if you are
sure you want to submit this assignment.
14. Click Yes. You will receive a message that tells you that you have
successfully submitted your assignment.
15. Click OK.
See the page “How to Complete the Application Assignment” under
the Application Assignment Portfolio module in Brainhoney for more
instructions.
Lesson Quiz
Fifth, you will then take a quiz that tests your ability to apply the concepts
and important points of the lesson to hypothetical situations. This is
graded and worth 5 points. I will have explanations of what the answer
is and why the other distractors are not correct. These quiz questions will
be very similar to questions on the midcourse exams and the final exam
for the course. The two lowest quiz scores will be dropped.
Application Assignment Portfolio
Once you have completed all 15 application assignments and saved them
to .rtf format, you are ready to submit them for grading:
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Syllabus
1. Click Open.
2. Attach all of the relevant assignments by clicking the Browse
button, and then locate the file you wish to submit.
3. If you have additional files to add, click Add Attachment and
use the Browse button to locate and upload the next file. Make
sure you attach everything.
4. When you are finished, click Submit. You will be asked if you are
sure you want to submit this assignment.
5. Click Yes. You will receive a message that tells you that you have
successfully submitted your assignment.
6. Click OK.
Opinion Paper
Finally, you are asked to write a public opinion paper similar to the types
of opinion pieces that appear in newspapers on the editorial page. This
paper should be no more than 750 words in length. The paper should take
an issue that is currently under discussion at either the state or national
level. You should support a particular position on the issue you choose.
You are not graded on the position you take, but you are graded on how
you use the concepts and analysis of this course to help you support your
position. This public opinion paper must be turned in immediately after
lesson fourteen.
Exams
There are three exams during the course—a midcourse exam after lesson
6, another midcourse after lesson 11, and a final exam at the end of the
course that will cover all of the lessons.
You must pass the final exam with a 60% or higher in order
to pass the course.
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AHTG 100: American Heritage
Grading
Your course grade is based on your cumulative performance on:
Quizzes (reading and Speedback):
150 points
Midcourse 1:
100 points
Midcourse 2:
100 points
Final exam:
150 points
Application portfolio:
150 points
Opinion paper:
50 points .
Total Points:
700 points
Grading Scale
You may be wondering if we grade on a curve or an absolute standard. We
have thousands of students who take American Heritage each year at BYU,
so we generally know the levels of performance needed for the different
grades. This grading scale has already been adjusted to those averages.
A
100–90
A-
89–87
B+
86–84
B
83–81
B-
80–78
C+
77–75
C
74–72
C-
71–69
D+
68–66
D
65–63
D-
62–60
E (fail)
59 or below
Course Policies
No resubmission of lesson quizzes are allowed. No resubmission of the
application assignment portfolio is allowed (Make sure that you have
the TA review each application assignment as you complete them). No
retakes on the midcourse exams or the final exam.
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