HISTORY 101: U.S. HISTORY TO 1865/3 credits
GREAT BASIN COLLEGE: FALL, 2006
SECTION:EO1
T,TH :7:30-8:45 AM
ROOM: GTA 130
Dr. Peter Klem
Office: 109D Lundberg Hall
Office Phone: 753-2128
Email: peterk@gwmail.gbcnv.edu
Office Hours: 9-10 Tues/Thu [after class] & 1-2 Tues/Thu
OVERVIEW: prerequisite – ENG 101 reading level
This course will examine the development of the United States from, roughly, the time of
European settlement to the American Civil War. As mentioned in the Course Description
booklet it is a “survey” course – your basic, straight-forward, “generic” history class [or
as some have dubbed it : “The one darned thing after another” course]. Designed to be
accessible to non-history majors seeking an introduction to, and having an interest in, the
field of American History, I fear it may conjure up, in the minds of some, images of a
bland retelling of names, dates, facts, and figures. Thus, it may be useful to clarify some
things right from the beginning, starting with my
OBJECTIVES:
On the most basic level, I hope to provide you, the student, with useful knowledge which
will better your understanding of both the past and the present, thereby enabling you to
place people and events in their proper historical context – that is where the minutiae of
facts and figures comes in.
But I also want to present history as a vital discipline with direct relevance to our lives,
rather than merely a chronology of facts and figures. The knowledge taken from this
course should be actively used to evaluate historical trends and provide you with
sufficient information to engage in meaningful discussion on some of the most basic of
all questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? How did we become so wonderful
[or messed up]?
Furthermore, there are many rooms in the mansion of our history; there is of course our
politics [believe it or not, in light of our present widespread cynicism, considered by
some our special genius and most significant contribution to human history], but we will
also look at the social and cultural – even economic- elements as well. Also, besides the
printed word, we have many types of sources useful in bettering our understanding of the
past: poetry, art, cartoons, etc.
Finally let me point out the inherent drama here – for drama grows out of tension and
tension was a commodity as plentiful as land in our infant nation. This is the story of our
conception, our first baby-steps as a nation, the first stirring of self-awareness when we
sought to define ourselves as a people and fought for an honored place among the nations
of the world.
COURSE STRUCTURE:
Although primarily a lecture course handouts, videos, and class discussions/assignments
will be used to reinforce and compliment the lectures. To receive full credit for the class
the following must be completed.
1. Attend lectures on a regular basis. Students will be allowed TWO absences for any
reason, but after that only excused absences are allowed. Beyond this point students will
be withdrawn from the class. However, keep in mind that whether or not absence is
excused or not any absence will result in a loss of participation points. Thus, if you
miss a discussion class, or activity, you are hurting your final grade when you miss
class!
2. KEEP UP WITH THE READINGS! This class will use the following books:
America Past and Present by Divine, Breen, etc. BRIEF 6TH EDITION.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass written by himself [David Blight, ed]
Company Aytch by Sam Watkins
3. STUDENT ASSESSMENT: Students will be assessed points, in keeping with the
General Education objectives (see adjoining text “General Education Objectives
and Measurement of Learner Outcomes” at the end of the syllabus), according to
their proficiency on the following tasks.
EXAMS: (100 points each) There will be two mid-terms and one final examination each
covering approximately 5 chapters worth of material from the Divine text and the lectures
and class assignments. These will each consist of one essay, and a mixture of multiple
choice [30 per exam] and short answer questions [4 per exam]. IF YOU MISS EXAMS
YOU WILL BE DOCKED 20 POINTS ON THE MAKE-UP TEST!!
4. WRITING/DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENTS. During the course of the semester you
will be assigned brief writing assignments revolving around the readings for a specific
class. We will discuss them and they will be collected and graded. Depending on our
progress, the precise number and point total for these tasks will vary. More on this later,
but at least 50 points worth of these writing/discussion pieces will go towards your final
grade (see below, GRADES). These are usually worth 10 points each [maybe bonus
points later in semester? We’ll see.] Miss class [and thus discussion], but email me
written portion and you will loose half the points. Missed class and late with the
assignment? Forget it = no points. Since these are designed to get you reading,
discussing, and being actively engaged in the class, late papers/missed classes defeats the
purpose and thus renders them useless. Sorry.
5. PAPER: (100 points) DUE IN CLASS ON THURS., NOV. 30th . One formal paper
is required. Like all writing assignments it will be typed, double-spaced, have one inch
margins and use a 12 point font. The length will be 3 to 5 pages and will be based on
Frederick Douglass’ Narrative… and Sam Watkins’ Company Aytch. You will be graded
upon creative/critical thinking, your construction of a logical argument, your ability to
compare and contrast the books and of course your writing abilities. You will loose
points for poor grammar and spelling. PROOFREAD! NOTE: Late papers will be docked
one letter grade immediately and one more each day thereafter. PLAGIARISM is the
attempt to pass someone else’s work off as your own and is strictly prohibited. Feel free
to get together outside of class and kick around ideas, but no cheating – do your own
work! Failure to do so not only gets you an F, but could get you reported to the school for
further disciplinary action.
6. CLASSROOM CONDUCT: You will please conduct yourself with consideration of
your fellow classmates. Comments, criticisms, questions are more than welcome, but
please note all thoughtful opinions are valid and mean-spirited bullying and abuse of
others are NOT in keeping with collegiate discourse. Some folks are more shy than
others and if my attempts at getting some students to open up and speak their minds are
foiled by others, I’ll loose my temper! Hey, we’ve all got anxieties about public
speaking, but if you do the reading, attend class, and make an effort to participate in the
discussions this class may well turn out to be one of your favorites [one can hope!]
NOTE: questions not related to topics under discussion should be directed prior to or
after class [or simply stop by my office in Lundberg Hall].
7. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION POLICY: Any student in this course who has
a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities
should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations
necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities. ADA
STATEMENT: GBC supports providing equal access for students with disabilities. An advisor is
available to discuss appropriate accommodations with students. Please contact the ADA Officer
(Julie Byrnes) in Elko at 775.753.2271 at your earliest convenience to request timely and
appropriate accommodations.
NOTE: The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus as necessitated by
circumstances. Please turn off your cell phones/pagers [unless emergency worker]
No sleeping in class. THERE IS NO EXTRA CREDIT. If you disrupt our learning
community you will be dropped from class!
GRADES: The final grades for this class will be decided on a 450 point scale.
First mid-term
100 points
Second Mid-term
100 points
Final
100 points
Paper
100 points
In class assignments
50 points
At the end of the semester:
450-426 points will be an A.
Grading Cont’d
425-406 points will be an A405-391 points will be a B+
390-375 points will be a B
374-360 points will be a B359-346 points will be a C+
345-328 points will be a C
327-315 points will be a C314-301 points will be a D+
300-297 points will be a D
296-270 points will be a DBelow 270 is an F
CLASS SCHEDULE:
(Note: below are readings for Divine Text book only; I’ll give you notice on the
secondary texts in class.)
Week 1
August
29
INTRODUCTION: HI! How are ‘ya? Syllabus, etc.
August
31
NEW WORLD ENCOUNTERS: Divine, Chp.1.
Week 2
September
5 & 7 THE ENGLISH COLONIES: Divine, Chp.2.
Week 3
September
12 & 14 PUTTING DOWN ROOTS: Divine, Chp.3.
Week 4
September
19 &21 EXPERIENCE OF EMPIRE: Divine, Chp. 4.
Week 5
September
26
28
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION: Divine, Chp.5.
FIRST MIDTERM EXAM
Week 6
October
3 & 5 THE REPUBLICAN EXPERIMENT: Divine, Chp. 6.
Week 7
October
10 & 12 DEMOCRACY IN DISTRESS: Divine, Chp. 7.
Week 8
October
17 & 19 JEFFERSONIAN ASCENDENCY: Divine, Chp.8.
Week 9
October
24 & 26 NATION BUILDING AND NATIONALISM: Divine, Chp.9.
Week 10
October
31 THE TRIUMPH OF WHITE MEN’S DEMOCRACY: Divine, chp.10.
November
2
2ND MIDTERM EXAM
Week 11
November
7&9
SLAVES AND MASTERS: Divine, Chp.11.
Week 12
November
14 & 16 THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION: Divine, Chp.12.
Week 13
November
21 AN AGE OF EXPANSIONISM: Divine, Chp.13.
November
23 NO CLASS – HAVE A NICE THANKSGIVING!
Week 14
November
28 &
THE SECTIONAL CRISIS: Divine, Chp.14.
November
30 NOTE: PAPERS DUE ON THURS. NOV.30th in CLASS!
Week 15
December
5 & 7 SECESSION AND THE CIVIL WAR: Divine, Chp.15.
***** FINAL EXAM TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12TH ; 7:30 TO 8:45 AM !!
General Education Objectives and Measurement of Learner Outcomes
Objective 1: Communication Skills-Strong
Communication skills are of critical importance in History 101 and the class strongly
meets this objective through a variety of methods. First, students develop acute
listening and oral communication skills. Not only do students have to assimilate a
great deal of information from the historical narrative presented by the instructor
(lecture is the basic format of the class) but also listen effectively to each other as
questions are raised and discussions stimulated by their peers. In these discussions
students hone their oral communication skills as they grapple with new ideas. Second,
students sharpen their reading skills through the required texts and short
supplemental readings left to the instructor's discretion. Historical textbooks are not
easy reading and require a college level reading ability to digest the vast amounts of
information and distill it into a usable form. Third, students will learn writing skills.
While each of my assignments vary, this element is always present in various forms:
short free writes, short answer questions that require the ability to know not only the
facts but also the significance of an event or person, large essay questions [one per
exam; 3 per semester] on the examinations that require the ability to synthesize vast
amounts of material and present it in a concise essay format, 5 writing/discussion
assignments per semester, and one formal paper [5 pages].
Objective 2: Critical Thinking-Strong/Moderate
Critical thinking is a vital process that students must develop in this class. Reasoning
and independent thought are significant parts of this class because students are
required to examine this era of American history and interpret it. Measured through
class discussions, examinations, and papers students are asked to analyze and
critically examine historical actors and their actions. Many of these events are
ambiguous and have different interpretations, so students must come to some sort of
awareness that for some issues there are no simple answers and that all interpretations
are not of equal merit. This is what historians do. Quantitative ability and scientific
understanding are dealt with to some degree, though scientific understanding is the
stronger of the two. Scientific discovery and development play a vital role in the
historical process and the history of science and the theoretical underpinnings of the
scientific method are dealt within the narrative of the course. Quantitative ability is
addressed to some degree through the broad use of statistics as historical evidence.
Students are made aware of the strengths and weaknesses of statistics through the
examination of historical examples such as voting, immigration, settlement, and
economic growth patterns. These will all be measured through the use of discussions,
exams, and papers.
Objective 3: Personal and Cultural Awareness-Strong
History 101 deals with all four elements in this objective to a significant degree. This
forces students to develop a strong sense of the individual in societyStudents are urged
to see history from different perspectives (such as race, class, and gender) and to
understand that different groups of people can interpret historical events very
differently because of their different experiences and values. This course obviously
engenders a sense of the past, but it also produces a sense of accountability. We
explore the ramifications of past actions, such as the so called “Columbian
Exchange”, Indian Removal, slavery and the Civil War, and evaluate the outcomes.
Finally, this course develops an appreciation of fine arts by stressing human creativity
in high as well as popular culture. As for cultural development, this era of American
history produced, arguably, the most incredible creative outburst in our history:
Whitman, Poe, Thoreau, Emerson, Irving, Cole, Audubon – to name a few of the
giants of the age. A true American Renaissance! These will be measured through
discussion and written exams/papers.
Objective 4: Personal Wellness-some degree
History 101 meets the personal wellness objective to some degree by exploring reform
movements that have significantly altered our society. The so-called “Benevolent
Societies” pioneered improvements in everything from public education [Horace
Mann] to mental health [Dorthea Dix]. Again, the Columbian Exchange is a stark
example of the devastating impact disease can have on an entire civilization. Students
will be tested on this material and focused readings will be discussed in class.
Objective 5: Technological Understanding-strong
History 101 fulfills the technological understanding objective because of the emphasis
in the class on using technology as a writing and research tool. Students are
encouraged to complete writing assignments using computer word processing and
Internet research. In addition, there may be some use of supplemental primary source
readings that are available on the Internet. By encouraging students to become more
computer and Internet literate, this class encourages technological understanding.
Also one section of this course will be offered by interactive video and all students are
encouraged to submit assignments via email.