Syllabus

GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
WARSAW, NEW YORK

SYLLABUS: History 203-99 United States History 1

Instructor: Fred Schrock
Fall 2008 Semester
Tuesday 6:00pm-9:00pm
Warsaw Campus Center 304
Office Hours: see me before or after class
E-mail: fcschrock[AT]genesee[DOT]edu
Web: http://fredschrock203.blogspot.com
Telephone: (7 1 6) 9 1 3 - 6 6 6 8

CLASS DESCRIPTION:
This course offers an overview of United States history from the eve of European colonization through the American Civil War. We will focus on the ideas and attitudes of ordinary Americans, as well as on the contributions of better-known figures. Our goal is to understand not only what happened but also why. Through lectures, readings, videos, and discussions we will consider a wide range of scholarly interpretations. As the semester progresses, you will be encouraged to make your own assessments about the events creating the American experience.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
Surveys United States history from Pre-Columbian America through the Civil War. Focuses on the ideas and issues that shaped the emergence of the United States including institutional development, cultural transformation, and political evolution. Themes examined include exploration and colonization, early America's relations with the British Empire; the American Revolution; establishing the new republic, Jacksonian Democracy, the technological and economic development of the young nation, social and cultural life, westward expansion, the sectional crisis, and the Civil War. Introduces techniques of historical research and critical writing about the early history of the United States.

PREREQUISITES: None.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

Norton et al. A People & A Nation, Eighth Edition. Volume One: To 1877. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008.

COURSE POLICIES:

No work will be accepted late without permission from the instructor. The Research Paper and Final Project will lose one letter grade for every class day they are late and a 0 if later than one week. Research papers must be written in the Chicago ("Turabian") formatting style. All assignments must be completed before class and typed, unless expressly stated otherwise.

The instructor has created a web log to post pertinent class information. Students are encouraged but not required to visit the site regularly and post comments as they see fit.

Plagiarism or falsification of information on assignments results in a 0 grade for that assignment. Refer to the attached sheet for a more detailed description, as well as the GCC Library's website.
Similarly, cheating on a test results in an automatic 0 for the test. If you have questions, ask the instructor.

Cell phones, pagers, PDAs, calculators, computers, alarm watches, audio equipment, and similar electronic devices may not be used during the class. They must remain Off or in Silent Mode and out of view. Failure to adhere to this rule may seriously effect one's class participation grade and, during tests, be considered evidence of cheating.

All rules and dates are subject to change by the instructor.

GRADING:

The final grade in this course will be a letter grade (A, B, C, D, F) based on an average derived from the point system below. There are no + or - letter grades or extra credit. A percentage of 90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 65-69 = D, and 0-64 = F.

Mid-term Exam
100 points
Final Exam
150 points
Research Paper
100 points
Final Project
200 points
Quizzes, Homework, Group Work
100 points
Oral Presentation
50 points
Class Participation
100 points

Mid-term Exam and Final Exam: These tests will consist of multiple choice questions, short answer (several sentence) questions and multi-paragraph essays. You will be advised what topics should be reviewed beforehand. Notes, books, and other information will not be available to you during the test.

Research Paper: You will write a four-page paper comparing and contrasting how the institutional structures of American society in the 18th and 19th centuries affected at least two groups, based upon library research involving a minimum of three scholarly sources. An informational sheet with specific details will be provided to you later in the semester.

Final Project: The final project is an six- to eight-page research paper about a historical topic of your choosing that has both national and local importance. This will be an opportunity for you to show how Western New York is historically linked with the rest of the country by using local resources. More details will follow.

Quizzes: Quizzes will generally test your reading knowledge of a textbook chapter, outside reading, or geography. They usually consist of ten multiple-choice questions or short answers.

Class Participation: A person with a high participation grade does not have to make a quota of comments per class. Students will receive high participation grades by coming to class alert, prepared, and able to engage in group work when necessary. If absent, students must procure missed notes and homework assignments so they may come to the next class without trailing behind. In class all students are expected to interact with each other in a way that is academically productive, not socially disruptive. The instructor will warn the student before adjusting a participation grade. This grade starts at one hundred points and drops in ten point increments.

Oral Presentation: Each student will give a short three-minute presentation about an current news article and explain how it pertains to our study of American History. More details will follow.

IMPORTANT DATES:

8/26 First Class
9/23 Research Paper Rough Draft Due
10/7 Research Paper Due
10/14 Midterm
11/18 Final Project Due
12/9 Last Class/Final Exam

CLASS CANCELLATION PROCEDURE:

In the case of an instructor absence, a notice will be posted on the classroom door. The notice will give you assignments for which you are responsible. The class web log will also provide further information.

If weather causes the College to be canceled, find out by listening to the following radio stations:

AM FM
WBTA--1490 Batavia WBTA--101.7 Batavia
WBEN--930 Buffalo WMJQ--102.5 Buffalo
WHAM--1180 Rochester WVOR--100.5 Rochester
WCJW--1140 Warsaw

SUPPORT SERVICES:

The GCC Library provides access to books, periodicals, media and reference materials and library instruction for all GCC students.

The Center for Academic Progress (in GCC Library) provides academic support for all students. CAP services include professional and peer tutoring, writing and math labs, and placement testing. CAP also has an assisted learning lab with Skills Bank software for math and language development, and other materials, and provides services for students with physical and/or learning disabilities.

If you need such support services, please let me know, and I will assist you in contacting them.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Week 1: Prologue/Alien Encounters
Week 2: American Society in the Making
Week 3: America in the British Empire
Week 4: The American Revolution
Week 5: The Federalist Era
Week 6: Jeffersonian Democracy
Week 7: National Growing Pains
Week 8: Toward a National Economy
Week 9: Jacksonian Democracy
Week 10: The Making of Middle-Class America
Week 11: An American Culture
Week 12: Westward Expansion
Week 13: The Sections Go Their Ways
Week 14: The Coming of the Civil War
Week 15: The War to Save the Union
Week 16: Reconstruction and the South
Week 17: Thematic Conclusions




COURSE OBJECTIVES:

At the conclusion of the semester, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of a basic narrative of early American history by answering on a test a set of questions on the development of democratic ideas from the colonial period to the end of the Civil War including such topics as the emergence of the political party system, social protest movements, American imperialism and expansion, economic growth and change in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the Civil War.*
2. Demonstrate a knowledge of the common institutions in modern American society and how they have affected different groups by writing a 2-4 page paper comparing and contrasting how the institutional structures/nature of American society in the 18th and 19th centuries affected at least two groups(critical thinking), based upon library research involving a minimum of three sources utilizing online full-text databases(information management).*
3. Demonstrate an understanding of America’s evolving relationship with the rest of the world by answering a set of questions based upon the timeframe from the colonial period to the end of the Civil War focused upon social protest movements, American imperialism and expansion, economic growth and change in the 18th and 19th centuries and the impact these forces have on American relations with other countries.*
4. Compare and contrast in extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities Pre-Columbian America and Europe on the eve of colonization.
5. Identify through extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities the economic, religious and political developments in the colonies that resulted in sectional differences.
6. Analyze in writing assignments or examination questions at least three of the basic reasons for the growth of differences between colonial America and the British government that lead to the clash of interests.
7. Evaluate through extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities the domestic, military and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution.
8. Analyze in extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities how the United States constitution was drawn up, ratified and placed into operation.
9. Demonstrate through extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities an understanding of how Americans translated republican ideas into practical government on the local, state and national levels.
10. Compare and contrast through extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities the conflicting constitutional interpretations that emerged in the late 18th century.
11. Identify through extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities at least three of the reasons for the emergence of the United States as a nation of great wealth and power through its commercial development.
12. Discuss through extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities the structure of the antebellum South, and the role of the slave culture in that society.
13. Analyze in extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities the evolving role of the presidency from George Washington to Abraham Lincoln.
14. Compare and contrast through extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities the strengths and weaknesses of the Confederacy and the Union during the Civil War.
15. Identify through extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities at least three of the reasons for the growth of sectionalism prior to the Civil War and the distinguishing features of the three sections.
16. Analyze in extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities the emerging social concerns of the 19th century as exemplified by educational, institutional and literary developments
17. Demonstrate through map quizzes or examination questions an understanding of the role that geography played on the development of the United States.
18. Demonstrate through extended writing, examination questions or classroom activities the ability to analyze at least three current issues in American society in their historical context.
19. Demonstrate through extended writing, examinations questions or classroom discussion the ability to read and interpret at least four primary sources in American history with reference to historical perspective and context.
20. Demonstrate through extended writing, examinations questions or classroom discussion an understanding of history as an interpretive discipline with a diversity of viewpoints.

*This course objective has been identified as a student learning outcome that must be formally assessed as part of the College’s Comprehensive Assessment Plan. All faculty teaching this course must collect the required data (see Assessing Student Learning Outcomes form) and submit the required analysis and documentation at the conclusion of the semester to the Office of Assessment and Special Projects.