Prof. Steve Batham

Spring 2009, Section 66553

College of the Canyons – Canyon Country Campus (Room 400)

P.A.C.E. Saturday, 8:00am-10:30am

Contact: steve.batham@gmail.com or steve.batham@canyons.edu

Course Goals and Objectives

United States History to 1877 is a freshman-level course that satisfies the Title V requirement for the General Education program.  Although this course is most likely outside of your expected major, you will learn skills that you can carry into any field or occupation.  This course is not designed to have students memorize facts that they will forget in a few months, but rather to impart a sense of why we are the nation we are today.  By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Analyze events to recognize cause and effect relationships
2. Think critically about diverse interpretations of a single event
3. Collect information and communicate their thoughts to support an argument in written examinations and assignments.
4. Recognize long-term trends in American history and culture that affect us today.

In order to pass this course, all students are expected to meet the student learning outcomes listed below.  Through the duration of this course, we will meet the following learning outcomes and objectives:

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Assess the history of America and the United States from the Colonial period through Reconstruction.
2. Analyze the cultural, social, and political diversity embodied in the American experience from the sixteenth century through 1877.
3. Examine the origins of the United States Constitution and the milestone events associated with that document from the ratification process through the Civil War and Reconstruction, including the implementation of federalism and the Bill of Rights.

Student Objectives

1. Analyze the diversity, complexity, and contributions to world history of Pre-Columbian North America Indians.
2. Assess the European expansionist ethos in the "Age of Discovery."
3. Evaluate the historical impact of early contact between American Indian, African, and European peoples in the 15th and 16th centuries.
4. Assess early Spanish, French, and British colonial efforts in North America.
5. Trace the evolution of English colonization in the Chesapeake and New England.
6. Judge the importance of New England's King Philip's War and Virginia's Bacon's Rebellion--consider the course of American Indian and British Colonial relations.
7. Assess the role of women and children in colonial America.
8. Examine the significance of the Glorious Revolution.
9. Explain the importance of the Restoration Colonies.
10. Compare and contrast German and Scots-Irish immigration.
11. Analyze the religious and philosophical currents present in mid-eighteenth century colonial America.
12. Evaluate the importance of the French and Indian War.
13. Explain the causes of the American Revolution.
14. Contrast the arguments surrounding the ratification of the Constitution.
15. Compare and contrast the North and the South during the Early National period.
16. Assess the importance of the War of 1812.
17. Evaluate the rise of political parties and the advent of Jacksonian democracy.
18. Analyze the significance of antebellum reform movements--especially focusing on abolitionism and women's suffrage.
19. Compare and explain the development of African American culture among both slaves and free blacks.
20. Evaluate the circumstances leading to the outbreak of the Mexican War.
21. Critique the rise of nativism and the importance of immigrants and major ethnic groups to urban development.
22. Compare and contrast the positions of the pro-slavery and free soil/free labor factions in American society.
23. Evaluate the political, cultural, economic, and regional differences that led to disunion and the Civil War.
24. Appraise the major factors that led to union victory in the Civil War.
25. Evaluate the political, racial, and societal issues facing the nation during Reconstruction.
26. Appraise the cultural and institutional successes and failures of Reconstruction.

Course Materials

Required Text

● Brad Reynolds, American History, An Overview To 1877, 5^th Edition.

Requirements and Grading

News Articles                                                 -20%

History Projects                                              -20%

Midterm Essay Examination                            -20%

Final Essay Examination                                  -30%

Student Learning Outcome Exam                    -10%

Class Attendance

Although the majority of this class consists of independent work on your part, you are expected to attend the five class meetings.  Attendance is a crucial aspect of any class, online or traditional face to face classes, so make sure you are present and check in to this course.  If you want to drop this class or you stop attending this class, you are expected to file the required paperwork with admissions because you will not be automatically dropped from the course.

News Articles

To achieve your primary goals of the class, you should keep current with the textbook readings (three chapters per week) and read a daily newspaper or other news source to locate articles related to the content of this class so that you can complete the ten news article assignments.  As you look for articles on the web or in hard copy newspapers, make sure they come from the term of this class.  No articles will be accepted from prior to February 21^st.  These news articles can be submitted any time during the semester, but you should try to turn them in sooner than later so if one is rejected you will have time to redo it.  Also, make sure you keep a copy of each project until you have verified its approval by the instructor.  The final date to turn in News Article assignments is April 4^th.

For these assignments, you find a good article on some historical topic related to the time period and topics covered in your class.  If you found a hard copy of an article you want to submit, you can staple it to your submission.  If you found the article online, you can print it out or you can email the link to Professor Batham.  After you have your article, then write a paragraph summarizing the article and another explaining what parts of the article relate to the content or your class or require some knowledge of the classes’ content to fully understand.  Each submission should be about one double spaced page in length.  In order to get full credit for these assignments, you must complete 10 articles for the semester.  The idea here is to learn the history behind the stories in the news today to enhance your appreciation of the fact that knowing the past is relevant for understanding the present and acting upon the future.

            As an option, you can take a multiple choice exam to substitute for some or all of your news article assignments.  This is further discussed in the “Multiple Choice Examinations Option” below.

History Projects

Your other homework assignment for this class worth 20% of your class grade involves you doing 10 history projects.  A separate handout will be given for these projects on the first day of class.  Things you can do involve attending a lecture, writing a book review, visiting a museum or library to see an exhibit, or critiquing a historical poster or cartoon.  There are many options available to you but make sure that it is on something related to the content of this class.  Whatever you decide to do, remember to follow the directions for each project and remember that you can only complete each type of project twice.  For example, you cannot visit three museums or write three movie reviews, but you can visit two museum exhibits or read two books related to the content of the class.  If any of this is unclear, be sure to contact Professor Batham for a further explanation.

As with the news articles, you can turn in your ten history projects any time during the semester, either individually or in total, but you should try to turn them in as you complete them so that if one is rejected (i.e. project covers wrong era) you will have time to resubmit them.  Some of these projects require that you turn in a copy of the item you are critiquing, such as a political cartoon, so be sure to read the tips on submitting a hard copy in the “News Article” section above.  As with the news article assignments, be sure you submit your project to Professor Batham before the final deadline of April 4^th.

            As an option, you can take a multiple choice exam to substitute for some or all of your history projects.  This is further discussed in the “Multiple Choice Examinations Option” below.

Midterm and Final Essay Examinations

The essay tests will be based on questions listed below and you will receive specific instructions on how to prepare for each essay on February 28^th. The midterm exams will be held on March 14^th and on March 28^th.  You have the choice to take either of the midterms, but you must take at least one.  If you take the first exam date and don’t like the grade you received you can take the second exam to replace that grade with no penalty.  On the other hand, if you take the first exam and are happy with your grade, you do not need to take the second midterm examination.  The final exam will be on April 4^th and everyone must take this exam.  You will need a small blue book and exams must be written in ink.  If you do not have these test materials on the day of the exams, you will not be permitted to take the exam and makeup exams will not be given.  On the day of the exam you will receive at least three of the five essays listed for each test and you will select one to answer.  So if you study at least three of the questions listed for each test you are guaranteed to get at least one of the questions on your exam.  You will have almost the entire class period to write on the day of the exams, so be sure to use the time you are given wisely.  These essays are not intended to be short answer exams, but rather are full essays and should take quite some time to complete.  Please note that when you take your essay tests you will need to write your essays in full sentences and paragraphs and that spelling, punctuation, grammar, and organization will count when determining your essay grades. So if you have a writing problem, get help from the TLC lab or see me for other ways you might improve your writing.

Generally speaking, an essay that answers the question asked but in a broad general way emphasizing only lecture material and perhaps needing better writing and/or organization will probably earn a "C". A "B" essay is a very good essay but one that could perhaps use more specifics from the text or lectures and/or more analysis and/or tighter writing and organization. An "A" essay is one that is well written and organized, answers the question in full, and uses many specific examples from the lectures and text. You will get a "D" if your essay has inaccurate information, and/or is poorly written and organized, and/or if it omits parts of the question asked. You will get an "F" if you fail to answer the question asked or if your writing is extremely poor or if you write very little.  Students often wonder how much they should write to get an "A." While you will be graded more on content then on length, generally speaking an "A" exam tends to fill most of a small examination blue book, both sides of the page. In other words, don't expect to get a very good grade if you write only a few pages or if you are not writing for the entire time allowed for the exam. In short, an "A" means outstanding, a "B" means very good, a "C" means satisfactory, a "D" means unsatisfactory, and an "F" means you failed to answer the question.

Midterm Exam #1 Questions

1. Discuss the various types of native people in North America before the arrival of Europeans and what life was like for them before and after contact.

2. Discuss where and why the Spanish, French, and Dutch settled in North America from 1500 to 1750.

3. Discuss the economic, political, social, religious, and intellectual aspects of life in colonial British North America from 1607 to 1776.

4. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the United Kingdom and the United States at the start of the American Revolution.  Then discuss the course of the war, and why and how the United States won.

5. Discuss the causes of the American Revolution, and especially the events from 1763 to 1776.  Be sure to include economic, social, political, religious, and intellectual reasons and be specific in your answers.

Midterm Exam #2 Questions

1. Write an essay about the U.S. government of the 1770s and 1780s in which you explain why the U.S. adopted the Articles of Confederation, why they succeeded and failed, and how the United States ended up with a federal government and Constitution.

2. Discuss the reasons for westward expansion from 1776 to 1815 and its impact on the economy and the people of the west, especially the Native Americans.

3. Discuss the differences of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists and the major debates over which they were divided, and why, during the 1790s.

4. Discuss the causes of the War of 1812, the course of the war, and the war’s impact on the United States.

5. Discuss the reasons for economic growth during the first half of the nineteenth century.  Be specific in your responses.

Final Essay Questions

1. Write an essay on the evolution of political parties in the United States from 1789 to the 1850s in which you discuss why each party emerged and its philosophy and political impact.  Be sure to include third parties in your response.

2. Discuss the reasons for westward expansion from 1815 to 1850 and its impact on the people of the west, especially the Native Americans, British, and Mexicans.  Include in your response a discussion of the Mexican War of 1846.

3. Discuss the factors that contributed to sectionalism and the Civil War from 1815 to 1860, concentrating on events of the 1850s.  Be sure to use specific examples and explain how the examples you selected impacted the sectional debate.

4. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages each side had at the start of the Civil War.  Then discuss the course of the war and its major turning points.  Last, discuss the immediate impact and importance of the war to the United States.

5. Discuss the different plans to reconstruct the Union after the Civil War and why each worked or failed. Then discuss the attempts to extend civil rights and why the movement and era called Reconstruction came to an end.

Student Learning Outcomes Examination

          All history classes at College of the Canyons now require a separate multiple choice exam to be given during the course of the semester.  This exam will be handed out on the first day of class and consists of about thirty questions.  This exam must be returned to Professor Batham before the last day of class in order to receive credit.

Multiple Choice Examinations Option

You will have of taking a multiple choice examination to substitute for some or all of your history projects and news article assignments.  The multiple exams will be available for you to take on February 28^th, March 14^th, March 28^th, and April 4^th.  You can take up to three multiple choice exams and the questions for these exams will come primarily from the Reynolds Guide.  The first two multiple choice exams will substitute for seven projects or news article assignments each and the third exam will substitute for six projects or news article assignments.  You will need a scan-tron 882 and a #2 pencil for each exam.  If you do not have these test materials on the day of the exams, you will not be permitted to take the exam and makeup exams will not be given.  The specifics of this option will be discussed during our first class meeting on February 21^st.

Classroom Policies

Three basic rules: Don’t cheat, no cell phones, and be courteous to your classmates.  If you need clarification…read on:

Academic Dishonesty

Unfortunately I need to make a comment on this because incidents of cheating have doubled in recent years, largely due to new high tech devices.  Anyone found cheating on a test or quiz will be immediately removed from the classroom and receive an “F” for the assignment and you may be subject to further disciplinary action including suspension or expulsion. 

Cell Phones

Not only are these a distraction to the class and your other classmates who have paid to learn, they are increasingly being used to cheat on exams.  Many colleges throughout the country are currently looking to ban cell phones from their campuses completely due to the problems associated with them.  Turn them off before class begins, put them away (and all other electronic devices), and you won’t have any problems.   

Dropping a Class

If you want to drop this class or you stop attending this class, you are expected to file the required paperwork with admissions because you will not be automatically dropped from the course.

H.I.T.E. and Honors Program

The High Intensity Transfer Enrichment (HITE) program is an academic program with the aim of enhancing your reading, writing, critical thinking, and research skills. It will help you get better grades, get stronger letters of recommendation, get scholarships, and get into various four year colleges. If you have a 2.5 or better grade point average and want more information, visit the HITE and Honors Office.  You can also get information about Alpha Gamma Sigma (the California community college honor society) and Phi Theta Kappa (the national community college honor society). These organizations offer millions of dollars in scholarship money each year, and membership looks great on your transcript.

If you are already in the HITE and Honors Program you may do a HITE contract for this class. HITE contracts for this class usually involve your writing a paper of 5-10 pages on a topic that may interest you in American history or I might be able to help you find a topic to spark your interest. For more details and information on what paperwork you are responsible to submit, please see me after class.

As a final note, this syllabus is subject to change at any time and an amended syllabus will be provided at the earliest opportunity.

Important Dates

Below you will find our meeting schedule for the spring semester.

February 21:                Introduction and Class Orientation

February 28:                Review for all essay exams

                                    Multiple choice exams available (optional)

March 14:                    Midterm Exam #1

Multiple choice exams available (optional)

March 28:                    Midterm Exam #2

Multiple choice exams available (optional)

April 4:                        Final Exam

                                    All projects and news article assignments due

Multiple choice exams available (optional)