HIST-120 - Role of Women in the History of the United States - Sarah C. Burns

Course:	Role of Women in the History of the United States
Professor:	Sarah C. Burns
Email:	sarah.burns@canyons.edu
Format:	Online
Course Length:	Applies to All Course Lengths

Introduction

I have been teaching U.S. History and Western Civilization at the college and university level for 29 years. My concentration within this discipline is Women’s History and African American History. I have two scholarly articles published in academic journals within these concentrations. I have also published two historical novels. Obviously, in any course I teach, you can expect an emphasis on diversity. I love to provide a broad but insightful spectrum of the American historical landscape.

I look forward to meeting you in my American Women's History course, which begins with the first Americans' stories--the Native Americans--and their culture and roles for women, long before the Europeans arrived on their shores.

Course Description

History 120 is a survey course in Multicultural American Women’s History, from the 1500s to the present day. Covering more than six centuries of America’s development, as seen through women’s eyes (of every culture and ethnicity), we will be studying: the Early Settlement Period, American Colonization, the French and Indian War, Revolutionary America, the effects of the “cult of domesticity” and “pure republican motherhood” in the Early Republic, Westward Expansion (pioneering women) and Territorial Disputes, Antebellum America, the American Civil War and Reconstruction, the Gilded Age (Industrial Revolution), the Progressive Period, the Roaring Twenties and Depression, both World Wars, 1950s conservatism, 1960s civil activism, and past the third wave of feminism—witnessing women as leaders on the global stage. This survey begins with the roles and locations of very distinct Native American societies and the meeting of numerous cultures within North American, then following more than six centuries of development. Furthermore, in addition to reading history from your major textbook, this class will involve extensive reading and on-line discussion of primary materials from selected websites.

What to Expect in this Course

Deportment/Protocol

It is my great desire that you participate in this online course with enthusiasm, communicating and commenting on the materials with other students and myself. However, there are special considerations to be taken into account in an online classroom. When you enroll in a college class, you should expect to be both challenged and inspired. However, you should also be expected to treat the experience with respect. In an online academic environment especially, you must remember that your typewritten word is the only communication vehicle between yourself, the instructor, and other classmates. Therefore, please guard against swear words, expressing insensitivity toward other peoples and ethnicities and—in general—any casual references which could easily be misconstrued. Also, avoid typing in all caps, as this is often interpreted as anger or screaming online.

Class Attendance and Participation

First, the good news! In the online classroom, hours of participation are very flexible. The reading assignments, quizzes, threads and responses are lined out in weekly units. As long as you have participated and submitted work within each weekly period, submitted by the due date, you are participating in a timely manner.

Second, the warning: If your participation is consistently late (the day after due date, or longer), your grade will be affected. Furthermore, the spirit of the classroom will be compromised. Please strive to participate in a timely manner, so that your fellow students may be enriched by your participation.

Course Description

Getting Started in your Online Course:

If you have never taken an online course, please prepare yourself in advance by doing the following:

Check in with the Canvas Administrator, and establish your Canvas identification and password.
Be sure to take a Canvas tutorial, which is available online through the college website, clicking onto the “Canvas” link: https://www.canyons.edu/academics/onlineeducation/
Once you have done the above, log into your course at the following website: https://coc.instructure.com/login/canvas
After logging in, find the title and CRN (course number) of your course. Click onto that link, and the course will open.
After the source opens up, you should visit the course “Syllabus” link first, so that you become aware of the entire course content and schedule. All links to course content will be found in the Course Menu, highlighted in the left column of the course.
After reading and understanding the Syllabus, you should also visit the “Modules” link, open Unit 1/Module 1 and become aware of the first assignment. You will begin all assignments under the “Modules” link: Units/Modules, discussion threads, quizzes, exams, additional Documents.
Your first discussion thread assignment is to visit the thread, “Personal Introductions.” This is also accessed under the “Modules” link, and is the first choice in the “Discussions” link. There, please post something about yourself. This sets a tone of collegiality, and allows you to meet your fellow classmates.
Finally, if you have any specific questions or concerns about this course, don’t hesitate to contact me at: sarah.burns@canyons.edu

Student Learning Outcomes:

At the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:

Evaluate the political, economic, intellectual and social role of women in the history of the United
Appraise women’s contributions to American culture and examine the problems and obstacles they have experienced and overcome in the course of U.S.

Student Learning Objectives:

The objectives of this course are to enable each student to:

Analyze the place of women in various Native American tribes.
Distinguish women’s general role in colony building in the 17th century and differentiate women’s sphere found in New England, the Mid-Atlantic Colonies, and Southern society.
Compare and contrast aspects of social, political and economic life for frontier, plantation, farm, and city women of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
Examine the social, economic, and political issues of the market, industrial, and consumer revolutions and analyze their impact for women.
Evaluate and explain the “Cult of Domesticity” and discuss its cultural and psychological effects on women, as well as its relevance to U.S. history and gender relations.
Appraise the function of reform movements and evaluate their importance in expanding women’s sphere.
Compare and contrast life in the antebellum South for white and black women.
Examine slave culture and evaluate how it helped black slave women to survive under the pressure of slavery.
Assess and explain the meaning and impact of the American Civil War for women.
Compare the immigrant experience for the diverse groups of women who have come to the U.S., and evaluate their contributions to American culture.
Compare and contrast the life of the urban middle class and the effects of Victorian mores.
Relate the progression of the suffrage movement and the roles of particular women involved in the cause.
Evaluate the experiences and contributions of women during WWII.
Evaluate the impact of the Women’s Rights Movement and its effect on the political, cultural, and economic position of women in U.S. history.
Analyze the role of feminism and its reform tradition, as well as describe its effect on limiting reform during the 1970s and 1980s.
Compare and contrast shared and individual historical experiences between men and women, and of women of various racial, class and ethnic identities.

Types of Assessments

This is an online course, based on Open Educational Resources. All academic information you need to complete this course will be included or linked into this course. Based upon these sources (textbook, documents, websites, videos), you will have the following assignments:

1. Discussion Forums, where all students will answer assigned questions, submitted in an academic fashion (with in-text citations and a list of Works Cited, in the MLA style).

2. Fill-in-the-Blank Assignments (texts from course sources, with blanks). Students must read the source and find the missing words in the Assignment--then submit a list of missing terms only.

3. Comprehensive Final Exam.

Textbook Information

There is no required textbook for this course. I will provide Open Educational Resources within my Canvas course, in the form of book excerpts, documents, linked websites and videos.

Additional Resources

Canvas

This course can be accessed on the first day of class via Canvas at https://coc.instructure.com. Log into Canvas using your CanyonsID single sign-on:

CanyonsID Username is your COC student email address (Ex: username@my.canyons.edu)
CanyonsID Password is your COC student email password

Please visit the Get to Know Your Online Classroom page for help logging into Canvas and for tips on using Canvas and Zoom. Canvas Chat Support is also available 24/7 for any Canvas related issues.

Online Education

Check out the Online Education website for more information on a variety of topics that can help you be a successful online student such as: exam proctoring, learning styles, computer skills, and tips for student success. If this is your first online course, feel free to take our online learning readiness assessment to assess your skills.

The Learning Center (TLC)

The TLC provides FREE online tutoring resources to COC students!

Academic Accommodation Center (AAC)

College of the Canyons AAC provides educational services and access for eligible students with documented disabilities who intend to pursue coursework at COC. A variety of programs and services are available which afford eligible students with disabilities the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of the college programs and activities through appropriate and reasonable accommodations. For more information on their services visit the Academic Accomodation Center website.

Online Counseling

The Counseling Department offers appointments online. You can schedule an appointment by visiting the Online Counseling website. Counselors can help you map out a plan to reach your educational goals as well as advise you on course selection and registration.

Management of Stress and Mental Health

Often the pressure on our students is very strong, involving academic commitments, relationships, outside jobs and family pressure to name a few. The staff and faculty of College of the Canyons are here to see you succeed academically and care about your emotional and physical health. You can learn more about the broad range of confidential student services, including counseling and mental health services available on campus by visiting the Student Health & Wellness Center in the Student Services Building (across from the bookstore). The phone number is 661-362-3259 that you can call 24/7. You can also e mail for an appointment at StudentHealthCenter@canyons.edu. At the Canyon Country Campus the Health Center will be in the new Student Services Building.

Also, the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number is now 988. All students at COC are encouraged to enter that phone number in their cells. You can call it when you, or someone you know, is having thoughts of suicide or is in severe distress.

You can also now use the Crisis Text Line: Just text "Courage" to 741741. Someone will get back to you immediately. Its free, 24/7, and confidential.

Veterans Resource Center

The College of the Canyons Veterans Resource Center is a department within the Student Services Division at the college, created to help veterans and veteran dependents with applying to College of the Canyons, enrolling in classes, and requesting VA Education or Vocational Benefits. For more information please visit the Veterans Resource Center website, email veterans@canyons.edu or phone (661) 362-3469.

Library

The Library provides live online and in-person research help, access to a full range of e-resources and physical materials that support the curriculum, individual and group study areas, and much more!

Last updated: 02/21/2024 Sub#: 749