HIS201fall Syllabus

Middlesex Community College

Social and Behavioral Sciences Department

United States History I Online

HIS*F201 crn: 3179 sec: 04 fall 2007

www.mxcc.commnet.edu

Instructor: Sandra Enders

203-468-6277 (available 7 days 9:00am to 3:00pm)

Please use the course email system for routine correspondence!!!

Personal email for emergency use only: endersusa@comcast.net

This MXCC course in United States History I is the first of two introductory courses concerning the history of our country. It offers a careful examination of American political and diplomatic history, while also exploring the other areas of the American past. The balanced picture that emerges connects the newer histories of society and culture with the more traditional stories of politics, diplomacy, and great public events. Students will study the development of British North America from the establishment of the first colonies to the founding of the United States with an emphasis on the nature of immigration, slavery, and overall themes of colonialism. Likewise, students will explore United States development from the early days of the republic through the Civil War and Reconstruction, with a focus on regional development and Westward migration. The two flags above represent the first 13 star official American flag first flown in 1777 and the other is the 37 star flag used during the reconstruction period between 1865 and 1877. This course is of importance to the student's curriculum because it offers multiple perspectives on the historical unfolding of events, as well as an understanding of the importance of pluralism and multiculturalism in the course of events which unfolded in American history. It instills not only American values and ethics which emerged in response to the various groups, but also an understanding of the struggle for equality of specific groups, the importance of solidarity, and the need for individual thought in society.

Assignments are developed to encourage critical thought and analysis, as well as discussion and debate. This course is a three credit course, and is offered in the traditional 16 week format for the fall semester. The course consists of 15 weekly discussion board assignments, all consecutively covering chapter topics in the textbook. This consists of 30% of the course grade, and suggested due dates are posted below. All discussions are opened at the start of the course and you are allowed to work ahead. Being the self-paced nature of the course, there will be no break for Thanksgiving. There is also an ongoing discussion throughout the course concerning the value of diversity in the development of today's American culture, which counts for another 10% of the course. An individual research paper is expected on a listed topic for another 20%, along with two exams (midterm & final) for the remaining 40%. This course fulfills an "L" (language) and "D" (diversity) course.

The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People, 5th Edition, Volume I

Alan Brinkley, Columbia University

Companion Website

General Education Objectives:

A thorough study of the course should enable the student to:

receive and comprehend written and oral information properly.
observe and analyze data accurately.
draw reasonable inferences from the presented facts and ideas.
express ideas and opinions clearly in an organized manner using Standard English.

Course Specific Objectives:

A thorough study of the course should enable the student to:

analyze American history from its first migration from Asia through to the Civil War Reconstruction period.
develop an understanding of the ideals which America was built on.
understand the importance of certain written documents and treaties which altered the course of American history.
look at American history through its social, political, economic, diplomatic, and technological developments.
discuss the cultural issues which developed in the various regions and what emerged from them.
develop a basic understanding of the continuous struggle of equality in the American system.
develop an understanding of the value of diversity in America from its past through to the present.
recognize ethical and moral issues and gain an understanding of differing views.

*** For chapter specific objectives please see each of the 15 lesson plans.

Course Grading:

30% Weekly Chapter Topic Discussions (discussion board)

10% Value of Diversity (discussion board)

20% Research Paper (submitted individually)

20% Midterm Exam (submitted individually)

20% Final Exam (submitted individually)

Weekly Chapter Topic Discussions: (300pts/20pts per wk)

You will see 15 weekly discussion threads setup for this assignment. Each one is based on the topic of the week and worth 20pts each toward your final grade. The discussion thread will be locked two weeks from the start date and will be graded within the week after closing. This assignment can be completed with the textbook or any other outside resources available. This is an informal writing assignment, but please cite any sources used outside of the textbook. You will choose any ONE "Points for Discussion" questions in the weekly lesson, along with any ONE "Interpretive Question" OR "Essay Question" listed for the week, for a total of TWO questions completed each week. There will be a thread set up each week for the questions and you are allowed to work ahead. Please backup your opinions with cited facts from the textbook or other sources! You will have only two weeks per discussion to post. Participation and interaction (at least two replies) with other students posts is highly recommended and is included in the grading criteria below. This semester long assignment is worth 30% of the total grade!!!

Grading criteria for the weekly chapter discussion assignments:

grading criteria	possible points
participation in discussions	60 / 4
textbook cited or outside resources used and noted	45 / 3
content knowledge learned and research done	150 / 10
proper use of grammar, spelling, writing organization, and staying on weekly topic, submitted by duedate	45 / 3
	300 / 20

Weekly Topic Discussions:

Week1 08.27 to 09.02 (closes 09.10) The Meeting of Cultures (ch1)

Week2 09.03 to 09.09 (closes 09.17) Transplantations and Borderlands (ch2)

Week3 09.10 to 09.16 (closes 09.24) Society and Culture in Provincial America (ch3)

Week4 09.17 to 09.23 (closes 10.01) The Empire in Transition (ch4)

Week5 09.24 to 10.30 (closes 10.08) The American Revolution (ch5)

Week6 10.01 to 10.07 (closes 10.15) The Constitution and the New Republic (ch6)

Week7 10.08 to 10.14 (closes 10.22) The Jeffersonian Era (ch7)

Week8 10.15 to 10.21 (closes 10.29) Varieties of American Nationalism (ch8)

Week9 10.22 to 10.28 (closes 11.05) Jacksonian America (ch9)

Week10 10.29 to 11.04 (closes 11.12) America's Economic Revolution (ch10)

Week11 11.05 to 11.11 (closes 11.19) Cotton, Slavery, and the Old South (ch11)

Week12 11.12 to 11.18 (closes 11.26) Antebellum Culture and Reform (ch12)

Week13 11.19 to 11.25 (closes 12.03) The Impending Crisis (ch13)

Week14 11.26 to 12.02 (closes 12.10) The Civil War (ch14)

Week15 12.03 to 12.09 (closes 12.14) Reconstruction and the New South (ch15)

Vista will be down for upgrading from 11.16.07 to 11.20.07, please plan accordingly!!!

The course ends on 12.14.07 and grades will be submitted on 12.18.07

Value of Diversity Discussion Assignment (100pts)

(duedate 11.26.07)

The textbook talks about the transplanted English during the colonial period and how they developed characteristics which made them different from their counterparts in England. Look at the social, cultural, economic, religious, and political institutions that grew up in colonial America and write an essay discussing the evolution and expansion of the population of the British North American colonies, as well as this "American character" that developed. Some questions to ponder in your writing may include: Which immigrant groups settled where? What helped determine this settlement pattern? Do you think the American cultural development was due to the diverse immigration to America? Why was the ethnic diversity so important to the cultural wealth and financial prosperity of the new nation? Do you think that today's immigrants still try to emulate today's "American character"? And lastly, with so much controversy today on immigration, is it really wise to tighten or close our borders to keep foreigners out or should we make the immigration process easier for foreigners to become American citizens and enter the country legally?

Please post your essay to the appropriate discussion thread (see folder on homepage) and respond to at least two others concerning their writing. Your essay should be approximately 500-800 words or longer if need be, responses to others 100-200 words. Include all sources at the bottom of your post. This discussion will be locked on 11.26.07.

Grading criteria for the 10% discussion assignment:

grading criteria	possible points
participation in discussions	35
textbook cited or outside resources used and noted	15
content knowledge learned and understood	35
proper use of grammar, spelling, writing organization, and staying on weekly topic, submitted by duedate	15
	100

Research Paper: (200pts)

(duedate 12.10.07)

Choose a case from the list of Supreme Court decisions at the Justice Trail link OR a piece of US legislation from the Democracy Trail link.

Research the topic in detail using multiple reliable sources (at least five sources).

Write a 5-6 page minimum (double spaced) paper on your chosen topic.

Your paper must be properly documented according to the MLA format/style of documentation (Enders Writing Lab).

Please submit your paper in a doc or pdf file through the Research Paper Assignment (folder is on the homepage).

Justice Trail Democracy Trail

On Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is a legal violation and schools will often fail, or expel students for this type of behavior. Please be aware that plagiarism will not be tolerated and points will be deducted (under the research & knowledge learned area), or papers refused, if I find this does occur. If you are unsure of using the proper MLA writing format or have any uncertainty of what plagiarism is, please review the Enders Writing Lab link below. In-text notation does not mean you can cite exact wording, it means that you are citing the original authors "idea" not the wording. You are to interpret the information and then paraphrase it "in your own words". Quotations should be used sparingly and noted as such.

Enders Writing Lab

A list of over 200 reliable research links for the social sciences are maintained at the link below. Keep in mind many of them are think tanks or university sites and may be biased. Remember almost everything on the Internet probably holds a bias of some kind, even government sites may tend to portray the current administration in a good light, however the sites listed at the link below all should have good strong current information. The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School site is highly recommended for research use.

Social Science Research Links

Grading criteria for the research paper:

grading criteria	possible points
proper use of MLA style - a works cited page, parenthetical notations, header, proper format	50
content knowledge learned, resources used, and proper research performed	100
proper use of grammar, spelling, writing organization, and staying on topic, submitted by duedate	50
	200

Midterm Exam: 10.06 to 10.19 (200pts)

The midterm exam will be all multiple choice (100 questions) and you will have a two week window (10.06 to 10.19) to take it. You will have a 48 hour time frame to start it, complete it, and submit it. That means that you can log in and out of the exam within 48 hours of clicking the start button. The exam will time out after the 48 hours if you do not complete it on your own. Make sure you click the save button on each question after you have chosen an answer. You have the option to change answers as long as you click the save button again. The midterm will cover the first half (chapters 1,2,3,4,5,6,7) of the text.

Final Exam: 12.01 to 12.14 (200pts)

The final exam will be all multiple choice (100 questions) and you will have a two week window (12.01 to 12.14) to take it. You will have a 48 hour time frame to start it, complete it, and submit it. That means that you can log in and out of the exam within 48 hours of clicking the start button. The exam will time out after the 48 hours if you do not complete it on your own. Make sure you click the save button on each question after you have chosen an answer. You have the option to change answers as long as you click the save button again. The final will cover the second half (chapters 8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15) of the text.