FAD Syllabus: UNCA HIST101
Overview
Syllabus shared by a UNC System faculty member.
Sample Syllabus
HISTORY 101 – The U.S. to 1877
Fall 2023 [NAME]
Office:
Email: [FACULTY EMAIL]
Office Hours: 11:30 – 2:00 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and by appointment.
Course Objectives
- To introduce the student to the significant historical events, persons, movements, and themes of American history from the colonial period through the end of the Civil War.
- To develop an understanding of the roots of American identity, and how these seminal events and ideals continue to impact our society.
- To develop each student's ability to think and read critically, and to write effectively.
Course Content
In this course we will examine five major themes in American history: the amazing variety of pre-Columbian Native American civilizations; the exploration, colonization and settlement of America by western Europeans, and the costs to the Native population, and the consequent development of a uniquely American identity; the political development of the United States as a new nation; the rise of nationalism and expansion of democracy; and the growth of sectional differences that eventually split the nation.
Textbooks
Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Readings on Moodle and On-Line (See Class Moodle Site)
Course Requirements
Exams: There will be three exams in this course. Exams will include a choice of essay questions. You will be expected to be prepared to deal with material from class lectures, discussions, and the textbooks. Exam dates and grade weight of each exam are as follows:
Exam #1 – September 25 - 15%
Exam #2 – October 27 - 15%
Exam #3 – December 11 - 20%
Weekly Reflections: Each student will keep a reflection journal which will be submitted to my email address [FACULTY EMAIL ADDRESS] every Monday before midnight (except for weeks when we have an exam, comparative essay, or break). Approximately one to three pages in length, each entry should reflect on a reading or topic of discussion from the previous week’s course material that made you think. Your entry should not just repeat something you heard or read, but should demonstrate reflection and rumination Feel free to make it light, even funny, to speculate, and let your imagination go, but make sure you make specific connections to readings and other course material. I’ll grade each on a one to ten-point scale. You’ll have 15 opportunities and I’ll take the 10 best journals to determine your final grade. 20% of the course grade.
Constitution Quiz: Each student will take a comprehensive quiz on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. This quiz will be on October 16 and will count for 10% of your grade.
Newspaper Research Exercise: Each student will choose an important event between 1800 and 1877 as the subject of their paper and then:
- Give the background and major players in the event using secondary sources.
- Using online newspaper sources gauge the reaction among at least five different newspapers to that event. You should choose newspapers from various parts of the country and from various political perspectives. The best places to go are the Library of Congress site Chronicling America, the New York Times – Historical Newspaper Collection (available under Online Resources on the library website), and America’s Historical Newspapers (goes up to 1876 and can also be found at Online Resources).
- Analyze your information and arrive at some conclusions about the way this event was perceived at the time and how that view may have changed over the years. Paper should be 4 to 6 pages with footnotes and bibliography. 15% of the course grade and due November 15.
Discussion: The final 5% of the course grade will be based on classroom participation. All students are expected to be prepared for every class and to actively participate in class discussion.
Professor's Responsibilities
- Arrive at each class meeting on time and well prepared.
- Grade each student's work fairly and promptly (I always attempt to return assignments within one week of the date that they were received--I will notify you if I will be unable to do so).
- Treat each student with respect and courtesy.
- Faithfully meet office hours and honor appointments with students.
- Communicate with students clearly and listen to students attentively.
Student Responsibilities
- Attend all classes. Students cannot expect to be successful if they miss class. Students will be penalized 2 points on their final average for each unexcused absence in excess of three (3).
- Arrive at class on time. It is very distracting to have students walking in to class late.
- Come to class well prepared. Students should plan on spending at least two hours of preparation for each hour in class in reading, writing, and ruminating.
- Take all exams and turn in all papers at the assigned time. Make-up exams will only be given to students with legitimate, documented excuses. Late papers will be penalized at a rate of five
(5) points per day.
- Do you own work. While students are encouraged to cooperate and study together, each individual is required to do their own work. Cheating and/or plagiarism will not be tolerated.
- Actively participate in the life of the class. I have designed this class as a learning community. Each student should participate in the life of the community by learning other classmates' names, working diligently in groups, studying with others outside of class, and contributing to classroom discussion.
- Treat the professor with respect and courtesy.
- Communicate clearly and promptly with the professor. I am much more sympathetic when students inform me that they must miss class or will be late with an assignment if I am notified well in advance. Students should not hesitate to speak to the professor if they are experiencing difficulty in the class or if they have special problems of which the professor needs to be aware.
Course Calendar
Week 1 – Native America
August 21 | Course Introduction |
|
23 | Native American Origins | M – 1491 (Clovis and Folsom) |
25 | Native American Civilizations | M – 1491 (Cahokia) |
Week 2 – Native America | ||
28 |
Native American Civilizations |
M – The Lost World of the Old Ones (Chaco Canyon) |
30 | Ecological Indians | M – Ecological Indian (Fire) |
September 1 | Southeastern Indians | M – Southeastern Indians |
Week 3 – Contact and the Columbian Exchange
4 No Class - Labor Day
6 Early Contact With Europeans Fort San Juan https://www.history.swannanoavalleymuseum.org/joara/
8 The Columbian Exchange M – Columbian Exchange Week 4 – Colonization in the South
11 Roanoke and Jamestown M
13 Tobacco and Rice M
15 Subsistence in the Backcountry M Week 5 – Slavery and the Colonial African American Experience
18 Why Africans? The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano – Chapter II
https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/equiano1/equiano1.html
The 1619 Project https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html
21 Enslaved Life on a Colonial Plantation M – Clint Smith (Monticello)
23 Exam #1
Week 6 – Colonization in the North
25 Guest Speaker
27 Pilgrims, Puritans, and Quakers M -
29 Trade and the British Empire M - Week 7 – The American Revolution
Declaration of Independence
October 2 Gathering Clouds – Why Revolution? M -
4 The Declaration of Independence Declaration of Independence https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
6 An Unlikely Victory M – Kings Mountain Week 8 – The U.S. Constitution
9 Fall Break – No Class
11 The Constitutional Convention
13 What Does the Constitution Actually Say? U.S. Constitution https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript
Week 9 – The Early National Period
16 The Federalist Era M - Constitution Quiz
18 Jeffersonianism M -
20 The Louisiana Purchase and Expansion M - Week 10 – The Market Revolution
23 Market Revolution M -
25 Jacksonianism and Indian Removal M -
27 Exam #2
Week 11 – The Antebellum South, Slavery, and Anti-Slavery Movements
30 Markets and the Revitalization of Slavery M -
November 1 Enslaved Life Jacobs – Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
3 Religion, Songs, and Tales – Agency and the Enslaved Week 12 – Manifest Destiny and the Coming of Civil War
6 Manifest Destiny M -
8 Oregon, The Mexican War, and Expansion
10 The Territorial Issue, Abolition, and Fugitive Slaves M -
Week 13 – The Civil War
13 Secession M – Apostles of Disunion
15 This “Horrible War” M -
17 War and the Enslaved M - Week 14 – Reconstruction
20 Presidential Reconstruction M - 22 – Thanksgiving – No Class
24 – Thanksgiving – No Class Week 15 - Reconstruction
27 Congressional Reconstruction and the 14th and 15th Amendments M -
29 The Ku Klux Klan, White Supremacy, and “Redemption” M -
December 1 The War, Reconstruction, and Memory M – Confederates in the Attic Week 16
4 Last Day of Class
11 Final Exam