Course Syllabus

History 17.1 United States History through 1877
Spring 2020

Course Description

History of the United States through Reconstruction. Here is the Course Outline of Record:

Course Outline

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
 
  1. Analyze the political, economic, cultural and social developments in U.S. history from pre-colonial times until Reconstruction.
  2. Assess the causes and effects of particular historical events.
  3. Analyze and distinguish between primary and secondary sources as historical evidence.

 

Class Organization & Time Expectations:

This is an 18 week course, divided into 6, three week modules.      Modules may open a few days early, but that is not guaranteed. Students taking this class are expected to commit the same amount of time as a face to face 3 unit class. So, for this class, you should be spending at least 18 hours on each module.

Instructor Contact

Anne Donegan

Email: adonegan@santarosa.edu

Phone: (707) 524-1812

Online Office Hours: Mondays from  1:30-2:30.  You can access the Office Hour, by clicking on the Conferences button.

 

Office Hours in 1554-A in Emeritus:  Tuesdays: 12-1pm.  I usually respond to emails within 48 hours.

Please do not respond to my feedback to your assignments within the particular assignment page. I do not get notifications about these. Please email me or send me a message via Canvas.

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas course web site for assignment instructions, finding source materials, submitting assignments, viewing classmates' work, sharing resources, and viewing grades.

Required Textbooks

 

Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! Volume 1, 5th edition.

Joseph Ellis, Founding Brothers.

 

Each topic’s assigned reading in Foner, is listed in each module.

For the Ellis book, you will need to read the entire book, before you answer the questions in Module 3.

You can locate and order textbooks online via the SRJC Bookstore.

Required Software

Important Dates

Day Class Begins: January 13th.     Day Class Ends:  May 22nd

Last Day to Drop with refund:  January 26th

Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: February 2nd

Last Day to Opt for Pass/No Pass:  February 23rd

Last Day to Drop with a 'W' symbol: April 19th

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it.

For classes that meet online, students who fail to log on and initiate participation by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time of the first day of the class may be dropped by the instructor.

Pass‐NoPass (P/NP)

You may take this class P/NP. You must decide before the deadline, and add the option online with TLC or file the P/NP form with Admissions and Records. With a grade of C or better, you will get P.

You must file for the P/NP option by February 23rd. Once you decide to go for P/NP, you cannot change back to a letter grade. If you are taking this course as part of a certificate program, you can probably still take the class P/NP. Check with a counselor to be sure.

Instructor Announcements and Q&A Forum

The instructor will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences. A “Q&A Forum” is also available as a pinned Discussion to ask for assistance of your classmates or of the instructor.

Writing Assignments

All assignments are due on the last Sunday of each module. Each assignment will clearly specify how long it should be, how many points it is worth, and what sources must be used. You can only submit an assignment once. You can not edit your work once it is submitted.

 

College Level Writing: In each module, there will be 4-7 pages (1000-1750 words) of assigned writing. All writing assignments are described in each module. For the first module, spelling, grammar, clarity, etc… will not be part of your grade. But you will get feedback about your ability to write clearly. Starting in Module 2, spelling, paragraph construction, grammar, clarity, etc…will be assessed and figured into each assignment’s final grade. I expect college level writing in every assignment turned in.  Please read the feedback you receive for all of your assignments and use the information when you work on future assignments.

 

Sources: For each assignment, I will specifically list what sources you must use to answer the assigned questions. These are the ONLY sources that you can use. Using other sources or plagiarism will result in a 0 grade for that assignment, and could lead to disciplinary action with the College. You must answer the questions in your own words, copying sentences, paragraphs, and/or entire sections from our textbook or assigned readings is plagiarism. Please read through the the section about plagiarism at the bottom of this syllabus.

Citations: Be sure to cite when asked to. Informal citations are fine. When citing our text book, (Foner, p. 12)....is fine. When citing class notes: ( Class Notes: Native Americans: 6 Gender Roles) is fine. When asked to cite from a number of sources, using different chapters from the textbook or different sections of a Class Notes, does not count as a different source.

Late Policy

All assignments are due at 11:59 pm on Sundays.

Every student is allowed to pass in TWO late written assignments with no questions asked and no points deducted. TWO  assignments means two  assignments, late assignments for an entire module will not be accepted.  Quizzes can't not be completed late.   

If you miss an assignment's due date (or know that you will) email me no later than 24 hours after the due date of the assignment that you will pass in late. If you email after 24 hours, I will not accept the late work. You will have one week to complete and email me the late assignment. I will only accept one late assignment!!

 

This does not apply to the Ellis assignment, which already has a late paper policy included in the assignment. No quizzes or  Module 6 assignments can be passed in late.

Quizzes & Extra Credit

A. Quizzes: In each Module, you will take a 25 point objective quiz connected to the assigned reading in Foner. You are expected to have finished all the assigned reading, before you take the quiz. These quizzes will be available when a module opens and will close on the last Sunday at 11:59pm. If you miss a quiz deadline, you can not take the quiz late. Once you start each quiz, you will have an hour to complete the assignment. You can only take the quiz once.

 

B. Extra Credit: There are no extra credit assignments available for this course. This is the case since there are 20 plus assignments already included in this course, so if you do poorly on a few assignments,there are still plenty of opportunities to improve your grade. While there are no extra credit assignments, there are some extra points built into the course. What this means is that while there are 6 modules worth 100 points each, your final grade will be based on 575 points. So while you can earn up to 600 points, I will only be grading you as if there were only 575 points. So everyone gets a free 25 points!!!! This is the case since you will be writing 15-20 writing assignments and taking 6 objective quizzes, at one point you will think a question was written unclearly and/or something wasn't covered properly in the text book, so 25 points are built in to cover this.

Grading Policy

Click the “Grades” link in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I will post grades and comments in the Canvas gradebook. Each module will be worth 100 points.

Grades will be assigned as follows:

In order to get an A you need to earn 518 points or have an 86% or higher.

In order to get a B, you need 460-517, or have 77-85%.

In order to get a C, you need a 402-459, or 67%-76%.

If taking Pass/No Pass you need at least 70% of the total class points.

Standards of Conduct & Plagiarism

Students who register in SRJC classes are required to abide by the SRJC Student Conduct Standards. Violation of the Standards is basis for referral to the Vice President of Student Services or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Student Code of Conduct page.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. Students are encouraged to share information and ideas, but not their work. See these links on Plagiarism:
SRJC Writing Center Lessons on avoiding plagiarism
SRJC's statement on Academic Integrity

Special Needs

Every effort is made to conform to accessibility standards for all instructor-created materials. Students should contact their instructor as soon as possible if they find that they cannot access any course materials. Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources (527-4278).

Course Schedule

Module 1: Different Worlds Colliding: Europeans, Native Americans, & Africans. Foner, chapters 1 & 2.

Module 2: Challenging Empire, War for Independence, and Enforcing Slavery. Foner, chapters 3-6.

Module 3: Building a New Republic, Chapters 7-9 in Foner 

Module 4: Industrialization and Antebellum Reform, Foner, chapters 10-11  and Ellis

 

Module 5: Sectional Conflict, War, Chapters 12-13 in Foner

Module 6: Civil War & Reconstruction Foner: Chapters 14 &15

List of Assignments

Note to students: the assignments listed below do not include all course content. To view all course content, go to Modules. Also the dates below may or may not be correct. Please go to Modules for all correct dates.

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due