HISTORY 1311

HISTORY 1311: U.S. HISTORY TO 1865

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Professor: Joyce S. Goldberg

Semester: Spring 2013

Location: University Hall 115

Section: 009

Office: University Hall 330

Open Office Hours: Tues./Thurs. 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Appt. Off. Hrs: Tues/Thurs. 8:00-10:00 a.m.

(Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of office hours)

Email: goldberg@uta.edu

Hist. Dept. website: http://www.uta.edu/history/

(click on faculty, my name, this course number)

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REQUIRED READING

Give me Liberty! An American History: Eric Foner

(Volume ONE, THIRD EDITIONB-not the Seagull edition)

Textbook StudySpace: www.wwnorton.com/foner

(Click on the correct book cover)

BRING THE TEXTBOOK, PAPER, AND A WRITING IMPLEMENT TO EVERY CLASS

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES

This course surveys U.S. history from Afirst contact@ through the Civil War. Students will encounter elites and ordinary people, altruism and self-interest, selflessness and greed, idealism and self-promotion, tolerance and bigotry. I want students to understand that history is more an art form than a science. It is not a search for truth, but rather an on-going cultural debate, one continuously open to evidence-based interpretation. Knowledge of history will not make you smarter; it will not prevent anyone from repeating the mistakes of the past; it cannot help predict the future. But it can teach you to read and think critically, and if studying history does nothing more than teach humility, skepticism, and the limits of our capacity to see the past with any certainty, then it has done something useful.

STUDENT COMPETENCIES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

a) Students will analyze historical arguments based on historical evidence. They will learn to differentiate between primary and secondary sources, between fact and interpretation.

b) Students will discover the relationship between history and memory. They will identify some of the cultural debates that have influenced Ahistorical remembrance.@

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING PROCEDURES

TO PASS THIS COURSE STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE ALL EXAMS. STUDENTS WHO DO NOT, WILL AUTOMATICALLY FAIL THE COURSE. TAKING ALL EXAMS, HOWEVER, DOES NOT GUARANTEE A PASSING GRADE.

There will be five (5) multiple-choice EXAMS (requiring scantrons, pencils, and pens), each consisting of thirty (30) multiple choice questions and one short essay. The sixth (6^th) exam will consist of fifty (50) multiple choice questions and one long essay. All questions come from some combination of the textbook, online documents, lecture/discussion, and movies/video clips.

Makeup exams will be administered ONLY on TUESDAY, MAY 2^nd from 3:30-5:30 p.m. (Room TBA) None will be multiple choice (identification and short essays). I do not permit exam re-takes, offer extra-credit opportunities, or grant incompletes. Students are solely responsible for withdrawing from this course. I will never report nor discuss grades by email. Lectures are NOT available online. Films may be, but it is solely the responsibility of the student to locate them.

Final course grades will be determined by the following scale.

360-400 points = A

319-359 points = B

278-318 points = C

235-277 points = D

below 235 points = F

The rubric I use for grading essays is:

1) relevanceB-how well the essay answers the specific question asked

2) comprehensivenessB-how much relevant material is include

3) analysisB-how well ideas are developed

4) documentationB-how well evidence is presented to support ideas

5) logicB-do conclusions follow logically from premises

7) clarityB-how well the author communicates

ACADEMIC SUPPORT

UTA supports a variety of programs including tutoring to help you achieve academic success through the Office of Student Success Programs. Do not hesitate to ask for help. ASK FOR HELP EARLY!

INSTRUCTOR=S PERSONAL ADVISORY

Six hours of U.S. history are mandated by the state legislature. I know some students resent this requirement and do not willingly enroll in this class. Because I enjoy teaching this class and take my instructional responsibilities seriously, I require students to do so as well. This is a college course, and justAshowing up@ does not entitle you to a passing grade. I recommend:

1) REGULAR ATTENDANCE

2) COMPLETION OF READING ASSIGNMENTS BEFORE CLASS

3) NOTE-TAKING FROM READINGS, CLASS DISCUSSIONS, VIDEOS

4) REWRITING AND REGULAR REVIEWING OF NOTES

5) STUDY GROUPS

6) USE OF THE TEXTBOOK WEBSITE

7) SERIOUS PREPARATION BEFORE EACH EXAM

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

All students in this course are expected to adhere to the UTA Honor Code:

I pledge, on my honor, to uphold UT Arlington's tradition of academic integrity, a tradition that values hard work and honest effort in the pursuit of academic excellence.

I promise that I will submit only work that I personally create or contribute to group collaborations, and I will appropriately reference any work from other sources. I will follow the highest standards of integrity and uphold the spirit of the Honor Code.

Any student caught in an act of scholastic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, submitting another person=s work as one=s own) or conspiring to commit such an act will be disciplined in accordance with UTA regulations and procedures. (See Student Handbook)

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

I am fully committed to the Americans with Disabilities Act and will assure that disabled students are appropriately accommodated in my class. If you require an accommodation based on a disability, the law requires you to inform your instructor and provide documentation through the Office for Students with Disabilities. (See Student Handbook)

CLASSROOM DECORUM

While I prefer an atmosphere of informality and good humor, common courtesies and adult behavior are expected. Rudeness and incivility are unacceptable.

1) Students should attend all classes, although no records will be kept. You will be neither penalized nor rewarded for attendance, but you are responsible for all work transacted every class.

2) You are expected to arrive on time, having completed the day=s assignments, and remain for the duration of the class. Students who arrive late or who know they must leave early are required to (and only these may) sit in the last rows of the classroom. Students have rights, but none have the right to disturb, distract, or intentionally annoy other students.

3) ALL electronic devices must be silenced and put away, out of sight. Texting, newspaper reading, doing other homework, sleeping, or other inappropriate or disruptive behaviors will not be tolerated. No recording devices, computers, or other electronic devices may be used without my explicit consent.

4) Eating and drinking in moderation are permitted, but please use common sense to avoid distracting others.

READING ASSIGNMENTS AND DISCUSSION TOPICS

(due the date listed)

IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER OR SCHOOL CLOSURES FOR WHATEVER REASON, YOU ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN CURRENT WITH THE SYLLABUS ASSIGNMENTS, INCLUDING ALL EXAM DATES.

T-Jan. 15^th:

Organizational Meeting

Introduction to historical interpretation

AWhat Did You Learn in School Today@

TH-Jan. 17^th:

The idea of an "America"

EF: preface (from AAmericans have always had a divided attitude....@ to Acknowledgments)

EF: pp. 1-3; 6-10; 12-20; 23-27; 34-37 40-48

Eric Foner and Stephen Colbert

T-Jan. 22^nd:

Europe=s outward vision

EF: pp. 40-48; 54-59

APredestination@:

TH-Jan. 24th:

Colonization: who came and why?

EF: pp. 59-69

Mayflower Compact

Model of Christian Charity:

T-Jan. 29th:

Puritanism and changes in the wilderness

EF: 69-89

Maryland Toleration Act:

Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges

(Read from First)

EXAM #1 (bring scantron, pencil, and pen)

TH-Jan. 31st:

Christian, Utopian, Closed Corporate Community

EF: pp. 94-113

witchcraft indictment

witchcraft denial

witchcraft confession

T-Feb. 5th:

From Puritan to Yankee

EF: pp. 113-130; 136-154

Equiano=s capture

The Middle Passage

Virginia Slavery Legislation:

TH-Feb. 7th:

Mercantilism and the colonies

EF: pp. 150-168

Navigation Acts:

T-Feb. 12th:

An emerging "American" mind

EF: pp. 168-174; pp. 178-181; pp. 184-205

Boston Massacre Oration:

Article signed AVindex@

TH-Feb. 14th:

From Yankees to revolutionaries

EF: pp. 195-205; A2-A3

Common Sense:

EXAM #2 (bring scantron, pencil, and pen)

T-Feb. 19th:

The ordeal of achieving independence

EF: pp. 205-214-A3

Selections from Diary of Joseph Plumb Martin

TH-Feb. 21st:

The diplomacy of the American Revolution

EF: pp. 220-238

Treaty of Alliance with France

T-Feb. 26^th:

The World Turned Upside Down

EF: pp. 238-252

British promise of abolition

Cessation of fighting

Pennsylvania abolition

TH-Feb. 28th:
Crisis of nationality: Articles of Confederation
EF: pp. 258-267
Articles of Confederation

T-Mr. 5th:
Crisis of nationality: Constitution
EF: pp. 267-288
Preamble

EXAM #3 (bring scantron, pencil, and pen)

TH-Mr. 7th:

The Federalist Era, 1789-1800

EF: pp. 294-311

Sedition Act

Virginia Resolution

T-Mr. 19th:

Jeffersonian America

EF: pp. 311-318

Lewis and Clark

TH-Mr. 21st:

A second war with Britain

EF: pp. 319-324