This course
is an introduction to the history of what is now the United States from
pre-Columbian times to 1876. Topics covered include exploration,
colonization, Native American responses, the rise of race slavery, the
American Revolution, Anglo-American expansion, slave life and culture,
industrialization, reform, disunion, the Civil War, emancipation, and
Reconstruction. The emphasis will be not just on facts, but also on issues
that often resonate today.
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty!: An American History, volume 1
ISBN: 978-0-393-93332-1
Four scantron sheets form 882 (available in bookstore) one for each exam
Access to the internet (free connection in campus library)
A note on class etiquette:
Remember to be courteous and respectful of your fellow students, especially during their presentation. Such an activity is a major undertaking, can be very intimidating and attention and support is the least you, as an audience member, can offer. Remember to turn off your electronic devices and refrain from excessive noise during all class periods.
Grading Policies
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Quizzes & class participation
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5% 5% 10% 20% (20% each, low score dropped) 60%
up to 5% added to total grade |
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Short Assignments: (Worth 10% of grade) Most weeks of the course will include a short (ľ to 1 page) assignment due the following class period. Some of these assignments will include maps and lists of topics to locate. The lowest two of the grades earned will be dropped. Assignments may be submitted early, but no late assignments will be accepted. Short Research Presentation: (Worth 10% of grade) Signups first day of class Each student will present to the rest of the class one short presentation from amongst the options on page four and five of the syllabus. Presentations occur only on the day listed on the syllabus. There are no make ups for missed presentations. Presentation Content: 1. briefly identifying and describing the subject 2. explaining the significance of the subject to the history of the time 3. analysis of how this subject illustrates the major events occurring in the world around it
Each presentation must: 1. be more than a simple oral presentation (use other resources such as computer, video, web, audio, slide show, hands on activity, etc.) 2. last between three (3) and five (5) minutes. The time will be kept by a student. 3. include a handout distributed to the class 4. email to the professor PRIOR to the class presentation a bibliography of sources used to prepare the presentation including: a. three (3) different books b. three (3) web links, NONE of which may be a .COM
Journal Review Paper: (20%) – six to nine pages Each student must read and then summarize and critique three journal articles of their own choosing relating to the period covered in this class from history journals available on JSTOR. The three articles you choose must deal with the same topic. Some sample topics are; women and the Revolutionary army, slave families in the 1700s, religious revivals in Virginia, the origins of the anti-slavery movement, the creation of the National Bank, Caribbean pirates.
The campus library website at http://www.nvcc.edu/loudoun/library/ will provide a free connection to JSTOR from on campus. From the library’s site, click “Magazines”; then click on “JSTOR”. You can save a PDF copy of any article by clicking “download”.
Topics submission: TEN DAYS after RESEARCH DAY (include your name, your research interest, and the bibliographic information (author, title, journal, issue, pages) for your three articles) Final Paper due: ONE WEEK PRIOR to EXAM #4 at the beginning of class
Late papers lose one letter grade for each day they are late. Papers submitted on the due date but after the beginning of class will lose ˝ a letter grade.
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