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ROSE STATE
COLLEGE
Class Syllabus
US History to 1877
HIST 1483 #7271
Fall 2010
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will survey the history of America from initial human habitation
up to the end of Reconstruction following the Civil War, 1877. An attempt
will be made to cover all facets of US history; however, I will emphasize
thematic cultural history. Material will be presented in the lecture format
with a strong encouragement for discussion from the class.
PROFESSOR/INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Name Craig Ferguson
Title Professor
Office Location SS 229
Office Hours T & Th: 7:00-8:00 & 11:00-12:30
Campus Phone Number: 787-2588
Campus E-mail Address: cferguson@rose.edu
Fax Number: 787-2588
Website: www.occc.edu/cferguson
COURSE INFORMATION
Prerequisite course(s) or skill(s) none
Section Number/Course Number/Course Title US History to 1877; HIST 1483,
#7271
Time/Location T & R 9:30 – 10:45 SS 212
DELIVERY METHOD
Traditional/Lecture
CLASS COMPUTER USAGE
All course sections at RSC may be Web enhanced and require some level
of access to a computer and the College utilized Learning Management System.
Free access to computers is available to all enrolled students in the
Learning Resources Center and in other Academic Division computer laboratories.
TEXTBOOK/SUPPLIES INFORMATION
Title/Edition American History, volume 1
Author/Publisher Brinkley
ISBN # 9780077945251
CAMPUS-WIDE ASSESSMENT – Goal #4 – Quantitative/Analytical
Literacy
Quantitative/Analytical Literacy may be defined in terms of mathematical
skills, problem-solving skills, reasoning skills, and interpretative skills:
• The ability to solve basic mathematical problems and equations;
the ability to deal with numbers, uncertainty, errors in data, to design
experiments, to create models
• The ability to use mathematics to understand, predict, and control
routine events in people’s everyday lives
• The ability to analyze numerical evidence, understand logical
arguments, detect logical fallacies, and evaluate risks
• The ability to interpret quantitative information deductively
COURSE OBJECTIVES/EXPECTED OUTCOMES
After successfully completing this course, each student shall be able
to grasp the basic themes defining US colonial and antebellum society.
Students shall be capable of tying basic facts, important figures and
seminal events into the basic themes outlined in the course.
GRADING SCALE
Your final grade will result from the total number of points received
on periodic quizzes, four exams, and a book review. The quizzes will occur
throughout the course and will cover assigned readings from the text.
Quizzes will be administered at the beginning of class, therefore punctuality
is paramount. If a student is not present at the commencement of class,
that student will not be allowed to take that quiz. Moreover, there will
be no make-ups for the quizzes. These quizzes are designed to encourage
and reward reading, thus better preparing students for lecture material.
However, to ensure fairness and compensate for the inevitable unforeseen
absences (or tardies), only seven of the quizzes will count toward ones'
grade (plus a final bonus quiz). Simply, students will be allowed to drop
their lowest quiz score. Each of the quizzes will be worth twenty points,
for a total of 150 points (140 plus the bonus quiz). In addition, there
will be two exams worth 100 points each, a final take-home exam worth
100 points, and an in-class final exam worth 50 points. Make-ups for the
major exams will be administered in the testing center. Make-ups must
be completed BEFORE December 1st. All four exams must be taken in order
to pass the course.
Book Review:
A book review is required for this course. The book review is worth 100
points. Each student will pick a topic from the syllabus. It is the student's
responsibility to find an appropriate book that pertains to a topic that
will be discussed in class. The student is to read the book and write
a review of said book in which the student provides:
1) Bibliographical denotation
2) Statement of author's thesis
3) Examination of thesis
4) RELATE thesis to class discussions
5) critique/analysis of the book
Thus, the total possible number of points for this class will be 600.
The breakdown by letter grade will be as follows:
A = 540 - 600
B = 480 - 539
C = 420 - 479
D = 360 - 419
F = < 359
IMPORTANT DATES TO
REMEMBER
Last day to withdraw November 19th
Final Thursday, December 16th @ 9:30-11:20
COURSE POLICIES
ATTENDANCE POLICY
As per policy at Rose State College, attendance will be taken. Also, according
to departmental guidelines, attendance will affect one’s grade.
The occasional absence due to unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances
will be tolerated; however excessive absences for ANY reason will result
in a lowering of one’s grade. Specifically, if a student misses
approximately one-fourth of the allotted classes said student will be
penalized. EACH absence in excess of five will result in the student’s
final point total being reduced by ten points. For example, if a student
has missed ten classes then that student would lose fifty points. Moreover,
in an attempt to encourage punctuality, AN ABSENCE IS DEFINED AS MISSING
ANY PART OF A CLASS PERIOD. Missing part of a class means coming in late,
leaving early or leaving at any point during class for any reason whatsoever,
or simply being inattentive during class (e.g. talking out of turn, sleeping,
doing homework for another class, texting, answering cell phone, etc.).
Determining attendance will be subject to my prerogative. However, as
an incentive to encourage class attendance, if a student has fewer than
five absences then that student will be rewarded via extra points. Specifically,
for each absence fewer than five a student will receive five extra points.
For example, if a student has zero absences that student would receive
twenty-five extra points.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
• Electronic Communication
o Electronic communication is the official means for communication to
the students of Rose State College. The College will send communications
to students via e-mail and will expect that those communications are received
and read in a timely manner.
o Thus, all Rose State College students are issued a student e-mail account.
The College will direct all electronic communications to the college-issued
e-mail address. Students should monitor the college assigned student e-mail
account on a frequent and consistent basis in order to remain informed.
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
Rose State College complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
and the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act (ADAAA). Students with
disabilities who seek accommodations must make their request by contacting
the Office of Disabilities Services, located in LRC 125 or call 733-7407.
The student will be asked to provide documentation concerning the disability.
All accommodations must be approved by the Office of Disability Services.
STUDENT POLICIES
Academic Integrity
Rose State College expects students to understand and to follow basic
standards of honesty and integrity. Some common violations of these basic
standards of academic integrity include but are not limited to, plagiarism,
cheating on tests and examinations, presenting work completed for one
course as original work for another, and other forms of dishonest performance
on college assignments, as explained below.
Plagiarism means the use of the thoughts, ideas, words, phrases or research
of another person or source as one's own without explicit and accurate
credit to the original author.
Cheating on examinations of any kind (quizzes, midterms, finals, etc.)
includes copying another student's answers, exchanging information, using
notes or books unless expressly permitted to do so by the instructor,
or gaining access to examinations prior to the actual taking of such examinations.
Other examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to,
copying or preparing another person's work; or buying prepared papers.
Assisting anyone to engage in any of the violations described above qualifies
as academic dishonesty.
All rules and standards of academic integrity apply equally to all electronic
media, particularly all intranet and internet activities. This is especially
true for any form of plagiarism, ranging from submission as one's own
all or part of a paper obtained from an internet source to failure to
cite properly an internet source.
TENTATIVE CLASS CALENDAR
Topics to be discussed
Native cultures of Pre-Columbian America
Puritan culture and religion
Period of Salutary Neglect
Salem witchcraft and rebellion in colonial America
Dedham and township settlement in colonial America
Revolutionary War
US Constitution
Economic modernization
Jacksonian Democracy
Negative and positive liberalism
Antebellum economics
Civil War
Reconstruction
Test and Quiz Schedule
Quiz 1, American History, chapter 1: August 31st
Quiz 2, American History, chapters 2 & 3: September 14th
Exam 1: September 23rd
Quiz 3, American History, chapters 4 & 5: September 28th
Quiz 4, American History, chapters 6 & 7: October 19th
Exam 2: October 28th
Quiz 5, American History, chapters 8 & 9: November 2nd
Quiz 6, American History, chapters 10 & 11: November 16th
Quiz 7, American History, chapters 12 & 13: November 23rd
Quiz 8, American History, chapters 14 & 15: November 30th
Quiz 9, American History, The Constitution: December 7th (bonus)
Final Exams & book review: Thursday, December 16th, 9:30-11:20