History of the
HS 201, CRN 34339
Humanities 116
Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 12 noon-12:50 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Jean Freedman
Evening/Weekend
Office (HU 016): 240-567-5242
E-mail:
jean.freedman@montgomerycollege.edu
jrfreedman@erols.com
Office Hours: Wednesday, 1:00-2:00 p.m., HU 016 and by appointment
Textbook:
Course Description: This course will cover major events in American history from colonization to the end of the Civil War. We will study history as a series of debates and questions that shaped public policy and people's lives. We will analyze the questions of colonization, independence, governance, expansion, and slavery from the point of view of those who made policy and from the point of view of those whom these policies affected. We will also examine the ways in which race, class, and gender affect the ways that people experience historical events.
Aims and Objectives:
At the end of this class, students will be able to:
Grades:
Grades will be based on the following:
Class Participation 10%
Homework and In-Class Assignments 10%
Discussion Papers 30 %
Midterm Examination 25 %
Final Examination 25
%
100%
Examinations and discussion papers will receive a letter grade (A, B, C, D, or F) with a numeric equivalent (A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F = 0-59). Homework and in-class assignments will be graded on a pass/fail basis.
Class Participation and Make-up Policy:
Because class participation is an essential part of this course, students are
expected to attend each class meeting.
Any unexcused absence will lower your class participation grade. An excused absence is defined as one that is
beyond the student's control (personal illness, family emergency, religious
holiday, etc.). If you know that you are
going to be absent, please contact me in advance or, if that is not possible,
as soon as you can after the absence. If
an assignment was due on the day of the absence, you may bring that assignment
to the following class. Students are
responsible for making up all work after any absence.
Late Work Policy: All papers and homework must be turned in on time unless there is a compelling reason why they cannot be. A paper or homework assignment is considered "turned in" when you give it to me -- not my mailbox, not my e-mail. If you are absent on a day when work is due and wish to e-mail your work to me, you may do so, but you must bring hard copy to me the following week. Only then is your work considered "turned in."
Disability Support Services
Any student who may need an accommodation due to a
disability, please make an appointment to see Rose Sachs, chair of Disability
Support Services at the
Caveat emptor: A
syllabus is a guideline, not a contract.
There may be changes made during the course of the semester. Please keep up!
Course schedule:
January 26 Introduction
The Question of Colonization
January 28 The Collision of Cultures
Assignment: Chapter 1
January 30 The Collision of Cultures
February 2
Assignment: Chapter 2
February 4
February 6
February 9 Colonial
Assignment: Chapter 3
February 11 Colonial
February 13 Colonial
Assignment: Chapter 4 (pp. 163-173)
The Question of
February 16 From
Empire to
Assignment: Chapter 5
February 18 From
Empire to
February 20 From
Empire to
Discussion Paper Due:
The Declaration of
February 23 The American Revolution
Assignment: Chapter 6
February 25 The American Revolution
February 27 The American Revolution
The Question of Governance
March 2 Shaping
a Federal
Assignment: Chapter 7
March 4 Shaping
a Federal
March 6 Shaping
a Federal
March 9 The Federalist Era
Assignment: Chapter 8
March 11 The Federalist Era/Review for Midterm
March 13 Midterm Examination
March 16-20 NO CLASS -- SPRING BREAK
March 23 The Early Republic
Assignment: Chapter 9
March 25 The Early Republic
March 27 The Early Republic
March 30 Democracy vs. Republicanism
Assignment: "People's Choice" by H. W. Brands
Discussion Paper Due: People's Choice
April 1 Jacksonian Democracy
Assignment: Chapter 11 (pp. 385-400)
April 3 Jacksonian Democracy
The Question of Expansion
April 6 The Dynamics of Growth
Assignment: Chapter 12
April 8 The Dynamics of Growth
April 10 The Dynamics of Growth
April 13 Nineteenth-Century Reform
Assignment: Chapter 13 (pp. 458-466,
475-488)
April 15 Nineteenth-Century
Reform
April 17 Women's Rights
Assignment:
Discussion
Paper Due: Women's Rights
The Question of Slavery
April 20 "The Peculiar
Institution"
Assignment: Chapter 15
April 22 The Abolition Movement
April 24 Slavery and Abolition
April 27 The Crisis of the
Union
Assignment: Chapter 16
April 29 The Crisis of the
May 1 The Crisis of the
May 4 The Civil War
Assignment: Chapter 17
May 6 The Civil War
May 8 The Civil War
May 11 FINAL EXAMINATION, 12:30
p.m.-2:30 p.m.