History 111
The American
Experience to 1877
(Section
008)
Instructor: James A. Edstrom Office: F146
Phone:
Fax: (847) 925-6037
Course
website: http://www.harpercollege.edu/~jedstrom
Purpose: There
are three primary objectives associated with this course. First, you will be introduced to the
chronological development of
Alan Brinkley, American History.
12th Edition.
Additionally, you will
need to get three Bluebooks for your exams!
Assignments: The
final grade will be determined by the weighted average of assignments plus a
class participation grade. The
coursework will consist of 3 quizzes, 2 primary source essays, 2 short papers
and three exams for a total of 500 possible points. Active contributions to designated class
discussion assignments will determine the class participation grade. Each assignment counts as a percentage of
your final grade, as listed below:
Primary
source essays 10% (25
points eachà50 points)
Paper #1 (Journal article) 10% (50 points)
Paper #2 (Biography) 10% (50 points)
Quizzes 10% (50 points)
Exam #1 15% (75 points)
Exam #2 15% (75 points)
Final Exam 20% (100 points)
Class Participation 10% (50 points)
Final Grade 100% (500 points)
Students
will receive specific information on the papers in class. Exams will be multiple choice, short answer and
essay questions. A review sheet will be
handed out one week before the exams.
Blackboard: All course
documents are posted on Blackboard at http://harper.blackboard.com. This includes the assignments and the lecture
outlines. I will also post exam study
guides one week before each exam.
Primary source essays: On the dates indicated, you will hand in a two-page essay summarizing
and analyzing a primary source from any time in
Quizzes: There
will be 3 unannounced quizzes at the
beginning of a class period. The quizzes
will be open-notes, but not open
book. In general, make-up quizzes are not given. If you arrive late for a class when a quiz
was scheduled, you missed the quiz.
Extra
credit: There will be a number of
opportunities for extra credit that will be made available throughout the
semester. I am open to proposals that
you may have for extra credit. In these
instances, you will need to meet with me and make the arrangements beforehand,
including the precise amount of credit that the project will be worth. Extra credit should not be depended upon
as a substitute for any missed work in the normal course of the semester
(quizzes, exams, papers, etc.).
Late Work: Any
paper submitted by the next class period after it was due is subject to be
graded with a 10% deduction. Late work
will not be accepted after the class period following the original due date
without prior approval from the instructor. If you have a valid reason for needing an
extension, communicate your need to the instructor early. Make-up
exams will NOT be given without valid documentation.
Grade Scale: Grades
will be determined using the following scale.
Keep in mind that Harper College does not use the minus grades (A-, B-,
C-, etc) on report cards or transcripts.
91-100
A
90
A-
81-89
B
80
B-
71-79
C
70
C-
61-69
D
60
D-
0-59
F
Attendance: Although
students are not graded on their attendance, regular attendance is
expected. Students are responsible for
all information presented in every class session. Repeated absences will seriously hurt
students' performance on examinations and written assignments. Additionally, students will be regularly
called upon during class lectures to provide their own insight and
analysis. There will be no late work accepted for missed class participation
assignments. Make-up exams are practically non-existent. Students who miss a scheduled exam must make
arrangements with the instructor in advance or have an approved written excuse
in order to take a late exam. If you
will miss significant class time due to illness or a major emergency, contact
the instructor as soon as possible to make the proper arrangements. Approximately one week prior to each exam, I
will distribute a study guide. I will
only distribute the study guide during that one class period.
Academic Dishonesty: According
to
Classroom Etiquette: Observing
a few common sense rules will make everyone’s educational experience more
enjoyable and productive. The following
is a list of some of the expectations I have for participating in this class. If you anticipate any difficulty following
these rules, please see me after class.
1) Turn off cell
phones and pagers in class.
2) Respect
the recognized speaker, whether it is the instructor, another student, a movie,
etc. You do not have to agree with what
is being said and you will have an opportunity to express your point of view,
provided it is done with respect towards the rest of the class.
3)
When
in class, pay attention and participate.
If you need to read the paper, write letters, talk to friends, paint
your nails, listen to headphones, etc., don’t come to class.
4)
Coming
late to class is disruptive to the instructor and the class. While sometimes being a little late cannot be
helped, repeated tardiness is unacceptable.
5)
When
sending email, be sure to include your full name and class number so I know who
I am communicating with. Also, there are
a few times when I will accept assignments submitted via email. If you want to submit an assignment via
email, you must discuss it with me first.
It is simply not practical for me
to accept every assignment via email. I
cannot be responsible for any formatting errors that may occur. Harper College uses Microsoft Word 2000 as
its word processing program. If you
contact me via email, be sure to use the
correct email address listed on the front page.
6)
I
will only write letters of recommendation for students who are earning either
an “A” or “B” and have regularly attended class and participated in class
discussions.
Accommodation: If
you have any type of disability that will require some form of accommodation
(scribe, test reader, etc.), please see the instructor after class or during
office hours to make the necessary arrangements or you can contact the Harper
College Access and Disabilities Center directly at
Office hours: By appointment. You may call or e-mail me to schedule a
meeting.
Required
Exam #1: Brinkley,
Chapters 1-5.
Exam #2: Brinkley,
Chapters 6-10.
Exam #3: Brinkley, Chapters 11-15.
Date: Material
Covered
August
26 Introduction
and Use of the Library
The Meeting of Cultures—Americans, Africans, and
Europeans
September 2 Transplantations
and Borderlands—The establishment of the English
colonies
September
9 Society and Culture in Provincial
September 16 The Empire in Transition—Causes of the Revolution
Primary
source essay #1 due
September
23 The American
Revolution
September
30 Exam #1
October
7 The
Constitution and the New Republic
Journal article paper due
October 14 The
Jeffersonian Era
October
21 Varieties
of American Nationalism
Jacksonian
October
28
November 4 Exam
#2
November 11 Veterans
Day—no class
November 25 The Mexican War and the Impending
Crisis
Biography Paper Due
December 2 The
Civil War
December
16 Final Exam—
Last
updated
Copyright
2008 by James A. Edstrom