This Canvas-based semester-long upper-level course examines United States history through a fifty-year period punctuated by a brutal civil war and eras known as “Reconstruction” and the “Gilded Age.” Aimed at history majors, this course encourages students to hone their skills of historical interpretation while providing a clear chronology of events and their significance. This course emphasizes the many ways in which the study of history demands imagination and critical thinking. History is, above all, the interpretation of past human interactions and their consequences.

According to the SUU General Catalog, History 4730 officially provides "a study of American expansion and its contributions to sectional rivalry leading to the Civil War. The Civil War and Reconstruction, the rise of corporate industry to a position of dominance in American life, and the emergence of the United States as a world power through industrial growth and imperial war are studied." This course will rely on both digital and print versions of excellent textbooks and resources that are aimed, in part, at reducing instructional costs to students while also encouraging interactive and self-directed learning.

There are three required textbooks that are available in a digital (electronic) and/or print versions. These may be obtained through the SUU Bookstore, the publisher, and other sites.

The American Yawp, A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook. Free OER available at http://www.americanyawp.com/ with The American Yawp Primary Source Reader available at http://www.americanyawp.com/reader.html. We will use this free online textbook as a resource for the entire course, but in particular to explore the period from 1845 to 1860 and from 1877 to 1897. You are welcome but not required to purchase the Stanford University print version.

Gary W. Gallagher and Joan Waugh, The American War: A History of the Civil War Era, published by Flip Learning, Third edition, 2023. Vital Source Digital ISBN 979898584925. Please purchase the interactive version. You are welcome to buy the Paperback/Digital Bundle provided by the publisher if you wish.

Eric Foner, A Short History of Reconstruction, Updated Edition (Harper Perennial, 2015). ISBN • 0060964316. While you are encouraged to purchase the paperback edition, this book is also available in a Kindle version.

• Learners will develop historical understanding of the social, political, economic, and cultural developments in the United States from the 1840s to the late 1870s.
• Learners will be able to identify main issues, problems, and topics in United States history.
• Learners will learn to evaluate different types of historical evidence to improve their ability to construct their own historical interpretations and interests.
• Learners will enhance their communication, analytical, and writing skills through diverse assignments.

You may be excited to learn that this course does not require any quizzes or exams, and that we will use a variety of assessments and activities throughout the semester. Please do your best to keep up with reading and other assignments. Note that ALL assignments are required. You are encouraged to work at a steady and systematic pace to finish all required work. Please note that all assignments are due within Canvas by the deadlines at 12 midnight. Unless you have prior approval from the instructor, any assignment submitted after the deadline will receive a permanent grade of zero or "incomplete."

Assignments with Weight/Percentage of Final Grade

• Weekly Reading Journal (Weekly entries graded on P/F basis, successful completion will determine letter grade) -- 50% of final grade
• Alternate Weekly Discussions, (Alternate weekly entries igraded on P/F basis, successful completion will determine letter grade) -- 15% of final grade
• Critical Web Site Evaluation, 10% of final grade
• Independent Final Project, 25% of final grade

Weekly Reading Journal (50% of final grade)

Starting in Week 1, you are expected to submit a weekly written journal entry to Canvas that will typically focus on a prompt or question related to class readings and activities. Your response should be organized, factual, insightful, and well written, preferably submitted in an essay format of at least 500 words in length (about two pages of double-spaced text with 12-font type). You are encouraged to write more than 500 words, and your work will be evaluated by the quality of your written response, not its length. These weekly assignments will be due to Canvas no later than the deadlines at 12 midnight, and you are welcome to submit earlier.

These written journal exercises are designed to 1) encourage your active and regular reading of our required textbook, 2) help you think more critically about issues and topics in United States history, and 3) improve your writing and analytical skills. You will receive some helpful but not extensive feedback for your weekly journal entries, and these will be graded on a P/F (or Complete/Incomplete) basis. A simple rubric will be used to evaluate your work and to encourage high-quality responses. Please note that plagiarism will not be tolerated, and you may be asked to resubmit incomplete or inadequate work. Any submission deemed by Copyleaks or by me be the product of AI will receive a grade of incomplete and will be viewed as a violation of SUU Policy 6.33, Academic Misconduct.

The percentage of completed and acceptable journal entries (of fourteen total for the entire semester) will determine your final grade for this assignment:

• 100 % (A) = 100% completed and acceptable journal entries
• 95% (A) = 95% completed and acceptable journal entries
• 90% (A-) = 90% completed and acceptable journal entries
• 85% (B) = 85% completed and acceptable journal entries
• 80% (B-) = 80% completed and acceptable journal entries
• 75% (C) = 75% completed and acceptable journal entries
• 70% (C-) = 70% completed and acceptable journal entries
• 65% (D) = 65% completed and acceptable journal entries
• 60% (D-) = 60% completed and acceptable journal entries
• 0% = Less than 60% completed and acceptable journal entries (yes, this will be a grade of 0 that will count toward 30% of your final grade)

Each weekly journal assignment is due in Canvas by the deadline at midnight. If your journal entry is submitted late, it will NOT count as a completed or acceptable submission. It will be marked as missing or incomplete. While students are encouraged to meet all assignment deadlines, you are welcome to move at a faster pace in this course if you choose.

NOTE: For your weekly journal entries, you do NOT need any kind of formal citations, footnotes, or bibliography. While you are encouraged to write in your own words, if you wish to quote from course materials or other sources, please place all quoted material in quotation marks and add a page reference or citation in parentheses at the end of that sentence. For every assignment in this course, you are encouraged to integrate specific and relevant historical evidence (names, places, dates, topics, events, etc.) that demonstrate your close reading and deep understanding of course materials.

As with all of your college-level work, your journal submissions should be coherent and feature well-crafted writing that is appropriate for academic purposes. (Your written responses are not texts, tweets, or informal emails.) Do not plagiarize, and be aware that you are expected to submit original and independent work by all deadlines. Please be advised that Canvas features an excellent and thorough plagiarism detection program. Feel free to be imaginative in exploring the questions asked in this course, and ask questions if you are unclear about assignments or expectations.

Alternate Weekly Discussion Posts & Responses (separate assignments due every other week together worth 15% of your final grade)

This course features alternate weekly Discussions (due every other week) that are designed for you to read, review, and critically evaluate course materials in our required readings and other materials as assigned. Many of these Discussions will focus on primary source documents, and within Canvas you will find additional materials relating to "Primary Source Analysis." One goal of this assignment is to create a "learning community" of students enrolled in this online class. A second goal is to enhance your understanding of primary sources as the building blocks of historical interpretation. A third and related goal is to develop your critical thinking and communication skills as they relate to interpreting the past.

Similar to the grading scale for your Weekly Journal Entries, you will receive some helpful but not extensive feedback for your alternative weekly Discussion posts and responses, and these will be graded on a P/F (or Complete/Incomplete) basis. A simple rubric will be used to evaluate your work and to encourage high-quality responses. As with all assignments in this course, plagiarism and the use of AI for your written work will not be tolerated.

The percentage of completed and acceptable Discussion posts and responses will determine your final grade for this assignment:

• 100 % (A) = 100% completed and acceptable discussion posts
• 95% (A) = 95% completed and acceptable discussion posts
• 90% (A-) = 90% completed and acceptable discussion posts
• 85% (B) = 85% completed and acceptable discussion posts
• 80% (B-) = 80% completed and acceptable discussion posts
• 75% (C) = 75% completed and acceptable discussion posts
• 70% (C-) = 70% completed and acceptable discussion posts
• 65% (D) = 65% completed and acceptable discussion posts
• 60% (D-) = 60% completed and acceptable discussion posts
• 0% = Less than 60% completed and acceptable discussion posts (yes, this will be a grade of 0 that will count toward 15% of your final grade)

Critical Web Site Evaluation Assignment (10%)

This assignment asks you to select, review, and evaluate a high-quality web site about some aspect of United States between 1845 and 1897, the scope of this course. This assignment is designed to help you find helpful materials for your Individual Final Project due by the end of the semester.

You will find more materials in Canvas, but note that your evaluation of a chosen web site will share similarities with a critical book or movie review. For example, your review should examine aspects of the web site from at least the following four (4) categories: 1) authority and accuracy; 2) purpose and content; 3) currency; 4) design, organization, and ease of use. Of course, you are encouraged to range beyond these guidelines to assess other aspects of the web site, such as its aesthetic appeal, its incorporation of unique technologies, or its standing within the field of digital history. Note that your web site selection(s) must be approved in advance by the instructor. Any submissions not approved by the instructor will receive a grade of zero.

Independent Final Project (25%)

Each student is required to create an individual Final Project that relates to some aspect of United States history between 1845 and 1897. You have great latitude in selecting a topic and focus, but please seek suggestions (and approval) from the instructor by the end of Week 7. You will find that the textbook and web sites provide lots of ideas and materials for potential projects. Probably the best way to approach this project is to ask: What topic (or issue or person or event) in United States history do I want to know more about?

You will be pursuing independent research through print and electronic resources to explore your chosen topic, to be completed in a format appropriate to your skills and interests. While these projects should demonstrate a sound reliance upon the course text(s) and web site, you are free to bring in outside materials through the internet or other external sources, including scholarly books and articles. All sources and materials should be acknowledged in your Individual Project. All projects must be approved in advance by the instructor, along with any subsequent changes to the Project. Any submissions not approved by the instructor will receive a grade of zero.

Ideally, your Individual Project will be submitted in one of four formats:

• PowerPoint slideshow with rich content and audiovisual materials (minimum of 20 high-quality slides)
• Web site with rich content, audiovisual materials, and appropriate links (minimum of 15 high-quality pages)
• “Mini-documentary” movie in a digitized format with rich content and audiovisual materials (minimum of 15 minutes of high-quality edited video)

If you have ideas for other formats, please ask. The primary aim here is for you to investigate some aspect of United States history and choose the best way to showcase your skills and knowledge. Feel free to be imaginative in examining these topics and formats, and please find a focus that truly interests and inspires you! By the end of Week 14, please submit an electronic link and/or digital version of the project to Canvas.

Grading Scale

All assignments and activities will be evaluated on a scale of 0-100, a scale that will also inform the determination of final grades in the course. (For example, a student who earns 94% of all possible points through the weighted assignments will earn a final grade of "A.") Individual assignments and activities will be evaluated with rubrics and other guidelines as explained further within Canvas.

• A, 93-100
• A-, 90-92
• B+, 87-89
• B, 83-86
• B-, 80-82
• C+, 77-79
• C, 73-76
• C-, 70-72
• D+, 67-69
• D, 63-66
• D-, 60-62
• F, 0-59

Like most history courses, this one is structured in sequential and chronological order, and all students are expected to read and review our textbooks and assignments as outlined in the Canvas course modules. Throughout this course, you are encouraged to build upon what you learn and to apply “lessons from the past” to your understanding of more recent and contemporary events.

The Canvas modules are designed to align with the length and deadlines of a full semester with assignments and activities typically due each week. While you are expected to keep pace with all established course deadlines, you may work at a faster pace if you choose.

Week/Module, Deadlines, and Themes

• 8/30
  1 Course Introductions
• 9/6 Slavery and Antislavery
• 9/13
  3 Conflict and Compromise
• 9/20
  4 Politics of Sectionalism
• 9/27
  5 War Begins
• 10/4
  6 Men and Women at War
• 10/11
  7 Race, Emancipation & Nationhood
• 10/18
  8 The Union Victorious
• 10/25
  9 Reconstruction Begins
• 11/1
  10 Battles Over Reconstruction
• 11/8
  11 End of Reconstruction and Its Legacies
• 11/15
  12 Western Expansion
• 11/22
  13 Capital and Labor
• 12/6
  14 Life in Industrial America
• Independent Final Project Due

Please note that all assignments are due within Canvas by the deadlines at 12 midnight. Unless you have prior approval from the instructor, any assignment submitted after the deadline will receive a permanent grade of zero or "incomplete."

Each weekly journal assignment is due in Canvas by the deadline at midnight. If your journal entry is submitted late, it will NOT count as a completed or acceptable submission. It will be marked as missing or incomplete.

Late Policy: All deadlines are explained within this course. Any submission after the deadline will result in a permanent grade of zero or "incomplete."

Make-Up Work/Extra-Credit

This course does not have any options for make-up work or extra credit.

Attendance : This is an online course with regular weekly deadlines.

References

You are expected to read and review the textbooks in conjunction with your interactive use of our Canvas web resources, as well. If you need help in using Canvas, please start with the SUU Help Center at http://help.suu.edu and work through the Canvas-related links.

AI is restricted in this class

Within this course, all submitted assignments should be written, developed, created, or inspired by you. If any work is created by artificial intelligence (AI) it will be considered plagiarized work and a violation of SUU Policy 6.33: Academic Misconduct. This could result in a failing grade to disciplinary action through the Dean of Students’ Office. AI is an evolving technology and will impact our academic, professional, and personal lives. It is important that as part of your education, you learn to critically think, create, and evaluate products/assignments.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT and BingAI, are not allowed to be used for your written and submitted assignments in this class. Although the use of these types of tools may be allowed in other classes or are used professionally, this class will focus on learning foundations without the aid of generative AI. Any perceived use of generative AI will be investigated for possible submission to the university as cheating.

Final Comments

As with any college course, it is hoped that you will get out of this course what you put into it. In fact, there is a strong and positive correlation between the time that students devote to their classes and their final grades. Please feel free to contact your instructor through Canvas messaging or email.

Good luck!