Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

History of Utah (Online)

HIST 3870-SW1

Course: HIST 3870-SW1
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: HSOC
CRN: 12878

Course Description

Geography and native peoples; early explorations; political, social, and economic developments to the present. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)]

Required Texts

Wayne Hinton. Utah: Unusual Beginning to Unique Present. Sun Valley, CA: American Historical Press, 2000. [Reading assignments are from this text]; this textbook is on reserve at the SUU Library, available for purchase at the SUU Bookstore, and available digitally here: https://cdm15891.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/IR/id/293/rec/69]

Raye C. Ringholz. Uranium Frenzy: Saga of the Nuclear West. Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 2002. [available for purchase at SUU Bookstore; also on Reserve at SUU Library]

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will demonstrate:

  • Knowledge of Utah's History and Culture: Students will demonstrate factual and critical knowledge of the major cultures, personalities, events, and economic and political developments in Utah's history.
  • Critical Thinking: Students will develop skills to analyze ideas, analyze sources and evidence, and evaluate arguments.
  • Communication: Students will develop and express ideas in writing. This will include crafting well-organized analytical essays that state a clear thesis, present historical data (sources) in support of the argument, and draw meaningful conclusions.

Course Requirements

This is a modified, self-paced course. The deadlines (see below, as well as the Assignments and Modules tabs for dates) are intended to help you manage the workload over the 7 weeks of this course, although you are free to complete the assignments according to your own schedule. The only exceptions are a primary sources assignment and 2 papers, which need to be submitted on the posted date, with a point deducted for every day that passes after the deadline.

Quizzes
Students will have 10 quizzes in this course. Together they are 100 points or 25% of the final grade. Quiz questions are from the Hinton textbook only. Each quiz will consist of 10 multiple-choice questions. You will have 10 minutes and one attempt to complete each quiz. The quizzes are open book, although I recommend outlining the chapters and taking careful notes to facilitate finding answers quickly.

Exams
Students will have 4 exams in this course, each consisting of 50 multiple-choice questions. Together, they are worth 200 points or 50% of the final grade. Exam questions are from the Course Modules (Lectures) only. See the Modules tab to view which modules will be covered in each exam. You will have 45 minutes and one attempt to complete each exam. You may use the lectures as well as your own notes when taking the exams. The exams only focus on the relevant modules and are not cumulative. There is no final exam.

Papers
Students will have 1 paper for this course. The paper concerns uranium mining and nuclear testing as they impacted Utah and its people, as found in the required reading materials.  Papers must be submitted no later than the assigned due date.  Please use the assignment tab under “papers” to submit your writing.  SUU utilizes a program, Unicheck, to detect potential plagiarism for submissions.

Grade Scheme
The following grading standards will be used in this class:
Grade | Range
A | 100 % to 94.0%
A- | < 94.0 % to 90.0%
B+ | < 90.0 % to 87.0%
B | < 87.0 % to 84.0%
B- | < 84.0 % to 80.0%
C+ | < 80.0 % to 77.0%
C | < 77.0 % to 74.0%
C- | < 74.0 % to 70.0%
D+ | < 70.0 % to 67.0%
D | < 67.0 % to 64.0%
D- | < 64.0 % to 61.0%
F | < 61.0 % to 0.0%

Course Outline

This online course has seven modules.

Module 1: The Geography and Native Cultures of Utah (Overview)
Module 2: Spanish Contacts, Mountain Men, and Pre-Utah Mormonism
Module 3: The Mormon Exodus, LDS Settlements, and Territorial Policies
Module 4: Politics, Polygamy, and Statehood
Module 5: Reform, Urban Growth, and Immigrants
Module 6: Turn of the 20th Century and the National Parks
Module 7: Utah in WWI and the 1920s, the WWII Era, and an Overview of Modern Utah Politics

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

The acceptance of Late Work is at the discretion of the professor. You should contact the professor before the due date if there is going to be an issue meeting the set due dates.

Attendance Policy

Attendance

Attendance is based on your completion of the assignments by the assigned due date.

Course Fees

View all of SUU's Program and Course Fees

Additional Course Information

Credits

3 Credit(s)

Registration Restriction(s)

None

Course Expectations

The success of this class will depend on the same commitment to learning we all typically bring to the physical classroom.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.