This online course is designed to provide students with an in-depth look into Utah’s unique and fascinating history. It is an upper-division course for students interested in teaching, government work, or tourism, while others may simply be interested in our state's heritage and past. If you are new to online instruction, please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any difficulties.

To many, Utah seems a highly unusual state; however, while it has its particular story, our home state also shares much in common with its western neighbors. This course examines the social, economic, and political developments of Utah with special attention to the ways the state compares and contrasts with other states in the union. In chronology, the class covers prehistoric times to the present, with Learning Modules focusing on various peoples, including Native Americans, Latter-day Saints, western pioneers, immigrants, miners, and others who have contributed to Utah's history and heritage. One of the course's major themes is the state's evolution from relative isolation to integration into the national economy and society.

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

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]

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.

Recommended Class Schedule and Assignments

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.

Primary Sources Assignment

Students will complete a primary sources assignment in which they will read a collection of primary sources, provided by the professor, that offer conflicting viewpoints on an event. Students will read each source and ask questions to determine its reliability and then write three sentences per source answering those questions. This assignment is worth 20 points.

Papers

Students will write two papers for this course. The first will use the documents analyzed in the Primary Sources Assignment to write a paper demonstrating their ability to evaluate contradictory evidence, state a thesis, and then defend that claim with reasons and evidence. Paper 1 will be worth 30 points. For the second paper, students will read a book written by a scholar and then write a paper critically engaging it, again presenting a thesis and defending it. Paper 2 is worth 50 points. More details for these papers are found under the Assignments and Rubrics tabs. Please use the assignment tab under “papers” to submit your writing. SUU utilizes a program to detect potential plagiarism and AI use for submissions. If the program detects substantial AI use, the professor will substantially reduce the grade, because it is not the student's own work. Papers must be submitted no later than the assigned due date.

Extra Credit

There are also two options for Extra Credit that are described under the Assignments tab. If both are completed, the resulting score will replace the two lowest quiz scores.

Grade Scheme

The following grading standards will be used in this class:

Instructor’s Response Time & Feedback

Online classes provide unique challenges for interaction. Please contact me directly with questions about assignments. I will respond in the specified amount of time. Feedback is an important part of learning, so please look for feedback on your assignments that I will provide within the specified amount of time. To find feedback, look at this tutorial: .

It is my goal to:

• Respond to student messages within 2 business days
• Provide grades and feedback within 5 - 7 days from the due date

Late Policy

Only the Primary Sources Assignment and the papers have set deadlines. Points will be deducted from the total score for every day that passes beyond the deadline. You should contact the professor before the due date if there is going to be an issue meeting the set due dates.

Attendance

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

View all of SUU's Program and Course Fees

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.