This course examines the fundamentals of American history by tracing the social, cultural, economic, and political developments in the United States and its core institutions from the Colonial Era to the present day. We will highlight the major principles and values of American Civilization – their origins, how they evolved over time, and the implications for the present.

We will not attempt to cover all aspects of U.S. history; after all, history is very long! Instead, we will focus on four crucial themes that Americans have visited and re-visited throughout their history –

Democracy: What is democracy and how democratic has the United States been? How democratic should it be? How have the theories and institutions of democratic governance changed throughout American history?

The economy and the role of government: How and why has the American economy evolved? What role should the government have in order to address economic transformations? To what extent did the rise of capitalism necessitate a reevaluation of American principles?

Equality, identity, and diversity: What does the declaration “all men are created equal” mean and how should this principle be put into practice and enforced? Who belongs in the American nation? What values, beliefs, and identities have been attached to American nationalism and which ones excluded from it?

U.S. relations with the world: How and why has the relationship between the United States and the rest of the world changed over time? What responsibility does the United States have to concern itself with populations and occurrences outside of its borders?

Studying history at the collegiate level involves something far greater than memorizing names, dates, and numbers – we must also interpret the meaning of the past. A key purpose of this course, therefore, is to cultivate critical thinking by examining why historical change happens and drawing out potential lessons for the present. Answering these difficult, yet exciting, questions can produce many different opinions and interpretations. As such, students will learn a basic knowledge of the historical method with its reliance on evidence, debate, skepticism, criticism, the recognition of bias, and the ways historians derive theories about the nature of the past. Incivility, unkindness, and disrespect of any kind will not be tolerated.

All required materials for assignments in this course will be provided free of charge in the corresponding modules.

1. Analyze, contextualize, and interpret primary and secondary source documents to understand the history, principles, form of government, and economic system of the United States;
2. Locate, evaluate, and use historically, politically, and economically relevant information and data to develop and enhance information literacy and research skills;
3. Communicate effectively about the history, principles, form of government, multicultural populations, and economic system of the United States;
4. Engage diverse viewpoints that contribute to a constructive dialogue about the history, principles, form of government, and economic system of the United States; and
5. Apply historical, political, and economic perspectives and methods as appropriate to address big questions or threshold concepts pertaining to the history, political system, and economic system of the United States.

Grade Allocation:

Exams – 45% of final grade

Two exams will be administered for this course; one mid-term exam and one final exam. For each exam there will be made available a study guide at least a week before the exam date. Exams will consist of multiple-choice questions only.

The exams will be administered on CANVAS in the “quizzes” tab. They will be open-book/open-note exams; however, they will also be timed (!)

Each week in this course will consist of an online lecture and corresponding modules as homework. (See below for more information on the module assignments). Students are strongly encouraged to take notes on the lectures, because both exams in this course will be drawn primarily from themes and concepts taught in these lectures.

Assignments – 45% of final grade

Reading responses (or “RRs”) are the most frequent graded assignment in this course. For these students will complete historical readings/viewings and submit a so-called “reading response” online to a series of questions posed by the instructor, all of which can be found in CANVAS “modules.” With the exception of Thanksgiving holiday, Spring Break, and exam weeks – most weeks will consist of two assigned modules. Reading responses will be graded periodically and entered as scores into the gradebook. Not all reading responses will be graded. Which reading responses are to be graded and which will not - is entirely random and not disclosed with the students.

Critical thinking: Module assignments will regularly invite students to think critically about history and develop/share opinions about the past and present. Our goal is to ponder the significance of the past beyond mere facts, dates, and data. As such, each module will include various challenging questions of ethics/morality, interpretation, and significance for the present.

Be prepared to develop and share these opinions in each assignment.

Lectures – 10% of final grade

In the “modules” tab students can find one or more recorded lectures for each module topic. Twice during the semester (at mid-term and at semester’s end) students will receive a score out of 10 points. This score will be based on --

1. Completion of lecture recordings. Each student’s CANVAS account will report what percentage of each lecture has been viewed. As long as the completion rate for each lecture is above 80% students will receive full credit
2. Each recording has a handful of questions which must be answered before the recording will move on. These scores will be recorded and taken into account.

Extra Credit:

For extra credit students may watch a selected historical film and write a 500-word response.

At multiple places on CANVAS such as the Home Page or in the “modules” tab under “Class resources” students can find an “extra credit film list.” This list contains films from which students may freely choose. Each film has a corresponding prompt to consider while watching the film. These 500-word responses can be sent to the instructor anytime at and a score will be awarded out of 5 points. Extra credit points will be added to the “Exam” portion of the grade. In other words, a score of 40/50 on the midterm exam can be adjusted to 45/50. Students may complete up to 2 extra credit assignments total throughout the semester. Thus, each exam can be improved up to 5 points.

Students may only complete extra credit if they have no missing assignments in CANVAS.

Response instructions:

1. Access the extra credit film list on CANVAS
2. Choose a film to watch
3. Take note of the prompt that corresponds to the film you’ve chosen
4. Write a 500-word response to that prompt
5. Send the assignment to

Finally, the last module assignment of the course is optional. Students who complete it will get additional up to 10 points extra credit towards any poor scores on previous RR(s).

Grade Scale:

Grades are determined by a percentage of points earned out of points possible. The final grade for the course will be rounded up to the nearest percentage point. Grades will not be based “on the curve.” Students are responsible for tracking their individual grade and must alert the instructor immediately of any errors or questions.

A = 93-100% A- = 90-93% B+ = 87-89% B = 83-86% B- = 80-82% C+ = 77-79%

C= 73-76% C- = 70-72% D+ = 67-69% D = 63-67% D- = 60-62% F = 0-59%

Grade Guidelines

A - Superior

• Scholarship - Strong, exceeding requirements of instructor.
• Initiative - Contributions exceeding the assignment, showing independent resourcefulness.
• Attitude - Positive benefit to class.
• Cooperation - Forwarding all group activities, constant and spontaneous.
• Individual Improvement - Increased development.

B - Above Average

• Scholarship - Accurate and complete, meeting all requirements of instructor.
• Initiative - Good when stimulated by some desirable achievement.
• Attitude - Proper and beneficial to group.
• Cooperation - Good in group work.
• Individual Improvement - Showing progress and responding to stimulation.

C - Average

• Scholarship - Merely meeting assignments and showing evidence of need for encouragement.
• Initiative - Variable, uncertain and apparent only at times.
• Attitude - Generally neutral but not objective.
• Cooperation - Not positive nor very effective and irregular.
• Individual Improvement - Very ordinary.

D - Below Average

• Scholarship - Not meeting all assignments and requirements of instructor.
• Initiative - Deficient.
• Attitude - Indifferent.
• Cooperation - Fair at times and deficient at other times.
• Individual Improvement - Not noticeable.

F - Failing

Work does not meet requirements

Course Calendar

Week 1 –

Modules to complete:

• American Origins
• Origins of Religious Freedom

Week 2 –

Modules to complete:

• American Founding(S)
• The Early Republic

Week 3 –

Modules to complete:

• Rise of Market Capitalism and the Entrenchment of Slavery
• Andrew Jackson and Populism

Week 4 –

Modules to complete:

• Origins of the Civil War: A Conflict over Slavery
• The Civil War and the Lincolnian Revolution

Week 5 –

Modules to complete:

• The Era of Reconstruction
• Mass Immigration in American History

Week 6 –

Modules to complete:

• Industrial Revolution
• American Imperialism at the Turn-of-the-Century

Week 7–

MID-TERM EXAM!

• Exam is on CANVAS
• Exam is open-book, however it is timed!
• No modules due this week – study for the exam using the mid-term study guide!

Week 8 –

Modules to complete:

• The Progressive Era
• World War I

Week 9 –

Modules to complete:

• The Roaring 20s
• The Great Depression

Week 10 –

Modules to complete:

• The New Deal
• Communism as a Transnational History

Week 11 –

Modules to complete:

• Fascism as a Transnational History
• World War II

Week 12 –

Modules to complete:

• The Holocaust as Transnational History
• Origins of the Cold War

Week 13 –

Modules to complete:

• The Golden 50s
• Consensus Breakdown in the 1960s

Week 14 –

Modules to complete:

• The New Left
• The New Right [OPTIONAL FOR EXTRA CREDIT]

Week 15 –

FINAL EXAM!

• Exam is on CANVAS
• Exam is open-book, however it is timed!
• No modules due this week – study for the exam using the mid-term study guide!

Late work policy

Because students will have access to these modules in advance*, all late-work will be penalized* unless the instructor has been notified in advance about extraneous circumstances. Extremely late submissions (such as assignments completed for the first half of the course but submitted after the mid-term exam) will not be graded.

Note-taking

Students are expected to have a notebook for this class or an organized system for computer notes-taking. Good note-taking will be essential for any student who wishes to do well on the exams, which are heavily drawn from in-class lectures.

CANVAS

This course will be administered entirely via CANVAS with the expectation that students acquire, complete, and submit work online in a timely fashion.

Students should expect regular so-called “CANVAS messages” from the instructor.

AI Disclaimer

The use of predictive text AI (such as Chat GTP, among others) is strictly prohibited. All assignments and work in this course will be run through multiple different AI-detection softwares. Even using these technologies to generate ideas will ping these softwares. Do not use them at all (!) Students found using these technologies will face academic integrity disciplines outlined in SUU Policy 6.33.

Do not use Grammerly. These detection softwares flag Grammerly as predictive text AI.

Electronic Devices Disclaimer

Other than laptops for note-taking, no electronic devices are allowed to be operated without the consent of the instructor. Your phone is only approved for classroom related activities. All other use of electronic devices without the permission of the instructor is prohibited.

Mature Media Disclaimer

Throughout the course the instructor will make use of film and photographs which are mature in nature, including graphic historical photography as well as occasional clips from rated-R films and unrated HBO series. Film and photography are excellent tools for grasping the past in all of its richness and complexity. Sexually explicit material will NOT* *be shown. However, some scenes depicting moderate violence, language, destruction, and sickness will occasionally be shown in order to give students a sense of the often violent and disturbing nature of the past. These sights and sounds, although difficult, are essential to grappling with some of history’s most important events such as war, genocide, social injustice, and protest. The instructor will warn the class before such material will be viewed.

Regular attendance is required at all class meetings. You are required to notify the instructor if extraneous circumstances may necessitate an accommodation.