Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Summer Semester 2026

History of Utah (Online)

HIST 3870-30I

Course: HIST 3870-30I
Credits: 3
Term: Summer Semester 2026
Department: HSOC
CRN: 20559

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 and available for purchase at the SUU Bookstore.  There also is an electronic version you can access free of charge by searching the SUU library website under the author and book title. 
  • 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 be able to:

  1. Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World: Students demonstrate knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world through study in the fine arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, life and physical sciences. 
    • demonstrate factual and critical knowledge of the major historical figures, events and cultural developments in the history of Utah
    • demonstrate a broad understanding of the ideologies, society and theories (economic, social, political) of the history of Utah
  2. Critical Thinking: Students demonstrate disciplined processes of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. 
    • critically examine, assess, and analyze various sides to arguments in historical debates in the study of Utah history
  3. Communication: Students develop and express ideas and will be able to do so in a variety of ways, namely in writing, by speaking, visually, kinesthetically, through design or aurally. 
    • communicate historical arguments and historically-based ideas and data effectively in written form, including having a strong ability to craft well-organized critical and analytical essays that utilize historical data (sources) in support of a thesis 

Course Requirements

The following are some basics that will help you get started and complete the class:

  1. This is a modified, self-paced course.  Please see assignments to locate the due dates early in the semester in which you are enrolled.
  2. There are 10 Quizzes; they are drawn from the chapters in the Hinton book. Together they are 35% of the final grade.
  3. There are 4 Exams; they are drawn from the Course Modules (Lectures) that are posted in Canvas.  They are 30% of the final grade.
  4. Paper.  Please see the requirements in the Assignments section for specifics.  The paper requires students write an analytical paper over the book Uranium Frenzy. The paper is worth 20% of the final grade.
  5. Video Position Papers & Historical Site Paper: students write 2 short papers (see Assignments tab) on two videos or 1 longer paper over a visit to an historical site. These are worth 15% of the final grade. 
Recommended Class Schedule and Assignments

This is a modified, self-paced course.  There is a set of assignments due during the first half of the semester while most of the assignments are due toward the end of the term.  Please see the assignments with due dates listed at the bottom of the syllabus.

This course contains 7 modules. There are 10 quizzes covering the 10 chapters of the Hinton textbook. It is encouraged that you take the quizzes that correspond with the Learning Modules (listed below) prior to taking the exam. Each exam will cover the material and content between exams. For example, Exam 1 covers all content from the beginning of the course to Exam 1. Exam 2 will cover the content after Exam 1 to Exam 2, and so on.

Note: The Quizzes are over the Hinton textbook only; each quiz covers only 1 chapter, i.e. Quiz 1 is over only Ch. 1, etc.  Material for Exams is taken from the Learning Modules only, not the textbook.  The exams are not cumulative. 

Please peruse the Modules section to the left to get an idea of how to proceed through the course (sequence of lectures, quizzes, and exams). 

Course Outline

Module 1: Early Utah History

Module 2: Spanish Contacts, Mountain Men, Mormonism Pre-Utah History

Module 3: Mormon Exodus, LDS Settlements, Native Encounters, Territorial Politics

Module 4: Turn of the 20th Century: Reforms, Continuities, Opening to the World

Module 5: Early 20th Century Utah

Module 6: National Parks, Public Lands, National Politics

Module 7: Twentieth Century Utah: WWI, 1920s, Great Depression & WWII

Module 8: Post-war Utah 

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

The professor will accept late work as long as it is within one week of the due date and one letter grade taken off. 

Attendance Policy

This is an online course.

Course Fees

There are no course fees for this class. 

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.