Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

History of Utah (Face-to-Face)

HIST 3870-01

Course: HIST 3870-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: History, Sociology & Anthro
CRN: 31605

Course Description

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

Required Texts

Weekly readings and videos will be provided on Canvas.

Learning Outcomes

History Department Learning Outcomes: 

Students will possess factual and critical knowledge about past historical events, institutions, movements, figures, and societies and have the ability to identify key events that express change over time in a particular place or region, identify how change occurs over time, and explain historical continuity and change.

·         Students will understand, describe, and critically assess historical theories, principles, and concepts and possess the ability to apply historical theories, principles, and concepts.

·         Students will demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.

·         Students will demonstrate the ability to apply historical methods and research protocols to formulate historical questions, obtain data from primary and secondary sources, critically assess primary and secondary sources, and follow scholarly conventions of the discipline.

·         Students will possess and demonstrate critical and analytical thinking and reasoning skills and demonstrate the ability to construct well-organized historical arguments that utilize historic data in support of a thesis.

Course Requirements

Your work in History 3870 will focus on reading and reviewing assigned materials, participating in weekly discussions, writing two article analyses, a final story map project, a virtual historic site visit, and a Utah Women’s history presentation. The grading and examinations will reward your persistence and diligence in moving consistently and sequentially through all course materials.  You are encouraged to work at a steady and systematic pace to finish all required work by the appropriate deadlines. All of your course work will be submitted through Canvas.  

Weekly Attendance and Participation
 
Each week, you will earn attendance points for this class. A specific day will be randomly selected, and if you are present on that day, you will receive the points for that week. Over the course of the semester, these attendance points will account for 20% of your final grade.
 

Midterm Presentation

You will be required to share a presentation detailing the biography of a randomly selected Utah woman. This will be done the first day of class. Your presentation must be 9-10 minutes in length. For detailed information and a presentation rubric, consult the assignment tab. This assignment is worth 30% of your grade.

Final Story Map

This assignment requires students to create an annotated Utah History map using StoryMap that digitally portrays the student’s ranking of the 10 most significant sites in Utah History, as well as the criteria by which these sites were ranked. For detailed information consult the assignment tab. This assignment is worth 20% of your grade.

Article Analyses

You will be required to write two short scholarly analyses of articles from the Utah Historical Quarterly. These can be on a subject of your choice. Each analysis should be two pages in length. For detailed information consult the assignment tab. This assignment is worth 10% of your grade.

Utah Historical Site Designation Visit

For this assignment, you are required to virtually visit any Utah historical site, museum, or exhibit. You will then complete the form also located in the files tab and upload it AND a selfie of yourself with the web page. This assignment is worth 10% of your grade.

3-2 -1’s

Over the course of the semester, we will be studying selected readings. After absorbing the required materials, you will write a short but reasoned response: 3 things you learned that you did not know before - 2 specific questions you would ask the historians - 1 The Takeaway – What is the main point for you to learn and remember. These are worth 5 points each. Please keep the 321 in mind as you study the readings. For detailed information and a rubric, consult the assignment tab. This assignment is worth 10% of your grade.

Course Outline

Course Summary:

Week 1: Introduction and First Peoples

·         The course will be introduced, and students will have opportunities to explore the syllabus, Canvas shell, and additional resources.

·         Utah’s Native peoples.

Week 2: Explorers

·         The first Anglo explorers visit the area.

Week 3: Mormon Arrival and Settlement

·         A discussion of the Mormon pioneers and their settlement patterns.

Week 4: The Utah War

·         The case against polygamy, the Mormon Reformation, and the battles with the U.S. government. 

Week 5: The Utah War (cont)

·         The case against polygamy, the Mormon Reformation, and the battles with the U.S. government. 

Week 6 -9: Presentations

Week 10: Move to Statehood

·         Utah’s various attempts at becoming a state.

Week 11: War and Depression

·         World War I and the Great Depression

Week 12: World War II & The Conservatism of Utah

·         World War II and Utah becomes a “red” state.

Week 13: The 1950’s and 60’s 

·         Utah embraces the successes and failures of the post WWII decades.

Week 14: Final Project 

·         This week is set aside for work on your final project.

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

Late assignments will receive a penalty of one letter grade per week late. 

Attendance Policy

Each week, you will earn attendance points for this class. A specific day will be randomly selected, and if you are present on that day, you will receive the points for that week. Over the course of the semester, these attendance points will account for 20% of your final grade.

Course Fees

Content for this section will be provided by the instructor.

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.