History 2310 honors

Course Content: A study of the intellectual, social, and political history of the United States from its earliest philosophical roots to 1865. This course will pay special attention to the intellectual antecedents of American Civilization and will investigate their employment over time.

Attendance is Mandatory. Only official University absences are recognized as excused. Unexcused students missing tests can not take a make-up. IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP TRACK OF ALL DOCUMENTATION OF EXCUSED ABSENCES AND TO BE ABLE TO PRODUCE THEM FOR THE INSTRUCTOR UPON REQUEST. Every unexcused absence over 2 will lower your final grade 10%, unexcused students missing tests can not take a make-up.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. Students must turn in their own work and if ANY evidence of plagiarism exists, the student will receive a “0” on the assignment, and may be asked to withdraw from the class (at the instructor’s discretion). Plagiarism is defined as either writing the words on another author (whether a fellow student or a published author) as one’s own, OR using the ideas of another author without giving the proper credit (citing your source). If you have any doubts or questions, come see me.

Students will be asked to prepare a discussion on topics given in advance by the instructor on the days designated on the syllabus. All students in class will be expected to participate in debating the salient points presented by the very prepared students.

Students will be asked to develop and present, on-line via Blackboard, topics for the class to discuss. Questions should come from the assigned readings, and should probe their colleagues ability to make connections between the larger philosophical issues of American History and specific events, people, and circumstances as portrayed in the text. The accompanying CD to the text may prove to be a rich source of topics for this exercise.

Based on their readings and lectures, students will prepare a 5 – 10 page fictional memoir of their life and times in American History. We will spend class time assigning different time periods of U.S. history, and make assignments on birth years, etc. Students will be expected to work together to weave together a “fabric” of memoirs that are all interconnected. Students will include a “suggested readings” bibliographical essay to accompany their work.

Students will draw questions from a pool provided by the professor two weeks before the assignment is due. They will then write a paper of appropriate length (between 5 and 10 pages) in which they expound upon the topic at hand. Using library and electronic sources, students will use proper citations to footnote their essays. Analysis and proper use of sources is critical.

WEEK	LECTURE TOPICS	READINGS	NOTE
1. Aug. 23	Introduction to the course Discuss the Roots of American Civilization
2. Aug. 30	The nature of history and The Legacy of Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and Boston
3. September 6	Discussion on the nature of history The Legacy of Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and Boston
4. September 13	Discussion on the nature of history The Legacy of Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and Boston		Last of the Mohicans Sept. 13 – 15; Mandatory Drill Sept. 18
5. September 20	American Indians The European Rivals
6. September 27	Why they came: Reasons for coming to America and colonial development Discussion		Franklin Trip Oct. 1
7. October 4	Colonial America		Franklin Trip Oct. 4
8. October 11	Colonial Politics The Wars for Empire Protest and Revolution Discussion		Mid-Term Exam
9. October 18	Experimental Republic
10. October 25	Constitution and Factions
11. November 1	The Age of Jefferson and Jackson		Gangs of New York Nov. 3 – 5, Nov. 8
12. November 8	The Age of Capital Westward Expansion Discussion
13. November 15	Immigration Southern Society Revivals and Reformers Discussion
14. November 22	The Crises of the 1850s
15. Nov. 29	The Civil War
16. December 6	Review		Final Exams

If you are a History major, History minor, have an interest in History but do not want to teach in the classroom, or want to use History in new and exciting ways, McMurry’s Public History Program is for you. One of the few undergraduate programs of its type in the United States, the McMurry Public History Program provides practical experience in museums, archives, academic presses, and historic sites. By receiving a Public History Certificate in conjunction with your McMurry degree, it is hoped that you will be able to find immediate employment in a Public History field or secure entry into a graduate program in Public or Applied History.

Elective Courses: One course selected from any two of the following areas of concentration (two courses/six hours total). Special topics courses may be substituted for the six elective hours with approval of the program director:

Field Work: In addition to the required coursework, students seeking a certificate in public history will also perform ten hours of volunteer work in any two of the following areas of concentration, working under the guidance of a public history professional. Fieldwork must be performed in fields unrelated to the project undertaken in HIST 4340: Public History Practicum. The program director will coordinate this work, in conjunction with the appropriate local entities: