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Brookhaven College
Social Science Division

History 1301: The United States to 1877

Section 23011 - Spring 2015
Tuesday/Thursday 3:00 p.m. 4:20 p.m. (Room K238)
Credits: 3.00
Instructor:
Email:
Phone:
Office:
Office Hours:

Dale Topham
dtopham@dcccd.edu
972-860-4130 (Social Sciences Division Office)
K231 (Adjunct Faculty Office)
By appointment

History 1301:
I. Course Description/Objectives:
Prerequisite: Developmental Reading 0093 or English as a Second Language (ESOL) 0444 or
have met the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) standard in Reading.
A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of the United States
from the pre-Columbian era to the Civil War/Reconstruction period, United States History I
includes the study of pre-Columbian, colonial, revolutionary, early national, slavery and
sectionalism, and the Civil War/Reconstruction eras. Themes that may be addressed in United
States History I include: American settlement and diversity, American culture, religion, civil and
human rights, technological change, economic change, immigration and migration, and creation
of the federal government.
Coordinating Board Academic Approval Number: 54.0102.51 25
History 1301 Core Objectives:
1. Critical Thinking Skills - to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis,
evaluation and synthesis of information
2. Communication Skills - to include effective development, interpretation and expression of
ideas through written, oral and visual communication
3. Social Responsibility - to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility,
and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities
4. Personal Responsibility - to include the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to
ethical decision-making

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History 1301 Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs):
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
2. Analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources.
3. Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on this
period of United States history.
II. DROP/WITHDRAWAL POLICY: Withdrawing from a course is a formal procedure which
YOU must initiate; the instructor cannot do it for you. You may withdraw from a class in either
the Admissions office or Advising Center. If you stop attending or are unable to complete this
class and you do not withdraw before the official drop date, you will receive a performance
grade, usually a grade of F. Students sometimes drop a class when help is available that would
enable them to continue. Please discuss your plans with the instructor if you feel you need to
withdraw. The full drop and withdrawal policy is online in the college catalog.
https://www1.dcccd.edu/catalog/ss/oep/dw.cfm?use_nav=acad_info&loc=econ
STOP BEFORE YOU DROP:
For students who enroll in college level courses for the first time in the fall of 2007, Texas
Education Code 51.907 limits the number of courses a student may drop. You may drop no more
than 6 courses during your entire undergraduate career unless the drop qualifies as an exception.
Your college counseling/advising center will give you more information on the allowable
exceptions. Remember that once you have accumulated six non-exempt drops, you cannot drop
any other courses with a W. Therefore, please exercise caution when dropping courses in any
Texas public institution of higher learning, including all seven of the Dallas County Community
Colleges. The full drop and withdrawal policy is online in the college catalog.
https://www1.dcccd.edu/coursedrops
FINANCIAL AID STATEMENT: Failure to attend classes could result in a loss of Financial
Aid (FA). If you are receiving any form of financial aid, you should check with the Financial Aid
Office prior to withdrawing from classes. Withdrawals may affect your eligibility to receive
further aid and could cause you to be in a position of repayment for the current semester.
Students who fail to attend or participate after the drop date are also subject to this policy.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: Students on an F-1 visa cannot withdraw from classes
without jeopardizing their official status. If you are on an F-1 visa, you MUST NOT withdraw
from any class without the permission of an International Student Advisor in the Multicultural
Center, in Room S-136 or at 972-860-4192.

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RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS: A student shall be excused from attending classes, or other required
activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day, including travel for
that purpose. A student whose absence is excused under this provision may not be penalized for
that absence and shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment within a
reasonable time after the absence.
ADA STATEMENT: If you feel you may need special assistance or accommodation (such as
help with taking notes, extra time on tests, etc.) because of any type of physical disability or
learning difference, please contact the Special Services office in Room S124 or at 972-860-4673.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Scholastic dishonesty is a violation of the Student Code of
Conduct and is punishable as stated in college policies. Please review the full Student Code of
Conduct as listed in the college catalog for additional information. Please refer to the DCCCD
Student Code of Conduct.
Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but not be limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and
collusion. The purpose of the Student Code of Conduct is to provide guidelines for the
educational environment of the Dallas County Community College District. This environment
views students in a holistic manner, encouraging and inviting them to learn and grow
independently. Such an environment presupposes both rights and responsibilities.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form in this course whether in the Textbook Chapter
Quizzes, Writing Assignments, and Exams. The first submitted assignment that is
plagiarized will receive an automatic zero (0). Any subsequent examples of plagiarism can
result in failing the course or other disciplinary actions.
REPEATING THIS COURSE: Each college of the DCCCD charges additional tuition to
students registering the third or subsequent time for a course. All third and subsequent attempts
of the majority of credit and continuing education/workforce training courses will result in
additional tuition being charged. Developmental Studies and some other courses will not be
charged a higher tuition rate. Third attempts included courses taken at any of the DCCCD
colleges since the Fall 2002 semester. The Districts policy for tuition charges relating to a third
attempt is in the colleges catalog. https://www1.dcccd.edu/catalog/ss/oep/third_attempt.cfm?
loc=econ
GRADE REPORTS: Final grade reports are not mailed to students. You may obtain your final
grades online at eConnect, https://econnect.dcccd.edu/. From the student menu, select My
Grades under My Personal Information. If you are not already logged in, you will be
prompted to do so. Select the grade type you wish to review. Press the submit button and all
grades for the selected grade type will be displayed.
INSTRUCTORS RIGHT TO MODIFY: The instructor has the right to add, delete, or revise
segments of this course syllabus.

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FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights
with respect to their education records. More information about the FERPA guidelines is
available online in the college catalog at https://www1.dcccd.edu/catalog/about/privacy.cfm
IMPORTANT DATES FOR REGULAR SEMESTER LENGTH COURSES:
January 20 (T) Classes Begin
February 2 (M) 12th Class Day
March 9-13 (M-F) Spring Break
April 16 (R) Last Day to Withdraw
May 11-14 (M-R) Final Exams
May 14 (R) Semester Ends
May 18 (M) Last day for faculty to submit grades electronically through eConnect to the
Registrar's Office

III. COURSE MATERIALS:

There are TWO books required for this course (a Textbook and a related Documents Reader)
Textbook: Roark, James L, et. al. American Promise: A History of the United States, Volume 1:
To 1877. Value Edition 5th Edition, Bedford/St. Martins Press, 2012.
ISBN: 978-1-4576-1346-3 (Please be sure to get the small Value Edition, not the larger and
more expensive edition!)
Course Reader: Johnson, Michael P., Reading the American Past: Selected Historical
Documents, Volume 1: To 1877. 5th Edition, Bedford/St. Martins Press, 2012.
ISBN: 0-312-56413-9
NOTICE TO STUDENTS:
This notice is to make you aware that alternative sources exist for purchasing textbooks.
A student of this institution is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from a college- or
university-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook also may be available from an independent
retailer, including an online retailer.
The Dallas County Community College District cannot guarantee the quality of textbooks
purchased from other sources and cannot provide information regarding their pricing and refund
policies.
IV.

Testing and Evaluation:

Student evaluation will be accomplished through Textbook Chapter Quizzes, Writing

Assignments, and Exams scheduled throughout the semester.
TEXTBOOK CHAPTER QUIZZES (100 total possible points):
Students will take twelve in-class quizzes on chapters from the main textbook (Roark, et al., The
American Promise). The quizzes will consist of one short essay question, and will be timed.
Students will be given ten minutes at the beginning of class to answer the question. Your two
lowest quiz scores will be dropped. The remaining ten quizzes, worth ten points each, will count
toward your grade. Because the two lowest quiz scores will be dropped, there are NO MAKEUP QUIZZES under any circumstances!!
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS (2 essays worth 100 points each):
Essay #1 (worth 100 points): The first writing assignment consists of selecting a chapter from
Reading the American Past: Selected Historical Documents, Volume 1: to 1877 and, after
reading the documents therein, fully answering the comparative questions (NOT the
discussion questions) listed at the end of the chapter. This essay should be between 900-1600
words (roughly 3-5 pages) in length. The assignment is due in class on February 19th.
Essay #2 (worth 100 points)
The second essay, titled Assessment Assignment, is based on several artifacts and four essay
questions. The document containing these artifacts and questions can be found on eCampus
under the handouts link. It is a seven-page PDF document titled Writing Assignment #2.
Each of the four questions must be answered fully. Students should provide a minimum of
one full-page answer per question, for a minimum essay length of four pages. Students may,
and are encouraged to, go beyond the minimum page length. Each question should be typed out
before the answer is provided beneath. Essays should be double-spaced and use 12 point font.
Essays that do not completely answer the questions asked, or that do not meet the minimum page
requirement, will be heavily docked points.
Students are very strongly encouraged to read a handout on eCampus titled Assessment
Assignment Toolkit prior to beginning this assignment. The toolkit, created by Brookhaven
history professor John Gram, contains valuable tips on how to succeed at this assignment.
Students will submit their assignments through SafeAssign on eCampus by the end of the day on
April 30th.
Late Assignment Policy: The two writing assignments will be accepted if they are turned in late,
but they will be docked 5 points per day they are late. This means that any assignment turned in
more than 8 days late will receive an F.
EXAMS (250 total possible points):

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Students will take two in-class exams this semester (a Midterm and a Final). Students are
responsible for supplying their own Blue Book for the midterm exam and an AccuScan bubble
sheet for the final exam. The Midterm exam (worth 100 points) will be comprised of
answering Ten (10) Identification (ID) questions based upon Key Terms drawn from the
textbook and class lectures. The instructor will distribute a list of Key Terms to students one
week before the exam. On the day scheduled for the Midterm, your instructor will post a selected
number of Lecture Terms on the board/screen in the front of the classroom. Students will answer
ten (10) (AND ONLY TEN!) of those IDs in the Blue Book. In answering these IDs, students
will respond with four detail-packed sentences per Key Term that address the following:
1) The definition/identity of the Key Term.
2) The significance of this Key Term to either the historical process(es) to which this
term/person is directly connected, or to the larger History of the United States in
general.
Parts 1 and 2 will each be worth 5 points, making each ID worth 10 points.
The Final Exam, worth 150 points, is a multiple-choice exam consisting of 75 questions. It is
not comprehensive. A study guide will be distributed to the students one week before the exam.

No make-ups will be given for the Midterm and Final. It is your responsibility to
make sure that you attend class on those days scheduled. If you have an emergency, please
contact your instructor immediately.
Extra Credit:
Historical Movie Review (20 points): The Movie Review consists of selecting a film and
writing a 600-1200 word (roughly 2-4 pages) critical analysis/ assessment of the degree to which
the film accurately reflects U.S. history as we have studied it in our class. Essays should have an
introductory paragraph containing an argument (thesis statement) that you want to make about
the movie, as well as a concluding paragraph that summarizes your key points and argument. A
list of movies to choose from is available on eCampus under the handouts link. See Extra Credit
Film List for History 1301.
You may use outside sources, but if you do, be careful to rely on the published work of scholars
rather than on movie reviews or critiques, which as you know are all over the internet. (One
example of a useful source is the review of The Patriot by historian Edward Countryman.)
A hard copy of the review should be submitted to the instructor by the start of class on May 7th.
FINAL COURSE GRADES will be calculated from your total points earned this semester
based upon a 550 total possible point scale. The grade breakdown will be as follows:
495-550 total points earned = A
440-494 total points earned = B
385-439 total points earned = C
330-384 total points earned = D

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0-329 total points earned = F
V.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Attendance will be taken each class meeting and in the event of a borderline grade at the end of
the semester (within 10 or fewer points of a positive grade change), a consistent attendance
record may be used to determine the final grade.
VI. COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
You can expect me to respond to your e-mails normally within 24 to 48 hours. Be aware that
while this is my general and intended practice, it is subject to the changes and chances of life.

No food and/or drinks in the classroom.

Please turn off or silence cell phones during class.

The use of laptops or other electronic devices will NOT be allowed in

the classroom unless special arrangements are made with the
instructor.
Students are expected to bring their textbook and notes with them to all classes.

History 1301-23011
WEEK-BY-WEEK CALENDAR
Week One
January 20:

Introductions and Course Orientation

January 22:

When Worlds Collide: Roark Chapter 1, pages 1-24; Johnson Chapter 1,

pages 1-14

Week Two
January 27:

New Worlds and a Multitude of Possibilities, part I: Roark Chapter 2,

pages 25-52; Johnson Chapter 2, pages 15-36

January 29:

New Worlds and a Multitude of Possibilities, part II: Roark Chapter 2,

pages 25-52; Johnson Chapter 2, pages 15-36

Week Three

February 3:

The British Southern Colonies: Roark Chapter 3, pages 53-80; Johnson

Chapter 3, pages 37-55

February 5:

The British Northern Colonies: Roark Chapter 4, pages 81-108; Johnson

Chapter 4, pages 56-76

Week Four
February 10:

The British Middle Colonies: Roark Chapter 4, pages 81-108; Johnson

Chapter 4, pages 56-76

February 12:

Changes in the Wilderness: Roark Chapter 5, pages 109-139; Johnson

Chapter 5, pages 77-98

Week Five
February 17:

The Long Road to Rebellion, part I: Roark Chapter 6, pages 140-172;

Johnson Chapter 6, pages 99-118

February 19:

The Long Road to Rebellion, part II: Roark Chapter 6, pages 140-1872;
Johnson Chapter 6, pages 99-118

February 19:

Writing Assignment #1 (Comparative Questions) due

Week Six
February 24:

From Rebellion to Revolution: Roark Chapter 7, pages 173-181; Johnson

Chapter 7, pages 119-142

February 26:

The Revolutionary War, part I: Roark Chapter 7, pages 181-206; Johnson

Chapter 7, pages 119-142

Week Seven
March 3:

The Revolutionary War, part II: Roark Chapter 7, pages 181-206;

Johnson Chapter 7, pages 119-142

March 5:

MIDTERM EXAM (covers chapters 1 through 7)

Week Eight
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Week Nine

Spring Break

March 17:

The republican Experiment, part I: Roark Chapter 8, pages 207-238;

Johnson Chapter 8, pages 143-164

March 19:

The republican Experiment, part II: Roark Chapter 8, pages 207-238;

Johnson Chapter 8, pages 143-164

Week Ten
March 24:

Growing Pains, part I: Roark Chapter 9, pages 239-266; Johnson Chapter

9, pages 165-187

March 26:

Growing Pains, part II: Roark Chapter 9, pages 239-266; Johnson

Chapter 9, pages 165-187

Week Eleven
March 31:

Jeffersonian America, part I: Roark Chapter 10, pages 267-300; Johnson

Chapter 10, pages 188-206

April 2:

Jeffersonian America, part II: Roark Chapter 10, pages 267-300; Johnson
Chapter 10, pages 188-206

Week Twelve
April 7:

Jeffersonian to Jacksonian America: Roark Chapter 11, pages 301-332;

Johnson Chapter 11, pages 207-226

April 9:

Jacksonian America, part I: Roark Chapter 11, pages 301-332; Johnson

Chapter 11, pages 207-226

Week Thirteen
April 14:

Jacksonian America, part II and Young America: Roark Chapter 12,

pages 333-364; Johnson Chapter 12, pages 227-245

April 16:

Manifest Destiny, the Mexican War, and the Gathering Storm, part I:
Roark Chapter 13, pages 365-394; Johnson Chapter 13, pages 246-265

April 16:

DROP DEADLINE: Last Day to Drop the Course and receive a W

Week Fourteen
April 21:

Civil War: The Gathering Storm, part II: Roark Chapter 14, pages 395416; Johnson Chapter 14 pages 266-282

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April 23:

The Civil War: Secession and War: Roark Chapter 14, pages 416-424 &
Roark Chapter 15, pages 425-458; Johnson Chapter 15, pages 283-306

Week Fifteen
April 28:

The Civil War: Battlegrounds, Home Fronts, and Peace?: Roark Chapter
15, pages 425-458; Johnson Chapter 15, pages 283-306

April 30:

Reconstruction, part I: Roark Chapter 16, pages 459-488; Johnson

Chapter 16, pages 307-327

April 30:

Writing Assignment #2 (Assessment Assignment) due

Week Sixteen
May 5:

Reconstruction, part II: Roark Chapter 16, pages 459-488; Johnson

Chapter 16, pages 307-327

May 7:

Catch-up day

May 7:

EXTRA CREDIT Writing Assignment Due

Week Seventeen
Thursday May 14

3-4:50 p.m. FINAL EXAM

Final Grades will be posted no later than 5 p.m. on Monday May 18th.