As of December 31, 2014, I retired from full-time teaching in Humboldt State University's Department of History. While this website will remain online, it is no longer maintained.

History 110 Syllabus - Fall 2014
T/Th, 1-2:20 and 3-4:20

Dr. Gayle Olson-Raymer
Founders Hall 165, Phone: 826-4788
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesdays from 1-2:30 in Founders Hall 165, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:20-3 in Gist Hall 218, and by appointment
go1@ humboldt.edu

"History is not just facts and events. History is also a pain in the heart and we repeat history until we are able to make another's pain in the heart our own." Julius Lester, To Be A Slave

The course syllabus - available online at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/syllabusFall2014.html - is divided into three parts: Course Description, Course Requirements, and Course Outline.

Please note:

Course Description

This course, which meets the institutions requirements in U.S. history established by the California Legislature (CSU Executive Order 405 and Title 5: 40404), focuses on the "significant events covering a minimum time span of approximately 100 years occurring in the entire area now included in the United States of America, including the relationships of regions within that area and with external regions and powers as appropriate to the understanding of those events within the United States during the period under study and the role of major ethnic and social groups in such events and the contexts in which the events have occurred." It also includes a discussion of "events within a framework which illustrates the continuity of the American experience and its derivation from other cultures including consideration of three or more of the following: politics, economics, social movements, and geography."

Additionally, this course meets the five major skills that the History Department believes historians need and that history majors should develop as they progress through the major: writing, critical thinking, historiography and methodology, and oral presentation.

Upon completing this class, each of you will:

  1. Be able to apply the academic language, historical principles and methodologies, and value systems and ethics employed in social science inquiry to specific events in American history
  2. Be able to explain and critically analyze human social, economic, and political issues from the a historical perspectives by examining them in contemporary as well as historical settings and in a variety of cultural contexts.
  3. Be able to illustrate how human social, political and economic institutions and behavior are inextricably interwoven.

Teaching Assistants. This semester we are fortunate to have several excellent teaching assistants, all of whom are history majors who plan to go into teaching. They will be available to help you better understand the course content and requirements throughout the semester. In the 1pm class, we will be working with Jacob Hubler (jrh679@humboldt.edu) and Becky Springer (rms76@humboldt.edu). In the 3pm class, we will be working with Patrick Boisclair (pbb43@humboldt.edu) and Veronica Zabala (vlz21@humboldt.edu). Please feel free to communicate with them by email in order to set up any appointments.

Course Requirements

Required Reading, Viewing, and Listening. For each class meeting, you will have various reading, viewing, and listening assignments. Please complete all assignments prior to coming to class. Your preparation will enable us to have more fulfilling and intellectual conversations in the time that we have together.   The following is required:

Assignments/Assessments. There are three assigment/assessments for this course: 2 unit exams, a final exam, and attendance. Please note that anything you write for this class and turn in to the professor must be duplicated and kept in your own files!

  1. Two take-home unit exams (200 total points - 100 points for each exam). Each exam is a take home exam and will be posted online two days before the exam is due. The exams are due at the beginning of class; you may not turn in the exam and leave - if you do, you will be marked absent. Exams are due as follows: Unit I exam on September 23 and Unit II exam on October 21. Each exam will consist of two parts
  2. Units III and IV Final Take-Home and Oral Exam (170 points). This exam will consist of six essay questions related to the class discussions and all required reading/viewing/listening assignments for Units III and IV. The exam will take place on Tuesday, December 16th. The 1pm class meets from 12:40 to 2:20 and the 3pm class meets from 3-4:50. You must attend; there will be no make-up exams!! The exam will consist of three required components - written, oral, and evaluative - and one extra credit component as follows:
  3. Attendance. You MUST attend class. While you will not get points for attending class, we will take roll every day. If you miss up to 4 classes, you will be marked down half a grade, up to 8 classes a whole grade, and 9 or more missed classes will be marked down 1-1/2 grades.

Grades: My job is to provide you with an educational opportunity to learn about American history and why it is an essential ingredient in your college education. As such, I do not GIVE you grades; you EARN by completing your work, thinking intelligently and analytically about the discussions and required reading/viewing/listening materials, and attending class regularly. Because earning grades is YOUR responsibility, I expect that if you believe you are doing poorly in the course or if you need assistance with any aspect of the course, you will contact me as soon as possible - not in the last few weeks of the course. You will be responsible for picking up your exams and keeping track of the points you earn as the course progresses.

Extra Credit:   You can receive extra credit check marks if you complete any of the following listed below. If you receive 5 or more extra credit check marks, it can raise your grade by one-half. For instance, if you have a "B+" in the course as well as 5 extra credit points and you have missed no more than 4 classes, it could raise your grade to an "A-". However, extra credit will not replace any required assignments that you do not complete. Once you complete any extra credit assignment, you must make arrangements to talk with one of the teaching assistants about what you learned - please do not write anything as all extra credit is designed to be oral reporting. Following are some possible extra credit opportunities.

************************************************
Course Outline - History 110, Fall 2014

This class is divided into four units of academic study. Under each of the four units, you will find the topic and link to the discussion guide for each day's discussion, as well as the required reading/viewing/listening for each day.

Unit I: Intrusions into an Old World and the Beginnings of a "New" World

8/26 - Introduction - Why does history matter? Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/Intro2014.html

8/28- 9/2 - The English - Why they left and why it matters. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/expl.html

9/4  - The Original Inhabitants  - What They Lost and What They Retained. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/na.html

9/9 - Looking Back at 9/11: A Delicate Balancing Act between Liberty and Security. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/BalancingAct.html

9/11-9/16 - The Colonists - What They Created. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/colonial.html

9/18-9/23 - The Enslaved - What They Endured. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/enslaved.html

9/23 - Unit I Exam due - Exam is due at the beginning of class. The True/False section discussed above covers required reading and viewing while the Short Answer section covers all class discussion from Unit I. You must be present and remain the entire class to get credit for this exam. Unit I exam will be posted online by 9/19 and may be accessed at _______ (TBA)

Unit II: Foundations of a New Nation and Experiments with Freedom

9/25-9/30 - Colonial Discontent. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/Discontent.html

10/2-10/7 - Revolution or Evolution? Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/unit2/revolution.html

10/9-10/14 - Founding Moments. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/unit2/constitution.html

10/16 - Founding Mothers. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/foundingmothers.html

10/21 - Unit II Exam due - Exam is due at the beginning of class. The True/False section discussed above covers required reading and viewing while the Short Answer section covers all class discussion from Unit II. You must be present and remain the entire class to get credit for this exam. Unit I exam will be posted online by 10/17 and may be accessed at _______ (TBA)

Unit III: Movement Westward and Manifest Destiny

10/21-10/23 - The Geographic Consequences of Manifest Destiny. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/geography.html

10/28-10/30 - The Political and Social Consequences of Manifest Destiny. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/unit3/political.html

11/4 -11/6 - Whose Manifest Destiny?  The Federal Government and American Indian Nations. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/unit3/indians.html

11/11 - No class - Veterans Day.

11/13 - 11/18 - Whose Manifest Destiny? The Conquest of Northern Mexico. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/unit3/MexicanAmericanWar.html

Unit IV: Crumbling Loyalties and Dividing the Nation -

11/20 - The "Straws that broke the Camel's Back:" Exacerbating Sectional Issues. Discussion Guides may be accessed at. http://gorhistory.com/hist110/unit4/SectionalIssues.html

12/2-12/4 - The Civil War: Goals, Strategies, and Consequences. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/unit4/CivilWar.html

12/9-12/11 - Reconstruction and the Long-Term Consequences. Discussion Guides may be accessed at http://gorhistory.com/hist110/unit4/Reconstruction.html

12/16 - Units III and IV Final Take-Home Exam - The exam will be posted online by 12/8 and may be accessed at _______ (TBA). The 1pm class meets from 12:40 to 2:20 and the 3pm class meets from 3-4:50. You must attend; there will be no make-up exams!!

************************************************

Please note that you are responsible for knowing the following information about HSU policies:

Academic Honesty. Students are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty and integrity. For HSU's definitions of academic honesty and cheating, as well as the consequences of and appeal process for being accused of cheating, see http://studentaffairs.humboldt.edu/judicial/academic_honesty.php

Add/Drop policy: Students are responsible for knowing the University policy, procedures, and schedule for dropping or adding classes found at http://www.humboldt.edu/~reg/regulations/schedadjust.html

Emergency evacuation: The evacuation plan for the classroom, which is posted on the orange signs, can be accessed at http://studentaffairs.humboldt.edu/emergencyops/campus_emergency_preparedness.php During an emergency, information can be found campus conditions at:  826-INFO or online at http://www.humboldt.edu/~humboldt/emergency.

Attendance and disruptive behavior: Students are responsible for knowing policy regarding attendance and disruptive behavior found at http://studentaffairs.humboldt.edu/judicial/attendance_behavior.php