Course Description
Issues of historical interpretation from the Colonial era through the Civil War.
Syllabus
Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:
Students successfully completing this course will be able to:
- analyzing historical monographs for their conceptual framework, methodological approach, use of sources, and historiographic perspective
- identifying different approaches to the study of early American history
- writing academic prose that is clear, pointed, and analytically rigorous
- engaging in persuasive, thoughtful, and courteous discussion with academic peers
Course Grading Information:
| Activity/Performance Measure | Percentage/Points |
|---|---|
| Class Discussion | 10% |
| Class Discussion Leader | 10% |
| Analysis Papers | 70% |
| Exam | 10% |
Grading Scale:
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 93-100 | A |
| 90-92 | A- |
| 87-89 | B+ |
| 83-86 | B |
| 80-82 | B- |
| 77-79 | C+ |
| 73-76 | C |
| n/a | C- |
| n/a | D+ |
| n/a | D |
| n/a | D- |
| 0-72 | F |
Attendance/Participation:
Students will attend every class meeting, complete all readings, and participate in discussions. Your grade may be reduced for non-participation or unexcused absences.
Course Materials Purchased by the Students:
- Timothy R. Pauketat, Gods of Thunder: How Climate Change, Travel, and Spirituality Reshaped Precolonial America (2022)
- Kathleen DuVal, Native Nations: A Millenium in North America (2024)
- Thomas A. Foster, ed., Women in Early America (2015)
- David Silkenat, Scars on the Land: An Environmental History of Slavery in the American South (2022)
- T. H. Breen, The Will of the People: The Revolutionary Birth of America (2019)
- Michael D. Hattem, The Memory of '76: The Revolution in American History (2024)
- Claudio Saunt, Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory (2020)
- Seth Rockman, Plantation Goods: A Material History of American Slavery (2024)
- Andrew C. Isenberg, The Age of the Borderlands: Indians, Slaves, and the Limits of Manifest Destiny, 1790-1850 (2025)
- Peter Guardino, The Dead March: A History of the Mexican-American War (2018)
- Chandra Manning, What this Cruel War was Over: Soldiers, Slavery, and the Civil War (2007)
Scholarly Perspectives
This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.