United States survey at the honors level will deal more thematically than the regular survey with a variety of issues in American history from its founding through the Civil War. Emphasis on primary sources and research and writing, often with a seminar format.
Athena Title
United States Survey to 1865 H
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in HIST 2111, HIST 2111E
Prerequisite
Permission of Honors
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions and think historically about why Europeans settled North America, what happened when European, African, and Native American worlds collided, how early Americans defined and understood the role of government, and how early American economic development shaped religion, culture, and politics. Historical thinking will be developed by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays about early American history. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit finished essays based on both primary source and secondary source analysis.
By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how U.S. history has shaped diverse social and cultural identities towards race, ethnicity, and "multicultural" American identity, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
Topical Outline
Week One: The Why and Wherefore of History. The First Americans. Read AP, 3-34; Sensory Worlds, introduction
Week Two: Competition for Empire Begins. The First Colonies. Read AP, 35-68; Sensory Worlds, Ch. 1. First exam
Week Three: Later Seventeenth Century Settlements. The Critical Period of Early American History. Read AP, 69-134; Sensory Worlds, Ch. 2
Week Four: Provincial Society and Culture. The Economics and Government of Empire. Read AP, 135-182; Sensory Worlds, Ch. 3. Second exam
Week Five: The Causes of Resistance. A People's War. Read AP, 183-248; Sensory Worlds, Ch. 4
Week Six: The Glories and Perils of Republicanism. Founding the Federal System. Read AP, 249-284. Third exam
Week Seven: The Party Begins. The Age of Political Ideologies. Jeffersonian Politics in Peace and War. Read AP, 285-354.
Week Eight: The Transformation of American Society and Politics. Markets and Mobility. Read AP, 355-376, 416-432, Listening to Nineteenth Century, 93-146
Week Nine: The Second Party System. Reforms and Reactions. Read AP, 377-394. Midterm exam
Week Ten: The South as a Region. Slavery. Read AP, 437-474; Listening to Nineteenth Century, 19-92
Week Eleven: Gone West. The Internal Competition for Empire. Read AP, 395-416. Fourth Exam
Week Twelve: Sections and Crises. The Cutting of the Ties that Bound the Nation. Read AP, 475-514; Listening to Nineteenth Century, 147-194
Week Thirteen: The War Comes. Impressions of War. Read AP, 515-558. 404-439; RW, 163-175. Fifth exam
Week Fourteen: The Unfinished Revolution? Review for Final Examination
General Education Core
CORE V: Social Sciences
Institutional Competencies
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
Social Awareness & Responsibility
The capacity to understand the interdependence of people, communities, and self in a global society.
