Mr. E. A. Burton (706) 737-1709 Office: Allgood, E219 e-mail: eburton1@gru.edu Spring Semester, 2015 History 2111: United States to 1877 Meeting Days/Time/Place: (1) HIST 2111 B 24164 8:00 to 8:50 AM, M/W/F, Allgood Hall E257 (2) HIST 2111 F 25596 11:00 to 11:50 AM, M/W/F, University Hall 353 Prerequisite: None Semester Hours: 3 Course Description: A survey of American history from the Era of Discovery to the post-civil War period. A satisfactory course grade will exempt a student from the requirement of passing, before graduation, an examination on the history of the United States and the history of Georgia. Course Materials: 1. Text: The American Nation,14 4h edition, by Mark C. Carnes and John A Garraty (volume 1) 2. Note-taking materials 3. This syllabus 4. Supplemental Reading: Common Sense by Thomas Paine (from the internet). Method of Instruction: This survey course in history will be presented in a lecture format, augmented by the use of videos and maps. Your progress in the course will be evaluated through tests and a writing assignment. The plan for this course includes approximately 5 tests and one writing assignment. Each of the tests and the writing assignment are valued as ten points. The tests will be fill-in questions and short essay questions. There is no comprehensive test at midterm and there is no comprehensive final. The writing assignment There are four options: 1. Either option will be completed out-of-class. 2. Choose one of the four following options. Option A: - Choose, for viewing and review, one of the films from those presented in the attachment to this syllabus. - Write a minimum of one-and-a-half pages (maximum of two pages) describing the historical circumstances related to the film you chose for review. - A works cited page must be attached to that historical overview. A minimum of four works cited must be shown. Your text can be one source. - Write a one-page synopsis of the movie. - Attach a Xerox copy of the container in which the DVD was received.
Option B: - Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine to encourage Americans to commit their support to the drive for independence from Great Britain. This pamphlet can be read on line, purchased at Barnes and Noble, or found in a good library. - Write a two-and-a-half page essay (maximum of three pages) about Common Sense. Who was Paine? How did he come to be involved in the American Revolution? What was the essential theme of his pamphlet? Was the title of the pamphlet correct? What became of Paine? - Attach a works cited page reflecting a minimum of four sources for your essay. The text can be one of the works cited. Option C: - Visit a historical site related to the era of history studied in HIST 2111. - Possibilities include: Ninety Six Historical Site (Greenwood, SC 62 miles), Robert Toombs House (Washington, GA 53 miles), Alexander Stephens House and Museum (Crawfordville, GA 45 miles), George Walton House (Augusta), or Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama (Atlanta, GA 145 miles). Note: mileages shown are oneway only. - You may choose to visit and write about a site other than the ones listed in this syllabus. However, you must have the approval of your instructor before you travel or begin to write. - Write a two-and-a-half page essay about that site, or the person who lived there (maximum of three pages). - Attach a works cited page reflecting a minimum of four sources for your essay. The text can be one of the works cited. Option D: - You may choose to write an essay on some other topic that relates to the historical era studied in HIST 2111. However, you must have approval of the instructor before you begin to research or write. - That essay must be a minimum of two-and-a-half pages of text (maximum of three pages). - Attach a works cited page reflecting a minimum of four sources for your essay. The text can be one of the works cited. 3. The review/essay will be graded as follows, regardless of option selected: Content: 7 points Mechanics of writing: 2 points On time: 1 point
Significant calendar milestones in the course: First day of HIST 2111class: MLK Holiday Midterm: Spring Break (Masters Week) Last Day of HIST 2111 class Exams January 7 th January 19 th March 3 rd April 6 th - 10 th April 27 th May 1 st and May 4 th thru 6 th Administrative Procedures: 1. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class. The attendance policy of this class allows for five absences. Three tardy arrivals will count as one absence. If you arrive late, it is your responsibility to check in with the instructor at the conclusion of the class to have your absence changed to a tardy arrival. Students who miss more than five classes will be withdrawn for excessive absences. (For additional details, refer to the current GRU catalog.) 2. If you are absent on a test day, an opportunity for a make-up test is not automatic. If you were absent for a reason that is acceptable to the instructor, a make-up test will be considered, but it is the instructor s option as to whether or not the original test will be used for the make-up. On the original test, the majority of questions are fill-in questions. The make-up test can be an all essay test. If you know of an upcoming absence that coincides with an announced test, coordinate with the instructor in order to take the test early. 3. There are no planned opportunities for extra credit in this course. 4. Cell phones, for either voice calls or texting, will NOT be used during class. 5. If you want to drop off something to the instructor that relates to the course, I have a drop-off box in the office of the History Department (Room 222 of Allgood Hall). 6. The instructor is usually at school by 7:00 am each Monday/Wednesday/Friday. I share office space in Room 219 of Allgood Hall. I can also be contacted there from 900 am to 10:00 45 on those days.
Attachment to HIST 2111 Syllabus Spring 2015 HIST 2111 Spring 2015 Movies Accepted for Review 1. Gettysburg This film is based on a novel called the Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. It is an account of events leading to and during the key battle that was part of the Confederate invasion of the North in 1863. It is a good depiction of big issues related to what is arguably one of the most important battles in American History and certainly the largest battle fought in North America. Jeff Daniels played the role of Joshua Chamberlain, the officer for whom one of the main streets on Fort Gordon is named. This was a made-for-television movie but is available on DVD. 2. Armistad This is a Steven Spielberg directed film. It is an account of events surrounding the successful revolt in 1839 by a group of Africans who were being taken to America as slaves. Morgan Freeman is one of the stars. John Quincy Adams, one of our presidents, is one of the main characters. Some historians challenge the accuracy of the film, but it is well-produced. It is rated R. Available at: Netflix 3. Red Badge of Courage This black and white (1950s) movie is based on a novel by Stephen Crane. It is about the experiences of a frightened young Union soldier and his coming to grips with the dangers of battle. Audie Murphy, in real life, was a World War II hero, and in this film, he is the lead actor. Available at: Reese, Columbia Cty, Netflix
4. The Last of the Mohicans This film is based on a novel by James Fenimore Cooper and it is a good depiction of experiences during the French and Indian War in upstate New York. Much of the beautiful scenery, however, is actually in North Carolina. Daniel Day Lewis is cast in the lead role. The battle scene shown in the film (the fighting at Fort William Henry) was an actual event of the French and Indian War. 5. Gone With The Wind This movie was released in 1939. It is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Margaret Mitchell, an Atlanta native. The film is about the experiences of a Georgia woman, Scarlett O Hara, during the Civil War and Reconstruction, and it won 8 Academy Awards. The film is quite long but even so, it still attracts a big audience whenever it is shown. Movie icons Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable are the lead actors in the roles of Scarlett O Hara and Rhett Butler. 6. Glory This movie chronicles the experiences of the 54 th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in the Civil War. The 54 th is the most famous of the black units organized for combat in that conflict. Many of the soldiers were former slaves. The story is based on fact, showing the experiences of the 54 th in the war in the coastal South. The movie is rated R for violence. Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington are principal actors and both won Academy Awards for their performances. This is often considered to be among the best ever Civil War films. 7. The Crucible This film is based on a stage play written by Arthur Miller, a well-known playwright. It is about the Salem, Massachusetts witchcraft trials of 1632. Miller based his play largely on fact and used trial records to create the dialogue. It is a good depiction of the Puritan colonial period. Daniel Day Lewis is one of the actors. Available at: Netflix
8. Lincoln This is an excellent film which, in my opinion, should have won the Academy Award for Best Picture. It stars Daniel Day Lewis (him again) and is about the presidency of Lincoln during the Civil War. It is another film directed by Stephen Spielberg and again, that fact recommends the film. The principal characters of the story were actual characters related to events of that time. Available at: Columbia Cty, Richmond Cty 9. The Patriot This film is about the American Revolution in the South. It shows how the Revolution divided colonial society and how uphill the Revolution was for the eventual victors. Mel Gibson plays the role that is loosely written around Francis Marion, an actual South Carolina patriot and the villain (Tavington) is loosely written around Banastre Tarleton, an actual British cavalry officer. On the negative side, the film has been criticized by some as a whitewash of slavery and it is certainly not the most historically accurate film. 10. The Crossing This is a made-for-television movie that was produced by the Arts and Entertainment network. It stars Jeff Daniels as George Washington in the story about the successful Christmas 1776 attack that the Americans made at Trenton, New Jersey. It is quite accurate. Available at: Richmond Cty, Netflix 11. 1776 This is a musical comedy based on events leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As expected, the principal characters are Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. Dr. Lyman Hall, one of the Georgia delegates who was a signer of the Declaration, is a secondary character. The writers of the stage play that became the movie made some changes in the actual historical events, but the essentials of the story are correct. Available at: Reese, Netflix