HIST 101 - 0101
American History up to 1877
UMBC, Fall 2009

HIST 101 traces social, economic, and political development in the United States from the 17th century through 1877. Major topics include colonial America, the American Revolution, the Constitution, the federal period, sectional conflict, and the Civil War and the Reconstruction. Emphasis on differing interpretations of controversial issues and the wide sweep of American diversity.
The primary objective is to encourage students to ask and answer questions about the varied cultures, ideas, and economic trends contributing to the development of today's United States. Historical facts provide an essential foundation for understanding the basic trends and issues of the past, but this is not a course in memorization. Only through critical analysis will you be able to understand history and therefore do well in this class. The most effective means to doing well
in this class is to focus on the historical significance of events, people, and ideas. Students
are accountable for assigned readings on the dates indicated in the Course Schedule and are also responsible for multimedia materials presented in class.

GEP---SS
This course meets the Social Science General Education Program designation (GEP "SS") . The Social Sciences seek to understand attitudes, beliefs, and social behaviors of individuals, groups, and institutions, and identify factors that influence them, both past and present. GEP courses in the Social Sciences enable students to:
– critically evaluate research regarding the complex interplay of individuals, groups, and institutions;
– understand the strengths and weaknesses of, and be able to apply research methods within, the many fields of social sciences;
– provide insight into the development and implementation of programs and policies designed to improve people's lives.
The course is designed to help students develop competencies for Oral and Written Communication and Critical Analysis and Reasoning. These include understanding and applying both the verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication by utilizing fundamental rhetorical strategies and conventions, acknowledging and documenting sources used to support an argument, formulating questions and problems, evaluating various methods of reasoning, and constructing cogent arguments, providing supporting evidence, articulating reasoned judgments, and drawing appropriate conclusions.

The Course Schedule is located on the Blackboard website for the class. Blackboard gives students access to course materials 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. You can reach the Blackboard course website through MyUMBC and then Blackboard (HIST 101 will be listed under the My Courses section of your Blackboard page ). You may also access the Course Description and Course Schedule directly at http://userpages.umbc.edu/~lindenme/hist101/
This is a good alternative pathway to the Course Schedule if the MyUMBC or UMBC Blackboard is offline. The Center for Disease Control warns that this may be a difficult flu season. I reserve the right to alter the class schedule as necessary if I, or many of you, are ill. I will do my best to make class presentations available online for students who must miss class due to illness.

Academic Integrity
Students enrolled in this course are expected to uphold the UMBC Code of Student Conduct for Academic Integrity. In Spring, 2002, UMBC adopted the following statement emphasizing the importance of academic integrity for faculty and students:

By enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities of an active participant in UMBC's scholarly community in which everyone's academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty. Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and helping others to commit these acts are all forms of academic dishonesty, and they are wrong. Academic misconduct could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is not limited to, suspension or dismissal. To read the full Student Academic Conduct Policy, consult the UMBC Student Handbook, the Faculty Handbook, or the UMBC Policies section of the UMBC Directory.

Enrolled students agree to adhere to this statement of Academic Integrity. Violations will be taken very seriously and reported to the University's Committee on Academic Conduct.