Syllabus

History 3060:
Colonial and Revolutionary America, Spring 2005
Department of History, University of Georgia

Instructor: Solomon K. Smith
Email: sksmith@arches.uga.edu
Office: LeConte 133
Office Hours: 1330-1415, MWF, or by appointment.

This course surveys the early written history of North America from the arrival of Native Americans through the Constitutional settlement that created the modern United States of America. The early history of what was to become the United States was full of conflict. Indians and Europeans fought over what was home to one group and virgin wilderness to the other. Slaves, indentured servants, and early workers struggled to define their own cultures and ways of life within labor systems that they did not define. Quakers struggled against Puritans for religious freedom. Colonists tired of their role as subalterns within the British Empire, eventually pressing for an expanded definition of the liberties of the subject. By 1787, some semblance of agreement was achieved, but for how long, and at what cost?

REQUIRED READINGS
Kupperman, comp., Major Problems in American Colonial History
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography
Thomas Paine, Common Sense

RECOMMENDED TEXTS
Peter Hoffer, The Brave New World: A History of Early America
John Ferling, A Leap in a Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic

GRADING
Exams (3): 20 % each
Reading Quizzes (5): 30%
Attendance/Class Participation: 10 %

Students will complete two 1 hr. examinations, and a 2 hr. final exam. There will be six Friday quizzes based on the reading schedule for Kupperman, Major Problems, with the lowest quiz grade being dropped in the final tally (Thus, the five selected quizzes are worth 6 percentage pts. each).

ATTENDANCE, PARTICIPATION, AND TEST MAKE-UP POLICY
Class attendance is mandatory, especially since 10% of your grade is dependent on class participation. There will be brief discussion of the readings in class from time to time, and there will be sign-in sheets (to encourage you to appear for class). Students should understand, there is frequently a close correlation between poor attendance and poor class performance; this is highly understandable since many of the test questions will emphasize material from the class notes.

Please note that I reserve the right to penalize you if you fall asleep in class, or are disruptive to the learning environment (which could mean anything from having your cell phone go off in class to actually physically threatening the teacher’s life. Both of which are highly frowned upon).

Students are required to take the tests and the final exam. Absences from tests are permissible (for whatever reason, you do not need to contact me), but students should be aware of the consequences of such absences. All make-up tests will be given on the same day (on a date of my choosing) during the final class week of the semester. Be aware, make-up tests are considerably harder than the regularly scheduled exams. No exceptions will be made to these rules. Absences from the final exam are a much more serious matter, and make-up final examinations will be given only when they are clearly justified. Such make-up finals, when given, will be more difficult than the regularly scheduled exam. Students who fail to take makeup tests or the make-up final will automatically receive a zero for that portion of their work and, unless their grades on other tests are very high, will almost inevitably flunk the course. No excuses will be accepted for failure to take make-ups at the designated time and place.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Students are expected to comply with the University’s academic integrity policies. The penalties for academic dishonesty are severe, and ignorance is not an acceptable defense. All violations will result in a zero for all participants, and will be reported in accordance to University policies in the expectation that you will receive a permanent mark on your academic record. You are expected to know and adhere to UGA’s policy as outlined in A Culture of Honesty: Policies and Procedures, available at: http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/academic_honesty/culture.htm