Oberlin College

History 103
Fall 1996
Gary Kornblith
E-mail: FKornbli@oberlin.edu
Office: Rice 306; office phone: x8526

AMERICAN HISTORY TO 1877

This course offers an interpretive overview of American history from the European invasion of North America, beginning in the late fifteenth century, through the American Civil War and Reconstruction in the mid-nineteenth century. We focus on the changing aspirations and behavior of ordinary Americans, as well as on the transformative achievements of the powerful and famous. Our objective is to understand not only what happened but also why it happened. To this end, we employ a variety of analytical methods and consider a wide range of scholarly perspectives. As the semester progresses, students should be prepared to make their own judgments about the relative importance of different factors in shaping the American past.

Format: Most weeks there will be lectures on Mondays and Fridays and discussion sections on Wednesdays. The discussions will focus on the assigned readings, which should be done on time. Attendance at discussion sections is required, and student participation is expected. Students taking the fourth-hour option must attend a computer lab on Monday afternoons in addition to the other class meetings. See the end of this syllabus for more information.

Evaluation: Students taking the course for three credit hours will be evaluated on the basis of two short position papers (25% each), class participation (10%), and a final examination (40%). Students taking the course for four credit hours will be graded on the basis of the two position papers (20% each), class participation (10%), final examination (30%), and a series of computer lab exercises (20%). The instructor reserves the right to exercise some discretion in assigning final grades. Only students electing the fourth-hour option are eligible for certification of quantitative proficiency (half).

Purchases: The following materials are available at the Co-op Bookstore and should be purchased. Most are also on reserve in Mudd.

Paul S. Boyer et al., The Enduring Vision, brief ed., vol. 1
Martin A. Favata and Jose B. Fernandez, eds., The Account: Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's Relacion
John Demos, The Unredeemed Captive
Mechal Sobel, The World They Made Together
Bernard Bailyn, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
Theda Perdue and Micahel D. Green, eds., The Cherokee Removal
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Michael Perman, ed., The Coming of the American Civil War.

Students taking the course for four credit hours should also purchase Loren Haskins and Kirk Jeffrey, Understanding Quantitative History.