History 1301
United States History
Prepared by
Brian Bruce
Social Studies Team
Friendswood High School
Social Science Team
College of the Mainland
1200 Amburn Road, LRC, Suite A
Texas City, TX 77591
Instructor: Brian Bruce
Conference Periods: 2nd and 6th
Email: bbruce@fisdk12.net
Webpage: teacherweb.com/TX/FriendswoodHighSchool/BruceBrian/
Can also be accessed through the FHS website.
Text Book: James Henretta, David Brody, Lynn Dumenil. America: A Concise
History 3rd edition, New York: St. Martin’s, 2006.
Class Materials: One notebook for class notes. One small spiral notebook for
chapter questions. Four bluebooks.
Course Description: History 1301 covers topics in American History from
prehistoric inhabitants of North America to the end of Reconstruction in 1877.
This course emphasizes political, social, cultural, and economic developments
in order to provide an overview of the major themes and events in American
History. Topics include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Pre-colonial Native American societies and culture
2. European colonization of North America
3. Colonial development and culture
4. Causes of the American Revolution
5. Evolution and creation of the United States Government
6. Political, social, and cultural life in the United States before the Civil War
7. Slavery and its impact on the United States
8. Westward expansion
9. Sectional differences that divided the United States
10. Causes and consequences of the Civil War
11. Reconstruction and its aftermath
Course Goals and Objectives: The main purpose of this course is to develop
the students understanding of the themes and events that shaped United States
History from 1877 to the present and their impact on life in the United
States. This course will also meet the requirement of a college transfer
course for four-year degree programs, prepare students for upper-level history
course work, prepare students for the academic rigors of upper-level classes
in all social sciences, and help students develop their critical thinking skills.
Grade Determination: Your grade in this course will be based on Four (4)
exams and One (1) Critical Book Review. In addition, ten (10) points of extra
credit are available with each test.
Tests: Tests will consist of three equally weighted parts
The first part is a list of terms, names and/or events. You will have to
identify 7-10 of these. These identifications should not only demonstrate a
knowledge of basic facts, but an understanding of the significance of the
term, name or event in the context of United States History.
The second part of the test will require you to answer 2 or 3 short essays
questions. These essays can usually be answered in a single paragraph, but
will not be evaluated based on length. They should demonstrate a deep
understanding of the topic and its importance and be written concisely.
The final part of the test is a single essay that will require you to
demonstrate a thorough knowledge of a large topic, make connections between
different subtopics, and explain the importance and significance of each.
Because of time constraints tests will probably take two class periods. Parts
one and two will be completed during one class period and part three will be
completed during class the following day.
Critical Book Review: More than a book report, a critical book review
examines the author’s purpose in writing the book and how well that purpose
was achieved. A critical book review is not a report on what a book was
about. Students may select any nonfiction book covering a topic from United
States History to 1877. I must approve all book choices. More information
on how to write the review will be given in class as the time for beginning
the review approaches. Critical book reviews must be submitted to
turnitin.com one or before the due date.
Extra Credit: I will create and post on my webpage questions for each chapter
that you can chose to do or ignore. These questions are designed to focus
your attention on information in the text that I may not cover during lecture.
These questions should be done in a small spiral notebook (separate from the
notebook you use for class notes) and can be turned in on the day of each
exam. I will chose 3 or 4 of these questions per test and grade them for a
total of 10 possible extra credit points on each exam. I will not accept these
questions before or after the first day of each exam. If you miss any exam
day you forfeit the right to extra credit for that exam.
Method of Instruction: This is a lecture course and students are expected to
listen and take notes. In addition students should be prepared to work
cooperatively in groups they are assigned to an in groups of their own
choosing. During the semester there may be additional reading assignments,
maps, videos or other presentations.
Because this course is being taught during the course of a normal high school
day there are some unique challenges and opportunities.
The challenges involve your approach to this class. Because the class is for
both high school and college credit it will be taught as a college level
course. This means that I will, as far as possible, treat you as college
students. That means that you are responsible for being prepared for class,
tests, and other assignments. It also means that you are expected to treat
the instructor and your fellow classmates with respect and civility. You
should be on time, be quiet during instruction, not be listening to music or
text messaging during class. Your phone should be turned off and put away.
All Friendswood High School Rules are in effect.
The opportunities involve our use of class time. This is a 3 hour college
course. That means that if you were taking the class in college you would be
in class three hours a week. However, you will be in this class almost five
hours a week. This gives us about an hour and a half (or a class and a half)
to do things other than take notes. My intention is to lecture 3 1/2 days
each week. The remaining day and a half will be used for class discussions, to
catch up on any notes or questions you may have missed, and to watch videos
related to the topics we are covering.
Being Successful in this class: Success in this class will be based on
several things: (1) Taking notes. I will not provide copies of missing notes.
You are responsible for getting notes missed due to absence, etc. (2)
Completing chapter questions. (3) Studying. It is important to review notes
weekly rather than waiting till the night before an exam. (4) Being an active
participant in class. Listen attentively, ask questions, and identify the
connections within the material and your study will be less about memorization
and more about understanding how people and events fit together and effected
one another. (5) Producing a high quality critical book review. A good review
will follow the guidelines given by the instructor, be an appropriate length
(3-4 pages), demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the book, identify the
author’s purpose in writing the book, examine how well the author achieved
their purpose, and be neat and well written.
Make Ups: It is in your best interest to be in class on test days. If you
have to miss a test day you will have one week to make up the test that you
missed. Be prepared to take a different version of the test than the test
that was given in class. Critical book reviews that are turned in late will
be docked 15 points per day that they are late. School absence or illness is
not an excuse.
Important dates:
• Dates and chapters covered are subject to change
Blue Books turned in to me – September 4th
Test 1 – Chapters 1-5 September 17 and 18
Book Check – October 9th
Test 2 – Chapters 6-9 October 14 and 15
Test 3 – Chapters 10-12 November 10 and 11
Critical Book Review – December 1
Test 4 – Chapters 13-15 – December 10 and 11