Course Description:

This course is a study of the events leading to the sectional crisis that resulted in the Civil War (1861-1865), the four years of war, and Reconstruction through 1877.  Students  will examine the development of the Southern plantation based economy in contrast to the industrialized North, and the contest for national power as the United States expanded west adding new territories and states during the ante bellum years.  Major attention is given to the struggle over the issue of the expansion of slavery into these new lands.  The social, economic, cultural, political, and military aspects of the struggle are studied in order to gain an analytical understanding of the causes, course and results of the war and its impact on the changing roles of all Americans including the changing roles of  women and blacks in American society.   The course examines the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation and subsequent freedom for African Americans (via the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution) up to the removal of Federal troops from the South in 1877. 

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course students should have:

 

1.  an understating of the causes and results of the Civil War and its influence on the development of the post war nation.

 

2.  a factual knowledge of the events and people of this historical period.

 

3.  developed and improved their skills in historical research, analysis, and critical thinking.

 

4.  improved their ability to relate the historical significance of the subject through written assignments and online discussions.

 

 

There are not any prerequisites, but completion of History 2010 is recommended.

See above and:

 

1. The ante bellum nation.

    -The constitutional and sectional balance of power

    -The plantation South

    -The industrial North

 

2.  Westward Expansion and Secession

    -Nullification and emerging sectionalism.

    -A series of compromises.

    -Kansas-Nebraska

    -The election of 1860

 

3.  Disunion and War

    -Mobilization in North and South

    -The war's first year

    -Stalemate and Southern Nationalism

    -Emancipation

    -Collapse of the South's war capability

    -The North triumphant

 

4.  Reconstruction

     -Southern society changed

     -Lincoln and Johnson's plan

     -Congressional plan

     -The former slaves

 

No additional hardware or software is required.

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com

None Required.

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. 

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.

There are two exams: a midterm exam and a final.  Both will consist of several short identifications (each one to be answered in a paragraph of 3 - 5 well developed sentences).   In each ID the student must clearly identify the person or term and its historical significance to the course.   The remainder of the exam will consist of an essay of 5 - 7 paragraphs.  Both exams are open book so it will be important to establish a clear thesis statement, and to support the thesis in a logical and systematically developed essay.  Exact dates will be posted in the "Course Calendar' and the 'Assignments' drop box.  Any evidence of plagiarism will result in a grade of zero for the exam.  Specific directions for the exam are included in the section.

The final grade will consist of the two exams, a research paper, weekly 'Short Writing Assignments' and weekly 'Discussions."

 

Weekly Short writing Assignments = 150 points;  weekly Discussion = 100 points; Midterm exam = 250 points; Research Paper = 250 points; Final Exam = 250 points.  Total points available = 1000.

 

 

Research Paper

A research paper of 8 -10 numbered pages with one inch margins on a topic related to the course content, and approved by the instructor is required by the end of week #10.  The paper must be double spaced and written to standard academic guidelines.  It must be uploaded  in the appropriate drop box by the due date.  Papers will not be accepted late.  the paper must follow the style set forth in Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations 6th ed. (1996).  As in all writing assignments the student should establish a clear and well defined thesis, and then support the thesis in a logical and systematic manner.  A minimum of 5 sources must be used in writing the paper.  None of the text books will count toward the 5 sources.  Sources derived from journal articles must come from peer reviewed professional periodicals such as the Journal of American History, Civil War Review, and The Journal of Southern History among others.   If you are not certain about any of the sources, ask your instructor.  If internet sources are used, they must be available to the public without any additional fee.  The research topic is to be submitted to the instructor by the end of the second week of class.

 

Be sure to provide footnotes or endnotes for quotes, paraphrases, or ideas developed by someone else.   Failure to do so is plagiarism and will result in a grade of zero.  Extensive plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the course.   Direct quotes should be kept short and to a minimum.

 

Weekly Assignments

Short Writing Assignments. There are two components to the weekly assignments . The first is a Short Writing Assignment and it must be posted in the correct Discussion Box by Thursday at 8:00 p.m., Central Standard Time (CST). Late submissions will not be accepted.  The assignments is to write a short essay of approximately 3 well developed paragraphs in response to a question in the Schedule of assignments for that week. Each student is required to submit at least 10 during the semester to secure a passing grade for this component. The essay will be evaluated on how well it addresses the question and demonstrates the student's understanding of that week's readings.  Clarity and cogency of writing also enters into the evaluation.   Collectively, these are worth up to 150 points toward the final grade.

 

Weekly Discussion Participation  Worth up to 100 points for the semester.  Students are to read and comment (via the Reply function) to other students Short Writing Assignments.  A minimum  weekly average of 4 responses is necessary for a passing grade.  Content and appropriateness of the replies will also be considered in the grading.  Do not fall into the "I agree" trap.  This is a class discussion and you should respond with your own ideas.  See the Guideline for Communication, Discussion Groups, below for additional directions for this aspect of the course. 

 

Specific instructions and due dates for all assignment will be provided in the "Course Calendar, 'Course Outline' or 'Schedule of Assignments.'

900 - 1000 points = A
800 -   899 points = B

700 -   799 points = C

600 -   699 points = D

000 -   599 points = F

Due dates will be posted in the Course Calendar and the Drop Box.  The Midterm exam is due at the end of week #06.  

Participation in the Weekly Discussions is a class requirement.  Some historians assert that the American Civil War was the biggest event in United States history.  Many Americans see it from different perspectives and, in many ways, it is still a powerful force in the national character.  Therefore, we will get the  most benefit from each student's active participation in the weekly discussions.

This is not a correspondence course, so all assignments must be submitted when they are due.   Active and regular participation are necessary, and the schedule doe not allow for addressing late submissions.  

1.  Again, active and timely participation in the discussions is required.

2.  Learn how to navigate in WebCT.

3.  Keep abreast of course announcements.

4.  Use the assigned college or university e-mail address if the RODP server is unavailable.

5.  Check course e-mail often.

6.  Address technical problems immediately.

7.  Observe course netiquette at all times. 

• Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor
• Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the AskRODP Help Desk by calling

1-866-550-7637 (toll free)

or go to the AskRODP website at:

http://help.rodp.org