Example of upper level history class syllabus.

This is an example taken from a class at UT Arlington.

HIST 3345: Texas History to 1836

Fall 2019

Instructor Information

Instructor:

Timothy Reed

Course Information

Section Information:

HIST 3345 -001

Course Objectives: The goal is to recognize the people that defined Texas prior to the colonial period, and then through the colonial period prior to the Texas Revolution. I want students to identify the groups of people who helped shape Texas in the early-19th century, and analyze why these groups of people acted the way they did.

Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will be able to identify and characterize the Native American powers in Texas prior to European colonization, as well as the characteristics of the early Spanish and French colonizers into the region in the 16th and 17th centuries.

2. Students will be able to describe the Spanish relations with Native Americans during their extended colonization efforts in the 18th and 19th centuries.

3. Students will recognize and distinguish between primary and secondary sources that relate to Texas, and its people from the time period covered.

4. Students will be able to analyze these primary and secondary sources to identify the factors that led to Spain’s declining control in Texas leading to the independence of Mexico.

5. Students will use their combined studies of the class to assess whether the American encroachment on the eastern borders of Texas, and Anglo-American settlement was achieved through legitimate means, and whether it was beneficial to Texas itself.

6. Students will be able to present their arguments from these assessments in a coherent written manner.

Required Textbooks and Other Course Materials:

Students are encouraged to purchase all the books, but will not be required to purchase Major Problems., select chapters from this book will be provided under course materials via Canvas.

1. Chapters from Juliana Barr, Peace Came in the Form of a Woman, Indians and Spaniards in the Texas Borderlands (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2007)

2. Chapters from Andrew Torget, Seeds of Empire, Cotton, Slavery, and the Transformation of the Texas Borderlands, 1800-1850 (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001)

3. Randy Roberts and James Olson, A Line in the Sand, The Alamo in Blood and Memory (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2004). ISBN: 978-0674013254

4. Chapters from Sam Haynes, Cary Wintz, Major Problems in Texas History, Second Edition, Documents and Essays (Boston: Cengage Learning, 2017)

5. One in class Video, TBD.

Descriptions of major assignments and examinations as well as how grade is determined:

1. Six Quizzes. The quizzes will be six questions each and covering the lecture, and assigned reading material. These will be unannounced, and given at random. The three lowest graded of these will be dropped. (5% each – 15% total).

2. Video essay. Students will write a short one-page essay response to the in-class video. These papers will be written outside of class, and turned in to me the following class scheduled. (10%).

3. Book Review. Students will write a review of A Line in the Sand, by Roberts and Olson. These will be turned in to the instructor by the date specified on the calendar. (10%)

3. Group discussion project. Students will gather into small groups and compare and contrast two perspectives of people in Texas during the late 18th and early 19th century. These will be the Spanish, the Tejanos, the Native Americans, and the Anglos. The group will bring in a contemporary “artifact” that relates to the topic. A short in-class presentation will be given by the group. (15%)

4. Three Exams. The exams will be a combination of multiple choice, and short answer questions and will cover the lecture and assigned readings. (10% each – 30% total)

5. Final Essay. The final will be a short essay that students will write given the choice from three different prompts. The question prompts will cover a major topic discussed in class. (20%)

Course Objectives:

1. To create a place for students to engage with their fellow students, and the instructor in response to topic of early Texas history.

2. To develop and increase student habits of college level reading, writing, and studying.

3. To illustrate the benefits of research and cooperation in the setting of a group project and presentation.

4. To enhance the student’s capabilities of critical thinking through historical context.

Course Schedule

As the instructor for this course, I reserve the right to adjust this schedule in any way that serves the educational needs of the students enrolled in this course. – Tim Reed

August 19 – First day of class. Review the syllabus and required class materials. The calendar and important dates will also be discussed.

August 21 – Begin Unit 1 Lecture, Spanish Colony.

August 26 – Unit 1 Lecture. Begin reading Peace Came in the Form of a Woman.

August 28 – Unit 1 Lecture.

September 2 – Labor Day, no class.

September 4 – Unit 1 Lecture. Read selection from Major Problems in Texas History.

September 9 – Unit 1 Lecture.

September 11 – Unit 1 Lecture. Finish reading Peace Came in the Form of a Woman.

September 16 – Unit 1 Lecture. Begin reading Seeds of Empire.

September 18 – Finish Unit 1 Lecture. Review for Exam.

September 23 – Unit 1 Exam.

September 25 – Watch in-class video.

September 30 – Begin Unit 2 Lecture, Mexican State. Video response papers due.

October 2 – Unit 2 Lecture.

October 7 – Unit 2 Lecture. Finish reading Seeds of Empire.

October 9 – Unit 2 Lecture.

October 14 – Unit 2 Lecture. Begin reading A Line in the Sand

October 16 – Unit 2 Lecture.

October 21 – Finish Unit 2 Lecture. Review for Exam.

October 23 – Unit 2 Exam.

October 28 – Begin Unit 3 Lecture. Book reviews for A Line in the Sand due.

October 30 – Unit 3 Lecture, War and Republic

November 4 – Unit 3 Lecture. Discuss group project, and tools available for group meetings outside class.

November 6 – Unit 3 Lecture.

November 11 – Work on group projects in class

November 13 – Unit 3 Lecture. Read selection from Major Problems in Texas History.

November 18 – Finish Unit 3 Lecture, review for Exam.

November 20 – Unit 3 Exam.

November 25 – Thanksgiving holiday, no class

November 27 – Thanksgiving holiday, no class

December 2 – Work on group projects in class.

December 4 – Group presentations.

December 9 – Group presentations.

December 11 – Review for final essay exam, last day of class

December 16 – Final Essay.