HIST 111 Course Materials

2008-09-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest for those of you taking my Tuesday evening US I history course. Below you'll find information regarding upcoming exams and assignments. I'll also be posting selected lecture presentations as well as the study guide for upcoming exams.

First Exam

The first exam will cover material from the first Americans through the Early American Republic (roughly 1830s)

• The exam will include

– 25-30 multiple choice questions

– Short essay answer identification

– one essay question.

• We will have a brief, in-class review session the session before the exam.

• Students will also be given the essays a week before the exams.

Course Assignments:
There are two required writing assignments for this course. The first involves one (1) five-page essay, in which you must answer one of the essay questions in your syllabus (your choice), drawing on your own research of primary and secondary sources. We will discuss in class what constitutes a credible source, and I will also supply you with suggested books and resources that will help you answer the questions posed. These essays will be based on primary sources that you find on your own. This might include newspaper articles, interviews you conduct yourself, or primary documents you find in area libraries. The first response essay is due on October 21.

The second essay will also be five pages and will be based on the second set of essay questions in your syllabus from the second half of the course. Just as in the first assignment, you will answer the question of your choice and use both primary and secondary documents to help make your argument. Be sure to provide as much detail as possible. The second, five-page essay is due on November 25.

Further instructions on the two, five-page student response essays will be provided in class, but if you have question about these assignments, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Selected Lectures
The First Americans and the Early Colonial Society
Colonial Life, 1650-1750

HIST 130 Course Materials

2008-09-09T12:33:00.001-07:00

College of the Canyons History Course Materials

HIST 130

Professor: Dr. Brent Riffel

Here are the upcoming assignments for HIST 130, US Social and Cultural History. You can also find selected presentations from past class discussions. As the first approaches (OCTOBER 1) I post a study guide here as well. If you have any questions post them here, email me, or by all means, stop by my office in the Village, Room 114.

Course Assignments:

There are three required writing assignments for this course. The first two are student response essays, which ask you to read and analyze primary source materials and to write ten (10), one-page essays over the course of the semester that summarize the points made in the selected piece. The first five essays will be drawn from the assigned Frederick Binder text, The Way We Lived, volume 1. These first five (5) one-page essays are due on October 22. Each essay is worth 10 points. The second set of essays require you to write five (5) one-page essays based on primary sources that you find on your own. This might include newspaper articles, interviews you conduct yourself, or primary documents you find in area libraries. We will discuss in class what constitutes a primary source, but, if you are unsure if your essay is based on a primary source, consult with your instructor beforehand. The goal here is to learn how historians and journalists analyze documents, and then form evidence-based arguments based on the sources. The second group of one-page essays is due on November 19.

The third writing assignment is a 5-8 page book review of Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, an acclaimed book that touches on immigration, the Cold War, the welfare state, and many other topics. Your task is not simply to review and summarize the book, but to argue what this book has to say about some of the issues we will have discussed in class. The book review is due December 3.

Detailed instructions on the ten student response essays and the book review will be provided in class, but if you have question about these assignments, do not hesitate to contact me.

Class Lectures
Introduction
The First Americans
Colonial Settlement
Colonial Society Matures
Colonial Society in Flux

College of the Canyons History - Brent Riffel's Fall 2008 courses

HIST 111 Course Materials

HIST 130 Course Materials