Students in this class will take one mid-term examination and a comprehensive final. Tests will include short answer ids, paragraph analsyses, and at least one long essay question. You will generally be given multiple questions or a selection of subtopics to select from in the essay portion. You will be expected to show a solid grasp of names, dates, and details. Essays will need to include at minimum an explanation of causes and effects, along with a summary chronological description and (where relevant) discussion of historiographical interpretations. Longer essays will need to be proportionate in length to the time allotted them. Essay grammar and spelling will not normally be a major element in scoring, but clear, concise expression and reasonably neat handwriting are always a plus. Some sections may be assigned in take-home format.
A good in-class essay will have a clear thesis paragraph stating your overall ideas about the topic. Your thesis should not just be a descriptive summary of topics but should attempt to offer an original interpretation of the materials in response to the question. The remainder of the essay should have a logical organization, extensive details such as names, dates, and events, and a convincing conclusion. Longer essays should strive for a good sense of chronological development (including a carefully itemized sequence of events with dates) and should address the essay topic from as many different angles and approaches as possible. Time permitting, most students find it helpful to outline the essay briefly before writing. You will be expected to include examples and arguments from all assigned documents, including (if assigned) any readings on reserve. Inclusion of information about relevant books and historians will also be a plus. Students should feel free to either agree or disagree with the essay question, but should make an effort to explicitly answer arguments that might be made by someone on other sides. You may find it helpful to review the Integrative Complexity handout for characteristics often associated with a sophisticated and persuasive historical argument.
You will want to work at integrating lectures, class activities and readings together into a single seamless analysis. It is my presumption that you will study the readings thoroughly, including the taking of notes on the readings that are comparable in structure and detail to what you would take in class were these authors to deliver these documents as lectures. When studying, many students find it helpful to work topic by topic, rather than studying the textbooks first and then the notes. Begin by looking at the major topics (as listed in the syllabus and in textbook chapters) that will be included on the test. For each of these main topics you should be able to give an itemized list of major causes, a brief chronology of the most important historical turning points (look for at least four or five of these), an accounting of the major individuals, organizations, or intellectual traditions most directly involved, and a list of the most important results. Many of the main topics (Jacksonian Politics, for example) will be divided into subordinate topics. Apply the same rules of causes, chronology and character, and consequences, to each of these. It goes almost without saying that such systematic study cannot be done well if you start just a couple of days before the test. My view of study requirements is based on the standard university expectation of two hours of study outside of class for every hour spent in class. Depending on your reading speed, study habits, and prior recollection of this material from other American history classes, you may spend somewhat more or less than this.