Colonial America

HIST 367 - Colonial America
A Designated Civic Learning/Mentoring Course

Course Description and Objectives: Hist 367 is an undergraduate, upper level history course that examines the evolution of American colonies from initial European exploration to mature provincial societies. Emphasis is placed on the interactions between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans (and their descendants), and on the development of distinctive regions.

This course will enhance your historical knowledge, teach you to locate and analyze primary materials, dissect secondary sources, evaluate complex issues, express yourself clearly and convincingly, and present your research in a scholarly fashion.

Students enrolled in Hist 367 have the option of mentoring an elementary school student for course credit. Civic learning tends to benefit all parties involved; many former mentors assert that the experience enhanced their education and enriched their lives. As this syllabus demonstrates, great care has been taken to integrate mentoring activities with regular coursework.

Required Texts:

Thomas More, Utopia (Dover Thrift Edition: 0-486-29583-4)
Alan Taylor, American Colonies (Penguin: 0-14-200210-0)
Jill Lepore, Encounters in the New World (Oxford University Press: 0-19-515491-6)

In addition to the texts listed above, students enrolled in Hist 367 will be assigned a variety of readings and research projects involving websites, academic journals, maps, handouts, etc. These sources will comprise an important part of the course; students should approach them with the same seriousness that they approach an assignment in one of the required texts.

Course Requirements for Non-Mentors

All students in Hist 367 will become well-grounded in the history of the Colonial Period as the result of lectures, discussions, readings, and research. Some students in this course will serve as mentors at a local elementary school; their course requirements will differ considerably from those of students who do not elect the mentoring option, though the investment of time and effort for mentors and non-mentors should prove roughly equal. No penalty or disfavor will result if you elect not to participate in the Civic Learning/Mentoring pilot program.

The final grade for Hist 367 students who do not participate in the mentoring program will be based on completion of the following requirements:

PowerPoint Presentations: All students in Hist 367 will give a 10-12 minute in-class PowerPoint presentation on a topic assigned by Prof. Navin. These presentations must be well-organized, scripted, carefully researched, and make use of appropriate visuals such as maps, drawings or photos, artifacts, documents, publications, charts, etc. A works cited page must appear as the last slide on the presentation. Each presentation will be scheduled in advance so the necessary equipment will be in place. If you do not know how to produce a PowerPoint presentation, training is available at the CAI Lab in the Prince building. Reading aloud the text from a series of PowerPoint slides does NOT constitute a satisfactory presentation; students must be prepared to speak from prompts that appear in their notes or slides. PowerPoint presentations will be graded on

1. quality of research;
2. quality of images;
3. quality of presentation;
4. documentation.

Writing Assignments: All students in Hist 367 will write a research paper approximately 3,000 words in length (10-12 pages of text, in addition to cover sheet, works cited page, and appendix). This paper must be based on primary sources; specific topics will be discussed in class. Research papers will be graded on

1. quality of research;
2. quality of expression;
3. documentation;
4. timely submission. Non-mentoring students will also write two brief essays approximately 1,500-2,000 words in length (5-7 double-spaced pages, in addition to cover sheet and works cited page). These essays may be based on primary research or they may be analytical papers that make significant use of secondary sources. Analytical essays will be graded on
   1. argument, i.e., development of a thesis;
   2. effective use of class readings and other materials to support the thesis;
   3. quality of expression;
   4. documentation;
   5. timely submission. All papers must be properly documented using footnotes; consult Turabian for examples.

Exams/In-Class Quizzes: There will be a final exam; the format will be announced in class. You should also be prepared for in-class quizzes on the assigned readings. Your scores on these quizzes will be factored into your grade for class participation. Make-ups will not be allowed for in-class quizzes; make-ups for the final exam will be allowed only in exceptional circumstances;>nr>

Class Participation: Ten percent of your grade is based on class participation. This includes attendance, preparation (i.e., having read the assigned material), participation in class discussions, and performance on in-class quizzes. Attendance is taken at the beginning of every class. If you miss eight classes, you fail the course. If you are habitually late your tardiness will be counted as an absence.

Disabilities: If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Coastal Carolina University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see Prof. Navin immediately. Keep in mind that reasonable accommodations are not provided retroactively.

Academic Honesty: All final work must be solely that of the student submitting it. Proper documentation and adherence to the instructions outlined in this syllabus are the best safeguards against any misunderstandings regarding originality; if you have any questions, consult Prof. Navin or the Writing Center.

Civic Learning/Mentoring Option

Overview: Students enrolled in Hist 367 are invited and encouraged to participate in Coastal Carolina University?s mentoring program. The long-term goal of the program is to improve high school graduation rates in Horry County. Research has shown that study habits, attendance, goal-setting, and other key factors are shaped in elementary school, so all Hist 367 mentors will work with local fourth and fifth-grade students. Coastal?s mentoring program is part of a pilot study sponsored by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. In order to become a mentor you must pass a routine background check; if you have a criminal record, you are not eligible to participate in this program.
Participation in the mentoring program will enhance the value of this course by using your mentoring experience to test insights or theories from your course lectures, discussions, and readings. Your mentee?s classroom materials, lessons, and assignments will also prompt you to explore the Colonial period from new perspectives. The mentoring experience will educate you regarding state and federal curriculum standards, Social Studies lesson plans, instructional goals and techniques, social and pedagogical issues, and more. As a mentor you will enjoy a unique opportunity to work one-on-one with an elementary school student; this should improve your skills in the areas of communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, reporting, analysis, and assessment. If you plan to enter Coastal?s MAT program in Social Studies, this chance to serve as a mentor in a public school should prove invaluable.

This program benefits not only the mentors and mentees, but also their respective schools, this county and region, and society in general. No penalty or disfavor will result if you elect not to become a mentor. If you do choose to participate in the program, you are making a serious commitment with great upside potential. Always keep in mind that the development and empowerment of the child being mentored will be your top priority; at no time should Hist 367 course requirements take precedence over the needs and well-being of your mentee.

Ideally, Coastal students who participate in this program will develop mentoring relationships that they would like to continue. This may be accomplished by enrolling in future mentoring courses.

Correlation Between Coastal?s U.S. History Courses and SC History Standards: State and federal guidelines stipulate that South Carolina public school students will study U.S. history in the fourth and fifth grades. As a student taking U.S. history courses at Coastal, you cover much of the same material in your core and upper level courses, as the following chart shows:

Correlation Between Hist 367 and SC History Standards: For a clearer understanding of the applicability of this particular course ? Hist 367: Colonial America ? to the state and federal history standards for fourth-grade students, shown below are the ?indicators? provided to public school teachers for Standards 4-1 and 4-2:

Standard 4-1: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the exploration of the
New World.

Standard 4-2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the settlement of North America
by Native Americans, Europeans, and African Americans and the interaction
among these peoples.

In-class lectures and assignments involving websites that feature historical content will cover many additional topics addressed by the SC History standards for the fourth grade. For a complete listing of SC social studies academic standards and associated ?indicators,? go to http://www.sctlc.com/ss/soc/.
Familiarity with the materials being used in your mentee?s classroom should enhance your mentoring sessions and demonstrate to your mentee that you are genuinely interested in his or her schoolwork. The Social Studies readings for fourth-graders at Palmetto Bays Elementary include the following works:

Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla
Eagle Song by Joseph Bruchac
Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen
Secret Soldier: The Story of Deborah Samson by Ann McGovern
House Mouse, Senate Mouse by Peter W. Barnes
George Washington-A Picture Book Biography by James Cross Giblin
George vs. George – The American Revolution as seen from Both Sides by R. Schanzer
Westward to Home: Joshua’s Diary, The Oregon Trail: 1848 by Mary Pope Osborne
Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco
Coming to America: The Story of Immigration by Betsy Maestro

These books are available for your review in the Palmetto Bays Elementary School library. They are quick reads and the topics offer great material for mentoring discussions.

The Mentoring Process: As a mentor, you will serve as tutor, confidant, friend, and role model for the elementary school student to whom you are assigned. You will initially meet your assigned mentee in a classroom setting, though the location may be altered (to a gymnasium, playground, cafeteria, library, etc.) with the consent of the teacher(s) and/or the school Principal. Ideally your meetings will be one-on-one sessions that center on your mentee?s assigned tasks, projects, or readings involving historical topics, but the student?s needs (which can take many forms) and the priorities identified by his or her teachers will require you to be flexible.
Your conversations with your mentee will be limited only by propriety and good judgment. As a mentor, you have the opportunity to engage a young mind in the excitement of historical discovery and the joy of shared learning and cooperative effort. Every effort has been made to integrate your coursework requirements with your mentee?s curriculum, but you should always keep in mind that your primary role is that of mentor, not tutor, and your mentoring sessions should reflect that fact. You mentee might need to discuss issues related to his or her home life, relationships, concerns, problems, etc. You must be a good listener, friend, and ally.

All new mentors will attend a mandatory training session at which they will receive instruction and support materials for the mentoring process. Mentoring coordinator Margene Willis, the K-12 mentoring specialist at the Horry County Schools/Coastal Carolina University Center for Education and Community, and Prof. Navin will also be available to assist you on an ongoing basis. See the Mentoring Schedule in this syllabus for additional information on training dates, orientation, weekly visits, etc.

The Mentoring Commitment: If you choose to participate in this mentoring program, you are making a binding commitment to mentor a student for the duration of the semester. You must go to Palmetto Bays Elementary (five miles from CCU going toward the beach on Hwy 544) and conduct mentoring sessions on at least ten occasions during the semester. If those ten sessions do not equal or exceed ten hours of time with your assigned mentee, you must make additional visits until the hourly requirement is met. You must agree to fulfill the ten session/ten hour mentoring commitment even if you drop this course or you will not be allowed to choose the mentoring option. In the past, some Coastal mentors have elected to meet with their mentees far more often than required; in several cases they have continued to mentor even when they were not enrolled in a mentoring class or after they graduated!

The students at Palmetto Bays Elementary will be available for mentoring between 7:40 and 9:30 a.m. and during their lunch hour and recess from 11:20 to 12:10. Individual students may be available at other times ? you?ll have to consult the child?s teacher. You can choose the time that fits your schedule, but you should set a time and stick with it for the duration of the semester. Students are occasionally unavailable due to federally- or state-mandated testing: see the Mentoring Schedule on page 13 for details. If you prefer to mentor at a different elementary school due to its proximity to your home or because you already have an established mentoring relationship at that location, special arrangements can be made. You will be responsible for arranging your own transportation between the two schools (carpooling is encouraged). Every time you visit your mentee you will sign in and out and wear proper identification during your time in the school.

The time you spend with your mentee is in addition to your regular Hist 367 classes, not in place of them. Your classroom time at Coastal will not be diminished by the mentoring program. At least once during the semester the Palmetto Bays students with CCU mentors are invited to Coastal Carolina University for an outing or special event (see Mentoring Schedule on page 13 of this syllabus). You are expected to participate in any such campus visits by meeting your assigned student and participating in the planned activities; you may need to be excused from classes to do so.

All mentors will be called on to describe their mentoring experience at our last class meeting. Representatives from the Provost?s and Dean?s office, from Palmetto Bays Elementary, and from the Horry County Schools/Coastal Carolina University Center for Education and Community will be invited to attend.

Grading of Mentors: The final grade for Hist 367 students who participate in the mentoring program will be based on completion of the following requirements:

See pages 2 and 3 of this syllabus for additional information regarding PowerPoint presentations, research papers, exams/in-class quizzes, class participation, extra credit opportunities, grading scale, disabilities, and academic honesty, all of which apply to students in this class who serve as mentors.

Mentoring Session Reports: You must fill out a standardized one-page report after each mentoring session; a blank copy of the report is included of page 14 of this syllabus.

Mentoring Summary Report: At the end of the semester you must submit a 5-page summary report that describes your mentoring experience, including:

• An overview of your interaction with your assigned mentee
• Suggestions on how to improve your mentee?s educational prospects or general welfare
• A statement of what you learned as a result of your mentoring effort that you would not have learned otherwise in this course
• A candid assessment of the mentoring process outlined in this syllabus, including the degree to which your coursework correlated with your mentoring activities
• Suggestions on how to improve the mentoring program

Mentoring Commentaries and Cooperative Activities: All mentors enrolled in Hist 367 will complete five assignments selected from a list of commentary topics and cooperative activities (shown on the next few pages). These topics and activities will link your course readings, lectures, and class discussion to your experience mentoring in the public schools by prompting you to:

• Use historical sources to inspire your mentee and to help him or her understand modern society and contemporary issues.
• Discover how your age, characteristics, socio-economic status, and life experiences differentiate you from your mentee in terms of historical interpretation or values.
• Draw on the fourth-grade history standards, materials, lessons, and assignments to explore the Colonial period from new perspectives.
• Use your mentoring experience to test insights or theories from your course readings.
• Assess the impact of state and federal curriculum standards and form opinions on the most effective ways to teach history to young students.
• Find ways to bond more closely with your mentee through the study of history.

Listed here are six commentary topics and three cooperative activities from which you must choose a total of five for submission or completion. Each mentoring commentary must be at least 500 words (2-3 pages) in length; some topics will undoubtedly prompt you to go far beyond the minimum requirement. Each commentary must be typed, stapled, and include a cover sheet with your name, the number of the commentary topic you address (e.g., ?Commentary Topic 3?), the date of submission, and the sequential number of that commentary (e.g., ?Number 2 of 5?). Due dates for each commentary appear on the schedule in this syllabus. Due dates for the cooperative activities are negotiable but any that you opt to do must be completed before exam week. Mentors are encouraged to undertake at least one cooperative activity because of the opportunity it creates for close interaction with your mentee.

Commentary Topic 1

Some of the colonial settlements that you study in Hist 367 housed many children while other settlements were virtually bereft of children, at least at the outset. For example, the early Chesapeake settlements, where indentured servants and their masters abounded, differed markedly from New England colonies, where a high percentage of immigrants came as sons and daughters of religious refugees. Settlements in New Spain received few immigrant children compared to the English colonies; the same can be said of New France. As you spend time with and among elementary school students, ask yourself whether they would help or hinder a colonizing effort. Write a commentary that states whether you would include children as part of a colonizing force to the New World, assuming that 17th century conditions still prevailed. Weigh the pros and cons in your commentary and be as specific as possible about the reasons for your decision.

Commentary Topic 2

Under Standard 4-1.4, South Carolina teachers of fourth-grade students undertake the following task during their first few weeks of instruction in U.S. history:

Explain the exchange of plant life, animal life, and disease that resulted from exploration of the New World, including the introduction of wheat, rice, coffee, horses, pigs, cows, and chickens to the Americas; the introduction of corn, potatoes, peanuts, and squash to Europe; and the effects of such diseases as diphtheria, measles, smallpox, and malaria on Native Americans. (G, H, E)

Considering the economy and balance of power in Europe were significantly altered by the flow of silver and gold from the Aztec and Inca empires, precious minerals constitute a glaring omission from the above list. Other significant omissions include the exchange of culture, technology, and ideas. Write a commentary that describes the transmission of specific cultural norms, technology, or ideas in either direction. Explain the significance, if any, to the indigenous population.

Commentary Topic 3

The elementary school at which you are mentoring includes significant populations of white, Hispanic, and African American students. During the Colonial period, white European colonizers pushed Native Americans off their land, greatly reduced their population through disease, displacement and warfare, and devastated their way of life and tribal stability. Europeans also forcibly transported millions of Africans to America and forced them to work on plantations where life was sheer misery, abuse was commonplace, and death came early. Based on your assessment of your mentee?s thought processes (and that of his or her classmates), to what degree should social studies lessons at the fourth-grade level portray the aforementioned events? If your mentee is at an age where his or her racial attitudes are still in the formative stage, might the study of history be detrimental? Be sure to take Standards 4-2.5, 4-2.6, and 4-2.7 (see page 5 of this syllabus) in consideration as you shape your answer.

Commentary Topic 4

The Social Studies readings for fourth-graders at Palmetto Bays Elementary include the following works about the Colonial period: Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla, and Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen. Ask your mentee what he or she remembers about one or more of the above books. Why do you think the standardized reading list pays so much attention to the handful of colonists at Plymouth and so little attention to settlements in the Southern and Middle colonies? Taking into consideration South Carolina?s Social Studies Standards 4-1 and 4-2 as well as the usual constraints of time and budget, what other notable trends, events, or individuals from the Colonial period deserve to be included on your mentee?s reading list, and why?

Commentary Topic 5

Shown below is the Massachusetts Bay School Law passed in 1642; it was the first legally mandated system of education in America. Note that it focuses on reading ability, knowledge of the ?Capital Lawes? and religion, and ?breeding? in ?some honest lawful calling, labour or imployment.? Compare these to the educational goals of your mentee?s teachers. How much instruction, if any, does your mentee receive in law or religion? To what degree is he or she ?bred? for a future job or career? Note that in 1642 parents and masters were held accountable for these various types of instruction ? how has this changed and why?

Forasmuch as the good education of children is of singular behoof and benefit to any Common-wealth; and wheras many parents & masters are too indulgent and negligent of their duty in that kinde. It is therfore ordered that the Select men of everie town, in the severall precincts and quarters where they dwell, shall have a vigilant eye over their brethren & neighbours, to see, first that none of them shall suffer so much barbarism in any of their families as not to indeavour to teach by themselves or others, their children & apprentices so much learning as may inable them perfectly to read the english tongue, & knowledge of the Capital Lawes: upon penaltie of twentie shillings for each neglect therin. Also that all masters of families doe once a week (at the least) catechize their children and servants in the grounds & principles of Religion, & if any be unable to doe so much: that then at the least they procure such children or apprentices to learn some short orthodox catechism without book, that they may be able to answer unto the questions that shall be propounded to them out of such catechism by their parents or masters or any of the Select men when they shall call them to a tryall of what they have learned of this kinde. And further that all parents and masters do breed & bring up their children & apprentices in some honest lawful calling, labour or imployment, either in husbandry, or some other trade profitable for themselves, and the Common-wealth if they will not or cannot train them up in learning to fit them for higher imployments. And if any of the Select men after admonition by them given to such masters of families shal finde them still negligent of their dutie in the particulars aforementioned, wherby children and servants become rude, stubborn & unruly; the said Select men with the help of two Magistrates, or the next County court for that Shire, shall take such children or apprentices from them & place them with some masters for years (boyes till they come to twenty one, and girls eighteen years of age compleat) which will more strictly look unto, and force them to submit unto government according to the rules of this order, if by fair means and former instructions they will not be drawn into it.

Commentary Topic 6

When proposed in 1994, national standards for the teaching of history in our public schools became the subject of much discussion and criticism. NEH Chair Lynne Cheney claimed that the standards were an attempt on the part of liberal/left college historians to impose political correctness and a multicultural agenda on elementary/secondary teachers and their school boards. In an interview on Good Morning America, Cheney said:

It’s a very good idea, and we have done this already in our schools, to make history inclusive. We want to be sure that students understand about the contributions of women and what African-Americans and Asian-Americans and Latinos have contributed to this country. But it’s a very great error to quit teaching basic history in the name of political correctness, which is what I think has happened in these national standards.

Based on your observations of the materials, assignments, and lesson plans that are being employed to teach fourth-grade students U.S. history, do you think Cheney?s assessment, i.e., that basic history has given way to political correctness, is justified? Do the texts and lectures in your history courses at Coastal differ significantly in their treatment of the same period or events?
In shaping your answer you may want to review the standards currently in use for fourth-grade social studies in South Carolina public schools; some appear in this syllabus and the full list is available on-line at http://www.sctlc.com/ss/soc/. It may also be helpful to ask your mentee to name what people he or she learned about in lessons about early America.

Cooperative Activity ? Can Be Used in Place of Any Commentary Topic

Instead of writing a commentary, work with your mentee to create a poster display on any topic pertaining to the Colonial period. Sample topics might include the Columbian exchange, Native American dwellings, the Salem witch trials, immigration patterns and estimates, clothing from the colonial period, etc. If you choose this option your mentee must play a role in the selection or creation of images and must participate in the physical creation of the poster, i.e., cutting, pasting, drawing, etc. This poster must be suitable for display in the library of Palmetto Bays Elementary. This activity offers an excellent way to interact with your mentee.

Cooperative Activity ? Can Be Used in Place of Any Commentary Topic

Instead of writing a commentary, work with your mentee to simulate a news broadcast on any topic(s) pertaining to the Colonial period. The broadcast must be scripted, appropriate visuals (drawings or pictures from books or the internet) must be used, and the final product must be videotaped and submitted on disk or tape. Your various news stories should occur in roughly the same timeframe, i.e., don?t report on the landing of the pilgrims at Plymouth in a broadcast that mentions the French and Indian war. A sample broadcast might include Bacon?s Rebellion (1675), King Philip?s War (1675-6), the founding of Pennsylvania (1681), and LaSalle?s exploration of the lower Mississippi (1682). You might want to view the Colonial period timelines at The History Place (http://historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/rev-early.htm)
in order to identify items for your news broadcast; here is a sample excerpt:

1619 – Twenty Africans are brought by a Dutch ship to Jamestown for sale as indentured servants, marking the beginning of slavery in Colonial America.

1620 – November 9, the Mayflower ship lands at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with 101 colonists. On November 11, the Mayflower Compact is signed by the 41 men, establishing a form of local government in which the colonists agree to abide by majority rule and to cooperate for the general good of the colony.

1620 – The first public library in the colonies is organized in Virginia with books donated by English landowners.

1621 – One of the first treaties between colonists and Native Americans is signed as the Plymouth Pilgrims enact a peace pact with the Wampanoag Tribe, with the aid of Squanto, an English speaking Native American.

1624 – Thirty families of Dutch colonists, sponsored by the Dutch West India Company arrive in New York.

Cooperative Activity ? Can Be Used in Place of Any Commentary Topic

Instead of writing a commentary, obtain copies of creation stories attributed to different Native American groups from your course readings from the Yale-New Haven Teacher?s Institute website at http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1998/2/98.02.02.x.html. Another valuable site is http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/creation.myths.html. Share several of these creation stories with your mentee and help him or her draw a mural or a series of images that depict one or more of the stories. Be sure to label each drawing or mural, identifying the Native American group whose creation story it depicts. The quality of your mentee?s artwork is unimportant; the shared knowledge and shared experience are the main objectives of this exercise. Ask your mentee?s teacher if your mentee can show the drawings to his or her classmates and explain (perhaps with your help) the story behind the artwork. Here is one such creation story from the Haida, a group who lived off the coast of present-day British Columbia; they depended largely on halibut and cod for their livelihood:

Spring 2007 – CCU Mentor Schedule

CCU mentoring coordinator:
Margene Willis
K-12 mentoring specialist
Horry County Schools/Coastal Carolina University Center for Education and Community
216-C Kearns Hall
[email protected]
843-349-2694
CCU mentoring website: www.coastal.edu/cec/mentoring