Classroom discussions are an integral part of the course, and all students are expected to participate. Unexcused absences will result in a lower grade . The written assignments for this course are designed to provide students with a diversity of projects as well as expose them to the essential kinds of writing done by historians. Although there will not be a research project, students will work on discovering and analyzing primary source documents from the colonial past, summarizing and evaluating historians' debates, and reviewing the written arguments of other historians. Handouts will be distributed to provide greater detail on the expectations and requirements for each assignment.
All assignments are due as stated in the syllabus.
No extensions will be granted. Late papers will receive grade reductions. Each student will write one scholarly review of a recent book in colonial American history. Book reviews will be approximately 1,000 words. Book reviews will be spaced out throughout the semester, and students will sign up for a book that interests them.