Fall 2026 - HIST 212 BLS1
The United States to 1877 (3)
Class Number: 5425
Delivery Method: Blended
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Location: TBA
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Prerequisites:
Recommended: HIST 104.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
The emergence and development of American civilization from the establishment of the colonies through the Civil War and Reconstruction.
COURSE DETAILS:
This is a flipped course. Lectures are prerecorded, meetings to discuss lectures and readings are synchronous online. Exams are in-person on the Burnaby campus. The course content surveys events from England’s Roanoke Colony (1585) to the end of US Reconstruction (1877). Lectures and readings trace key social, cultural, and environmental developments. The course goal is to build content knowledge and temporal and spatial reasoning, knowing not only what happened and why, but how broader contexts shaped events. The challenge is to master both the personal and specific and the general and conceptual. The goal is to understand the past on its terms. The course will blend lectures, primary documents, and secondary texts. Discussions and exams focus on the big themes. The two five-page papers should analyze two sequential, pre-selected document sets that are available through Canvas.
Topics: Colonialism, environment, industrialism, nationalism, political culture, racialism and racism, religion
Mode: Lectures are prerecorded; weekly quizzes and discussions occur during the normal meeting time each week. The two papers are submitted via Canvas. The two exams will be held in-person at Burnaby campus.
Grading
- Weekly Quizzes 15%
- Midterm 36%
- Papers (10% each) 20%
- Final Exam 29%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Narratives of Britton Hammon & Venture Smith (digital)
Thomas Paine, Common Sense (digital)
Gold Rush texts (digital)
Allen Guelzo, Lincoln: A Very Short Introduction (online)
Weekly readings available on Canvas or through the internet
RECOMMENDED READING:
Department Undergraduate Notes:
Learn more about studing History at SFU:
History areas of study
Why study History?
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.
To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit:
- SFU’s Academic Integrity Policy: S10-01 Policy
- SFU’s Academic Integrity website, which includes helpful videos and tips in plain language: Academic Integrity at SFU
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.