Outline

Overview

Touching down on the shores of the 'New World', the first European colonists imagined the creation of an earthly paradise. But their mission soon floundered in the face of internal dissenters and alien cultures pursuing their own ideals. Fierce clashes between regions, races, social groups and other nations have marked American history ever since. Exploring the origins and outcomes of these contests from first settlement onward, this unit charts America's emergence onto the world scene in the nineteenth century.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	History
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	HSTY2634
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Frances M Clarke, frances.clarke@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 31 March 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	Group Presentation Group Presentation Special consideration: No mark adjustments allowed	30%	Multiple weeks	1000wd
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Weekly Tutorial Quizzes weekly tutorial quizzes	15%	Multiple weeks	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Participation Participation	10%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Early Feedback Task #earlyfeedbacktask	0%	Week 03 Due date: 14 Mar 2025 at 23:59	short quiz
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Short Paper assignment Short Paper assignment	20%	Week 04 Due date: 21 Mar 2025 at 23:59	1000wd
Outcomes assessed:
Skills-based evaluation	In-class Test In-class Test held during lecture times	25%	Week 13 Due date: 27 May 2025 at 10:00 Closing date: 27 May 2025	1.5HR
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ? = early feedback task ?

Early feedback task

This unit includes an early feedback task, designed to give you feedback prior to the census date for this unit. Details are provided in the Canvas site and your result will be recorded in your Marks page. It is important that you actively engage with this task so that the University can support you to be successful in this unit.

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found in the Canvas site for this unit.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Except for supervised exams or in-semester tests, you may use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessments unless expressly prohibited by your unit coordinator.

For exams and in-semester tests, the use of AI and automated writing tools is not allowed unless expressly permitted in the assessment instructions.

The icons in the assessment table above indicate whether AI is allowed – whether full AI, or only some AI (the latter is referred to as “AI restricted”). If no icon is shown, AI use is not permitted at all for the task. Refer to Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks for this unit.

Your final submission must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of automated writing tools or generative AI, and any material generated that you include in your final submission must be properly referenced. You may be required to submit generative AI inputs and outputs that you used during your assessment process, or drafts of your original work. Inappropriate use of generative AI is considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

The Current Students website provides information on artificial intelligence in assessments. For help on how to correctly acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the  AI in Education Canvas site.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Introduction 2. The causes and effects of the ‘Age of Exploration’	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	3. Post 1492, an ‘Age of Conquest’? 4. Comparing European colonization in the Americas	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Contact	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	5. The first century of English settlement in the colonial south 6. Settling New England	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Colonizing the ‘New World’	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	7. Divergence: The English empire in the seventeenth century 8. Transatlantic culture and politics in the eighteenth century	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Invisible Worlds	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	9. The roots of Imperial Reform 10. From resistance to revolution	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	From Resistance to Revolution	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 06	11. The American Revolution 12. Confederation to constitution	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Declaring Independence	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	13. Competing visions for the new republic: Federalists versus Anti-Federalists 14. The birth of industrialism and the rise of the working class	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Class and Labour	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	15. Laboring women 16. Separate spheres and the new middle class	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Shifting frontiers	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	17. Jacksonianism 18. Westward expansion	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Life under Enslavement	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	19. Reformism 20. life under enslavement	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Group presentations	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	21. Antislavery activism and racist backlash 22. The antebellum south	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Group presentations	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	23. Coming apart 24. Civil War	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	North and South	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 13	25. Final Test – held in two parts in our normal lecture theatre	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Final Test	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.
Late Penalties: In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date: Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date. After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero may be awarded.
Assessment summary: Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas. You are required to submit all assessments for this unit or risk receiving an absent fail.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. At the end of this unit, you should have a firm grasp of the broad development of American history from white colonization through the 1860s. Lectures are designed to give you a basic grounding in the chronology of early American history, as well as a sense of the way historians have interpreted this history over time. The final exam will allow you to consolidate and express what you have learned through lecture attendance.
LO2. You should have improved your ability to think creatively, independently, and analytically about the process of writing and researching history. The secondary readings for each week focus on how historians come up with new hypothesis by interpreting primary sources. To test and sharpen your understanding of these readings, you will conduct your own analysis of a range of primary sources in each tutorial. In addition, the major research assignment is intended to hone your creative and analytical abilities by having you create an original assignment designed around a source of your own choosing.
LO3. Facilitate independent learning. Setting a research assignment that requires a creative approach is meant to stimulate your intellectual curiosity and enhance your problem solving abilities. Having to contribute your own interpretation of primary sources in tutorials each week should also improve your analytical skills and allow you to participate in collaborative learning.
LO4. Cultivate your ability to examine the past from multiple angles and perspectives. Our lectures, tutorial readings and primary sources are all designed to help you understand the complexity of both the past itself and our modes of analyzing the past.
LO5. Develop your capacity to express what you have learnt in both written and verbal form. Our assignments require the ability to construct a logical, analytically sound, and compelling argument, written in flawless English. They will help improve your use of communications technology, since they require extensive use of online databases. And presenting the idea behind your research assignment to your tutorial group, responding to classmates’ presentations, and participating weekly tute discussions will also improve your communication skills.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Transformed assessment tasks to accommodate AI and content transformed to accommodate recent political changes in US

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

HSTY1023: Emerging Giant: The Making of America

Semester 1, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links