COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

HIST 151
Constitutional Studies
Last Updated: June 17, 2016

George Warriner III

ghwarrin@g.coastal.edu
HIST 151: Constitutional Studies
Syllabus

1. Welcome to HIST 151: Constitutional Studies

Welcome to HIST 151: Constitutional Studies. I hope you will find the study of the US
Constitution to be an enjoyable and very informative experience. This course is relevant to those
students who have interests in history and those students who wish to pursue a course study in
Constitutional Law.

For the purposes of homework submission, quiz submission, and any other communication that
is course related, Moodle will be used to facilitate that communication. Additionally, school e-
mail may be used for more personal and pressing matters.

This course will be broken down into six (6) modules that will each focus on different parts of
the Constitution. For maximum learning potential, participants in this course will be required to
write discussion posts, read and analyze historical documents, and be active participants in the
course.

Course Outline (tentative and subject to change)

 Module 1: The Foundations of the Constitution
 Module 2: The Preamble and Article 1: The Legislative Branch
 Module 3: Article 2: The Powers of the President
 Module 4: Article 3: The Judicial Branch
 Module 5: Article 4: The Relation to the States and Article 5: The Amending Process
 Module 6: Article 6, Article 7, and Course Wrap-up

Requirements
 Read assigned texts
 Actively engage historical documents through discussion posts
 Complete all assignments and discussion postings prior to the end of each module
Delivery
This course has been broken down into modules. Each module has been specifically designed to
address different and new content. It is required that every student does these modules in
successive order, as each new module builds on the previous module. Moodle will be used for
all homework submissions and discussion posts.
Workload
This course will require students to commit approximately 2-4 hours each week to complete
assignments and discussion posts. This timing is only an estimate and is solely based on one's
individual level of participation.
Let me again welcome you to HIST 151, and I hope we have a great semester together.

George Warriner III

Instructor
HIST 151: Constitutional Studies
Syllabus

2. Course Information
Course Title: HIST 151: Constitutional Studies

Prerequisites: None

Description: The History and development of the US Constitution, the articles,

amendment process, and the reasons for drafting.

Intended Audience: History majors, and students pursuing a course of study related to
Constitutional Law.

College: College of Humanities

HIST 151: Constitutional Studies
Syllabus

3. Goals and Outcomes

Course Goals
The following course goals articulate the general objectives and purpose of this course. Students
will:

 Be able to understand the historical perspectives of the founders and framers of the
Constitution.
 Attain a greater appreciation for the decisions that the framers had to make when
establishing a new, independent country.
 Understand the reservations that the founders had to ensure that the central government
wasn’t too strong or impeded the rights of individuals.

Course Outcomes
After completing this course, students will be able to:

 Identify the seven articles of the constitution and their contents

 Analyze the impact of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution on
establishing the ideals of a democratic republic.
 Analyze the decision for establishing an independent nation from the British Empire in
the late 18th Century
 Understand the concept of checks-and-balances as it pertains to the US government.

4. Grading
Points will be assigned for all activities, assignments, and discussion posts. These points will be
added together and divided by the total available points for the course, with grades being
assigned using the following grading scale:

Score Grade
90-100 A
86-89 B+
80-85 B
76-79 C+
70-75 C
HIST 151: Constitutional Studies
Syllabus

66-69 D+
60-65 D
0-59 F

Course Assessments
All assignments must be submitted through uploads to Moodle. NO EMAIL SUBMISSIONS
WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Quizzes
Two quizzes will be administered during the session. You will complete each quiz online using
Moodle. Each quiz will be considered open-book; you may consult all online course materials, or
even external Internet resources. You are also encouraged to collaborate with your classmates
currently enrolled in HIST 151, provided that you each submit your own quiz. You must
complete each quiz on the day that they are assigned, and must be completed in 1 hour of
starting.

Discussions
Module discussions are designed to engage a student’s interaction with others in the course and
provide constant, helpful feedback and assistance when dealing with various issues dealing with
the Constitution. Discussion postings should be courteous, thoughtful, and carefully written. To
facilitate the discussion and prevent procrastination, two deadlines are scheduled for each
discussion. Initial responses, which should be approximately 100-150 words, should consist of
one's personal understanding of the content. It will be required that each student respond to two
classmate's discussion post, commenting on their response. These supplementary responses
should be no more than 50-75 words.

Assignments
These written items and online activities are opportunities for the students to demonstrate their
abilities to apply the knowledge gained in the course, as well as from other history courses.
HIST 151: Constitutional Studies
Syllabus

5. Textbooks and Supplies

Required Texts
 The US Constitution
 The Federalist Papers

Recommended Texts
 Second Treatise of Government – John Locke
 Letter to Henry Lee – Thomas Jefferson
 Common Sense – Thomas Paine

6. Schedule

Course Schedule (Subject to Change)

Module Assessments
Module 1: Discussion
The Foundations of the Constitution Assignment 1
Module 2: Discussion
The Preamble Assignment 2
Article 1: The Legislative Branch
Module 3: Discussion
Article 2: The Powers of the President Assignment 3
Quiz 1
Module 4: Discussion
Article 3: The Judicial Branch Assignment 4
Module 5: Discussion
Article 4: The Relation to the States and Assignment 5
Article 5: The Amending Process
Module 6: Discussion
Article 6 Assignment 6
Article 7 Quiz 2
Course Wrap-up
HIST 151: Constitutional Studies
Syllabus

7. Course Policies

Time Management
An online course can take a considerable amount of time. As stated in welcome page, each
module requires 2 – 4 hours for readings and assignments/assessments. For this reason, it is
highly recommended that you begin each assignment early. Work on it regularly over the week
rather than waiting until the last day or two. This will allow you to have the chance to work out
problems or get help if needed.

Participation
Depending on the class activities, you are responsible for completing weekly assignments,
participating in discussions, and checking in to the course site on a consistent basis.

Faculty Initiated Drop

Please be advised that if you do not “attend” class at least once during the first week, I will drop
you from class. Since this is an online course, this requirement means that you MUST be present
in our Moodle course site during the first week.

Deadlines
You will always be given explicit instructions on where to send your assignments. Assignments
are usually due on a weekly basis – the exact dates will always be found in the activities. Please
do not attempt to work ahead on course content, as I want to maintain a steady pace for every
student. NO LATE SUBMISSION WILL BE ACCEPTED. PLEASE BE AWARE OF THIS
POLICY AND SUBMIT YOUR WORK ON TIME.

Turnaround Time
The instructor will be monitoring the discussion board on a daily basis. Submitted assignments
will be graded and feedback will be provided within 3 days after the module is concluded. E-
mail messages will be answered within 24 hours on weekdays and 48 hours on weekends.
HIST 151: Constitutional Studies
Syllabus

Academic Integrity
Under all circumstances, students are expected to be honest in their dealings with faculty,
administrative staff, and fellow students. In speaking and/or correspondence with members of the
college community, students must give an accurate representation of the facts at hand. Students
must submit work that fairly and accurately reflects their level of accomplishment. Any work
that is not a product of the student’s own effort is considered dishonest. Students may not submit
the same work for more than one course. A student may be suspended or expelled for academic
dishonesty.

Computing Requirements
Required Hardware
To access e-learning courses, a multimedia-class computer (PC or Mac) with Internet
connectivity is required. The minimum system configurations required to view e-learning course
content are described below.

PC Macintosh

 500 MHz Pentium III  400 MHz G4

 Windows 2000  OS 9.1 (OS X recommended)
 128 MB RAM (512 MB recommended)  128 MB RAM (512 MB recommended)
 1 GB free hard disk space  1 GB free hard disk space
 56K modem (broadband recommended)  56K modem (broadband recommended)

Modification of the Syllabus and Schedule

The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus and schedule at any time. Notice of any
change will be E-mailed and posted as an announcement.