(Recorded Course) American Lives at Gettysburg: A Virtual Tour with Christopher Martin, PhD

 

The OPTIONAL Instructor Access Grading Service is available for this course!

How to get the most out of American Lives at Gettysburg: A Virtual Tour with Christopher Martin, PhD:

  • First, download and read/review the course materials below before watching the recording of the first class meeting. PLEASE REFERENCE THESE THROUGHOUT THE TERM OF THE COURSE

  • Have a notebook ready and available for class notes while watching each class's recording

  • Read assignments before watching each recorded meeting

  • Watch that week’s recording if you need to revisit information

  • Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that week.

  • Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Total classes: 8

Duration: 55 minutes per class

Prerequisite: None

Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade. NOTE: Adjustments can be made to assignments to accommodate 7th to 8th-grade students.

Suggested credit: ½ semester History or American History

Instructor: Christopher Martin, PhD

Instructor Email: chrisgooverthere@yahoo.com

Course Description: This course tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg through the eyes of the soldiers and civilians who experienced America’s greatest battle. We will do a virtual tour of the battlefield, exploring the very places where Americans made and experienced history. By virtually stepping into the shoes of their stories, we will gain a greater appreciation of what it means to be an American, and what Gettysburg means to the American Heritage.

Course Outline:

Day 1: Introduction and overview of syllabus and assignments; Introductory probe into the scope and utility of History.

Day 2: Backgrounds of the Civil War and the Gettysburg Campaign

Day 3: The Roads Taken to Battle

Day 4: Delaying the Confederates

Day 5: Confusion in Gettysburg

Day 6: Plans go Awry

Day 7: Defense of Cemetery Ridge

Day 8: The meaning of Gettysburg to Americans in the past and present

Course materials: No course materials need to be purchased. Dr. Martin will provide students with excerpts from Two Witnesses at Gettysburg: The Personal Accounts of Whitelaw Reid and A.J. Fremantle, by Gary Gallagher (https://amzn.to/2KV0GrW to read reviews).

Homework:

·   Students will read approximately ten pages per day from primary sources (provided free by the instructor). NOTE: Middle school students may be exempt from the readings.

·   There will be daily review quizzes that are computer-graded for immediate feedback. The quizzes are based on the classroom lectures and discussions. They are optional and worth bonus points

·   Students will compose a two- to three-page exercise in historical-critical analysis and review. This is an important skill for students to practice. NOTE: Middle school students may instead write a one- to two-page semi-biographical report.