TXST 3321: The Texas Frontier
Donald S. Frazier, Ph.D.
Office: Virtual and Online
Phone/Text: (325) 668-6222
Email: dsfrazier@schreiner.edu
Textbook:
Frontier Texas
Three other books from the attached reading list
Purpose: A scholarly and public history approach to the study of the closing half century of the Texas frontier.
Rationale: This is a specialized course for the Texas Studies minor, and combines element of traditional scholarly offerings with techniques used in public history. It is offered Online. Topics include the 1880s Texas Frontier, the 1900s Texas Frontier, and the 1920s Texas Frontier and demonstrates through tools like public museums and examples from local history how the passing of the frontier was a three-generation process that established patterns still recognizable in the state today. This component of the Texas Studies minor will be a pulsed, asynchronous course that can be offered Online and on demand. Affiliated with College Consortium, it is intentionally designed to be part of a suite of online offerings for the Texas Studies minor
Course Outline and Objectives: This course serves as a pedagogical method to investigate the role the frontier had on Texas. An asynchronous, autonomous course in which students will be enrolled per the instructions of Schreiner University and will then work through the curriculum, earning a number of “badges” upon successful completion of each of fifteen units as they proceed through the course. The grade will be calculated as a percentage of lessons
(out of 20) that are successfully completed as well as points awarded for uploaded assignments related to readings and site visits to museums and points of interest.
Assignments:
The Units: There are twenty brief units that are composed largely of videos and information blocks that relate to the passing of the Texas Frontier. Students will review the videos, read the text provided, and take a quiz. Upon successful completion of the quiz (with a 70%) or higher, the student is awarded a badge as proof of successful matriculation through the material.
The Museums and Historic Sites: Students will visit four historic sites or museums related to the Texas frontier to 1940, and prepare an upload a report according to instructions provided.
The Books: Students will read one required text, and three others of their choice from the list provided and upload a review according to instructions:
Grading:
Students will matriculate through the material housed to achieve a total of 1,000 points. These points will be awarded as follows:
Working through a unit, passing a quiz, and/or earning a badge (out of 16): 25 points each
Reading the text and completing its associated assignment: 100 points each
Museum/Historical Site Review (out of four) 50 points each
Students will have to the last day of the regular semester to accomplish the accumulation of points.