School of Arts & Humanities

Course Number: HIST306

Course Name: The British Empire
Credit Hours: Three
Length of Course: 8-Weeks
Prerequisite: None but HIST300 highly recommended
The course materials, assignments, learning outcomes, and expectations in upper level (300-400) undergraduate
courses assume that you have completed lower level (100-200) History courses to develop content knowledge and
skills necessary for research, writing, and critical thinking.
Students who have not fulfilled these requirements or awarded transfer credit should strongly consider completing
these requirements prior to registering for upper level courses.

Table of Contents
Instructor Information

Evaluation Procedures

Course Description

Grading Scale

Course Scope

Course Outline

Course Objectives

Policies

Course Delivery Method

Academic Services

Course Materials
Instructor Information
Table of Contents
Course Description (Catalog)
This course examines the British Empire from the late 18th century to the 1960s. It includes the settler colonies, the
colonies inhabited almost exclusively by non-European peoples, and the "informal empire" of trade and investment
as well as the impact of the Empire upon the British Isles.
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Course Scope
This course encompasses the history of Britains global empire from its origins in the early modern era through its
dissolution in the mid-20th century. The course will survey Britains place in the changing world economy, its
establishment of colonies in the New World, its struggles against rival colonial powers, the British in India and

China, the establishment of British colonies in Africa and the Middle East, the colonial influence on Britain itself,
the role of colonies in two world wars, and decolonization.
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Course Objectives
After successfully completing this course, you will be able to:

Evaluate the origin of the British colonial system.

Analyze the major economic and social features of the British Empire and how those features changed over
time.
Discuss the strategic and diplomatic situation of the British Empire relative to other European,
Mediterranean and Asian powers.
Interpret the importance of sea power to the establishment and continuance of the British Empire.
Assess the influence of British norms and institutions on colonies and former colonies.
Measure the role played by colonies in 20th century political and military strategy.
Debate the causes and effects of decolonization following World War II.
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Course Delivery Method

This course delivery is via distance learning and enables students to complete academic work in a flexible manner,
completely online. APUS ensures that the proper course materials and access to an online learning management
system are available to you. Course materials and access to an online learning management system are available to
each student. Assignments for this class include quizzes / exams (both non-proctored), written assignments, and
forums.
In online courses, we construct knowledge not just by completing readings and assignments. An important part of
the process is communicating with classmates and learning from what they have to say. As such, we need to share
online conversations about ideas.
Direct interaction is a key feature of the educational experience. For that reason, it is important that you interact
with fellow students and the course instructor during the course as specified in this syllabus. Additionally, you can
contact the instructor during posted office hours.
You are expected to submit classroom assignments by the posted due date and to complete the course according to
the published class schedule. As adults, students, and working professionals we understand you must manage
competing demands on your time. Should you need additional time to complete an assignment please contact the
faculty before the due date so you can discuss the situation and determine an acceptable resolution. Routine
submission of late assignments is unacceptable and may result in points deducted from your final course grade.
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Course Materials
Required Course Textbooks
Johnson, Robert. British Imperialism. New York: Palgrave. 2003. (Available through the APUS Online Library)
James, Lawrence. Rise and Fall of the British Empire, 3rd Ed. New York: St. Martins Press, 1997
Additional Resources

The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. Purchase Optional.
Turabian, Kate L. Manual for Writers of Term Papers, 6th Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1996. Purchase Optional.

Important Note: The Director of the Undergraduate History, Military History, Western & World History
Programs requires conformity with the traditional citation method used by Historians. This is the University of
Chicago Style Manual and its Turabian offshoot. Citations will follow traditional endnote attribution. Do not use
parenthetical (APA / MLA) variations. Students in cannot use Wikipedia or encyclopedias (this includes online
encyclopedias) as references for any form of assignment. You may use dictionaries for specific definitions when
necessary.
Recommended References:
The APUS Online Library, in the Tutorial & Student Studies Center provides a link to the Chicago Style Manual
Online. If you are majoring in History or Military History, then it is highly recommended that you purchase a
bound version of this style manual because you will need to be required to follow this citation manual in all of
your History, Military History and Military History courses.
Microsoft Word (if you do not have MS Word, please save all files as a Rich Text Format (.rtf). NOTE - The
classroom only supports .doc, .docx, and .rtf files. Please visit Adobe for a free copy of Adobe Reader.
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Evaluation Procedures

There are several types of assignments to complete for this course. In the lesson section of the class, under the tab
Assignment, are detailed expectations for each assignment. Here, in the syllabus, I am providing a brief description
of each assignment and the grading in general terms.

Forum
Week Ones forum is the only one during the course that is not graded with a numerical grade, it is Pass/Fail. All
other forums are graded on a 100-point system.
Thoroughness / Length of Original Post (50 points): There is no specific length requirement, but a wellorganized and well developed post will typically be two-three healthy paragraphs long (assuming a
minimum of five sentences per paragraph). If you explain your ideas clearly and use specific details to
support them, your post should reach an appropriate length. These posts should be your own ideas. That
being said, you are free and welcome to use quotations from our sources to support your opinions.
However, you must cite them appropriately if you do.
Thoroughness of Peer Responses (25 points): Again, there is no limit, but your entry must have
substance. Your responses should add to the conversation. Simply saying, "I agree" or "I disagree" is not
good enough. Explain whether you agree and why. Bring up another related point, or ask a question. If you
choose to ask a question, though, be sure to give your own answer as well. As a general rule, a thorough
response will be one-two paragraphs long (again, assuming a minimum of five sentences per paragraph).
You will respond to at least three of your classmates during each forum.
Thoroughness of Follow-Up Question (25 points): Same requirements as your original response.

Short Source Response

Throughout the course, you will complete short source responses. This is basically an assignment where you will be
given a primary source document to read. You need to write a short (about 3 page) response to the document. In
your response, just react to what you see in the document, what questions arise in your mind as you read it, what
connections you make with other sources or issues from your text, etc.
Research Paper
For this course, you are required to write an 8-10 page research paper which will be due by the end of Week Seven.
Your papers must conform to the Chicago Manual of Style for citations and layout. This includes a title page,
footnotes, and a bibliography. These special pages do not count towards the 8-10 page requirement. In the Course
Materials section above, I provided a list of books that will help meet the Chicago style requirement.
As an APUS student, you have access to numerous resources at the Online Librarys Tutorial & Student Studies
Center that will not only help with Chicago style, but will also help polish grammar skills, organize your papers and
help you to avoid plagiarism. I encourage you to examine these resources, especially before beginning your research
paper, but also as often as you feel is necessary during the actual writing process. The exact breakdown of the grade
for this assignment is within the assignment section for week seven.
Final Exam
For this course, you will complete a final comprehensive final exam.
Weighting of Assignments
Every assignment is worth 100 points, though they are weighted differently. Your overall grade for this course will
be determined in the following fashion:
Grade Instruments
Seven forum assignments
Short Response Papers
Research Paper
Final Exam

Total Points
25
40
20
15
Total
100
I will post your grades for each assignment within five days of the due date or within five days of when you submit
it if submitted after the due date. I will provide detailed feedback about what you did well, and what may need
improvement. If you have any questions about a grade or need clarification on the feedback, please feel free to email
to discuss your concerns.
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8 Week Course Outline
Please see the Student Handbook to reference the Universitys grading scale
Table of Contents
Week

Topic
Origins of the
British Empire

Weekly Learning
Objective(s)
Summarize the ideology
behind the origin of the
British Empire

1
Evaluate the social,
political, cultural, and

Reading(s) and WebActivities

James, intro and Part 1
Johnson, ch. 1
(skim)

Assignment(s)
and Forum(s)
Forum #1 (intro)

The British in
North America and
beyond

economic situation in
England at the time of the
rise of empire
Analyze the actions of the
British in their North
American Empire and the
impact of the Seven
Years War on the
restructuring the British
Empire
Discuss how the British
Empire was changed by
the Napoleonic Wars

James 51121
Johnson, ch. 2

The Napoleonic
Wars

Assess the impact of the

Royal Navy on the
British Empire

James 12268

The British in
India

Aanalyze the impact of

WWI on the British
Empire
Debate Britains impact
on India
Interpret the role of sex in
helping to forge empire

Forum #2

Forum #3
Short Response #3

James, Part 3
Johnson, ch. 3

Britain and the

Scramble for
Africa

Evaluate the impact of

Britain on Africa

Johnson chs. 49

The British
Empire, 1900-45

Measure the impact of the

colonies on popular
culture in Britain

James, Part 4
Johnson chs. 1012

Decolonization

Examine the impact of

WWII on the colonies
and Britain

James Part 5
Johnson chs. 1314

Analyze the process of

decolonization

Read London and

Karachi article.

Decolonization and
the Postcolonial
world

Short Response #2

Forum #4
Short Response #4
Forum #5
Short Response #5
Forum #6
Short Response #6
Forum #7
Short Response #7
Source Response
#8
Final Exam
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Policies
Please see the Student Handbook to reference all University policies. Quick links to frequently asked question about
policies are listed below.
Drop/Withdrawal Policy
Plagiarism Policy
Extension Process and Policy
Disability Accommodations
Writing Expectations

Typewritten in double-spaced format

Times New Roman 12-point font
Page margins Top, Bottom, Left Side and Right Side = 1 inch, with reasonable accommodation being made
for special situations and online submission variances.
Footnotes as applicable

Citation and Reference Style

Students in this course will follow the Chicago Manual of Style as the sole citation and reference style used in
written work submitted as part of coursework to the University.
Late Assignments
Students are expected to submit classroom assignments by the posted due date and to complete the course according
to the published class schedule. As adults, students, and working professionals I understand you must manage
competing demands on your time. Should you need additional time to complete an assignment please contact me
before the due date so we can discuss the situation and determine an acceptable resolution. Routine submission of
late assignments is unacceptable and may result in points deducted from your final course grade. If I deduct points, it
will be within the overarching policy set forth by the Director of the History, Military History, Western & World
History Programs. This general policy is that I may reduce assignments that are one week late by 25 percent of the
grade, two weeks late by 50 percent, and anything later than that may receive a zero. There are exceptions to this
policy, on a case-by-case basis, and generally deal with emergencies.
Netiquette
Online universities promote the advance of knowledge through positive and constructive debate--both inside and
outside the classroom. Discussions on the Internet, however, can occasionally degenerate into needless insults and
flaming. Such activity and the loss of good manners are not acceptable in a university setting--basic academic
rules of good behavior and proper Netiquette must persist. Remember that you are in a place for the fun and
excitement of learning that does not include descent to personal attacks, or student attempts to stifle the discussion
of others.

Technology Limitations: While you should feel free to explore the full-range of creative composition in
your formal papers, keep e-mail layouts simple. The Educator classroom may not fully support MIME or
HTML encoded messages, which means that bold face, italics, underlining, and a variety of color-coding or
other visual effects will not translate in your e-mail messages.
Humor Note: Despite the best of intentions, jokes and--especially--satire can easily get lost or taken
seriously. If you feel the need for humor, you may wish to add emoticons to help alert your readers.

Disclaimer Statement
Course content may vary from the outline to meet the needs of this particular group.
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Online Library
The Online Library is available to enrolled students and faculty from inside the electronic campus. This is your
starting point for access to online books, subscription periodicals, and Web resources that are designed to support
your classes and generally not available through search engines on the open Web. In addition, the Online Library
provides access to special learning resources, which the University has contracted to assist with your studies.
Questions can be directed to [email protected].

Charles Town Library and Inter Library Loan: The University maintains a special library with a limited
number of supporting volumes, collection of our professors publication, and services to search and borrow
research books and articles from other libraries.

Electronic Books: You can use the online library to uncover and download over 50,000 titles, which have
been scanned and made available in electronic format.

Electronic Journals: The University provides access to over 12,000 journals, which are available in
electronic form and only through limited subscription services.

Smarthinking: Students have access to ten free hours of tutoring service per year through Smarthinking.
Tutoring is available in the following subjects: math (basic math through advanced calculus), science
(biology, chemistry, and physics), accounting, statistics, economics, Spanish, writing, grammar, and more.
Additional information is located in the Online Library. From the Online Library home page, click on either
the Writing Center or Tutoring Center and then click Smarthinking. All login information is
available.

The AMU/APU Library Guides provide access to collections of trusted sites on the Open Web and licensed
resources on the Deep Web. These are specially tailored for academic research at APUS:

Program Portals contain topical and methodological resources to help launch general research in the
degree program. The Portal for the History program is located here.