U.S. History Since 1865

REQUIREMENTS: Regular class attendance; completion of assigned reading; two mid-term exams and a non-comprehensive final exam (essays and short-answer IDs, covering both reading assignments and lectures); two short written assignments based on the supplemental reading. Completion of all exams and all written assignments is required of all students, including those taking the class on a Pass/Fail basis. If you do not take all three exams and submit both written assignments, you will fail the course.

GRADING: Each exam will count for one-fourth of the final grade; the written work will comprise the other fourth. Improvement counts. So does literacy. In cases where the semester grade comes down to a borderline decision (between a C+ or a B-, for example), regular attendance, class participation, and improvement will be taken into account.

Papers are due, and exams will be given, on the dates indicated. Unless prior arrangements have been made, we will schedule make-up exams or accept late papers only in cases of documented illness or other unanticipated emergency.

University policy is that grades of "Incomplete" should be assigned only to students who have successfully completed most of the course work and who have been prevented by significant and unanticipated circumstances from finishing all requirements. Removal of "Incomplete" grades is often troublesome for both student and instructor, and I shall be reluctant to assign them.

Plagiarism (including the use without attribution of materials found on the Internet), cheating on exams, and other forms of intellectual dishonesty will result in a failing grade on the work in question and may lead to disciplinary action by the university. Consult the IUPUI Campus Bulletin, 2000-2002, p. 36.

MISCELLANEOUS: The ability to take good notes is a useful skill, and one that improves with practice. I therefore ask that students not record my lectures. If a hearing impairment or physical disability prevents you from taking notes without a tape recorder, please visit the office of Adaptive Educational Services in CA-001E and have them contact me.

Both of us have voice mail that is on twenty-four hours a day. You are welcome to call either or both of us should you need to do so. Note, however, that we will not play "phone tag." If you leave a phone message, speak slowly and clearly, provide a phone number where you can be reached, and state when you will be at that number.

Class begins promptly at 2:30 p.m. Please be on time. In this classroom it is particularly difficult to arrive late and find a seat without disrupting other students.

I welcome questions at any time (although I may sometimes put you "on hold" until I conclude a particular point or topic). I do not, however, welcome private conversations between class members while I am lecturing. In addition to being rude, such conversations are distracting for other members of the class.

Unless you anticipate receiving a call that qualifies as a true emergency, please turn off or mute cell phones and pagers before class begins.

Tentative Course Outline and Assignments