Fall 2001 Study Questions
History
H105, Colonial Period to 1865
Reading assignments for semester
Lecture
Hall 102, Mon. & Wed., 11:00-11:50, Three Credits
Professor: Philip Scarpino
Office:
503R
Cavanaugh
Phone: 274-5983
Email:
pscarpin@iupui.edu
Office Hours: 9:45-10:45, 4:00-5:00, Monday; 1:00-2:00,
Wednesday; & by appt.
TA:
Mark
Emerson
Office: CA313N
Phone: 278-5727
Email:
memerso2@iupui.edu
Office Hours: Monday 9:30-10:30; 2:00-3:00; Wednesday 2:30-3:30, & by appt.
History 105 is
a survey of American history that covers the Colonial Period to the end of the
Civil War (1865). Through lectures,
readings, and class discussions, we will examine a number of broad areas of
American history, including the voluntary and involuntary migration of
Europeans and Africans to the New World, their encounters with Native
Americans, their interaction with the environment, the process whereby
Europeans and Africans became Americans, and the evolution of a distinctly
American society. We will focus our
attention on the lives of ordinary men and women, as well as those of prominent
political and military leaders.
We will
emphasize the development of analytical ability and of reading and writing
skills, rather than just the memorization of facts. Nonetheless, there is a body of factual material that students in
this class will be expected to master.
Exams will have a significant essay component.
The following
books are required for this class:
1. Mary Beth Norton, et al, A People and a
Nation, Vol. One, 6th edition.
2. Timothy Silver, A New Face on the
Countryside: Indians, Colonists, and
Slaves in the South Atlantic Forests, 1500-1800.
3. L. Jesse Lemisch, editor, Benjamin
Franklin: The Autobiography
and Other Writings.
4. Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave.
Tentative Exam
Schedule:
First Exam October
3 30 percent
Second Exam November 7 30 percent
Final
December
12 30
percent (10:30-12:30)
Readings
Quizzes* See reading assignments 10 percent
*We will count the two highest of three quiz
scores.
Testing
procedures:
About one week
before each scheduled exam, we will place on our web site four or five essay
questions. On the day of the exam, you
will be given two of these questions, and you will be required to answer one. Both of us will schedule extra office hours
before each test, and we invite you to take advantage of them.
The semester
exams and final will be in the lecture room.
Quizzes will be given in the discussion sections.
Class
Policies:
1. Attendance. Attendance is required in
lectures and discussion sections; attendance will impact your grade in this
class. Consistent with policies of
the University and the School of Liberal Arts, we will take attendance. We are required to submit reports that
document “unofficial withdrawals,” i.e., students who stop attending but do not
withdraw from class. Anyone who misses more than five discussion
sections and/or lectures will have three points subtracted from his or her
final grade average for each unexcused absence over five. Please note, excused absences require
verification; simply leaving a message on our voice mail or email is not
enough.
2. Grading. We will be very reluctant to give a grade of Incomplete (I). We will assign Incompletes 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 of
their assignments.
WE USE A
GRADING SCALE THAT COUNTS HEAVILY FOR IMPROVEMENT.
3. Office hours. If you have questions or problems related to this class, we
invite you to take advantage of our office hours or to make an
appointment. Whether or not you are
in Dr. Scarpino's discussion section, you are always welcome to talk to him
about this class.
4. Cheating and Plagiarism. Our policy on cheating and plagiarism is to
assign a zero to the work in question.
For further information, consult the Campus Bulletin, 2000-2002: IUPUI, p. 36.
5. Differences of opinion with the
TA. If you have a difference of
opinion with the TA, you should see him before you come to Dr. Scarpino. In the cases where consultation with the TA
does not settle a difference over a graded assignment, Dr. Scarpino will gladly
regrade the assignment reserving the right to raise the grade, leave it the
same, or lower it.
6. Use of Voice Mail and Email. Both of us have voice mail and email that is
on twenty-four hours a day. If you need
to contact us, you are welcome to use either.
Please note: Ordinarily, we will not play "phone
tag." If you leave a phone
message, speak slowly, provide a number where you can be reached, state when
you will be at that number, and we will try twice to return your call. Also
note: If you miss an exam or a quiz
or an appointment, it is your responsibility to contact us and reschedule. Simply leaving a message for one of us to
get back to you does not absolve you of that responsibility.
CLASS MATERIALS AVAILABLE ON LINE: We will place class materials on, OnCourse
and on the History Department’s home page, in order to make them readily and
conveniently available to you and to save paper.
Please note:
We will add materials during the semester.
It is your responsibility to check on a regular basis.
We will
provide access instructions in class.
What if I can't access the Internet? Ordinarily, we will expect students to
access materials on line; however, if you absolutely cannot access the Internet
either on campus or at home, we will be pleased to provide you with paper
copies.