Spring, 2001
History A363 (Sect. C392):  Survey of Indiana History

Instructor: R. Barrows
Location: Cavanaugh Hall 217 Office: Cavanaugh Hall 532
Time: M W 11:00 - 12:15 Phone: 274-2457/3811
E-mail: rbarrows@iupui.edu
Office Hrs: M W 10:00-10:30, 12:30-1:00, or by appt

Objectives: This course will survey the history of Indiana from its beginnings to the present. It will focus on significant topics and events in the state's history, organized within a broad chronological framework. We will give considerable attention to change over time--the transition from a largely rural, agrarian, frontier society to a more urban, urbane, industrial (even post-industrial) one. The course will also, however, explore some continuities in Hoosier history, and ways in which the state is distinctive. Students will be exposed to a variety of historical literature, as well as to some primary research materials.

Prerequisites: None. However, students will be expected to be familiar with the general contours of United States history. In discussing Indiana's experience during the Great Depression, for instance, I will assume you have basic knowledge about the depression and its effects nationally.

Requirements: Regular class attendance and participation in discussion; a mid-term exam and a non-comprehensive final exam (essays and short-answer IDs based on both reading assignments and lectures); and three written assignments: 1) an analysis of two enumeration districts from the 1900 census of Indianapolis/Marion County [300 points]; 2) a short description and analysis of a contemporary newspaper account of a notable event [100 points]; and 3) a synopsis and evaluation of one or two chapters from either Middletown or Middletown in Transition [100 points]. 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 both exams and submit all three written assignments, you will fail the course.

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

There will be an "extra credit" option that will involve doing a book review. Details to follow.

Papers are due, and exams will be given, on the dates indicated. Unless prior arrangements have been made, I 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, 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 other circumstance 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.

I have voicemail that is on twenty-four hours a day, and you are welcome to call should you need to do so. Note, however, that I will not play "phone tag." If you leave a voicemail message, speak slowly and clearly, provide a phone number where you can be reached, and indicate when you will be at that number.

Class begins promptly at 11:00 a.m. Please be on time. As you can see, in this classroom it is difficult to arrive late and find a seat without disrupting the proceedings.

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.

MADISON James H. Madison, The Indiana Way

GRAY Ralph D. Gray, Indiana History: A Book of Readings

COURSE Most of the additional reading assignments noted below will be included in a Course Packet
PACK

(CP) available at the IUPUI bookstore.