Dr. Libby
American History-106
CA 527
274-3981
History is the witness of truth,
The Life of Memory;
The Teacher of Life,
The Messenger of Antiquity(Cicero)
The Study of One's Nation's
History makes one a better
and moral loyal citizen.(Voltaire)
But perhaps Mark Twain said it best and most accurately when he commented:
The trouble of the world
is not that people know
so little;
But that they know so many
things that ain't so.
In our course, perhaps we shall not
only become better citizens (Voltaire),
learn many things that are so (Twain),
be reminded of our antiguity (Cicero)
but as Plato once commented:
WISDOM IS THE PRINCIPLE THING;
THEREFORE GET WISDOM.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:
This course is designed to introduce the student to the broad spectrum of American history from the end of the Civil War in 1865 until the termination of World War II in 1945 with additional comments regarding themes and events following that conflict.
The emphasis in my class is on political-diplomatic events that have altered and changed our late nineteenth and twentieth century history thus, if you are looking for a course concentrating on cultural, economic, ethnic, industrial, labor or other domestic issues, then this is not the course for you.
If you are hearing impaired or, in any other way cannot take lecture notes without a tape recorder (for example because English is not your native language), please visit the Office of Adaptive Educational Services in CA-001C and have them contact me.
If you need to call that office the phone number is:
274-3241 or 274-3242.
Indiana University has a policy regarding cheating and plagarism. I ask you not to do either as no one wins.
If a student plans on leaving the course I would recommend that you withdraw officially by visiting the Registrar's Office.
Do not assume that I know you left the course because you have chosen to no longer attend the class.
Many students find out much later that they are not officially withdrawn from the class and there is no way I can be of assistance.
Should you call my office I have an answering machine which records the time and date of the call...for some reason students will speak clearly when talking to such machines but then give their phone numbers too rapidly for the mechanism to record.
Please speak slowly and precisely so the machine can pick up your whole messsage.
If you are a first year student or have never had a good experience in a history course (presuming you were taught by an historian) I would recommend staying current with your reading in the textbook and the Chronology to avoid that sense of being overwhelmed and frustrated by the course's requirements.
There is no daily nor weekly reading assignment. By the time you have arrived at the college-university level educational process, you should be able to make such judgements for yourself.
The textbook is a supplement to my lecture but it cannot serve as a substitute for learning the material required for the course.
In addition, the grade of incomplete is rarely given, usually for deaths in the family or hospitalization...I do check. Do not rely on the possibility of an incomplete to save you if you have not completed the work.
If you have any questions regarding the grade of incomplete please see Dean Miriam Langsam in her office (CA-401) for a more detailed explanation. The number is 274-3976.
I encourage students to ask questions in class so do not feel embarrassed. If the question is an honest inquiry then there is no reason not to clear up any confusing aspects of the course or its content.
An extensive Chronology has been prepared for this course and is for sale in the Bookstore as is the textbook.
The main information you will need for the examinations will come from my lectures...the Chronology will give you an overall panorama of the information contained in our course and the textbook is a supplement.
TEXTBOOK:
David M. .Kennedy, Thomas A. Bailey (Deceased)
And Mel Piehl entitled:
The Brief American Pageant VOLUME II, SINCE 1865
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THE FIRST EXAMINATION WILL TAKE PLACE WHEN WE REACH THE ELECTION OF WOODROW WILSON IN 1912 WHICH COVERS CHAPTER 23 THROUGH CHAPTER 29, PAGES 315-439
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THE FINAL EXAMINATION WILL COVER THE COURSE FROM THE ELECTION OF WOODROW WILSON 1N 1912 TO THE END OF THE LECTURE IN LATE APRIL, 20001 WHICH COVERS CHAPTER30 THROUGH CHAPTER 36 PAGES 440-543
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TIME PERMITTING, I WILL CONTINUE WITH LECTURE COVERING ISSUES FROM 1945 UNTIL THE END OF THE SEMESTER. NOTHING PREVENTS FROM READING CHAPTERS 37-42, PAGES 544 -647 ON YOUR OWN INCLUDING ALL THE MATERIAL LISTED IN THE APPENDEXS.
There will be two examinations and I will explain the format of the examinations during class lecture.
The examinations are worth 80 percent of the final grade. The semester paper is worth 20 percent so it can be an important determination in your final grade.
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A COMMENT ABOUT THE PAPER:
I WILL ANNOUNCE THE DATE WHEN THE PAPER IS DUE IN CLASS.
.
This paper may be written on any American who was BORN AFTER THE CIVIL WAR and contributed to our national experience.
The man or woman may be a politician, a military leader, an inventor, a writer, poet or essayist, or anyone else of your choosing.
There are many Americans born after the Civil War who contributed to our heritage who are not well known and so the student who finds the important yet obscure individual to write about enhances their chances of a better grade.
Over the years students have found inventors, politicians, military leaders, diplomats, writers, poets, essayists, etc., who were not well known and the papers were extremely interesting.
Rather than all of you reading the same book and writing simple little book reports, my assignment allows you to be a detective and find a prominent person.
I would recommend you visit the Reference Room of the university library, the State Library at Ohio and Senate Avenues, the main branch of the Marion County Library or any satellite branches to begin your assignment.
Should you have any questions regarding the assignment or the individual chosen, please see me during regular hours which are posted and listed at the end of this syllabus.
I would recommend that the paper reveal the background of the individual chosen, the hardships in their life, what they did that we should honor as Americans, and conclude with a paragraph revealing their lasting importance.
The paper should be between 10-15 pages, and do list the sources used during your research.
Please do not just go to an Encyclopedia and scissors and paste a story together.
That is what you did in the earlier years; let us see if we can do a project representing your best efforts and reveal some concept of learning beyond mere copying.
See me if you are confused.
If you are a first year student or have never had a good experience in history classes in your career, I would recommend staying current with your assignments so you do not become overwhelmed and frustrated with the amount of material needed for learn and fulfill all of the requirements of this class.
This is a class of chronological sequence so when we discuss when events occurred (what was always called dates) they need to be known so that in the linear projection of time and space we call history there is a time frame.
Please Read Carefully regarding the paper:
Some students have a tendency to write short, choppy and very uninteresting sentences. Try to combine thoughts into a sentence by using a comma, a coordinating conjunction and letting the style flow.
Somewhere in the background of students some teacher taught you to write such sentences or did not correct your tendency to do so but it produces a poorly written essay.
One of the hints I have given students over the years is to read the paper aloud to someone who does not know anything about your topic. If that person understands your essay then you are fulfilling the objective of the assignment.
You and the listener should also hear the short sentence structure as you read and can make corrections at that moment.
When quoting always identify whom the speaker is...for example:
Senator John Crittenden commented:
Mark Twain said:
AND SO FORTH
PLEASE DO NOT JUST DROP IN LONG QUOTES WITHOUT A SPEAKER BEING IDENTIFIED.
IN FACT, ONLY USE LONG QUOTES WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
IT IS BETTER TO PARAPHRASE IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
ANY QUOTE OVER THREE LINES IN DURATION IS TO BE:
CENTERED
INDENTED
NO QUOTATION MARKS USED
PLEASE DO NOT WRITE SUCH WORDS AS:
HE THOUGHT
SHE BELIEVED
HE FELT
AND SO FORTH
YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT OTHER PEOPLE REALLY THINK, FEEL OR BELIEVE. THE MOST WE KNOW ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE IS WHAT THEY HAVE SAID OR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE.
DO NOT ASSUME FOR OTHER PEOPLE AND FIND APPROPRIATE WORDS TO CONVEY YOUR IDEAS BESIDES PERSONAL TERMS WHICH ARE INAPPROPRIATE AND HISTORICALLY INACCURATE.
Taking your paper to the Writing Center for review can be very helpful in producing a sophisticated and college level paper.
Please do not begin sentences with the word "However" or "But" or "Or" or words of that nature.
These words should be used to separate thoughts and do not initiate thoughts.
For example: The American Congress, however, decided to vote for the proposal.
DO NOT WRITE THE SENTENCE
However, the American Congress decided not to vote for the proposal
Again, the instructors in the Writing Center (CA-427) can be very helpful in producing a very finely written paper if you give them time to review it with you.
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In addition, please do not use contractions:
wasn't....use the full spelling....was not
didn't....use the full spelling....did not
won't.....use the full spelling....will not
Please learn the difference between it's and its.
It's...means it is
Furthermore, it takes a minimum of two sentences to make a paragraph.
The shame of it all is that I have to make these suggestions and comments on how to write a paper. These previously mentioned specifics on how to write an essay should have been taught to you in the earlier years.
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS HANDOUT CAREFULLY.
IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONFUSIONS, PLEASE SEE ME
PLEASE NOTE:
UNIVERSITY POLICY NOW REQUIRES THAT I TAKE ATTENDANCE AND IN TIME A FORM WILL COME TO ME WHERE I WILL BE REQUIRED TO NOTE THOSE STUDENTS NOT ATTENDING CLASS TO THE REGISTRARS AND ADMISSIONS OFFICES.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS NOW MONITORING STUDENT ATTENDANCE IN CLASSES THUS YOUR CONTINUING ABSENCES COULD AFFECT YOUR FINANCIAL STANDING SO I WOULD SUGGEST ATTENDING CLASS OR DISCUSS ANY PERSONAL ISSUES WITH THE REGISTRAR=S OFFICE.
********PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE SEATS ONCE THE SEATING CHART IS FINALIZED.
Office Hours:
Monday...................8:00 A.M.-10:45 A.M.
4:00 P. M.--5:15 P.M.
Wednesday..............8:00 A.M.-10:45 A.M.
1:00 P.M.C2:00--P.M.