History 105 - American
History I Dr. David G. Vanderstel
Required Texts George Tindall & David Shi, America, Vol. 1
Bryan LeBeau, Story of the Salem
Witch Trials
Thomas Paine, Common Sense
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents
in the Life of a Slave Girl
Other reading assignments may be
distributed, if appropriate
Office Hours Monday
and Wednesday 11:30 am – 12:30 pm and by appointment.
I welcome opportunities to meet with you and strongly encourage you to take advantage of office hours to discuss your work, the class, or simply stop by to chat.
Office Location My office is located in Cavanaugh 327 (National Council on Public
History). I am there throughout the
week and may be contacted in person, by telephone, or by email. If I am not there, you may leave messages
with the NCPH staff, though email or phone messages are preferred.
Telephone & E-mail You are invited to call me at 317-274-2718. I have voice mail so you may leave messages if I am not
present. Please speak slowly, identify
yourself, provide a contact phone number, and a brief message. You may also correspond with me by email at:
dvanders@iupui.edu
Course
Requirements
and
Expectations
History l05 covers the
period from pre-discovery through the American Civil War. It is intended to introduce you—through
lectures, class discussions, and readings—to the themes, topics, events, and
personalities of the British colonies and the emerging American nation. In order for you to understand the lectures
and to participate in class discussions, you should complete the assigned
readings before each class.
While I enjoy lecturing, I encourage you to participate in the class
through questions and comments that may lead to further discussions and deeper
examination of the issues at hand. Please
note that I do NOT lecture straight from the book; rather, I introduce
materials from a variety of historical sources into the lectures. Thus, lectures and readings complement each
other, so it is essential to rely upon both for content.
Course Objectives The study of history is often
misunderstood. People generally believe
that history is simply the memorization of names, dates, and important
events. This course is designed to
expose students to the usefulness of historical studies by helping them learn
to: (1) examine, assess, and understand the past and its relevance for
contemporary society; (2) understand the role of historians and history in
society; (3) analyze information and ideas that represent multiple
perspectives; (4) assess and critique historical writings; (5) develop
well-reasoned and well-supported positions on historical questions; and (6)
express one’s opinions in a logical and factually supported manner. The course will emphasize the richness and
complexity, the good points as well as the bad, of the human experience in the
emergence and maturation of the United States.
The course objectives relate to the Department of History’s
“Principles of Undergraduate Learning,” which may be found at www.iupui.edu/~history/principlesundergradlearning.htm. These principles will help the student to
understand and appreciate American history more fully and to improve critical
thinking and communication skills, which are essential to one’s academic
studies and future career, as well as for personal growth and development.
Grades Course
grades will be based upon the following:
l) midterm examination -- 20%
2) final
examination -- 25%
3)
writing assignments -- 55%
Grading is on a straight scale--90 & above, A; 80-89,
B; etc. with pluses/minuses 3 points above/below the grade cutoff. There is NO extra credit. In determining final grades, I also will
consider attendance, class participation, and overall improvement.
It is important to complete all work for this
course. Failure to submit an assignment
or complete an exam will result in a “zero,” which will affect seriously your
overall course grade.
NOTE: I am
extremely reluctant to give “incompletes.”
I will, however, consider granting an incomplete only to students
who have completed 75% of the course requirements and who have experienced
“extreme situations” that prevent him/her from completing course requirements
within the expected time period. Any
“incomplete” will require an agreement between the professor and student to
complete course work within a certain period of time. Failure to comply with that agreement will result in a grade of
“F” for the course.
Oncourse The syllabus and all assignments are posted on
Oncourse. Visit the site at: http://oncourse.indiana.edu,
click on IUPUI, and go to the appropriate H105 section. The website has a tutorial to assist you in
learning how to use this valuable resource, which you should do since the
university is relying more heavily on this electronic tool for improved
communications and to reduce copying costs.
It is your responsibility to check Oncourse on a regular basis. The materials are also posted on the History
Department’s website http://www.iupui.edu/~history/ Watch the Oncourse site for any possible
announcements.
Exams Exams
consist of identification items and essay questions. I will post study questions at least one week before the exams on
Oncourse. Exams will draw upon the
content of lectures, class discussions, and course readings. Exams
must be taken on the assigned day,
unless other arrangements have been made at least three (3) days in
advance. In other words,
plan your schedules accordingly; there will be no last minute reprieves.
Papers During
the semester, you will be writing papers on the LeBeau, Paine, and Jacobs
books. I will post questions for the
books well in advance of the assignments.
Written assignments must be submitted by the assigned
day. Those submitted after the due date
will be subject to a half grade (5%)
reduction for each week or portion thereof late. Papers must utilize proper spelling and grammar. Any paper filled with what I consider to be
excessive mistakes will be returned ungraded for corrections and
resubmission. The last paper must be
submitted no later than the last regular day of class. Refer to the last page of this syllabus for a
style guide for the written assignments.
Attendance Attendance
is required for class. I must
report to the registrar and admissions offices those students who are not
attending due to university and federal government policies regarding financial
aid; thus, non-attendance could indeed affect your financial standing.
If you miss class, it will be your responsibility to
obtain notes and assignments. It is my
policy not to photocopy my notes. Your
presence and participation in class may affect borderline grades at semester’s
end.
**If, during the
semester, you find yourself having difficulties with the class or facing
personal problems that may affect your work and participation in the class,
please see me. I would prefer to work
with you or encourage you to drop the class rather than issue a failing grade
for your non-participation and on-attendance.
Ethics Cell phones and pagers: In order to maintain a proper learning
environment and appropriate classroom decorum, all cell phones and beepers
are to be turned off prior to the beginning of class. Interruptions by these devices during the
class are cause for immediate dismissal from the classroom for that
evening.
Cheating and Plagiarism: The University
has strict guidelines for proper academic behavior. Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of intellectual dishonesty
will not be tolerated, will be handled in the manner prescribed by the
University (see IUPUI Campus Bulletin,
2000-2002, p. 20), and, depending upon the extent of the
incident(s), may result in a failing grade for the work and/or the course.
“Cheating
is dishonesty of any kind with respect to examinations, course assignments,
alteration of records, or illegal possession of examinations. It is the responsibility of the student not
only to abstain from cheating, but, in addition, to avoid the appearance of
cheating and to guard against making it possible for others to cheat.” (IU
Bulletin, 1998-2000, p. 20)
“Plagiarism
is the offering of the work of someone else as one’s own. Honesty requires that any ideas or materials
taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully
acknowledged. The language or ideas
taken from another may range from isolated formulas, sentences, or paragraphs,
to entire articles copied from books, periodicals, speeches, or the writings of
other students. . . . Any student who fails to give credit for ideas or
materials taken from another source is guilty of plagiarism.” (IU
Bulletin, 1998-2000, p. 20)
Lecture Schedule This is a proposed outline of
lecture topics and discussions for the semester, which roughly corresponds to a
week of classes. In order to stay
ahead, I suggest that you follow the schedule by reading through the text. My lectures generally follow the
chronological and thematic outline of the book, but will not always adhere to a
specific chapter. If we need to devote
more time on a given subject, we will do so.
1.
Course
Introduction; What is History and Why Study It?
2.
The Age of Exploration and Discovery; The Collision of Worlds
Tindall, Ch. 1
3. Colonizing
the New World: Transplantation of Europe
Tindall,
Ch. 2
4. Mastering the Land and Maturing of
Colonial Society
Tindall, Ch. 3
5.
Breaking Colonial Bonds: The Road to Revolution
Tindall, Chs. 4-5
6.
Years of Revolution and Independence
Tindall, Ch. 6
7.
Towards a New Nation: Confederation and Constitution
Tindall, Ch. 7
8.
Launching the National Republic: The Federalists
Tindall, Ch. 8
9.
The “Jeffersonian Revolution”: Political Parties and the “Empire of Liberty”
Tindall,
Ch. 9
10.
“The Era of
Good Feelings”: Economic Growth and Emerging Sectionalism
Tindall,
Ch. 10
11.
The “Age of the Common Man”: Politics and Andrew Jackson
Tindall, Chs. 11-12
11.
Reforming the American Experiment
Tindall, Ch. 13
12.
Slavery, The South, and the American Nation
Tindall, Ch. 15
13.
Upheaval in the Nation: Territorial Controversies, Sectionalism, and
the
Road to Disunion
Tindall, Chs. 14, 16
14.
A Nation Divided: The Civil War
Tindall, Chs. 16, 17
IMPORTANT DATES:
No Class – September 2
(Labor Day); September 25 (DGV conference); November 27 (Thanksgiving)
Midterm
– mid October (specific date to be determined)
Final
Exam – December 16 1:00-3:00 pm
Style Guide for Written Assignments
1. Papers
must be neatly generated on a computer.
Your name and course number (H105) should be in an upper corner of the
first page or on a title page.
2. Papers
should use proper grammar and spelling.
Excessive mistakes and sloppiness will result in a lower grade.
3. Respond
to each question separately and designate each question by its appropriate
number. If, however, you see a creative
way to address all of the questions within the context of a single essay, feel
free to try your hand at it; just make sure that you address all of the
questions.
4. The
essays should consist of your own thoughts on the questions. You should also incorporate elements of or
references to the book when appropriate, such as to support an argument or
point. Your essay should NOT be a
string of quotes from the book; that does not constitute original or acceptable
work.
5. If
you wish to quote something from the book, always enclose the passage in
quotation marks AND provide a page reference in parentheses (page 23). If you should choose to include a quotation
from another source, then you should provide a complete reference to the book
in parentheses following the quotation.
EXAMPLE: (James Axtell, The Invasion Within, New York, 1985, p.
10)
6. To
assist you in preparing your papers, I would be happy to read over a draft of
your essays before you submit them in final form. To do that, however, I need time to read them and to make my
comments. If you intend to take
advantage of this, please make an appointment with me or provide me with
a copy well in advance of the paper’s deadline. For additional assistance in writing, I encourage you to contact
the University Writing Center (CA 427).
7. Any
questions or problems, please visit me in my office (CA 327), call 274-2718,
or e-mail me at dvanders@iupui.edu
DGV 8/2002