History 105 - American
History Dr.
David G. Vanderstel
Glendale Mall June
24-August 5, 2002
Required Text George Tindall and David Shi, America, Vol. 1
Required Readings Paul Boyer and
Stephen Nissenbaum, Salem Possessed
Harriet
Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave
Girl
Office Hours
You may make an appointment to see
me in my office on campus. Otherwise,
since we are meeting at Glendale, I will also be available before and after
class.
Office Location My office is located in Cavanaugh 327 (National Council on Public History). I am there most of the time and may be
contacted in person, by telephone, or by email. If I am not there, you may leave messages on the door or with my
assistant.
Telephone & E-mail You
are welcome to call me at 317-274-2718
to discuss class matters. I have voice
mail so you may leave messages if I’m not present. My email address is: dvanders@iupui.edu
Course Requirements
and
Expectations
History l05 covers the period from the pre-discovery era through the
American Civil War. It is intended to
introduce you--through lectures, class discussions, and readings--to the themes
and topics pertaining to the colonization and settling of America and the
development of the nation through the mid-19th century. In order for you to understand the lectures
and contribute to class discussions, you should complete the assigned readings before
each class. It will also help you
adjust to the very rapid and intense nature of the summer schedule. Although 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.
Grades Course
grades will be based upon the following:
l) midterm examination -- 25%
2)
final examination -- 25%
3)
two written assignments (25% each) -- 50%
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.
Exams Exams
consist of essays and identification questions. Given our intense schedule, exams
must be taken on the assigned day, unless other arrangements have been made
at least three (3) days in advance.
I will distribute study questions approximately one week before the
exams. Exams will draw heavily upon the
content of my lectures, supplemented by the readings.
Papers
Written assignments
must be submitted on the assigned day.
Those submitted after the due date will be subject to a full grade 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.
Attendance Just as I am expected to
be here to teach, I expect you to attend class regularly. I do not make notes available, so it is YOUR
responsibility to obtain notes and assignments if you miss class. Your presence and participation in class can
affect borderline grades at semester’s end.
Ethics The
University has 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. 36), 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. We have about
17 days to cover an entire semester’s work.
So, 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.
l. Course Introduction: What is History and Why Study It?
Collision of the Worlds in the Age of
Exploration
Tindall, Ch. 1
2. Colonizing the New World: Transplantation of
Europe
Tindall, Ch. 2
3. Mastering the Land and The Maturing of
Colonial Society
Tindall, Ch. 3
4. Bursting Colonial Bonds: The Road to Revolution
Tindall, Ch. 4
5. Years of Revolution and Independence
Tindall, Chs. 5-6
6. Towards a New Nation: Confederation and
Constitution
Tindall, Ch. 7
7. Launching the National Republic: The
Federalists
Tindall, Ch. 8
MIDTERM
8. The “Jeffersonian Revolution”: Political
Parties and the “Empire of Liberty”
Tindall, Ch. 9
9. The “Age of the Common Man”: Politics and
Andrew Jackson
Tindall, Ch. 10-11
10. Reforming the American Experiment
Tindall, Chs. 12-13
11. The South and Slavery in America
Tindall, Ch. 15
12. Upheaval in the Nation: Territorial
Controversies, Sectionalism, and
the
Road to Disunion
Tindall, Chs. 14, 16
13. The War of the Union
Tindall, Ch. 17
IMPORTANT
DATES: No
Class – Thursday July 4
Midterm
– July 11 or 15
Final
Exam – Monday August 5