Office: CA 506
Office
Telephone: 278-9020
Office
Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 1-2 and by
appointment
Email: aashendel@aol.com (preferred) or
aashende@iupui.edu
Required
Texts:
Sellers,
The Market Revolution
Ayers,
The Valley of the Shadow (book and
CD)
Other
readings as required by the instructor
Course
Goals and Objectives: The first part of
this course will examine the overall social, economic, and political landscapes
of the antebellum
Cheating
and Plagiarism: This course is designed
for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students. It is safe to assume that students at this
level know how to cite sources and will not plagiarize. If a student cheats on an
examination or plagiarizes a paper that student will earn a zero on the
assignment and in the course.
Historians MUST display an ability to do their own work since the
profession depends on an honest interpretation of the
evidence. Integrity is essential.
Attendance
and classroom etiquette: Attendance is
required at all meetings listed on this syllabus. Civil academic debate is the goal of this
class. While graduate students are
encouraged to think critically and to debate ideas, personal attacks will not
be tolerated. Since graduate students
must complete an extensive paper for this class and some of our secondary
resources may be limited, it is probable that you will need to share books with
each other. Please do so.
Grading: Students will complete one essay examination
over The Market Revolution and an
essay quiz over the remaining required readings. Graduate students will
complete either a historiographical paper on a topic in antebellum history or will
complete a research paper based on primary sources from the antebellum
era. This paper will be the basis for a
short presentation of that research to the class.
examination 100
quiz
50
bibliography and topic paragraph
25
presentation to other graduate students 125
research paper/historiography 200
Total
points 500
Grades
are based on a straight scale: 500- 450
= A; 449-400 = B; 399-350 = C; 349-300 = D; 299 and lower = F. A zero has a
greater negative impact on your final grade than at least some attempt to
complete an assignment. Make-up
examinations and quizzes are strongly discouraged. No make-up exam or quiz will be given without
documentation proving an extreme emergency.
Documentation includes doctors’ forms, funeral notices, accident
reports, and similar verifiable papers.
The instructor reserves the right to refuse to grant a make-up exam or
quiz if the documentation is not presented or is deemed invalid. If a make-up exam or quiz is approved it must
be completed within one week of the original exam or quiz. Incompletes are strongly discouraged and
rarely given. It is not fair to the rest
of the class to request extra time to complete the work.
Schedule of readings, examinations, and paper deadlines. Please complete the assigned readings before
class.
August
21: Introduction to the Course
August
26: Read: The
Market Revolution, Chapters 1 and 2
August
28: Read: The
Market Revolution, Chapters 3 and 4
September
2: Read:
The Market Revolution,
Chapters 5 and 6
September
4: Read:
The Market Revolution,
Chapters 7 and 8
September
9: Read:
The Market Revolution,
Chapters 9 and 10
September
11: Read: The Market Revolution, Chapters 11, 12, 13
September
16: EXAM
on The Market Revolution
September
18: Discuss Valley of the Shadow and readings provided by the instructor
September
23: QUIZ
on Valley of the Shadow and readings
provided by the instructor
September
30: Graduate student meeting: Bibliographies and topic paragraphs due
October
14: Graduate student meeting: updates on projects
October
28: Graduate student meeting: updates on projects
November
11: Graduate student meeting: updates on projects
November
20: Graduate student meeting: presentation to the class (will set special
time)
November
27: NO CLASS—HOLIDAY
December
4: Final paper due by
Research
Project
Each
graduate student will write a 15-20 page paper.
These papers must be typed, double-spaced with one-inch margins on every
side and have 12-point font. The paper
may be either a historiographical treatment of a topic in antebellum history or
a research paper based on original research in primary sources. Primary sources are available at the Indiana
Historical Society, at the IUPUI Archives, and other local sources. Use the Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian for
citation style. Paper topics must be
approved by the instructor. A working
bibliography of primary and secondary sources and a working topic paragraph are
due by September 30. On November 20 each
student will give a 15-20 minute presentation on the research. Final papers are
due in my office by