Topics in American History: Family & Household in the Atlantic World, 1500-1800 B Fall2004

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS:

This course is an inquiry of family and household in historical perspective. In terms of time the reach is long, extending from the 1500s, when the European experience expanded greatly to include the Americas; in terms of place the sweep is broad, centering on the Atlantic ocean that connected peoples in Europe and North America. Within the framework of family and household the course focuses on a variety of topics in and approaches about recreating and interpreting early American history. In particular, the course explores the past through different kinds of readings. The major requirement is a paper, to which I refer as the American family and household project (short AF&H project), is designed to trace critical developments through the formative years of the United States. It traces one family over three generations and examines how the domestic values and household arrangements of that family changed over time (for more detailed directions, see below).

The reading and writing assignments constitute the core of the course. Students need to calculate on average at least four hours each week of reading and writing (in addition to the scheduled class time) in order to complete the course successfully. Regular class attendance and participation in class discussions are also required.

Important goals of this course are to provide students with basic knowledge about history from the Europeans= exploration of North America to 1800. Exploration of the Atlantic world in this period that concentrates of two major concepts promote better understanding and appreciation of the complexities of American society and culture. These goals are in accordance with the IUPUI Principles of Undergraduate Learning (often abbreviated as PULs ([or a listing of all PULs, see http://www.iupui.edu/~history/principlesundergraduatelearning.htm]). Additional course goals are to foster the students= abilities to recognize the importance of historical context and perspectives as well as the political, social, and ethical dimensions of major decisions and developments in the past. This course offers students opportunities for practicing critical thinking skills. It challenges them to integrate and apply their historical knowledge and it creates greater awareness about the impact of personal choices and judgments on the society at large. Moreover, the course is designed to develop students= ability to make cogent written and oral presentations of their readings, research, and historical analyses and to offer them for discussion in the classroom and, more formally, on paper, thus honing the students= core communication and quantitative skills.

Grading will be based on a variety of assignments and examsCten (10) different units, each counting for 10 percent, that combine toward the semester grade: A mid-term exam (1 unit) and a final (2 units)Cboth exams consist of short-answer and essay questions. A written report about one of the optional readings (1 unit) for presentation in class. Most importantly, a paper [= American family & household project] (4 units altogether) about a particular family in the Atlantic world. Details and directions regarding particular assignments will follow later. Class attendance and participation in discussion will influence the final grade (1 unit). Content will count most heavily in all written work, but grammar, spelling, and style will affect grade.

Summary of Assignments (the semester grade is made up of 10 required units, which are distributed in the following way:

EXAMS [total of 3 units]: mid-term = 1 unit; final = 2 units

REPORT [total of 2 units]: optional book report = 2 units

AF&H PROJECT [total of 4 units]: bibliography and family tree = 1 unit; draft of paper and peer review = 1 unit; final version of paper = 2 units

PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR [total of 1 unit]: attendance, class participation, etc. = 1 unit

Students who do satisfactory work can expect the average grade of "C" (73-76 points on a scale of 100 points maximum) in accordance with the academic regulations stated in the IUPUI Bulletin, p. 16; students whose work is above average will receive grades of "C+" to "B+" (77 to 89 points on a scale of 100); for demonstrable excellence in their work students can achieve an "A-" (90-92 points) or "A" (93-97 points); AA+@ is for a score of 98-100 points. Less than 61 points represent unacceptable work and hence carry the failing grade of "F"; "C-" to "D-" (70 to 60 points on a scale of 100) constitute below average work. For calculation of the semester grade, improvement over the course of the semester is an important consideration and can raise the final grade above the mathematical average. All assignments have to be handed in on time. Tardiness carries a penalty: for every day an assignment is late, one-third of a letter grade is subtracted from the earned grade. For example, a B+ assignment will be lowered to a B-, if it was two days late.

Attendance at all class meetings is a regular part of the course. Students are responsible to sign the attendance rosters. Realizing that some time even with the best plans and intentions other aspects of students= lives conflict with their commitment to school, each student can miss four classes (no questions asked) without failing the class. Missing more than four classes carries a price, however: students with unsatisfactory attendance records do not only risk low marks in the professional performance section of the course but their final exam will be cumulative in nature to make sure that they achieved the goals of the course.

It is expected that students complete the reading assignments in advance and that they bring these materials to class on the scheduled dates. Informed participation in class discussion contributes favorably toward the semester grade (the frequency as well as the quality of students= contributions count). This course covers about three hundred years of a complicated past and requires a considerable amount of reading about often unfamiliar events and themes. Managing this task well depends on considerable discipline in the study habits of students. It is smart to keep up with the readings because it makes participation in classes and preparation for exams and the paper easier.

In this course the instructor relies on the IU OnCourse system to keep in touch and to make course materials available. More information on how the system is to be used will be provided in class and in announcements posted on the course web site. Students are expected to check course announcements regularly, at least once before each class. Access OnCourse at the following URL: http://oncourse.iu.edu (bookmark it). For help refer to Getting Help With OnCourse. Courses that teach the use of OnCourse are offered regularly to all students. The instructor will be available to answer basic questions.

Each student is encouraged to create and maintain a record of notes about the lectures; discussions; readings; and research for the American family & household project. The use of laptop PCs or handheld devices in class is permitted if they help students learn and always provided that the use of such electronic devices does not disturb others in class.

Students are expected to show up for their presentations and take exams at the appointed time and hand in written assignments in class the day they are due (assignments will not be accepted after class on the designated date). There are no make-ups for missed in-class exams and assignments. Students who for extraordinary reasons cannot meet a deadline should discuss their situation with the instructors before the due date (if truly dire circumstances do not allow that, get in touch with the instructor as soon as possible. The instructor=s name and contact information are listed on the syllabus (transfer this information to your agenda, address book, PC, cell phone, and other handheld devices).

Polite as well as professional conduct requires that students are punctual and keep any scheduled appointment (that includes class). If unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances prevent students from meeting at the appointed time, they should inform the instructor of the situation as soon as possible.

University policy is that the grade 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 student and instructor; I will be reluctant to assign them.

Cheating on exams and other forms of academic misconduct, notably plagiarism, will not be tolerated, will result in a failing grade on the work in question, may mean a failing semester grade, and may lead to disciplinary action by the university. Consult the IUPUI Bulletin, 2004-2006, pp. 36-38, for a complete listing of the code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct.

COURSE OUTLINE and READING ASSIGNMENTS (assignments are due at the beginning of the week unless announced otherwise):

week 1 Introduction (including organizational matters)

26 Aug

week 2 The British Atlantic World: Frameworks

31 Aug, 2 Sept Armitage and Braddock, Atlantic World, xiv-27 (incl. notes and further readings)

Wilhoit, Writing from Readings, 1-37

week 3 The British Atlantic World: Connections

7, 9 Sept Armitage and Braddock, Atlantic World, 31-89 (incl. notes and further readings)

Chojnacka and Wiesner-Hanks, Ages, 1-41

Wilhoit, Writing from Readings, 39-83

week 4 The British Atlantic World: Identities

14, 16 Sept Armitage and Braddock, Atlantic World, 93-172 (incl. notes and further readings)

Chojnacka and Wiesner-Hanks, Ages, 42-72

week 5 The British Atlantic World: Politics

21, 23 Sept Armitage and Braddock, Atlantic World, 175-249 (incl. notes and further readings)

Chojnacka and Wiesner-Hanks, Ages, 72-143

week 6 Economic and Religious Life

28, 30 Sept Chojnacka and Wiesner-Hanks, Ages, 144-216

PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY; FAMILY TREE due (28 Sept)

week 7 Networks

7, 9 Oct Chojnacka and Wiesner-Hanks, Ages, 217-82

week 8 The Carrolls of Ireland and Maryland (1)

12, 14 Oct Hoffman, Planters of Ireland

MID-TERM (12 Oct)

week 9 The Carrolls of Ireland and Maryland (2)

19, 21 Oct Hoffman, Planters of Ireland

WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY; FAMILY TREE due (21 Oct)

week 10 The Coles of England and Maryland

26, 28 Oct Carr, Menard, and Walsh, Cole=s World

week 11 Natives, Newcomers, and Native-born in New England

2, 4 Nov Main, Peoples

week 12 New England Farm Life

9, 11 Nov Lacey, Heaton

Wilhoit, Writing from Readings, 191-257

complete DRAFT of PAPER due (9 Nov)

week 13 Domestic Life of New England Men

16, 18 Nov Wilson, Heart

Wilhoit, Writing from Readings, 83-190

PEER REVIEW due (16 Nov)

week 14 Frontier Life

23 Nov A Midwife=s Tale

Thanksgiving (25 November [= no class])

week 15 Moral Values

30 Nov, 2 Dec Saxton, Being Good

final version of PAPER due (2 Dec)

week 16 Reviews and Conclusions

7, 9 Dec presentations of American family & household projects

FINAL (14 Dec, 3:30-5:30 pm)

Notes:

Directions for AMERICAN FAMILY & HOUSEHOLD PROJECT

Each student is to choose, chart, chronicle, and analyze the story of a family in America over the span of three generations. Students can use their own family or another one that existed in the Atlantic world between 1500 and 1800. The goal is to follow the fate of one family and explore the topics of the course, like life styles, family values, and relationships among kin and kith as well as household composition, organization, and management. The story of each family is to be true in the sense of how local, regional, and national circumstances determined and affected the ways in which people made their living and viewed their world at different times in the course of American history.

Several preparatory steps for the American family & household project are mandatory for all students, but the final version of the project is very flexible in terms of focus and content. Each project needs to be presented finally in the form of a paper (at least 12 pages [that is a minimum of 3,000 words] typed, double-spaced with standard one-inch margins and conforming to the rules set by widely accepted scholarly conventions, such as MLA or ATurabian@), although additional forms of presentation may be acceptable in consultation with the instructor (Wilhoit=s Writing from Readings is useful, too).

# Choose one of the regions of early America as your family's first home base: New England; mid-Atlantic region; Chesapeake Bay; southern region (incl. Southwest).

# Choose or determine the social and economic circumstances of your family's progenitor:

age, sex, family status; income, wealth, skill, occupation; religion; education; immigration status; circumstances in the community.

# Research background and regional context for your family. The Internet can provide you with valuable preliminary information on your family (or at least some of its members) and point you in fruitful directions. It cannot be the only source of information. Make good use of the IUPUI library and all of its resources. Search for at least five scholarly books and five footnoted articles suitable to give you details for devising the particular circumstances of your family, how it organized domestic life, organized and managed the household, and how family members made their living; the common readings for the course should be used as well.

# Creation of a multi-generational family tree: widen the family circle from progenitor to kith and kin over three generations.

# Tracing the family geographically: determine how the mobility characteristic of most Americans affected the networks of relatives in your family and members of its household.

# Combine all your research and thinking and present the story of your family in the course of the history of the Atlantic world (1500-1800) and explain how the fate of your family can serve as an illustration for the development of family values and household government [= complete draft for submission for peer review]: consider in what ways the failures and successes of your family are typical or unique.

# Review your project in light of the peer review: re-think, reconsider, revise (make good use of the advice in Wilhoit, Writing from Readings).

# Submit final version with cover letter (some would call it a letter of transmittal) that details in one paragraph how you constructed the story of your family. Describe in a second paragraph 1) what you enjoyed most about the project, 2) what part or task you found hardest to do, and 3) what you learned from devising your family history.