History A410/H511
American Environmental History –
Fall 2004
Mon. & Wed,
Instructor: Philip Scarpino Reading Assignments
Office: 503R Cavanaugh
Phone: 274-5840
Email: pscarpin@iupui.edu
Office Hours: Mon. and Wed.
The class:
History A410
is a lecture and discussion class that is concerned with analyzing the diverse
and changing interactions between Americans and the environment in which they
have lived. In many ways, environmental
history is the story of the creation of place over time. This semester, we will examine a range of
evolving attitudes and actions (including ethical considerations) that have
helped to shape the evolving historical relationship between people and
environment. Consistent with this
approach, I will encourage you to consider several interrelated questions: What
is history? What is nature? What is the environment? What relationship exits between history,
nature, and environment? In terms of
environment, what are the connections between past and present? How have developments in scientific
understanding shaped Americans’ relationship with their surroundings? What has been the role of the often
unintended and unanticipated consequences of a range of use and development
activities?
The lectures,
the discussions, and the assigned readings (listed below) should help you to
develop an intellectual framework for understanding and critically assessing
the historical relationship between people and place. The environment of any particular place -- farmscapes, suburbs, cities -- is a product of past
attitudes and actions. People also share
the environment in the present, even though, as they have in the past, their
experiences may vary significantly as a result of variables such as ethnicity,
occupation, race, class, and gender.
Goals:
I have four
general goals for this class; all of which are consistent with the intent of
the “IUPUI Principles of Undergraduate
Learning” and an approach that encourages evaluation, reflection, and
critical assessment. (1) Assist students
to develop an understanding of the historical dimension of Americans'
interaction with their environment.
(2) Encourage students to think
about the meaning of place, especially as it relates to the legacy of the past
embedded in the present-day environment.
(3) Provide an introduction to historical interpretation and to the
literature of environmental history. (4)
Build on the analytical and communications skills that students bring to this
class.
The
“Principles of Undergraduate Learning” reflect the University’s commitment to
key elements of a quality undergraduate education. You can find these Principles posted on the
Department of History’s Home Page: www.iupui.edu/~history. You will note that there are a number ways in
which this class embodies the educational goals and expected outcomes
articulated in the “IUPUI Principles of Undergraduate Learning”: A410/H511 pushes students to think
critically, with an emphasis on carefully and logically analyzing information
from a variety of sources. Environmental
history invites students to think about the ways in which our modern
environment is a product of past attitudes and actions. This information should be helpful in a
variety of disciplines, as well as in your professional and civic lives off of
the campus. A410/H511 specifically
encourages you to apply a historical perspective to issues surrounding human
interaction with the environment in the past and in the present. Values and ethics have played, and continue
to play, a vital role in the way that Americans have shaped and reshaped their
environment.
class=Section2>
William Cronon, Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the
Ecology of
Thomas Dunlap,
Saving
Kenneth
Jackson, Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the
class=Section3>
Richard White,
The Organic Machine: The Remaking of the
Course
Policies:
Attendance: The university and the
Grades of Incomplete:
I will be very reluctant to give a grade of Incomplete (I). I assign Incompletes 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 of their
assignments.
Classroom Courtesy: Please arrive on time. If you need to be late or
leave early, please come in quietly and sit at the back. Turn off cell phones and pagers prior to the
beginning of class. If you need to
maintain contact with children (or some other emergency contact), put your cell
phone on vibrate. Absolutely no cell phones or pagers may be out in your view during
tests or quizzes.
Cheating and Plagiarism:
My policy on cheating and plagiarism is to assign a zero to the work in
question. Plagiarism is the act of
stealing the ideas or writings of someone else and using them as your own. You plagiarize if you copy directly what
someone else has written without quotations and proper citations. You also plagiarize if you paraphrase someone
else's writings to avoid using quotations and citations, or if you use someone
else's ideas or factual information without attribution. For further information, see: University Bulletin,
2004-2006, pp. 15, 36-37. For
information on cheating and plagiarism and IUPUI’s
policies on academic misconduct please see:
http://registrar.iupui.edu. (Click on “Students”; look under “Other”;
and click on “Dealing with Student Academic Misconduct.” If you do not know when and how to cite your
sources, I strongly recommend that you buy a copy of Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers,
5th ed., (1987). A very good discussion
of plagiarism, with examples, may be found in Neil R. Stout, Getting the
Most out of Your U.S. History Course: The History Student's Vade Mecum (1990), pp., 65-66. If you cannot find a copy, you are welcome to
look at mine.
Late work:
Ordinarily, I expect work to be turned in on time. If you cannot make a deadline, it is your
responsibility to discuss the situation with me. If something unexpected comes up at the last
minute, the best way to reach me is “regular” email. You can also call me at 274-5840. I will try to be fair and reasonable;
however, unless I have approved your excuse, I will subtract two points from
the grade on that assignment for each day that it is late.
Improvement: I will reward improvement when I
figure your final grade in this class.
Voice mail and email: My email and voice mail are on
twenty-four hours a day, and I invite you to use either. Please
note: If you leave a message on my voice mail, speak slowly, provide a
number where you can be reached, state when you will be at that number, and I
will try twice to return your call. Also note: If you miss an exam or an
appointment or an assignment, it is your responsibility to contact me and
reschedule. Simply leaving a message for
me to get back to you does not absolve you of that responsibility.
OnCourse and Departmental Home Page: I will be placing materials on the
department’s home page and on OnCourse. You can
access them from computers on or off campus.
I am perfectly willing to provide paper copies if you cannot “work” the
Internet. You may access the home page
as follows: www.iupui.edu/~history. You may access OnCourse
at http://www.iupui.edu/
(click on OnCourse and the follow
prompts).
Requirements: Undergraduate Students
Midterm *
Final exam
(
Readings
Quizzes See handout ** 20
percent
*Midterm date
is tentative.
**
Week-by-week reading assignments listed on separate handout, which will be on
the home page and OnCourse.
(Exams) Everyone will take
the same midterm and final exams. Exams
will be largely essay and will have a significant take-home component. While I will not be asking undergraduate
students to write a paper, the take-home exams will provide a focused
paper-writing experience.
The dates
listed for exams are (1) the due-dates for the take-home parts of the exams,
and (2) they are the days on which you will be taking the in-class
portions. I will provide you with the
take-home questions about a week before they are due.
(
Requirements: Graduate
Students
Midterm * October 13 25
percent
Final exam December 15 25
percent
(
Paper December 1 20 percent
Class
Participation 10
percent
Reading
Quizzes See handout ** 20 percent
*Midterm date
is tentative.
** Week-by-week reading assignments listed on separate
handout, which will be on the home page and OnCourse.
(Exams) Everyone will take
the same midterm and final exams. Exams are largely essay and will have a
significant take-home component. I will
expect graduate students to demonstrate a more sophisticated understanding of
the course material, to make more effective use of the readings, and to present
a more carefully written and cogent argument than the undergraduates.
The dates listed for exams are (1) the due-dates for the
take-home parts of the exams, and (2) they are the days on which you will be
taking the in-class portions. I will
provide you with the take-home questions about a week before they are due.
(Paper) Note: This is a semester-long
project. Please see me by September 22
to discuss your papers. Graduate
students will be researching and writing a fifteen to twenty page term paper
that analyzes an important issue in American environmental history. Students are encouraged, but not required, to
pick an issue that is significant in their own field of study (if you are not a
history major) and in the environmental history of
(
(Class Participation) Effective oral communication is an important part of a liberal education. I will look for graduate students to assume a leadership role in class discussions, in asking and answering questions, and in offering appropriate comments and observations on class material.