H105 Fall Semester 2004
Instructor: Robin Henry Email: rochenry@indiana.edu
Where: CA 215 Office: CA313N
When: TR 1-2:15PM Phone: office (317) 274-3811;
Office Hours: TR 11-12:15, or by appt. home (812) 337-1636 (10A-10P)
Introduction: The
purpose of this course is to gain a general understanding of the main
historical concepts, questions, and themes present in the study of American
history to 1877. Throughout the semester, we will discuss topics such as
religion, ethnicity, race, national identity, society, culture, and gender in
the context of the political and legal system that developed in the
seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. Specific attention will be
paid to colonization, the American Revolution, industrialization, slavery, the
Civil War, and Reconstruction. Students will not only gain an understanding of
the chronology of events, but will also be introduced to major historical
debates, both those that concerned the historical actors and those that concern
historians today. In addition, through daily participation, reading and writing
assignments, and close analysis of primary documents, students will develop
research, writing, communication, and critical thinking skills in accordance
with IUPUI’s Principles of Undergraduate Learning.
(http://www.iupui.edu/~history/ugprinciples.html)
Required Texts:
Eric Foner, Give Me
Norton & Co., 2005).
Eric Foner, Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History,
Volume 1, (
W.W. Norton & Co., 2005).
Joy Day Buel and
Richard Buel, Jr. The Way of Duty: A
Woman and Her Family
in Revolutionary
Paul E. Johnson and
Sean Wilentz, The
Salvation in 19th-Century
1995).
Bruce Levine, Half Slave and Half Free: The Roots of Civil
War, (
Wang, 1996).
Grades Distribution:
Exam #1 15% Paper #3 15%
Exam #2 15% Document
Lab 15%
Paper #1 15% Participation 10%
Paper #2 15%
Exams: There will be two (2) take-home exams. Each exam will be worth 15% of your final grade. The exams will consist of short answer and essay questions covering material from lectures and readings. I will hand out the exam two weeks before it is due (see syllabus calendar). I will hand out additional instructions concerning the format of the exam when I hand out the questions. Exams will be due IN CLASS on the due date specified in the syllabus. I will not accept late exams. There will be no make-up exams.
Papers: There will be three (3) papers covering the three books we will read for class. Each paper will be worth 15% of your final grade. The first paper will be a response paper. The second and third papers will be analytical papers. For each paper, I will hand out additional instructions concerning the format of the paper and questions you should address. Papers are due IN CLASS the day that we discuss the book, as indicated on the syllabus. I will not accept late papers.
Document Labs: Every couple of classes (roughly) we will spend approximately twenty minutes of the class on one of the documents in your document reader, Voices. Much like a science laboratory, or any time you encounter raw data in life, you will be required to read, examine, analyze, and figure out what the document says and why it is important. During the class period, we will break into small groups, and work through a series of questions addressing the document and its historical context. Though you will work in groups, each individual will turn in a separate lab sheet for each document we exam over the semester. The total document lab grade will be 10% of your final grade.
Reading: All reading assignments should be completed before class on the day it is listed on the syllabus. As you read, you should take notes; this practice will help you remember the information better, allow you to participate in class more easily, and begin the process of critical thinking about history. On days that we have a document lab, it is important to pay close attention to the document from Voices. (A good idea is to read the document in question more than once.) In addition to the document labs, I have assigned readings from Voices that correspond with that day’s topic. These readings are not required, but could be useful for a better understanding of the topic, extra practice on reading documents, and strengthening your exam essays.
Participation: Participation in class is worth 10% of your final grade. Much like any job that you will have in life, it is important that you come to class everyday ready to participate. For this class, you should be ready to discuss the readings, ask questions, and take any potential pop quizzes. The more you participate the more interesting the class is for you and for your classmates, so don’t be shy!
Attendance: Daily attendance is essential for successful completion of the class, therefore, it’s required. Since you have signed up for this class, I expect you to work your other schedules—work, family, friends, and vacations—around your schoolwork. There are times, however, that missing class is unavoidable. Therefore, I will allow you to miss class five times unexcused. An excused absence is one that is associated with an official school function, a documented illness, or documented funeral attendance. It is your responsibility to use these five times wisely for true emergencies. Each subsequent absence after five unexcused absences will result in a point deduction from your final grade.
Classroom Etiquette: During class please make sure that all beepers, pagers, cell phones, PDAs of any kind, and anything else that beep, rings, or makes noise is turned off. The noise these items make is not only distracting to me, but is also distracting to your fellow classmates. I would also appreciate that you refrain from reading newspapers, talking to your neighbor, or using your electronic devices in any way for the seventy-five minutes that we are in my class. If you need or would like to use a recording device or laptop to take notes, please see me.
Help: Knowing when to ask for help is an important skill in life and in school. Taking advantage of office hours, catching me before or after class, calling, and emailing me to talk about readings, books, exams, and papers can mean the difference between getting the grade that you want and not. However, I am not a mind reader. So it is up to you to alert me to any problems you are having, and the sooner the better. I have designed the course for your success; therefore, there are many opportunities to improve your grade throughout the semester. Don’t let these opportunities pass you by.
Academic Misconduct: You are required to abide by the rules of
academic honesty and intellectual integrity in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, p. 36 or
visit http://www.hossiers.iupui.edu/stucode/stucode.htm#part%203.
Plagiarism is defined as copying another person’s work (classmate’s work, book,
or website) and presenting it as your own. Any kind of academic misconduct will
not be tolerated and will result in a failing grade for the assignment and
possibly further disciplinary action. I am required by University policy to
report all instances of academic misconduct to the Dean of Students who may
impose additional penalties.
8/26 Introduction: What is history? Why are we
here?
8/31 Native American Civilizations
Reading: Foner, 23-30
9/2 Roots of European Exploration and
Colonies
Reading: Foner, 5-23; 30-42
Document Lab: Voices, 1
9/7 Colonial Societies
Reading: Foner, 45-57; 79-94; Voices, 2-4
9/9 Colonial Societies Part II
Reading: Foner, 79-94
Document Lab: Voices, 12
9/14 Slavery in the Americas
Reading: Foner, 57-61; 119-33
Document Lab: Voices, 15
9/16 Developing the British Colonies
Reading: Foner, 63-76; 95-106; Voices, 10, 11, 13, 14
9/21 Religious Discontent and Indian Wars
Reading: Foner, 145-58; Voices, 18
9/23 The Coming Revolution
Reading: Foner, 167-89
Document Lab: Voices, 23
9/28 Fighting for and Winning Independence
Reading: Foner, 189-98; Voices, 19-22
9/30 Women, Men, and Family in Hectic Times
***Paper #1 Due IN CLASS***
10/5 A New Republican Society
Reading: Foner, 201-32; Voices, 24-29
10/7 The Articles of Confederation, the
Constitution, and Questions of Equality
Reading: Foner, 235-68; Voices, 35, 37, 38
Document Lab: Voices, 30
10/12 Early National Politics
Reading: Foner, 271-90; Voices, 31
10/14 Jeffersonian
Policies—At Home and Abroad
Reading: Foner, 290-304
***EXAM #1 DUE IN CLASS***
10/19 Industrial and Transportation Revolutions
Reading: Foner, 307-13; 324-29
Document Lab: Voices, 39
10/21 Westward Expansion
Reading: Foner, 314-19
10/26 The Market Revolution
Reading: Foner, 319-42
Document Lab: Voices, 40
10/28 Jacksonian America
Reading: Foner, 345-78; Voices, 45-48
11/2 The Age of Reform
Reading: Foner, 423-45; Voices, 53-57
11/4 The Second Great Awakening
***Paper #2 Due IN CLASS***
11/9 The Woman’s Movement
Reading: Foner, 445-54
Document Lab: Voices, 58
11/11 The Slaveholders and the Slaves
Reading: Foner, 387-420
11/16 The United States in the Mexican Borderlands
Reading: Foner, 457-470
11/18 Political Discord
***Paper #3 Due IN CLASS***
11/23-11/25
THANKSGIVING BREAK
11/30 The Shattered Union
Reading: Foner, 470-500
Document Lab: Voices, 62
12/2 The Civil War
Reading: Foner, 503-24
12/7 The Civil War
Reading: Foner, 524-46
Document Lab: Voices, 65
12/9 Reconstruction and Redemption
Reading: Foner, 549-84; Voices, 69-73
12/13-12/17 FINALS
WEEK
***EXAM #2 DUE DEC. 14th BY 5PM***