History 106 is a survey of American history that covers the period from the end of the Civil War (1865) to the present. This course critically examines the transformation of a traditional American society into a modern American nation. In analyzing this broad theme, we will consider a variety of political, social, and economic topics that address the development of the U.S. as an urban, industrial nation and as a world power. We will focus our attention on ordinary people, as well as on prominent leaders. At the end of this class, you should be much better equipped to answer two basic questions for yourself: What is the meaning of America? What does it mean to be an American?

The class makes extensive use of Power Point presentations that employ lecture outlines, still and moving images, sound “clips,” and maps. Most of the Power Point slides are digital representations of primary sources that will enhance understanding of the past and allow students to become more active participants in making sense out of the past. We will post the Power Point presentations to OnCourse for your use and reference, and we expect that you will employ them as you study and prepare for exams. We will expect you to draw on these materials for exams. Students will need to take a complete set of notes. Our Power Point presentation contain outlines but not notes.

The “Principles of Undergraduate Learning” reflect the University’s commitment to key elements of a quality education. You can find these Principles posted on the Department of History’s Home Page: http://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”: We will emphasize the development of analytical ability and of reading and writing skills, rather than just the memorization of facts. Nonetheless, there is a body of factual material that we will expect students to master. Exams will have a significant essay component. Analysis of the range of choices that confronted people in the past and assessment of the consequences of acting on those choices invites consideration of ethics. The class will look at the interplay between various racial, ethnic, and cultural groups in the context of the historical development of a modern urban/industrial nation. Over the course of the twentieth century, Americans shaped and reshaped their surrounding environment. They did so using available energy and technology and acting upon attitudes and values embedded in their culture. (See also: Goals, Expectations, and Outcomes, at the end of this syllabus.)

The following books are required for this class:

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1. Mary Beth Norton, et al, A People and a Nation, Vol. Two, 7th edition (2001).

2. Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward (Originally published 1888).

3. John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath (1939).

4. Rachel Carson, Silent Spring (1962).

Tentative Exam Schedule:

First Exam February 23 30 percent

Second Exam April 6 30 percent

Final May 4 30 percent

(3:30 - 5:30, LE 100)

Readings Quizzes* See reading assignments 10 percent

*We will count the two highest of three quiz scores.

Testing procedures:

About one week before each scheduled exam, we will place four or five essay questions on the history department’s home page http://www.iupui.edu/~history/ and on Oncourse, http://www.iupui.edu/ (click on Oncourse and follow prompts). Both of us will schedule extra office hours before each test, and we invite you to take advantage of them. The semester exams and final will be in the lecture room. Quizzes will be given in the discussion sections.

Class Policies:

1. Attendance. The university and the School of Liberal Arts now require that instructors take attendance and that they report the names of students who stop attending class but who have not officially withdrawn. Our policy on attendance has two parts: (1) We will take attendance; (2) we will subtract 2 points from your final grade average for every unexcused absence over 4. Excused absences require documentation.

2. Classroom Courtesy: Please arrive on time. If you need to be late or leave early, please come in quietly and sit at the back. Please do not talk or engage in activities, that will diminish the opportunity for other students to listen and participate in class.

3. Cell Phones and Pagers: 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. If you need to be in contact with someone during a test or quiz, work that out with us in advance.

4. Grading. We will be very reluctant to give a grade of Incomplete (I). We will 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. WE USE A GRADING SCALE THAT COUNTS HEAVILY FOR IMPROVEMENT.

5. Office hours. If you have questions or problems related to this class, we invite you to take advantage of our office hours or make an appointment.

6. Cheating and Plagiarism. Our 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.”) See also, point 3 on Cell Phones and Pagers during exams and quizzes.

7. Differences of opinion with the TA. If you have a difference of opinion with the TA, you should see him before you come to Dr. Scarpino. If you appeal a grade to Dr. Scarpino, he reserves the right to raise it, leave it the same, or lower it, based on his reading of your work.

8. Use of Voice Mail and Email. We have twenty-four hour voice mail and email. You are most welcome to use either. Please note: If you leave a phone message, speak slowly, provide a number where you can be reached, state when you will be at that number, and we will try twice to return your call. Also note: If you miss an exam or a quiz or an appointment, it is your responsibility to contact us and reschedule. Simply leaving a message for one of us to get back to you does not absolve you of that responsibility.

Goals, Expectations, and Outcomes:

Skills routinely stressed and tested in H106 will include analytical thinking and interpretation, as opposed to memorization and regurgitation of information. We expect students to be able to process information from lectures, readings, and discussions, to reason clearly, and to think logically and critically.

Writing is the most common way that historians and students of history communicate the results of their work. Good writing is clear and focused; it uses examples to illustrate concepts; and it pays attention to content, as well as grammar, spelling, syntax, and other skills stressed in the basic English composition classes. Effective oral communication is also an important outcome of a liberal arts education. Discussion will provide students with an opportunity to sharpen their ability to speak clearly in front of others.

History is a study of changing human experiences over time, and historical writing is often concerned with process. Ask yourself: What did we start with? What happened? What did we end up with? Historical writing should convey an understanding of process and a sense of chronology. We will not insist on the memorization of large numbers of dates, but we will expect that you know key dates and the order in which things happened. You will need to be clear about who the actors were. For example, don't write "they" or "the people" when you mean factory workers in the late 19th century or civil rights activists in the 1960s.

One of the really exciting things about a class like H106 is that it can simultaneously help you to understand the past and the present. At the same time, because H106 covers modern American history, it is easy to fall into the trap of judging the past against your own values and experiences. While we are certainly not obliged to like or admire everything that our ancestors did, we should try to understand their actions in the context of their own time.