SUMMER 2009
HIST
2301 - SA01 (United States History to 1877)
INSTRUCTOR: Tom Gaj
(pronounced gay), adjunct faculty
CLASS HOURS/LOCATION:
Wednesdays, 6:00 PM to 10:10
PM, Room 105,
CONTACT HOURS: 15 minutes before class; after class; by appointment
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email: thomas.gaj@sbcglobal.net
Home Phone: (210) 523-7522
Messages/assignments may be left with the front office for placement in my
faculty mailbox if necessary.
Official
announcements (including class closures due to inclement weather and other
special announcements) will be posted on the WBU-SA website at www.sa.wu.edu under class changes
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: European background, exploration and discovery,
colonization, the War for
There is no prerequisite for this course.
TEXT: Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, Williams, Gross, and
Brands:
COURSE OUTCOME COMPETENCIES: At the conclusion of this course, the student will understand and be able
to describe:
·
Causes,
process, and results of the exploration and settlement of the American colonies
·
Causes, course,
and results of the American revolutionary period
·
Political,
social, and economic events of the early national period
·
Political,
social, and economic transformation during the Jacksonian era
·
Causes, course,
and results of slavery and the era of sectional conflict
·
Events and
significant persons in the lives of ethnic minority and female Americans
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Testing (60% of final grade): Three tests, including a final examination, will
include questions in objective (multiple choice/true-false) and subjective (identification/short
essay) formats. Tests will cover all information presented in both the textbook and
lectures since the previous test.
The subjective questions on the final exam may be cumulative (anything
covered since the beginning of the course).
All tests will be open book/open note.
The first two tests will be take-home. The final exam will be in-class.
Research Paper (30% of final grade): A short paper (6-8 pages, typed, double-spaced) on a
specific topic to be chosen by the student and approved by me. Topics will be discussed during the first two
class sessions and turned in for final approval no later than 10 June 2009. A working bibliography (a list of sources
you are currently working with) is due 17
June 2009 (you should already have an idea of what sources are available
for your topic when you submit it). An outline
listing your thesis and main points is due 1
July 2009. Completed papers are due 22 July 2009.
The due dates in bold print are hard deadlines. Failure to meet them will be reflected in
your paper grade.
The basic requirements for your research paper are
listed in Attachment 1 to this syllabus.
Read them and make sure you understand them.
Classroom Participation (10% of final grade): Attendance and quality participation (to include
on-time arrival) are essential and will be noted (See Late Policy and Class Time
in GUIDELINES below). In addition, short quizzes relating to
assignments may be factored into this area.
METHOD OF DETERMINING COURSE GRADE:
I use the following
letter/numeral equivalent grades for exams/assignments:
A+ = 100 B- = 82 F = 50
A = 95 C+ = 79
A- = 92 C
= 75 no
work submitted = 0
B+ = 89 C- = 70
B = 85 D = 65
The University has a standard grade scale: A = 90-100, B =
80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F= below 60, W = Withdrawal, WP = withdrew
passing, WF = withdrew failing, I = incomplete. An incomplete may be given
within the last two weeks of a long term or within the last two days of a
microterm to a student who is passing, but has not completed a term paper,
examination, or other required work for reasons beyond the student’s control. A
grade of “incomplete” is changed if the work required is completed prior to the
last day of the next long (10 to 15 weeks) term, unless the instructor
designates an earlier date for completion. If the work is not completed
by the appropriate date, the I is converted to an F.
GUIDELINES
Academic Honesty:
Attendance: Regular attendance is the student's
responsibility. According to University
Policy,
students should make every effort to attend all class
meetings. All absences must be explained to the instructor, who will then
determine whether the omitted work may be made up. When a student reaches
that number of absences considered by the instructor to be excessive, the
instructor will so advise the student and file an unsatisfactory progress
report with the campus dean. Any student who misses 25 percent (3 of 11)
or more of the regularly scheduled class meetings may receive a grade of F in
the course. Additional attendance policies for each course, as defined by
the instructor in the course syllabus, are considered a part of the University’s
attendance policy.
Late Policy: Class starts at 6:00 PM. Plan accordingly. Late arrivals will be noted and chronic
tardiness will impact your final course grade under class participation.
If you are going to miss or be late for class for any
reason, contact me ASAP, preferably before the class in question.
Withdrawal: Students who
intend to withdraw must do so officially by coming to the WBU San Antonio office
at 11550 IH-35N to complete the appropriate forms. Failure to attend classes does not constitute
withdrawal and will only result in a failing grade for the course. The last day for students to withdraw from
class with a “W” grade is 10 July. The last day to withdraw from classes for the
Summer ‘09 Term is 24 July.
Class Time: Class
time is important. The study of history
is more than memorization and regurgitation of facts, names, and dates. It also requires development of critical
thinking, organizational, and communications skills. That is why exams in this course have both
objective and subjective questions.
Class sessions will therefore
combine lectures with class questions and discussion. It is your task to prepare for every class by
completing the assignments as they are due and participating in each class as
we try to arrive at some kind of conclusion about the historical topics we are
considering. I do not expect 100%
agreement with the text, myself, or your classmates. If you do not understand an assigned reading
or something that is said in class, do not be afraid to say so. You may not be the only person with a similar
problem. You may, on the other hand, be
the first to identify an issue, which could turn the class in an entirely new
direction, to the benefit of all. The
bottom line here is: There is only one
stupid question: the one that is never asked, because it can never be answered.
If you have questions while
you are preparing the week’s assignment, feel free to email me. Student questions are useful in determining
the direction of class sessions. I will also
allow time for questions before class and respond to questions as they occur
during and after class. Be aware,
though, that I have a habit of answering questions with questions or by passing
them on to the entire class, especially the good ones.
Respect for your classmates
is essential. Arrive for class on time
and do not leave early unless required by some sort of emergency and
specifically cleared by me. If you do
arrive late, enter quietly and try to minimize any disturbance. Do not interrupt your classmates. Do not carry on private conversations and
always respect classmate’s questions and positions during lectures and discussions.
CELL PHONES AND
DO NOT BRING CHILDREN TO THIS CLASS. In my
experience, the presence of children is a distraction not only to parent(s),
but to the rest of the class. In
addition, this is an adult history class that will cover adult topics,
sometimes in ways that you may not want to explain to children.
Should you encounter problems of any kind during the
course, please feel free to
discuss them with me. In such cases, my
basic assumption is that you have run out of ideas and resources and the
difficulty is not caused by inadequate preparation. If problem(s) outside class impact your
ability to complete the course, see me. I will do what I can to help.
IT IS THE UNIVERSITY POLICY THAT NO OTHERWISE
QUALIFIED DISABLED PERSON BE EXCLUDED FROM PARTICIPATION IN, BE DENIED THE
BENEFITS OF, OR BE SUBJECT TO DISCRIMINATION UNDER ANY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM OR
ACTIVITY IN THE UNIVERSITY. STUDENTS
SHOULD INFORM THE INSTRUCTOR OF EXISTING DISABILITIES AT THE FIRST CLASS
MEETING.
COURSE OUTLINE
What follows is the schedule
of events/topics and the reading sequence I expect to follow for this
course. I reserve the right to vary from
it as required.
DATE SUBJECT READING
27 May Administration/ROE Syllabus
To
1492 Ch
1
3
June European
Discovery and Colonization Ch
1
“Planting”
10
June Surviving the
17th Century Ch
3
“Americans”
in an English Empire Ch
4
PAPER TOPICS DUE
17
June Breaking Down
Imperial Bonds Ch
5
The American
Revolution Ch
5
WORKING
BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE
Test
#1 Ch 1-5
24
June Inventing a
Government : The Constitution Ch 6
The “Federal”
Era Ch
7
1
July Jeffersonian
Democracy Ch
8
OUTLINE DUE
8
July The Age of
Andrew Jackson Ch 10
Test # 2 Ch 6-10
10
July LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW FROM CLASS WITH A “W”
GRADE
15
July Slavery Ch
11
Revival and
Reform Ch
12
22
July Expansion
Without and Within Ch
13
Sectional
Crisis Ch
14-15 (to p. 424)
PAPERS DUE
24
July LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW FROM CLASS
29
July Civil War Ch
15
Reconstruction Ch
16
5
August FINAL
Attachment
1
RESEARCH PAPER
History students are
inevitably required to do research and develop/exercise analytical and communications
skills. Written work is an important
form of communication. To those ends,
your research paper serves as an important part of the education process.
Topic:
Choose a topic that
interests you, but remember:
-
The topic must be contained within the
parameters of this course, i.e. a subject in American history up to the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877.
-
The topic must be narrowly defined. It will not be so broad that it results in a
6-8 page summary of the course material.
Sources:
A minimum of three sources will be required. We will discuss
sources/sourcing during class, but:
-
Textbooks and encyclopedias (written or online) will NOT be used as sources for this
project. They are, however, a good place to start in selecting
a topic and identifying sources (look at the end of each chapter in your text
and each entry in Wikipedia to see
why).
-
At least one
source must be a non-internet source.
-
At least one
source should be a primary source.
Documentation:
Full documentation (bibliography and citations) is required as a part of the complete research
paper. Identifying your sources through
the use of bibliography and citations (notes) is an important part of any
research assignment. Good documentation
allows the reader to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of your text and the
strength of your conclusions. It places
credit where it belongs: with the historical source or with the original
analyst.
Good documentation also
helps the historian and student avoid a critical hazard of historical research:
plagiarism. Plagiarism is the uncredited use of others'
words, ideas, and work. It is best
avoided by proper documentation: the use of quotation marks and citations for
direct quotes and citations for indirect references and paraphrasing. For a good online primer on how to document
papers and avoid plagiarism, go to http://www.northwestern.edu/uacc/plagiar.html
.
It has been my experience
that the majority of student problems with documentation come from lack of
experience in the use of sources.
Development of good documentation skills is therefore an important goal
of this course and we will address it frequently throughout the term. Again, if you have any questions at all, ASK either by email or at school. I will be available before and after class
to review progress and provide guidance as needed.
Mechanics:
-
All work related to your research paper will be submitted
by email as a Microsoft WORD document (.doc file).
-
All work related to your research paper will be typed
and double spaced. Use standard
margins and a font size no smaller
than 10 and no larger than 12. Font
style is optional, but don't get fancy.
We want to develop and evaluate your analytical and communications
skills, not my eyes.
-
Pages will be numbered.
-
The assigned paper length (6-8 pages) is the net text
(the written body) of your paper. It does not include title page, abstract,
table of contents, notes, bibliography, illustrations, etc.
-
Spelling and grammar count. If
I have to struggle to read a paper because of poor spelling or construction,
that’s a bad sign. Use your spell
checker and grammar checker, but beware:
your word processing software is a servant, not a friend, and not a particularly
reliable example of either. Make sure
you read your paper carefully before you turn it in to make sure your message is coming through, not the computer’s. Have someone else read your paper to make
sure it is understandable.
-
Finally, there
are numerous research writing
formats/styles (APA, MLA, Turban, AU {Tongue
& Quill}, etc). Pick
ONE and use it consistently.
If you have any questions or
difficulties regarding your research or your paper, see me before or after
class, or email me at any time.
To be completed and
turned in at the next class session:
I have received and
read the syllabus for History 2301-SA01.
Signature ________________________________
Name ________________________________
Date ________________________________