HISTORY OF IOWA

History 241-1, Spring Semester, First Half, 2008

(2 Credits)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

What is this course? This course surveys from a historical perspective the natural, social, and cultural landscapes of the place now known as Iowa.  Various aspects of Iowa history will be examined, including geography, agriculture, towns and cities, industry, racial and ethnic groups, and religion.

What will class meetings be like? The course will meet three times a week. In general, lectures will constitute much of in-class time. Additionally, however, significant time will be regularly taken in discussion of the readings; occasionally, visual materials (slides and films) will be the in-class focus.

What will be expected in general of each student? The workload of the course reflects both liberal arts expectations in general and historical method in particular. Attendance at all class meetings is, of course, expected. Some 1200 pp. of reading will be required. Writing will include two exams as well as a book essay. Discussion time will be provided for.

COURSE OBJECTIVES (WHAT DIFFERENCE THIS COURSE SHOULD MAKE):

1. To become familiar with major elements and examples of Iowa’s social and cultural history, since Iowa is where the Northwestern College community is located and also the home place of many of NWC’s students, staff, and faculty.  Critically knowing one’s locale—the social and cultural landscape in interaction with the natural landscape—is essential to living “in but not of” a place (having roots yet not being rootbound).
2. To further develop beyond general education history courses skills in analytical reading, critical thinking and writing, and oral discussion through course assignments and activities, since such skills are key tools for learning how, with the Apostle Paul, to "take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).
3. To further develop beyond general education history courses the practice of historical method through deeper attention through course material to the 5 Cs of historical work: change over time, context, causality, contingency, and complexity, since historical method can be a tool for living "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Mt. 10:16).
4. To provide tools and opportunity for beginning the integration of an understanding of the concept of place with a Christian perspective on faith and life, for "in [Christ] all things hold together" (Col. 1:17).

 

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COURSE OUTLINE:

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Reading (or viewing, in assignment order):

 

• Schwieder, Dorothy.  “Iowa: The Middle Land.”  In Iowa History Reader.  Edited by Marvin Bergman.  Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1996. ON SYNAPSE

• Dinsmore, James J.  A Country So Full of Game: The Story of Wildlife in Iowa.  Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1994.  ISBN 087745454X

• Bogue, Allan G.  “Farming in the Prairie Peninsula, 1830-1890.”  In Iowa History Reader.  Edited by Marvin Bergman.  Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1996. ON SYNAPSE

• Dykstra, Robert R.  "Iowans and the Politics of Race in America, 1857-1880."  In Iowa History Reader.  Edited by Marvin Bergman.  Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1996. ON SYNAPSE

• Elder, Donald C., III, ed..  Love Amid the Turmoil: The Civil War Letters of William and Mary Vermilion.  Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2003.  ISBN 101587296098

• Silag, William.  “The Conquest of the Hinterland: Railroads and Capitalists in Northwest Iowa after the Civil War.”  Annals of Iowa 50 (1990): 475-506. ON SYNAPSE

• Gillhoff, Johannes.  Letters of a German American Farmer: Jürnjakob Swehn Travels to America.  Trans. Richard Lorenz August Trost.  Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2000.  ISBN 0877457069

• Morain, Thomas J.  "To Whom Much is Given: The Social Identity of an Iowa Small Town in the Early Twentieth Century."  In Iowa History Reader.  Edited by Marvin Bergman.  Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1996. ON SYNAPSE

• Hewitt, William L.  “’Wicked Traffic in Girls: Prostitution and Reform in Sioux City, 1885-1910.”  Annals of Iowa 51 (1991): 123-148. ON SYNAPSE

• Schwieder, Dorothy and Joseph F. Wall.  "Rural Iowa in the 1920s and 1930s."  In Iowa History Reader.  Edited by Marvin Bergman.  Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1996. ON SYNAPSE

• Freidberger, Mark.  “The Modernization of Iowa's Agricultural Structure in the Twentieth Century.”  In Iowa History Reader.  Edited by Marvin Bergman.  Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1996. ON SYNAPSE

• Foley, Douglas E.  The Heartland Chronicles.  Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995.  ISBN 0812215621

• The Straight Story.  DVD.  Directed by David Lynch.  1999; Burbank, CA: Buena Vista Home Entertainment, n.d.

2. Assignments:

A. TWO EXAMS will constitute 50% of the course grade.

1. A midcourse exam will be given in class on Fri., Feb. 1.  It will constitute 20% of the course grade.
2. A final exam will be given in class on Fri., Feb. 29.  It will be comprehensive, and it will constitute 30% of the course grade.

3. Each exam will each comprise at least two essay questions to be written in class.  In addition, the comprehensive part of the final exam will consist of a take-home essay question.

4. For each exam, a study sheet will be distributed a week ahead of the exam.  (The study sheet for the final will also include the take-home essay question).

5. On exam days, no textbooks or other course material should be used during the exam (on penalty of voiding the entire exam) except for one 8 ½ x 11 inch exam sheet of outlines and notes (typed or handwritten, both sides if necessary).  This exam sheet must be handed in with the exam blue book.
6. Blue books will be required for each exam.  (These are available in the NWC bookstore.)

B. An ARTICLE REPORT will constitute 20% of the course grade.

1. A report on a substantive article about some aspect of Iowa history is due in written form on Feb. 11 (Mon.) and in oral presentation form to be scheduled on Feb. 11 or a class day thereafter.  Oral presentation assignments will be decided soon after the course gets underway.
2. Each article reported on is up to each student, so long as the choice takes into account or meets all the following:

• when searching noting that there are history article databases such as America: History and Life and JSTOR online through the Ramaker library homepage and an Iowa-specific print guide: Patricia Dawson, ed., Iowa History and Culture: A Bibliography of Materials Published between 1952 and 1986 (Ames: State Historical Society of Iowa, 1989). RAMAKER REF. SECTION Z1283 D38 1989.
• noting that the Annals of Iowa and Iowa Heritage Illustrated and their predecessor periodicals are housed in the RAMAKER PERIODICAL SECTION.
• if not from the Annals of Iowa or Iowa Heritage Illustrated, then the article is from a peer-reviewed history journal (i.e., usually a quarterly, and with foot- or endnotes);
• its focus is on a Iowa historical topic, i.e., person(s), group, institution, movement, trend, tradition, event, etc.
• if in doubt about whether an article meets the guidelines, please check with the instructor.

3. The report is to be in two forms, written and oral.
4. The written report should be 3-4 pp., typed, double spaced, with a header containing your name, the due date, your RSC box number, and the author, title, and source of the article, e.g., David W. Schwieder and Dorothy Schwieder, "The Power of Prickliness: Iowa's H.R. Gross in the U.S. House of Representatives" Annals of Iowa 65 (2006): 329-368.
5. The written report should contain at least three elements: a) a clear summary statement of the article's topic and main argument--that is, not only what is article's focus, but what is the author trying to claim or assert about the topic?, b) a synopsis (a summary outline or abstract) of the main points made in the article, and c) roughly a page or more of critical engagement with the article. The latter element could take many forms, including how persuasive is the case the author makes, how does the article fit with--or not--other course readings, what is the significance of the topic for understanding [you fill in the blank] about Iowa?  Bottom line: the report needs to be more than a summary; it also needs to be analytical and evaluative.
6. Quotations should be in Chicago style form, either foot- or endnotes.  See form guides available through the Ramaker Library homepage (http://www.nwciowa.edu/library/research/citing_sources.aspx).
7. The written report is due by class time, Feb. 7.  It should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file (that is, .doc or rtf. files; .docx files occasionally pose problems for our older programs) through Synapse (when in your Synapse account, click on the link to this course, then click on assignments, then click on the appropriate paper, then, in the drop box, search for your Word file, select it, and send it in).  Synapse will automatically send your paper to Turnitin.com.  If you encounter trouble in submitting the paper through Synapse, consult with the folks in the Computer Center, especially Paul Beltman (belt@nwciowa.edu; he oversees Synapse).  A graded copy will be returned to you by e-mail attachment.
8. The written report is the basis for an oral report to the class (to be presented on the class day assigned).  The oral report should concisely present the written report, with any appropriate elaborations, quotations, and illustrations.  The total time for each oral report should be no less than 5 minutes and no more than 10 minutes, including time for questions.  (These times are subject to adjustment depending on the number of students in the course.)
9. Evaluation of the report (written and oral) will include the following factors: 1) how completely and well are all of the formal specifications above met? 2) how clear and coherent are the two forms of the report? 3) how accurately, thoughtfully, and insightfully is the chosen article understood, analyzed, and evaluated in relation to Iowa history?

C. A FILM ESSAY will constitute 20% of the course grade.

1. A written film report is due by class time, Mon., Feb. 18.
2. The report should be on The Straight Story. There is not time in the course schedule for an in-class viewing, so students will have to view the film on their own time. A DVD of the film will be available for borrowing.
3. The essay should critically relate the film to course materials and issues through responding to the following question: How much does The Straight Story mythologize or romanticize Iowa society and culture?  That is, does this film suggest more a real, historic Iowa or more a "field of dreams"?  The essay should a) persuade a reader that you have taken the time to view the film and b) critically (i.e., thoughtfully and analytically) relate the film to the Iowa of history.
4. The report should be 4-5 pp., typed, double spaced, with a header containing the student’s name, the due date, e-address, and a title.
5. Quotations should be in Chicago style form, either foot- or endnotes.  See form guides available through the Ramaker Library homepage (http://www.nwciowa.edu/library/research/citing_sources.aspx).
6. The essay should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file (that is, .doc or rtf. files; .docx files occasionally pose problems for our older programs) through Synapse (when in your Synapse account, click on the link to this course, then click on assignments, then click on the appropriate paper, then, in the drop box, search for your Word file, select it, and send it in).  Synapse will automatically send your paper to Turnitin.com.  If you encounter trouble in submitting the paper through Synapse, consult with the folks in the Computer Center, especially Paul Beltman (belt@nwciowa.edu; he oversees Synapse).  A graded copy will be returned to you by e-mail attachment.
7. Evaluation of the essay will include the following factors: 1) how completely and well are all of the formal specifications above met? 2) how clear and coherent are the two forms of the report? 3) how accurately, thoughtfully, and insightfully is the film understood, analyzed, and evaluated in relation to the question above?

D. CLASS PARTICIPATION will constitute 10% of the course grade.

1. Class participation is a portion of the grade based on the instructor’s estimation of the integrity of each student’s timely engagement with the course material and the classroom environment.
2. Part of the material on which this portion of the grade will be based will be various brief written assignments (e.g., answering study questions and/or developing questions about or reflecting on course material).  A record of the assignments and their general sufficiency will be kept (i.e., pass/not pass).
3. Another part of the material on which this portion of the grade will be based will be an assessment of the overall consistency and quality of each student's attentiveness and involvement in the course.  Attentiveness and involvement include discussion, listening, and note-taking.  Talkativeness is not the standard, though, any more than is silence.  Rather, the goal for each student is an overall consistent engagement with the material of the course in class, which, while allowing for differences in personalities and variety in class sessions, could by a reasonable observer at the end of the course be deemed, if exceptional, "excellent" or at least "good."
4. Of course, attendance is essential to class participation (see also below under section labeled Time In and Out of Class). When appropriate, the instructor is prepared to be flexible with occasional student scheduling problems, but the instructor must be consulted.  “Exceptions” are not an entitlement.

COURSE MISCELLANY:

1. Late Assignments

1. All assignments are due as stated in the syllabus or announced in class.
2. Extensions due to illness, approved field trips, regularly scheduled games or performances, or other reasons outside the control of the student can be made, but it is up to the student to petition the instructor for such legitimate extensions.
3. Papers (report; essay): If a paper is handed in late up to a week after it was due and without a legitimate extension, it will normally receive a penalty of at least one full grade down from whatever score the work merits apart from the penalty.  If a paper is over a week late and without a legitimate extension, it will not be accepted.
4. Finals: Finals can only be rescheduled through application to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (aforgett@nwciowa.edu); travel plans are not a legitimate reason for rescheduling finals.  All material must be in to the instructor by the scheduled period; no materials will be accepted thereafter.

2. Academic Honesty

1. It is expected that all reading and written work done in and for the course will be done with integrity.  That is, reading and writing as assigned is to be done with honest single-mindedness by each student, without undue reliance on others to do the work and without deceit about the work's timeliness, authorship, and sources.  Integrity of this sort is not easy or convenient; it does not provide shortcuts or guarantee "As."  Yet it is the best path to growth in wisdom, and wisdom is the fruit of education most to be savored.
2. Academic dishonesty includes cheating and plagiarism, as defined in the Student and Faculty Handbooks.
3. Cheating in exams, plagiarizing in papers, and other forms of academic dishonesty, will, when duly determined, lead to a "0" score for the assignment involved and the filing of a report with the Academic Dean (VPAA), per the Student and Faculty Handbooks.

3. Grading

1. We the faculty of the History Department do not believe that "grade inflation" is good for you. Jesus admonishes us to "Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'" (Mt. 5:37); in other words, let grades have integrity as indicators of knowledge and/or competence for a given assignment or course.
2. Therefore, an A=excellent or outstanding work; B=good work (more than adequate but not excellent); C=sufficient work (the assignment or the course’s requirements have been met, but not with any remarkable quality); D=insufficient work (does not fully meet the assignment); F=failing work.
3. Grades for assignments and for the course as a whole are based on a 100% scale, as follows:

A = 90-100

B = 80-89

C = 70-79

D = 60-69

F = 0-59

4. Within the 100% scale for letter grades, + and - will be given on the following scale (exceptions: no A+ or F + or F-):

+ = x7-x9

- = x0-x2

5. Remember--grades are NOT a measure of your personal worth; that is already established by God! Grades are measures of the quality of your work for a given assignment and/or course--nothing more and nothing less.

4. Advice for Doing Well in History Courses:

A. READING

• There are three important things you should do with the reading: Read it all; take notes on it so that you can use it; and draw on all of it that may be relevant for each course assignment.
• Reading for history courses is not so much about memorizing data, but about seeing the structure, the argument, and the supporting evidence in a reading, and to also think critically about context, authorship, and audience.  Mark and take notes on these things as you read.  The time you take on making notes as you read will save you time later when you go back to look for material for your writing assignments.
• There is not enough in-class time to go over all the reading, but, if there is something in the reading you wish to ask about or discuss, please, do not hesitate to raise your question or make your observation.  If you become an active, engaged reader, it will help you learn, not just in this course but others as well.

B. WRITING

• Writing is the primary method by which you will show me that you have read the assigned material and not only considered it thoughtfully, but also considered in-class discussions, films, and other materials.
• In most history courses, including this one, some research is required.  Research is not, in and of itself, mysterious, but, to be done well, it needs to be done critically (i.e., analytically) and thoroughly.  This criticalness and thoroughness demands time, and also, of course, reading, but the end result is written.
• Since this is a history course, grammar, spelling, syntax, and other such things that might well be graded in a writing course are not the focus in your writing here.  Nonetheless, the better you are at writing a clearly worded, coherently ordered essay with an introduction, a thesis or claim, several main points (with supporting evidence from the reading and other course materials), and a summary conclusion, the better the historical substance of your writing will stand out.  For help with writing, please don't hesitate to see history tutors in the Writing/Academic Support Services Center (VP127).

C. THE PACE OF THE CLASS

• This course may seem "slow" in terms of written assignments, but do not take the slowness for lack of rigor in how the main assignments will be graded.
• As the past itself took time, so this course about the past has to let some things unfold before there can be meaningful interaction with course material.  Moreover, research takes time: to select a topic, to do the research, and write the paper.  Thus, there is no good way around the necessity to have more than 50% of the course grade with assignments due in the second half of the class.
• So, plan ahead! Don't let yourself fall behind; all the major due dates are in the syllabus, and the reading assignments are there as well.  A good habit to cultivate is to read ahead, especially for materials that will be the focus of class discussion.

D. TIME IN AND OUT OF CLASS

• The old wisdom still stands: "you reap what you sow" (Gal. 6:7b).  Sooner or later, what one puts into something is usually directly related to what one receives, whether one is engaging in farming, music, sports, drama, or studying.
• As noted above, reading is central to this class--and reading takes time.  Research also takes time.  (And, history courses are 2/4 credits, further reflecting the importance for work outside class.)  A rule of thumb for humanities courses (history, literature, philosophy, religion) is that spending 2 hours on the class in addition to every hour in class usually brings better fruit than spending less than that.  That is, for a 3-hour-a-week, 4 credit class, an average of 6 hours per week on the class is a reasonable goal if you wish to do well in the class.
• If you signed up for this course, I expect you to be in class.  Yet, I do not take class attendance.  I have other ways I would rather spend class time, and I assume that you are adults and that you will thus be in class unless an emergency intervenes.  I hope that you are interested in the course (or that I can awaken interest in you for the course), and that you will thus want to come.  I will try hard not to waste your time.  Apart from this, someone is paying lots of money for you to attend here, and presumably you (and whoever else is involved) are interested in getting your money's worth from your investment.  And, the less you are in class, the more you miss opportunities for understanding the course material: discussions; concepts explained; themes noted; issues to ponder; connections to make; additional material presented; explanations of assignments or other things; etc.  Someone else's notes seldom do a good job of capturing such things.  Finally, I (and other faculty) notice more than you might think.  If you are absent a lot, and with no legitimate explanation, then when it comes time for me to total up your work for a course grade, I will have little to no reason to give you any benefit of the doubt.

E. STUDY ADVICE 

• Rule of thumb: If you wish to do well in history classes, generally plan on two hours of outside work for every in-class hour. Much reading and some writing is involved, and this takes time to do adequately, let alone well.
• Spirituality: Approach your studies with a prayerful attitude. Pray for discipline, for attentiveness, for discernment and understanding. Christ is Lord of all of life, so is he Lord of our learning. Give him the glory with the mind he has given you. We don't think of playing an instrument or playing basketball without practice; why would anyone think that glorifying God with our minds takes any less time--any less prayer and disciplined action?
• Reading: READ ATTENTIVELY AND INTELLIGENTLY. For history courses, the point of reading is to gain information AND to put that information within some context, or thesis, or pattern. For the main text for the course, watch for all the cues authors give you as to 1) what detail is more important than others and 2) how the details are marshaled into larger patterns that "tell a story" or "make a point."
• Further Help: You should be able to handle this course with sufficient time and attention. After all, hundreds of other students have. However, if you run into problems, DON'T HESITATE TO ASK FOR HELP: me, my student assistant, folks in the Writing Center.