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HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FROM 1865

History 202-01, Spring Semester 2009

(4 Credits)

 

Professor: Douglas Firth Anderson
Office, Phone, & E-mail: VPH 212, x7054, firth@nwciowa.edu
Office hours: MWF, 2:10-3:10 p.m., or by appointment

Class Period: MWF, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Class Location: RSC 118
 

 

Web page: http://home.nwciowa.edu/firth/
Course materials available on Synapse.

(Printing off materials is recommended.)

 


WISDOM FOR THE JOURNEY

I. Why Study History?

A. [W]e intend Northwestern graduates to be persons who

    Engage Ideas

  • Demonstrating competence in navigating and contributing to the world of ideas and information, having learned to listen, read, question, evaluate, [and] write ... with a disciplined imagination.
  • Pursuing truth faithfully in all aspects of life; developing, articulating, and supporting their own beliefs; and seeking meaningful dialog with those holding different convictions.

From the NWC Vision for Learning

B. Life can only be understood backwards ... .

Soren Kierkegaard, as quoted in Laurence J. Peter, ed., Peter's Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (New York: Bantam Books, 1977), 305.

C. [H]istory holds the potential ... of humanizing us in ways offered by few other areas in the school curriculum. ...

The argument I make pivots on a tension that underlies every encounter with the past: the tension between the familiar and the strange, between feelings of proximity and feelings of distance in relation to the people we seek to understand. ...

Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2001), 5.

II. Why Isn't Studying and Understanding History Simple?

A. [H]istory [i]s a web of contingency.  Contingency is about events, choices, and agency. Webs are about structures and processes, which amplify the agency of individual choices in some ways, and constrain them in others.

David Hackett Fischer, "Response to Yerxa, Kersh, Glen, and Morone," Historically Speaking 7 (Sept./Oct. 2005), 25.

B. History-making . . . is a creative enterprise, by means of which we fashion out of fragments of human memory and selected evidence of the past a mental construct of a coherent past world that makes sense to the present.

Gerda Lerner, “The Necessity of History,” in Why History Matters: Life and Thought, idem (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 117.

III. What Myths Might Help Us Understand American History? (myth: a metaphor or story that articulates a group’s most dominant self-understanding)

A. The American Dream:

We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness …

Declaration of Independence (1776)

B. Frontier:

The cultural theorist Richard Slotkin describes the myth of the frontier as “the conquest of the wilderness and the subjugation or displacement of the Native Americans …[as] the means to our achievement of a national identity, a democratic polity, an ever-expanding economy, and a phenomenally dynamic and ‘progressive’ civilization.” It was at the frontier, where civilization confronted wilderness, that American values were forged. The frontier provided abundance for those courageous enough to seize it, in contrast to the scarcity and squalor and discontent common in cities in the East [or Europe]. The frontier myth braced and was braced by individualism, Social Darwinism, Manifest Destiny, and similar traditions of American ideology, and has been endlessly replayed and elaborated through the cultural power of novels, films, and journalism. While not always recognized for what it is, it informs our foreign policy, our sense of place, and our purpose on this planet.

The frontier metaphor imparts ideas of American exceptionalism and the moral right to resources, cultural superiority, and limitlessness in all things we choose to do.

John Tirman, “The Future of the American Frontier,” American Scholar 78 (Winter 2009): 33, 37.

C. Innocent Nation:

The ... myth of the Innocent Nation ... emerged in the twentieth century and draws its strength from all the other myths that have defined American life in previous epochs. ...

The emergence of this myth depended to a great extent on America's participation in two world wars.  World War II was especially important in this regard, for it allowed Americans to imagine that because they faced great evil, they themselves were altogether righteous in both intent and behavior and therefore innocent in the world. ...

... At its very best, the myth [of America as the Innocent Nation] reminded the American people of the virtues on which the republic had been built.  Therein, however, lay the irony that stood at the heart of the myth.  For a preoccupation with national virtues would inevitably crowd out any serious consideration of the nation's shortcomings. ...

The fact that Americans have so often transformed their national myths into their moral opposite prompts us to recall ... this ... : "the ironic tendency of virtues to turn into vices when too complacently relied upon," as Reinhold Niebuhr put it.

Richard T. Hughes, Myths America Lives By (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2003), 8, 192.

IV. How Might a Christian Perspective Shape Our Understanding of American History?

Does Micah’s injunction to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God” (6:8) have any bearing on a Christian’s historical work?  I believe that it does.  We do justice when we give all the historical actors their due, not privileging those who had the most power, or for whom we have more data.  Loving kindness means exercising compassion towards our historical subjects.  They were no more limited by their location and biases than we are.  They were creating their lives as they went; we need to re-create those lives with a minimum of moralizing.  To walk humbly is to recognize that even hindsight is not fully accurate and that our accounts are never definitive.

G. Marcille Frederick, “Doing Justice in History: Using Narrative Frames Responsibly,” in History and the Christian Historian, ed. Ronald A. Wells (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1998), 220.

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

What is this course? In accordance with the catalogue description, "This [course] surveys developments [in the United States] from 1865 to the present with the focus being upon the transformation of the U.S. into a modern urban-industrial society and its emergence as a 20th century world power." Various aspects of North American society and culture, including politics, economics, philosophy, the fine arts, popular mores, and religion, will be examined in historical context.

What will class meetings be like? The course will meet three times a week. In general, lectures will constitute much of in-class time each week. Additionally, however, significant time will be regularly taken in discussion of the readings and viewing relevant documentaries or other types of films.

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 1400 pp. of assigned reading will be required. Research reading will be required that is in addition to the assigned reading.  Various longer and shorter writing assignments will be central to the course.  Discussion time will be provided for.  There will be three required exams.

COURSE OBJECTIVES (WHAT DIFFERENCE THIS COURSE SHOULD MAKE):

 

1.      To become familiar with major elements and examples of American life and thought as they have developed from the end of the Civil War to the present, since to examine America's historical experience is to examine something of ourselves.

2.      To further develop skills in analytical reading, critical thinking, and writing through course assignments and activities, since such liberal arts 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 practice of historical method beyond the level of the Western civilization sequence 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 integrating a deepened understanding of America's historical experience with a Christian perspective on faith and life, for "in [Christ] all things hold together" (Col. 1:17).

 

COURSE OUTLINE:

 

Date

(MWF)

In-Class Subjects, Exams, & Papers

Reading Assignments
(to be done FOR class on the date noted)

Jan. 14

Course Introduction I: Introductions & Syllabus

 

Jan. 16

Course Introduction II: Historical Method

*Carnes/Garraty, Preface (pp. xxiii-xxv)

*Syllabus, Wisdom for the Journey (pp. 1-3)

Jan. 19

Reconstruction & the South I

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 15, Pt. 1 (pp. 435-445)

Jan. 21

Reconstruction & the South II

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 15, Pt. 2 (pp. 445-459)

Jan. 23

Reconstruction & the West

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 16, entire (pp. 460-481)

Jan. 26

Black Elk Speaks I/QUESTIONING SOURCES PAGE

*Neihardt, About This Book and Its Author, Preface, & Chaps. I-XI (pp. 235-238, ix-122)

Jan. 28

Black Elk Speaks II/QUESTIONING SOURCES PAGE

*Neihardt, Chaps. XII-Author’s Postscript (pp. 123-234)

Jan. 30

Industrialization I

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 17, Pt. 1 (pp. 482-496)

Feb. 2

Industrialization II

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 17, Pt. 2 (pp. 496-509)

Feb. 4

Urbanization I

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 18, Pt. 1 (pp. 510-521)

Feb. 6

Urbanization II

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 18, Pt. 2 (pp. 521-534)

Feb. 9

Literature & Expertise

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 19, entire (pp. 535-553)

Feb. 11

Bosses & Populists

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 20, entire (pp. 554-580)

Feb. 13

RESEARCH DAY (NO CLASS; instructor will be in Des Moines for the State National Register Nominations Review Committee)

 

Feb. 16

EXAM #1

 

Feb. 18

Thomas Edison and Modern America I/QUESTIONING SOURCES PAGE

*Collins/Gitelman, Introduction & Chaps. 1-2 (pp. 1-79)

Feb. 20

Thomas Edison and Modern America II/QUESTIONING SOURCES PAGE

*Collins/Gitelman, Chaps. 3-4 (pp. 80-189)

Feb. 23

RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE/Progressivism I

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 21, Pt. 1 (pp. 581-594)

Feb. 25

Progressivism II

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 21, Pt. 2 (pp. 594-611)

Feb. 27

From Isolation to Empire

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 22, entire (pp. 613-639)

Mar. 2

The Great War I

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 23, Pt. 1 (pp. 640-656)

Mar. 4

The Great War II

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 23, Pt. 2 (pp. 656-669)

Mar. 6

Culture Wars I

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 24, Pt. 1 (pp. 670-683)

Mar. 18

Culture Wars II

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 24, Pt. 2 (pp. 684-696)

Mar. 20

The Scopes Trial I/QUESTIONING SOURCES PAGE

*Moran, Pt. I & Pt. II, Chaps. 1-4 (pp. 1-106)

Mar. 23

The Scopes Trial II/QUESTIONING SOURCES PAGE

*Moran, Pt. II, Chaps. 5-8 & Pt. III (pp. 107-217)

Mar. 25

Depression I

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 25, Pt. 1 (pp. 697-709)

Mar. 27

Depression II

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 25, Pt. 2 (pp. 709-720)

Mar. 30

The New Deal I

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 26, Pt. 1 (pp. 721-735)

Apr. 1

DAY OF LEARNING IN COMMUNITY (NO CLASS)

 

Apr. 3

The New Deal II

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 26, Pt. 2 (pp. 736-752)

Apr. 6

EXAM #2

 

Apr. 8

The Second World War I

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 27, Pt. 1 (pp. 753-764)

Apr. 15

The Second World War II

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 27, Pt. 2 (pp. 764-779)

Apr. 17

Eleanor Roosevelt I/QUESTIONING SOURCES PAGE

*Youngs, Preface, Prologue, & Chaps. 1-5 (pp. xi-123)

Apr. 20

Eleanor Roosevelt II/QUESTIONING SOURCES PAGE

*Youngs, Chaps. 6-10 (pp. 125-265)

Apr. 22

Cold War I

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 28, Pt. 1 (pp. 780-794)

Apr. 24

Cold War II

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 28, Pt. 2 (pp. 794-809)

Apr. 27

From Camelot to Watergate I

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 29, Pt. 1 (pp. 810-823)

Apr. 29

From Camelot to Watergate II

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 29, Pt. 2 (pp. 823-839)

May 1

Culture Wars III

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 30, entire (pp. 840-863)

May 4

BIOGRAPHICAL PAPER DUE (NO CLASS)

 

May 6

A Resurgent Conservatism

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 31, entire (pp. 864-889)

May 8

The American Dream and the New Century

*Carnes/Garraty, Chap. 32, entire (pp. 890-925)

May 11

EXAM #3, Mon., 10:30-12:30 p.m., scheduled finals period

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Reading (in assignment order):

·         Carnes, Mark C. and John A. Garraty. American Destiny: Narrative of a Nation. 3rd ed.  New York: Pearson-Longman, 2008. ISBN 9780205568041 (Vol. 2, Since 1865, ISBN 0321510860)

·        Neihardt, John G. Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux. Illus. Standing Bear. New York: Washington Square Press, 1972 (orig. ed. 1932). ISBN 0671452215

·         Collins, Theresa M. and Lisa Gitelman with Gregory Jankunis. Thomas Edison and Modern America: A Brief History with Documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002. ISBN 0312247346

·         Moran, Jeffrey P. The Scopes Trial: A Brief History with Documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002. ISBN 0312249195

·         Youngs, J. William T. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Personal and Public Life. 3rd ed. New York: Pearson-Longman, 2006. ISBN 0321342321

2. Assignments:

A. THREE EXAMS on course material will constitute 50% of the course grade.

1)      WHEN?

a)      Exam #1: FEB. 16 (Mon.).

b)      Exam #2: APR. 8 (Mon.).

c)      Exam #3: scheduled final period (MAY 11, Mon., 10:30-12:30 p.m.).

2)      WHAT % OF THE COURSE GRADE WILL EACH BE?

a)      Exam #1: 15%.

b)      Exam #2: 15%.

c)      Exam #3: 20%.

3)      WHAT WILL EACH COVER & OF WHAT WILL EACH CONSIST?

a)      Exam #1: a unit exam primarily on course reading, with a long essay and a short essay question.

b)      Exam #2: a unit exam primarily on course reading, with a long essay and a short essay question.

c)      Exam #3: a unit exam primarily on course reading, with a long essay and a short essay question, and a take-home comprehensive essay question.

4)      WILL THERE BE A STUDY SHEET FOR EACH?

a)      For each exam, a study sheet will be posted on Synapse (Content section for the course) a week ahead of the exam.  The study sheet for exam #3 will also include the take-home essay question.

 

5)      WHAT SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO EACH EXAM?

a)      Pen(s)/pencil(s).

b)      Blue book (available in the NWC bookstore).

c)      An 8 ½ x 11 inch sheet of outlines and notes (typed or handwritten, both sides if necessary).  This exam sheet must be handed in with the exam blue book.

B. A BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENT RESEARCH PAPER will constitute 30% of the course grade.

1)      WHAT IS YOUR TASK IN THIS RESEARCH PROJECT?

 

a)      To select a primary document/set of primary documents by or connected with an American individual (not necessarily native born) who is no longer living but significant after 1865 about who/which

b)      you may pose an interesting historical problem or question and

c)      through your research about the American individual, her or his context, and your analysis of the primary document(s)

d)      write a paper that takes a position regarding the historical problem or question posed and thereby helps readers understand some of the historical significance of the document(s) and their author.

 

2)     WHAT IS A PRIMARY DOCUMENT?

 

a)      A primary document is a firsthand source, either by the post-1865 American person you have selected or about them by someone who had direct contact with them.

b)      A primary document could be in many forms, e.g., a recorded oral account, a memoir, a diary, a collection of letters, a sermon, a speech, a report, an opinion piece, a painting, a musical composition, a photographic collection, a film, etc.

 

3)     HOW MIGHT I CONSTRUCT AN INTERESTING HISTORICAL PROBLEM OR QUESTION?

 

a)      Sometimes a problem or question easily presents itself, either before or during research: Why was this document written/created? How could the author think this when they did something that seems to contradict this? What does this document mean? Is this really what went on, or is this intentionally misleading?  Was this really written by the author? Why was this document so popular/unpopular?  Why do historians disagree about the meaning/importance/authenticity of this document?

b)      When a problem or a question does not so easily present itself, try working back from what seems a significant claim or a thesis supported by the historical evidence.  That is, turn into a problem or a question that which you wish to argue or claim about the document(s) and their author.

 

4)     WHO IS THE AUDIENCE FOR THIS PAPER?

 

a)      Address your paper to adults who know little about your topic, but who are curious about the past and who appreciate well-researched, thoughtful, and clearly written work.

 

5)     WHAT ARE THE RESEARCH REQUIRMENTS FOR THIS PAPER?

 

a)      The use of one or more significant primary documents.

b)      Of secondary sources, the use of a minimum of

 

·         one specialized reference work, e.g., a biographical or topical dictionary or encyclopedia

·         one book, e.g., a biography or a specialized monograph on a topic related to your document’s author

·         two academic articles (normally, in a historical journal published quarterly, and with foot- or endnotes)

·         (Wikipedia is fine for leading you to other sources, but it is too unreliable to include as a final source.)

·         Carnes and Garraty’s text has all sorts of bibliographic material; take a look.  Also, using the text as a source in addition to the required minimum of one book is fine.

 

c)      Online sources are not required, but you might well find important primary and secondary sources there, so do look.  As you do, consider the links I have made to Course Links, a webpage located in the Contents section of Synapse for this course.

d)      Recommended databases for periodical literature are America: History and Life and JSTOR, both available through the NWC Ramaker Library Homepage under Databases/Major-discipline/History.

e)      Going beyond the minimums specified in b) is, of course, welcome.  The reference staff of Ramaker Library, as well as the course instructor, will be happy to provide advice on research possibilities if you ask.

 

6)     WHAT IS THE REQUIRED FORMAT FOR THIS PAPER?

 

a)      An opening section should introduce readers to the topic, that is, what document and author your paper is about, what problem or question you are addressing, and what your position/claim/thesis in relation to the problem or question is.

b)      A concluding section should summarize your position/claim/thesis in relation to the problem or question you raised at the beginning of the paper (and which you have kept before readers in the course of your paper), and provide some final reflections about the historical significance of your topic.  These reflections should not come as a surprise to the reader; rather, they should arise “naturally” out of the analysis and argument that you have made in your paper.

c)      The paper should have footnotes (Chicago Style; see guides for this form either linked to the Ramaker Library homepage or to Course Links). Footnotes are required for all quotations.  Footnotes may also be used to alert the reader to one or more source of information even when not directly quoted, and they may be used to provide further detail or discussion that is relevant but which would divert readers from the main argument if put in the main text of the paper.

d)      The paper should have a bibliography (Chicago Style; see guides for this form either linked to the Ramaker Library homepage or to Course Links). A bibliography should include all sources consulted, not only the ones cited.

e)      The paper should have a title page including a title, your name, the due date, and your e-address.

f)       The paper should be typed double spaced, except for single-spaced block quotations, footnotes, and bibliography.

g)      The paper should be 12-15 pp. including title page and bibliography.

 

7)     WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR THIS PAPER?

 

a)      Jan. 14-Feb. 22: select a topic and engage in preliminary research.

b)      Feb. 23 (Mon.): Research Prospectus due by midnight, Mon. Feb. 23. A prospectus should be a preliminary description of your project.

 

·         The prospectus should be 2 pages, typed single spaced, with a header (your name, a preliminary title, the prospectus due date, your e-address).

·         It should contain on one page an explanation of your topic (i.e., what is the document[s], by or connected to whom, what problem/question do you intend to address, and why is your topic interesting/problematic/significant historically?)

·         and a second page of a preliminary bibliography (including your primary document[s]), all in Chicago Style. (See guides for this form either linked to the Ramaker Library homepage or to Course Links.)

·         Please submit the prospectus as a Microsoft Word file (that is, .docx,.doc, or rtf. file) 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).  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).

·         The prospectus will not be graded. However, failure to submit a prospectus by the specified due date will mean that the final paper will receive a penalty reduction of a third of a letter grade.  That is, if the paper is a B+, the penalty will knock it down to a B; if a B, then down to a B-, etc.

 

c)      Feb. 24–May 3: Finish research and writing of paper. Consult the course instructor, reference librarians, and Writing Center tutors as needed. An outline and first draft of your paper is recommended. These can be examined by the course instructor and/or Writing Center tutors for feedback, if time permits.

d)     May 4:  Paper due by midnight, Mon., May 4. (It can be turned in earlier, of course; late papers are subject to the penalty stated in the Course Miscellany section of this syllabus.) Please submit the finished paper as a Microsoft Word file (that is, .docx,.doc, or rtf. file) 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).  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)     WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF THIS PAPER?

 

a)      How have you met the stipulations of the assignment?

b)      How thoroughly have you researched your topic?

c)      How historically attuned is your project (i.e., accuracy, engaged with historical context, aware of interpretive challenges)?

d)     How lucid and cogent is your presentation, including presenting and supporting your historical problem/claim/thesis?

e)      How insightful is your analysis and interpretation, including your consideration of your topic’s historical significance?

 

C. QUESTIONING SOURCES will constitute 16% of the course grade

 

1)      The supplemental books by Neihardt, Collins/Gitelman, Moran, and Youngs are subject to testing in the scheduled exams.

2)      In addition, these books are intended to provide multiple opportunities to engage with historical sources.

3)      Each supplemental book will have two days assigned to it for in-class discussion (i.e., Neihardt on Jan. 26 & 28, Collins/Gitelman on Feb. 18 & 20, Moran on Mar. 20 & 23, and Youngs on Apr. 17 & 20).

4)      For each such day assigned for a supplemental book, your admission to class is bringing a “Questioning Sources” page.  That is, if you do not hand a “Questioning Sources” page to me at the beginning of class, you will need to leave the class, since you will not be prepared for participation.

5)      A “Questioning Sources” page should consist of the following:

 

a)      One page, typed single spaced, with a header (your name, date, and RSC Box #).

b)      A one-sentence question or problem arising from that day’s assigned reading placed at the beginning. (On formulating questions or problems, see B.3. above.)

c)      Two or more paragraphs (up to a page) explaining your question or problem (i.e., what in/about the reading evoked the question/problem) and speculating on a possible answer(s) or ways of investigating the question/problem.

d)      When quoting or otherwise referring to specific pages in the assignment, note the page(s) in parentheses, e.g. (17-18).

 

6)      Each “Questioning Sources” page is worth 2% of the course grade (2% x 8 = 16%).

7)      The criteria for evaluation of each “Questioning Sources” page are

 

a)      How have you met the stipulations of the assignment?

b)      How historically attuned is your question/problem, explanation, and speculation (i.e., how thoughtfully have read the assignment, considered it in historical context, and show awareness of interpretive challenges)?

c)      How lucid and cogent is your writing?

D. CLASS PARTICIPATION will constitute 4% of the course grade.

1)      Class participation is a portion of the grade based on my estimation of the integrity of your engagement with the course material and the classroom environment.

2)      Normally, regular attendance and the handing in of complete assignments when due will be taken as at least sufficient for fulfilling this part of the course grade.  Fulfilling this part of the course grade means that this portion of the grade will not pull down the rest of the course grade.  If such fulfillment is of exceptional quality, this will be noted.

3)      Occasionally, brief in-class writing, such as “what is your understanding of … ?” or “what is most confusing about … ?” or “what question do you have about … ?” may be assigned.  These will not be graded, but they will be recorded and become part of the evidence for item 1) above.

4)      When appropriate, I am prepared to be flexible with occasional student scheduling problems, but I must be consulted.  “Exceptions” are not an entitlement.

COURSE MISCELLANY:

1. Late Assignments

a)       All assignments are due as stated in the syllabus or announced in class.

b)      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.

c)       Papers: 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.

d)      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

a)       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.

b)      Academic dishonesty includes cheating and plagiarism, as defined in the Student and Faculty Handbooks.

c)       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

a)      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.

b)      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.

c)      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

d)      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

 

 

 

 

e)      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. Study Advice 

a)      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 writing is involved, and this takes time to do adequately, let alone well.

b)      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?

c)      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."

d)      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.