HISTORY 41: THE UNITED STATES, 1820 TO 1890 (FALL 2002)

SCHEDULE, ATTENDANCE, and ADA ACCOMMODATIONS

See the attached Schedule and Assignment Page <http://www.furman.edu/~benson/h41schedulef02.htm> for schedule and assignment information. Note that the mid-term examination s have been scheduled for the evening to allow fairly for those who need extra time. This is an official class meeting and may not be rescheduled without University approval. Please let me know during the first week of class if this poses an extraordinary burden.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

I have established a web-based on-line message system (<http://www.quicktopic.com/16/H/GdyhMRZRf5C;) for this course.

Messages can be brief, but you are responsible in your submission for (1) reflecting in a scholarly way on your day's lecture, presentations, or exercises, (2) responding explicitly (with specific names and quotations) to what you think is the best or most intellectually provocative message from your group and previous postings. You must do both the reflection and the reaction tasks to receive credit. In addition to this you are encouraged to develop spontaneous discussion threads and conversations. You are encouraged to submit more than one message per assignment, especially when responding to another participant. In the event of technical problems you will need to notify me (before class if possible).

You are required to submit at least one graded message per cycle. You may exclude other messages from the grading process if you wish, by writing Not for evaluation at the top of your submission. Messages will be graded on their relevance, sophistication, inquisitiveness, and choice of other messages responded to. I am especially favorable to comments that (1) make specific references to specific pages, sections, or paragraphs in assigned materials, (2) that make connections to course themes and previously-discussed course topics, (3) that put things into an historical and historiographical context, and finally (4) Show serious intellectual engagement with the comments of your fellow students. In addition to the individual discussion grade I will assign an overall group grade at the end of the term which will reflect the quality of intellectual exchange among all of your group's messages and your group's ability to integrate your topics with the themes that emerge in other groups. Messages that could have been submitted by a fourth grader or that show obvious ignorance of previous postings will not be considered passing quality. Your initial message should be at least a paragraph in length. Except where noted in the syllabus these submissions are due before class meeting time. In the event of technical problems you will need to notify me before class.

On-line Manners

Do not steer away from controversy. Course readings and topics have been selected in part because they raise difficult questions with strong emotional implications. If we did not care about them they would be scarcely worth talking about. Being able to argue a passionate point intellectually and analytically is one of the most important skills you can learn at Furman. The only ground rule is that messages should follow the rules of civilized academic discussion. Never submit anything you would not want me, the department chair, or Dr. Shi to read. You may attack any flawed idea but never the person who uttered the statement. Likewise, it is okay to say that you are bothered or offended by something that someone says in a message, but direct your responses to the substance of the comment rather than to the admittedly flawed character of the author. Be alert that irony, sarcasm, and role-playing don't translate well into messages. In short, tact and discretion are essential. So are vigorous dissent and wise verbal defense.

Some Technical Advice

Do not depend on the message system to be available at the last minute. Servers have a nasty habit of crashing about an hour before the final submission deadline. Be patient. The system may take a minute or two to respond to your submissions, depending on how many previous messages there are and how busy the Furman network is. If your message is particularly long or important, it would be wise for you to save a copy of it before sending it off to the message system. Failure to properly back up your work will not normally be considered a legitimate excuse for not submitting your messages on time. Let me know if you have problems.

Direct References to On-Line Documents

In those discussions where our concentration is on the web-based documents, I will expect you to make specific hyperlink references to the on-line text. Each of the on-line documents used in this course has been numbered sequentially by paragraph. To refer to a specific paragraph in a document, type in the complete web address, followed by a pound sign (#) and the paragraph number. For example, to refer to the 25th paragraph of Andrew Jackson's veto message, enter the following into your message. This will create a working link that all future readers of your message can use.

(http://www.furman.edu/~benson/docs/ajveto.htm#p25")

Note: computer terms and techniques such as web address, URL, or "cut and paste" are not familiar to everyone. If you are not adept with such concepts, please see me or someone in Computing and Information Services immediately for assistance.

You are responsible for integrating lectures, class activities and readings together into a single seamless analysis, so it is wise to work topic by topic, rather than studying the textbooks first and then the notes. Begin by looking at the major topics (as listed in the syllabus and in textbook chapters) that will be included on the test. For each of these main topics you should be able to give an itemized list of major causes, a brief chronology of the most important historical turning points (look for at least four or five of these), an accounting of the major individuals, organizations, or intellectual traditions most directly involved, and a list of the most important results. Many of the main topics (Jacksonian Politics, for example) will be divided into subordinate topics. Apply the same rules of causes, chronology and character, and consequences, to each of these. It goes almost without saying that such systematic study cannot be done well if you start just a couple of days before the test. These are questions and organizing frameworks that you should work on every day between the major assignments.

Term Paper

Final papers must be submitted electronically, preferably as an e-mail attachment, in MS-WORD format. You must use regular text endnotes using the proper footnote style (see the Footnoting Guidelines below). Papers should be approximately 2200 to 3000 words in length, exclusive of footnotes. Since you will be completing a research journal it is not necessary to include a separate bibliography. Papers using Word's automatic footnoting function must have their footnotes converted to regular text. Although your focus should be the primary source itself, you also need to place the source into its context using the secondary literature. To meet minimum passing requirements you will need to consult at least eight relevant books or articles and include them meaningfully into your analysis. Beyond this minimum number it will be the quality and appropriateness rather than the quantity of sources used that will be most impressive.

I will ask you to identify a topic proposal and select a source within the first two weeks of the term. Further information about the scope and topic choices for the assignment will be given in class.

You will also need to submit a research journal. You will need to record entries into the journal as you are conducting your investigation. The journal should include information on
a) the dates you worked on the project,
b) the databases, research tools, journals, and books you consulted (list these by name and date), and how you used them to locate the source (ie: Found on "America: History and Life.")
c) A brief assessment of the quality and biases of the source.

It is my preference that you use an electronic journaling tool for this portion of the assignment. Then you can just e-mail me the url. Of the available tools, www.blogger.com is probably the best, but there are others. These will allow you to complete your entries at the library as you are working through your project. Consult one of the specialists in the CCLC for further technical assistance.

You will be evaluated on the organization, vividness, clarity, and sophistication of your writing, the diligence, creativity, and thoroughness of your research process, and the quality of your overall essay thesis and supporting arguments. Innovation and risk-taking in arguments will be rewarded favorably. The grade will be based primarily on the paper itself, but evidence from the research journal will be a contributing factor.

Stylistic Hints and Suggestions

Take a look at Strunk's Elements of Style. Closer to home, and with a good sense of humor, is Dr. Chris Blackwell's Writing Tips Page. I strongly recommend that you review his section on "How to make sure you have written a good paper." You may find other useful suggestions by looking for "online writing centers" on the web and consulting their writing tips pages.

Below I have listed a few of my personal peccadilloes about style and grammar. You are advised to double-check your papers for such things and remove them, lest red ink flow like water.

1. A clear thesis and logical organization are essential.
2. Write concisely.
3. Avoid passive constructions such as "it was," and "it has been." You must tell who is doing the thing you describe.
4. Like strong seasonings, quotations should be used sparingly.
5. Do not use "I" in formal writing. Declarative sentences are more effective. Everyone already knows from the essay format that this is your own viewpoint. Indiscriminate use of "I" is at once a sign of vanity and of poor confidence.
6. Sentences that combine commentary with descriptive information are a plus. (For example: "The author effectively describes Calhoun's position in the Southern Address of 1849.")
7. Strive for gender-neutral phrasing.
8. Do not start sentences with the word "however."
9. The following words or phrases are powerless and inaccurate. Do not use them:
   1. obviously
   2. in terms of
   3. certain, certainly
   4. basically,
   5. "on a ____ basis"
   6. feels, felt
   7. in-depth
   8. deals with, dealt with
   9. succession (when you mean secession)
   10. Wilmont (when you mean Wilmot)
   11. dominate (when you mean dominant)
   12. Negro, when you mean "African-American" or "Black."
10. Avoid qualifiers. Words such as "somewhat," "literally," and "definitely." are right out.
11. Centuries ("the 1700s") are plural, not possessive. Do not use an apostrophe.
12. Always use the past tense when describing events in the past.

Students are expected to be familiar with the academic honesty and plagiarism guidelines for this course. All citations must be formatted using footnotes or endnotes of the "Turabian Style" of annotation, in reference rather than parenthetical format. For common examples, see the details below or consult with me. For a complete guide to this style consult Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations.

Improperly documented papers will be returned to their authors for revision, along with a dirty look from the instructor. You should use endnotes for both assignments. (MS-Word users should be forewarned that Word's default footnote and endnote settings are non-standard for academic work. Be sure you understand how to set them properly before starting your projects.) Notes are to be numbered sequentially in arabic numbers from the beginning to the end of the document. You are encouraged to combine multiple references into a single note at the end of a paragraph, except when citing a direct quote. For other examples of proper footnoting, look at the Journal of Southern History, the Journal of American History, or the American Historical Review.

Sample Footnoted Paragraph

Example excerpted and heavily adapted from Peter S. Onuf and Drew R. Cayton, The Midwest and the Nation, (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1990), 7-14.

Clustered settlements would be more easily defended against external enemies and internal disorder, and the rapid development of churches, schools, courts, and other local institutions would facilitate the passage to self-government.¹

Assuming this process of social development, the authors of the Northwest Ordinance provided for the gradual substitution of home rule for government by appointed officials.²

[...]Berkhofer agrees that the western ordinances reflect a policy consensus but is more influenced by the emerging "republican synthesis" in early American historiography in his reconstruction of their premises. Berkhofer's seminal essay on Jefferson and the 1784 ordinance delineates the western problem in now familiar republican terms, showing that concerns about sustaining public virtue... shaped the evolution of policy.³

[...]Peter Onuf concludes that "The resulting uncertainty jeopardized territorial rights... If boundaries were not fixed in advance, the other compact promises would be meaningless: Congress could change a territories boundaries whenever it threatened to grow large enough to claim membership in the Union."⁴ Confusion about State boundaries in the Northwest reflected the geographical ignorance of the Ordinance's authors. [...] Michigan's application for admission in 1835 was rejected because the new state claimed the Ordinance line for its southern boundary. Ohio, meanwhile, sought to establish its jurisdiction north of that line in the region around Toledo.⁵

Sample Footnotes (with Comments)

Note: The instructor reserves the right to change any provisions, due dates, grading percentages, and any other items without prior notice. This page was last modified on 9/11/2001

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