American History to 1877 HST 330 Fall 1991 (MW 2-3:15) Instructor: Dr. Donna Spindel Office: Smith Hall 771 Phone: 696-2719 Office Hours: MW 9:00-11:00; T TH 9:00-11:00 and 2-3:30 [Other times by appointment] Required Books Norton, A People and a Nation, Volume I, to 1877 Dinnerstein, American Vistas (1607-1877) Smith, Inside the Great House Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin PLEASE BRING TO CLASS SIX BLUEBOOKS (SMALL SIZE). DO NOT WRITE IN THESE BOOKS. THEY WILL BE USED BY THE HISTORY DEPARTMENT AS EXAM BOOKS. Quiz Dates (quizzes will be on articles assigned in Dinnerstein, "American Vistas" Sept. 3: Nichols, "Indians and Colonists in Virginia and New England" 10: Morgan, "The Puritans and Sex" 17: Gunderson, "The Double Bonds of Race and Sex" 24: Depauw, "Land of the Unfree" 26: Devons, "Benjamin Franklin as Experimental Philosopher" Oct. 8: Sutton, "The Northwest Ordinance" 22: Henretta, "Society and Republicanism" 24: Carson, "Watermelon Armies and Whiskey Boys" 29: Lewis, "The Republican Wife" 31: Dublin, "Women, Work and Protest in the Early Lowell Mills" Nov. 7: Satz, "Indian Policy in the Jacksonian Era" 12: Faragher & Stansell, ""Overland Trail" 14: Maddox, "Fifty-four Forty or Fight" 21: Finkelman, "Slavery" Dec. 3: Lightner, "Abraham Lincoln" 10: Foner, "Reconstruction: A Reinterpretation" Quizzes You should be prepared for a four question quiz on each of the assignments above. Quizzes will be given at the start of class on the day indicated above. There will be no make-up quizzes except for students with institutional excused absences. Exams We will have two 55 minute exams and a 2 hr. final. The first two exams will cover one-third of the course. The final exam will include a comprehensive question. Exams will contain short answer questions and essays. All make-up exams, without exception, will be given on the day designated in the syllabus. Students who take a make-up can expect a more difficult test than the regularly scheduled exam since they can benefit from feedback from classmates and a longer time in which to prepare. In Class Book Analysis You will be writing an in-class essay on each of the two above assigned books. The essay will be based on one or more general questions about the book. You will be given the questions at the start of class. As you read each book, take notes and be sure to consider the author's major points or themes. DATES TO REMEMBER Exam 1: Oct. 1 Book Analysis (Inside the Great House): October 17 Exam 2: November 5 Book Analysis (Uncle Tom's Cabin): November 19 Final: December 17 Make-up: December 4 (3:30-4:25 PM) Attendance Attendance will be taken each day at the very beginning of class for my own record-keeping. This record may be used to adjust borderline grades. Since exams are based heavily on class lecture and discussion, excessive absences invariably result in a poor or failing grade. Without question, you are always responsible for material covered when you are absent, regardless of the reason for your absence. Course Grade Quiz average 15% First Exam 15% Essay 1 10% Second Exam 20% Essay 2 15% Final Exam 25% All your work is graded on a 100 point basis with 90 or above being an "A", 80 or above a "B", etc. Each piece of work is weighted differently. To calculate your final grade, which is determined by your total number of points, take the sum of your five weighted scores and multiply by 5. A=540 points B=480 points C=420 points D=less than 360 points HOW TO WRITE A GOOD EXAM Essay: 1. Answer the questions as if a person with no knowledge of the subject will be reading it. The instructor cannot assume that you have learned something that does not appear in your answer. 2. Do not write the first thing that comes to mind. Read the question carefully, being sure that you understand all its parts. It helps first to make a list of the points you wish to write down in the order in which you will discuss them. 4. Be sure your answer sticks closely to the question. Including irrelevant information will not improve your grade and will cost you time. 5. Do not repeat yourself. Each sentence should add new material. 6. Always proofread an answer. If you are writing quickly you might make errors or put down a sentence that is unclear or makes no sense. A well-written essay should show a good knowledge of the subject, clear thinking about the points you are covering, well-structured sentences, and a full understanding of the question. An adequate answer should fill at least two sides of a bluebook page.