15
Hist. 237: Major Issues in American History
Professor L. Paris
Office: 1228 Buchanan Tower
Office Hours: Mondays, 2-4 p.m., or by appointment
voicemail: 822-8810
email:
(I will reply as quickly as possible, but please note that I do not check email regularly on weekends, and it may take me up to a day to return your message on weekdays.)
This introductory survey course examines American history from the colonial era to the present day. We will explore the rise to economic, military, and political importance of the United States; the experiences of ordinary people and diverse communities; and major economic, political, and cultural shifts over time. Topics will include Native American cultures; early European settlements; the American Revolution and the early Republic; slavery and race relations; westward expansion; the Civil War and Reconstruction; industrialization and urbanization; commercial culture and mass culture; political movements including religious revivalism, labour activism, civil rights agitation, and feminism; and the rise of the nation-state in the twentieth century, both domestically and internationally.
HIST 237 is designed to introduce students to some of the fundamental methodological issues of the discipline: the uses of evidence; the genre of scholarly writing; history in the public sphere, and technical research skills. Over the course of the year, the range of assignments will include papers, exams, and participation in class discussions. These assignments will help you to learn how to work with primary and secondary sources, read for argument, and write clearly and persuasively.
Teaching Assistants:
Caitlin Cunningham
Office hours and location:
Thursdays 12:30-2, Brock Hall Annex, 2355A
Hank Trim
Office hours and location:
Mondays 11 to 12.30, BuTo 1111
Lectures:
Fall, Mondays Chemistry 126, Wednesdays Buch D219; Winter, Geography 212
Discussion Sections:
A list is available at
https://courses.students.ubc.ca/cs/main?pname=subjarea&tname=subjareas&req=3&dept=HIST&course=237
Textbook:
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! An American History (New York: W. W. Norton, Third Seagull Edition, 2011).
Reserve readings:
Most of the primary sources are available on the Norton website. Documents are organized by chapter; on the left-hand side you will see the category “documents.” See http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/give-me-liberty3/
Please use the password that comes with your textbook to register. If you have trouble using the Norton website, support.wwnorton.com offers help.
Some reserve articles and links are on the UBC Connect website. The persistent URL for the course reserves is: https://go.library.ubc.ca/4DDbpB
For instructions about how to use the Blackboard system, see the library’s website at http://elearning.ubc.ca/connect/
Please bring copies of online material to discussion section as print-outs so that you can refer to them as needed.
Course requirements:
Please arrive on time to class and turn any cellphones off. This is a computer-free lecture zone, with the exception of students who require classroom accommodation; if you do, please come speak with me.
Evaluations will be based on written work, papers, examinations, and class participation.
Papers: 45%
Term I: primary source analysis, 3 pp. 5%
historiography and revision, 4 pp., 10% (two drafts weighed equally)
Term II: library assignment/final paper prospectus, 2 pp. plus bibliography and library skills sheet, 5%,
final paper and revision, 8-10 pp., 25% (two drafts weighed equally)
Both the second paper in term I and the longer paper in term II will be revised and resubmitted. Please submit both the original version (with comments) and your revised copy; your final mark for the paper will be divided equally between the initial mark and the revised mark. Specific paper assignments will be distributed several weeks in advance of every deadline. For general advice on writing history papers, see http://www.history.ubc.ca/content/writing-centre
All papers should be double-spaced, using a standard 12 point font such as Times. They should be stapled, have a title page (with your name, section, and an original title) and numbered pages, and use footnotes or endnotes as needed. The final paper proposal and the final paper should also include a bibliography.
Please note: all assignments must be completed in order to pass the course. All paper assignments turned in late will be penalized by 2% per date late, unless there is a family or medical emergency that has been cleared with me or your TA (and which you may be asked to document). Any paper that is over a week late will receive only minimal comments. Work due in the first term cannot be accepted after the December exam. Work due in the second term cannot be accepted after the April exam.
Final Exams: 20% per semester = 40%
Exams will cover course material (i.e. readings, lecture, images) from the semester in which they are scheduled.
Class Participation: 15% (including in-class assignments)
This portion of the mark will reflect your thoughtful participation in weekly discussion. Each students will be responsible for generating a list of useful questions for discussion, once per term, and will do in-class writing in section as assigned.
Your discussion section presents the opportunity to work collaboratively through issues raised by the readings. A successful conversation depends on the participation of all members, so everyone should come to the discussion having read the week’s materials and given them some thought. Your preparation for class is vital to an interesting discussion. Please bring all of the week’s readings to class in printed form so that we can look at them together.
Please take some notes as you read each week. Consider both the big picture (the author’s argument, or where you think it fits into larger historiographical debates) and the details that build an argument (such as evidence, style, and organization). Writing down some notes at this point forces you to think about these issues in advance of class, and will help you to remember far better than using a highlighter. How persuasive is the reading, and why? What kind of evidence does it employ, and how successfully? Come prepared to discuss these concerns; each week, be prepared to share at least one historical “why” question in discussion that addresses the week’s readings. You may also periodically share writing in class. As you read scholarly essays, be attentive not only to argument and evidence but also to style and the ways in which these essays are put together.
Some students are more comfortable than others in participating in discussion, but it is vital that everyone contribute. Toward that end, the classroom needs to be a comfortable space for exploration. You don’t have to “know the answers,” and it is always appropriate to ask questions of your peers or discussion leader if there are issues or claims you find intriguing or perplexing.
Attendance will be taken in discussion sections. Excused absences (religious holidays, documented family or medical emergencies) will not affect your participation mark, but with three or more unexcused absences you will fail the participation portion of the class during the semester in question. Similarly, if you come late to class, you distract other students and the instructor; if you chronically come late to class, your mark will reflect this.
On plagiarism
Plagiarism means claiming someone else’s work as your own, without crediting him or her. For instance, pasting a few sentences from the internet or another essay without proper attribution is considered cheating. If you have used the original author’s extended phrasing (or changed only a few words) outside of quotation marks, even if you cite the source in footnotes, it is still considered plagiarism. In a university context, this amounts to theft. It is also unfair to other students. Always keep the notes and rough drafts of your papers. If you have questions about when and how to ascribe information or ideas to others, please come see me or your TA to discuss appropriate writing techniques.
This course uses TurnItIn. Papers should be submitted electronically to TurnItIn by the paper deadlines, as well as in person. I don’t expect to find plagiarism, but I use the TurnItIn system to protect students and to keep the marking fair.
The class ID at turnitin.com is 6725801
The enrollment password is survey
UBC advises students to create anonymous Turn It In aliases, as otherwise your personal data is kept in the United States. You will find instructions for doing so at
http://elearning.ubc.ca/toolkit/turnitin/for-students/
In order to allow the TAs and I to know who is who, please provide your alias, along with your real name, on the title page of the copy you hand in to your TA in person (but do not provide this version of the title page to Turn It In; remove your personal data from your paper first). If you do not already have an alias, please create one according to the following principle: your section number + last name backward. So, for example, I could be 02Sirap.
You can face severe penalties from the university if you are found to have plagiarized. For more on UBC’s plagiarism policies, see
http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,959
On Interpreting Marks:
A range (80 to 100): A+ = 90 +, A = 85-89, A- = 80-84
The A essay or exam:
Has an incisive thesis, is richly developed, and is very well organized. It is polished, and it stands out.
Draws on and compares many sources to develop the key argument.
Uses evidence from the course toward some degree of original synthesis.
Has smooth transitions between paragraphs and arguments.
B Range (68 to 79): B+ = 76-79, B = 72-75, B- = 68-71
The B essay or exam:
Is clearly presented and the argument well-defended.
Is less historiographical than A work (it does not compare approaches or consider counter-arguments in much detail).
Reflects an accurate understanding of the material but does not add new, critical insights. Is well organized and the writing is easy to follow; no major grammatical problems.
C range (55 to 67): C+ = 64-67, C = 60-63, C- = 55-59
The C essay or exam:
Has a clear and reasonable thesis, and its argument is sufficiently developed to support the claims being made.
This paper shows effort at integrating different sources, but there are important gaps in flow, information or analysis.
C papers often reflect only a single approach to the issue, or fail to adequately analyze the data they are mentioning.
D range (50-54)
The D essay or exam is passable. The issues are insufficiently or inadequately analyzed, and the structure is difficult to follow.
F range (below 50)
The F essay or exam either has no thesis or a thesis which cannot be defended as it is too vague, broad or inaccurate. Its approach to the material is cursory, and the argument is not well-developed. A plagiarized paper will automatically receive an F.
TERM I
September
week 1: Introduction
4 Introduction
week 2: Cultures in Contact
9 The First North Americans
11 Origins of Conquest
read:
Foner: ch. 1
Norton Study Space (Docs.): 1.1 The Magna Carta (April 1215); 1.3 The Written Record of the Voyage of 1524 of Giovanni da Verrazano
week 3: The Colonies
16 Jamestown and Plymouth: Regional Diversity
18 Observance of Opening of West Coast National Event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission - no class.
read:
Foner: ch. 2
Docs: 2.3 John Rolfe Recounts the Arrival of Slaves in Virginia (1619); 2.4 Mayflower Compact (1620); 2.9 Indenture Contracts for Three Boys (1699); 2.10 Lament of Elizabeth Sprigs (1756), 2.11 Advertisement for Two Run-Away Servants (1769)
week 4: Colonial Cultures
23 Slavery and Empire
25 Witchcraft
read:
Foner: ch. 3 and 4
Docs: 3.8 Trial of Bridget Bishop (1692); 4.4 Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (1741); 4.8 Proclamation of 1763
October
week 5: War and Independence
30 Colonial Resistance
2 Independence
read:
Foner: ch. 5 and 6
Docs: 5.4 Boston Tea Party Account (1773); 5.7 Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" (March 23, 1775); 6.1 Felix's Petition for Freedom (January 6, 1773); Declaration of Independence (Appendix 37-40)
Paper 1 due at beginning of discussion section (primary source assignment)
week 6: The New Nation
7 Politics and Citizenship
9 The Critical Period
read:
Foner: ch. 7 and ch. 8
Docs: 7.4 Thomas Jefferson on Native Americans (1780); 7.7 Thomas Jefferson on Shay's Rebellion (January 30, 1787); 8.7 Jefferson's Secret Message to Congress Regarding the Lewis & Clark Expedition (January 18, 1803); 8.8 President Thomas Jefferson to Lewis and Clark (1803)
week 7: Market Revolution
14 Thanksgiving Holiday, no class
16 Industrial and Commercial Networks
read:
Foner: ch. 9
Docs: 9.6 The American Frugal Housewife (1829); 9.7 Young Lady's Book (1830); 9.8 Letter from a Lowell Operative (1834)
week 8 The Expanding Nation
21 Immigration and Citizenship
23 Westward Expansion
read:
Foner: ch. 10
Docs: 10.3 Jackson Forever! (1828); 10.6 Andrew Jackson on Native Americans, Second Annual Message (December 6, 1830); 10.10 Samuel Cloud on the Trail of Tears (1838)
week 9: Freedom and Slavery
28 Social Class and Family Life
30 Nineteenth-Century Slavery
read:
Foner: ch. 11
Docs: 11.3 John C. Calhoun on the Error of "All men are created equal" (1848); 11.7 Twelve Years a Slave (1853); 11.10 Father Henson's Story of His Own Life (1858); 11.12 History of Slave Insurrections (1860)
November
week 10: Cultural Politics
4 Reform Movements
6 Popular Culture
read:
Foner: ch. 12
Docs: 12.6 Theodore Weld's "Slavery As It Is" (1839); 12.8 Elizabeth Cady Stanton at Seneca Falls (1848); 12.9 Oneida Report (1849); 12.11 Charles Harding on Temperance (1869)
week 11: The West
11 Remembrance Day: no class
13 Manifest Destiny
UBC reserves:
Frederick Jackson Turner, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” (first published in Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1893); reprinted in F. J. Turner, The Frontier in American History (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1921).
Patricia Nelson Limerick, “Turnerians All: The Dream of a Helpful History in an Intelligible World” American Historical Review 100, no. 3 (Jun., 1995): 697-716.
paper #2 due at beginning of discussion section (historiography assignment)
week 12: Regional Expansion and Contention
18 The Gold Rush
20 Slavery Debates
read: