THE MAKING OF AMERICA-TSMUS 300

BHS 106

M-W 10:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.; Winter 2006

Professor Julie Nicoletta

GWP 418

253-692-4468; fax: 253-692-5718

Email: jn@u.washington.edu

Office hours: M-W 12:45-1:45p.m. and by appointment

For Campus Info in case of snow: 253-383-INFO

Course Description:

This course is not intended to be a survey of American history, but instead will look at selected topics, such as colonialism and national identity, and themes, such as class, race, and gender, over four centuries. In addition to the textbook, we will rely on primary sources, including maps, art, documents, and autobiographies to understand the making of America.

Course Objectives:

Through historical inquiry students will gain an understanding of many of the complex factors significant in the development of the United States. Equally important to the class will be the development of research, writing, and critical-thinking skills through assignments including quizzes and papers.

Required Readings: (Readings will average 80-100 pages per week.)

James West Davidson, et.al., Nation of Nations: A Concise Narrative of the American Republic, 4^th ed.

Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom.

Monica Sone, Nisei Daughter.

Richard Marius, A Short Guide to Writing about History, 5^th ed.

Coursepack for sale at the University Bookstore (referred to in course schedule as Pack).

Website:

This course has a corresponding website. In it you will find copies of the syllabus, quiz study guides, and useful links. See http://courses.washington.edu/pubhist/mkgamindex.htm

Grading and Evaluation:

Paper 1                                                                    25%

Paper 2                                                                    25%

Quizzes (5 @ 10% each)                                        50%

Note: Doing below average work will earn you a D; average work will earn you a C; above average work will earn you a B; only truly exceptional work will earn you an A.

Class Participation and Preparation:

Class participation and preparation will be evaluated by:

1. Regular class attendance.

2. Your interpretation and analysis of the readings as reflected in the amount and quality of discussion.

Attendance is extremely important for a number of reasons. First, we will spend a great deal of time covering American history through slide lectures and class discussions. Second, your insight and participation during discussions are a critical part of the class. We all learn from each other's perspectives; if you miss class, you will miss learning from these insights. Third, the discussions will not duplicate the readings, so you will miss a large portion of course content. If you have to miss a class, please inform me in writing before class (email is fine). You will be responsible for finding out what happened in class by contacting one of your classmates.

Assignments: two 5-page papers, five in-class quizzes (multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, identifications).

Note: Papers will be graded for clarity of composition and grammar as well as content. All assignments must be typed, double-spaced with one-inch margins. All sources must be cited in footnotes or endnotes using The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., available in the library and summarized in A Short Guide to Writing about History. Failure to do your own work or to cite the work of others properly will constitute plagiarism and result in a 0.0 for the assignment. In addition, all assignments must be turned in on time. Late assignments will be dropped one-half grade for each day late, except in extreme circumstances. No extensions will be granted except for a written medical excuse presented before the due date of the assignment. No assignments will be accepted by email. It is not acceptable to turn in what is substantially the same paper to two different courses.

General Evaluation of Written Work: Writing effectively means writing clearly and concisely and using correct grammar. Excellent papers will meet all of the following criteria:

1. The paper addresses all of the questions and issues posed in the assignment.

2. The paper draws upon relevant readings and class discussions. The paper applies what you have been learning.

3. The paper adds your own insights to the analyses. The quality of your own ideas is important. Show your own independent thinking as much as possible.

4. The paper is convincing. You have the responsibility to justify your arguments. You must back up your points or conclusion. Support your argument by using evidence from the class readings or other sources. Use explicit examples to illustrate what you say. Examples or ideas from primary and secondary sources must be cited using footnotes or endnotes. Do not assume anything on the part of the reader.

5. The paper is well organized. It has an introduction with a thesis (argument), it has a body supporting this thesis, and it ends with a conclusion summarizing the main points.

6. The paper has no spelling and grammatical errors.

A Short Guide to Writing about History offers excellent explanations on how to develop a thesis, conduct research, use secondary and primary sources, and write effectively. Read it!

Written Assignments:

Write two 5-page papers choosing from the following three paper options. Regardless of the option you choose, you should put the information you gather into a historic context. For example, an interview of a Vietnam veteran should connect that person's experiences with larger historical events going on at the time concerning the Vietnam War. If any of these options is unclear, please come see me. Each paper must include a minimum of five sources (not including Internet sources) listed in a bibliography and cited in footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical citations in the text of your paper.

Paper Option 1: Develop a family tree chart. The chart should include four generations: you, your parents, their parents, and your great-grandparents. For each individual on the chart, try to provide the person's full name, date and place of birth, marriage, and death (where applicable), and any important details. You will then write a five-page paper describing your family, based on this family tree. Tell us where your family came from, where they settled, what they did, and where they are now. Were their experiences typical or not? How so? Use a minimum of five primary and secondary sources to provide historic context. You may include photographs in your paper, if you wish (photocopies are fine).

Paper Option 2: You may write as many as two papers based on this assignment. Find somebody who lived through one of these historical events:

the Great Depression

World War II

Suburban life in the 1950s

the Vietnam War

the Civil Rights Movement

Interview that person, asking them questions about their experiences, and write a five-page paper describing and analyzing what you find. Were this person's experiences typical or not? How so? Use at least five primary and secondary sources to provide historic context. For a model of this type of research and writing, consult Studs Terkel, The Good War (on reserve).

Paper Option 3: To get credit for this assignment, you must write a five-page paper that compares and contrasts images from two different historical eras. For example, you might analyze photographs from the 1920s and 1960s or advertisements from the 1870s and 1930s. You are free to choose, but the method will be the same regardless of time period. Images can come from books, local archives, or newspapers, for example. Pick two images, describe them, and discuss them as representative of a particular time period. You should also discuss the changes in American society you see revealed in these images, and attempt to explain those changes. Use a minimum of five primary and secondary sources to provide historic context. Include clear reproductions of each image as an appendix at the end of the paper (the appendix is not part of the five pages).

Quizzes

Over the course of the quarter you will take five in-class quizzes to test your mastery of the course content based on the readings and lectures. Quizzes must be taken when scheduled; there are no make-ups unless arranged in advance of the scheduled quiz.

Classroom Behavior:

Food and drink are acceptable as long as you do not disrupt the class or bother your neighbors. Please turn off all electronic devices including cell phones and pagers when you come to class. Using the wireless connection with your laptop while in class is not permitted. Please be respectful and attentive when others are speaking in class. Arriving late or leaving early should never happen except on rare occasions; if you must arrive late or leave early, please do so in as unobtrusive a way as possible.

Miscellaneous:

If you choose to drop the course, you are responsible for reporting the change to the registrar's office. If you stop coming to class and do not contact the registrar, you will end up receiving a failing grade even if you attended only once or not at all.

The Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology offers academic and technical support for students at all levels of expertise - review, upper division, graduate and TA. For your writing, reading, study skills and public speaking needs, please make an appointment online at http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/ctlt/ or visit KEY 202. For your Math needs,assistance is available on a drop-in basis, Monday Thursday, hours to be posted. For multimedia or video projects, please visit the Multimedia Lab located in MAT 251. For student software training, please register at: www.tacoma.washington.edu/CTLT/training/student/index2.cfm.

If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a temporary or permanent disability, contact Lisa Tice, Manager for Disability Support Services (DSS) in the Mattress Factory Bldg, Suite 206. An appointment can be made through the front desk of Student Affairs (692-4400), through Student Development and Success (692-4501), by phoning Lisa directly at 692-4493 (voice) or 692-4413 (TTY), or by e-mail ltice@u.washington.edu. Appropriate accommodations are arranged after you've conferred with the DSS Manager and presented the required documentation of your disability to DSS.

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES AND ASSIGNMENTS