The academic master plan for MTSU states that the university "will create and nurture a student-centered learning environment responsive to the needs of a diverse student body" (p. 6). With this goal in mind, we will not proceed as if this is a preparatory course for "Jeopardy" or "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." Rather, the instructor will guide students through the large historical questions from this era of the American past and will help them create informed answers to those questions.
As a general eduction requirement, this course furthers the purpose of the MTSU general education curriculum. According to the general education statement of purpose, "General Education professors teach critical and logical thinking; communications skills of writing, speaking, and listening, including skills in locating and gathering information; teach a basis for understanding the mathematical and scientific world perspective; teach an appreciation of aesthetic and cultural productions; teach a broad understanding of the history of human experience; teach an understanding and appreciation of various cultures and their interrelationships; teach a basis for making sound ethical and moral judgments, and judgments on maintaining physical and mental health; and finally they teach the skills to participate responsibly in one's natural, social and political environments." Since the study of history contributes to the acquisition of nearly all of these skills, students should judge the course according to how well the professor does, in fact, teach the relevant skills listed above.
More specifically, the Tennessee Board of Regents includes this course in the history requirement of the general education core curriculum within the TBR system of colleges and universities. According to the TBR, "The goal of the history requirement is to develop in students an understanding of the present that is informed by an awareness of past heritages, including the complex and interdependent relationships between cultures and societies." Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate their ability to perform the following learning outcomes:
These texts are available for purchase in the MTSU bookstore and should be readily available at Blue Raider Bookstore as well as the wide variety of online booksellers such as half.com, amazon.com, and bn.com.
I. Attendance and class participation (20% of the course grade): Attendance will be recorded near the beginning of each class day. There will be approximately 39 class days. To be eligible for an A in this category, you must have no more than four absences. To be eligible for a B, no more than seven absences. To be eligible for a C, no more than ten absences. To be eligible for a D, no more than twelve absences. Those students with more than twelve absences cannot receive more than 50% credit in this category. The instructor will record a participation score for each student each day. That score reflects the amount and the quality of participation. The total participation score will then become your grade in this category, subject to the cap determined by your attendance. A great deal of this class revolves around discussion and group work in class. Your attendance and preparation for class each day are essential.
II. Film responses (10% of course grade): We will watch at least ten films (30 minutes or longer) in this course. (There will be a few shorter films that are not eligible for responses.) This is a credit/no credit category; in other words, as long as you follow instructions and as long as your work would receive at least a 7 out of 10 (if a numerical grade were being assigned), you will receive credit.
Every response should have two paragraphs, totalling NO MORE THAN one handwritten or typed (12-point font, double spaced) page. One page means the front of the page only. No exceptions! The first paragraph must answer this question: "What is the film maker's argument in this film?" Every film has an argument; it is what the person(s) making the film wishes you to conclude about the subject of the film. Arguments in historical films usually revolve around the questions of good and bad, right and wrong. The second paragraph must explain how convinced you are that the film maker's argument is correct and how you reached your conclusion. Without exception, film responses are due at the beginning of the class day following the class in which the film was shown. PLEASE NOTE: Nowhere in this assignment should you simply summarize a film! If you do not follow the instructions, you will not receive credit or a chance to redo the assignment. No exceptions!
To achieve an A--95 in this category, you should successfully complete eight film responses. To achieve a B--85, seven film responses. To achieve a C--75, six film responses. To achieve a D--65, five responses. To achieve a score of 50 in this category, do four responses. Please note: Completion of fewer than four film responses will result in a zero score in this category.
III. Short exercises from After the Fact (20% of the course grade): Including the prologue, there are nine chapters in this book. The exercise for each chapter is as follows: There must be three distinct paragraphs totaling no more than one page (the front of a piece of paper), typed (single or double spaced) or neatly handwritten. The first paragraph must explain briefly what the historical situation is that is discussed in the chapter. In an exercise on the prologue, for instance, one would explain briefly what "the strange death of Silus Deane" is. The second paragraph must then explain fully what that particular chapter teaches you about "the art of historical detection"; in other words, what skill is the chapter trying to convey to make you a better historian? (HINT: The authors tell you what the skill is for each chapter in the chapter subtitles in the table of contents.) The third paragraph should analyze how useful the primary sources on the CD-ROM were in helping you understand the chapter and the historical skill it teaches. In all your exercises, refer to specific people, sources, ideas, and so forth from the reading to illustrate and support your analysis. Each exercise will be graded on a scale of one to ten. Those exercises that do not follow the directions above will be returned without a grade. All exercises are due at the beginning of class on the day the chapter is assigned as reading in the course schedule below.
IV. Essays on the books Ordinary Courage and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (10% of course grade from each essay): These essays will be assigned at the appropriate time in the semester.
V. Final course essay (30% of course grade): In lieu of examinations, every student will write an essay on a topic that spans the period of this course. This essay will address the following question: "How did Americans of all sorts define 'liberty' from Columbus's time to 1877, how did those definitions clash with each other and change over time, and which is the most desirable definition in your view by 1877?"
Essays must be typed and double spaced with 12-point font and at least one-inch margins. Do not use paper or plastic covers, please. No title page or bibliography (works cited page) is necessary. Use only materials from the course: films, readings, lectures, discussions, etc. If you refer to a piece of information directly, simply cite the source as you write. EXAMPLE: "As seen in the film, Anne Hutchinson was a courageous woman who refused to surrender her conscience to the needs of her community." Or, if you quote something, give a brief citation in parentheses. EXAMPLE: "A Tunica Indian called Hernando de Soto 'the personification of evil' ('Clash of Cultures' film)."
The best essays will use a wide variety of course materials, will cover the span of time (rather than make big leaps over periods of time), will use ample examples and evidence, and will be clearly organized. All essays MUST have an argument (thesis) that addresses the assigned question. There are no page minima or maxima for this assignment; write as little or as much as you feel is needed. Dr. Williams is happy to read drafts of your essay or discuss your ideas before you turn in the final version. Or you may visit the university writing center for advice on organizing your thoughts and presenting them clearly with strong evidence.
Monday, August 30: Introduction
Wednesday, Sept. 1: What were American societies like in North America before
Europeans arrived?
-->For more information about Cahokia, visit the website of the
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Friday, Sept. 3: Who owns American history? What was the world like in the
1400s?
-->For more information on Kennewick Man, visit the Kennewick Man Virtual Interpretive Center
Monday, Sept. 6: LABOR DAY--no class
Wednesday, Sept. 8: What were the first encounters like between the Indians
and the Spanish?
-->Read Zinn chap. 1
Friday, Sept. 10: What was the world like in 1600? What problems do
historians have with selecting evidence?
-->Read After the Fact prologue
Sunday, Sept. 12: Last day to drop without a grade
Monday, Sept. 13: Can we generalize about Indian-European relations? Why did Europeans want colonies, and how did they create them by the 1600s?
Wednesday, Sept. 15: What were early encounters like between the Indians and
the English?
-->For more information on the history of Plymouth colony and early
relations between the Indians and the English, visit the Plimoth Plantation website
Friday, Sept. 17: What was it like in early Virginia?
-->Read After the Fact chap. 1
Monday, Sept. 20: Was there religious freedom in early America? What were the colonial regions like by 1700?
Wednesday, Sept. 22: Why did the Salem witch trials occur in 1692?
-->Read After the Fact chap. 2
Friday, Sept. 24: Why did African slavery develop as it did in North
America?
-->Read Zinn chap. 2
Monday, Sept. 27: How can we hear the voices of slaves in the 1700s?
-->Read "Releese us out of this Cruell Bondegg" on electronic reserve [To
access electronic reserve, go to voyager.mtsu.edu, then click on the "course
reserve" button, then find this course under the instructor's name; you should
then be able to click on the link to the article.
-->Read Zinn chap. 3
Wednesday, Sept. 29: What effects did the Enlightenment have in the Americas?
Friday, Oct. 1: What did the Great Awakening do for American religion?
Monday, Oct. 4: How did the colonists' belief in "liberty, property, no
popery" lead them toward rebellion in the 1760s and 1770s?
-->Read Zinn chap. 4
Wednesday, Oct. 6: What does the Declaration of Independence do, and why is
it written the way it is?
Read the Declaration of
Independence
-->Read After the Fact chap. 3
Friday, Oct. 8: How did Americans express Revolutionary ideas in song?
Monday, Oct. 11 (Columbus Day): What was the Revolution like for Joseph Plumb
Martin?
-->Read Ordinary Courage through p. 89
Wednesday, Oct. 13: What was the Revolution like for Joseph Plumb
Martin (continued)?
-->Read Ordinary Courage to the end
Friday, Oct. 15: What did the American Revolution mean for African
Americans?
-->Read Zinn chap. 5
-->For more on Equiano, see Olaudah Equiano, or,
Gustavus Vassa, the African
-->For more on Phillis Wheatley, see The Phillis
Wheatley Page
Monday, Oct. 18: FALL BREAK--no class
Wednesday, Oct. 20: Why did the Articles of Confederation prove deficient?
Friday, Oct. 22: What does the Constitution do?
-->Read the U.S. Constitution, preamble
through the Bill of Rights
-->Essays on Ordinary Courage due in
class
Monday, Oct. 25 (last day to drop with a W): What did the American Revolution and its aftermath mean for Indians?
Wednesday, Oct. 27: How can historians learn about women in the late 1700s
and early 1800s?
-->Read Zinn chap. 6
Friday, Oct. 29: How was life changing for women in the early 1800s?
-->Read After the Fact chap. 4
Monday, Nov. 1: Why did most Euroamericans feel Indian removal was necessary
in the early 1800s?
-->Read Zinn chap. 7 and After the Fact chap. 5
Wednesday, Nov. 3: Why did many Americans seek moral reform of society in the early 1800s?
Friday, Nov. 5: What role did the environment play in early American
history?
-->Read After the Fact chap. 6
Monday, Nov. 8: What did women's rights mean in the mid-1800s?
-->Read the Seneca Falls Declaration of
Sentiments
Wednesday, Nov. 10: Why did Americans go west?
-->Read Zinn chap. 8
Friday, Nov. 12: Were the members of the Donner Party heroic pioneers or foolish adventurers?
Monday, Nov. 15: How could Americans possibly have supported slavery in the
1800s?
-->Read Zinn chap. 9
Wednesday, Nov. 17: Where did abolitionism come from?
-->Read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass through p. 34
Friday, Nov. 19: How did Frederick Douglass become a civil
rights leader in America?
-->Read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass to the end
Monday, Nov. 22: Interlude--Howard Zinn, historian and activist
Wednesday, Nov. 24: What role did slavery play in causing the Civil War?
--->Read After the Fact chap. 7
Friday, Nov. 26: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY--no class
Monday, Nov. 29: Why did Americans fight in the Civil War?
Essays on Frederick Douglass due in class
Wednesday, Dec. 1: What role did women and African Americans play in the
Civil War?
-->Read Zinn chap. 10
Friday, Dec. 3: What lessons can be drawn from the Civil War?
Monday, Dec. 6: Did Reconstruction succeed or fail?
-->Read After the Fact chap. 8
Wednesday, Dec. 8: Last day of class
Friday, Dec. 10:Final essays due no later than noon in Dr. Williams's office, Peck Hall 261. You may turn in essays early to my mailbox in the History Department office (Peck Hall 223) or to the box on the wall next to my office door. Please do not slide papers under my office door! Under no circumstances will papers be accepted via email.