HISTORY 380: Southern Topics
Fall 2000
Topic: Indians, Africans, and Colonists in the Southeast and Southwest

Dr. Jim Williams
Middle Tennessee State University
Copyright 2000

You may find the following handouts useful and are welcome to copy them:

• How to Read a Book
• Basic Problems to Overcome When Writing
• The Differences between A, B, C, D, and F Papers

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The goal of this course is to promote the intellectual and personal development of all the participants. We do this by exploring the ways in which Indians, Africans, and Europeans interacted in early America. We demonstrate our progress toward the course goal orally in class and in numerous writing assignments.

This course examines the interaction of Indians, Africans, and European colonists who met in what are now the Southeast and the Southwest regions of the United States. The approach is decidedly regional and comparative and spans the period from before Columbus to the early 1800s. The focus is on the contact between culture groups rather than the internal history of each culture group. For this reason we will focus our attention on those places in which members of all three major culture groups were found. We want to explore the ways in which cultural interaction affected and changed the lives of the native and immigrant peoples of these southern regions. An opportunity will be provided for students to explore a particular area and set of interactions in more depth through a research paper.

CLASS MEETING EXPECTATIONS AND MEMBERS' RESPONSIBILITIES

These will be discussed on the first day of class and agreed upon by all members of the class. It is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor of problems, to notify the instructor of circumstances that may interfere with the student's completion of work, or otherwise to seek assistance in order to finish the course successfully.
Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated and may lead to such penalties as failure of the course.

COURSE TEXTS

Theda Perdue, Slavery and the Evolution of Cherokee Society, 1540-1866
Jane Landers, Black Society in Spanish Florida
Daniel H. Usner, Jr., Indians, Settlers, and Slaves in a Frontier Exchange Economy

WRITING CENTER

Students are encouraged to use the University Writing Center to improve their written work in this course. The center is located in Peck Hall 325 and 326 and may be reached by phone at 904-8237 or by E-mail at uwcenter@mtsu.edu. Their web site is www.mtsu.edu/~uwcenter. They are open Monday through Saturday during various hours, including some evenings. Appointments are preferred but not mandatory. The staff of faculty and graduate assistants will work with students at any stage of the writing process on issues such as organization, unity, coherence, opening and closing paragraphs, diction, and grammar, but they will not proofread or edit student writing.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

If you have a disability that may require assistance or accommodation, or you have questions related to any accommodations for testing, note takers, readers, etc., please speak with Dr. Williams as soon as possible. Students may also contact the Office of Disabled Student Services (898-2783) with questions about such services.

INTERNET COMPONENT

All members of the class should have an E-mail account (not necessarily an MTSU one), which we will use to communicate with each other outside of class. Once you are subscribed to the course listserv (called colonial), you can address messages to colonial@mtsu.edu, and the system will distribute them to everyone on the list. Please sign your name to all postings. You may use the list to post questions or comments for discussion in class, or to ask for help with research or other assignments, and so on. I will distribute essay assignments this way, and I will occasionally send course updates or revisions to you via the listserv.

WEB SITES OF INTEREST

EVALUATION OF HOW WELL YOU REACH THE COURSE GOAL

Your course grade will be determined by how well you convince the instructor that you have developed intellectually and personally through your understanding of the course theme. The plus/minus grading system will be used, as follows: A (91-100), B+ (88-90), B (83-87), B- (80-82), C+ (78-79), C (73-77), C- (70-72), D+ (68-69), D (63-67), D- (60-62), F (below 60).

There are three categories in which you will be evaluated. Each one counts for one-third of the course grade calculation.

I. Attendance and class participation: To be eligible for an A in this category, you may not have more than four absences. To be eligible for a B in this category, you may not have more than six absences. To be eligible for a C in this category, you may not have more than eight absences. The instructor will record a participation score for each student each day. That score reflects the amount and the quality of participation. A great deal of this class revolves around discussion and group work in class. Your attendance each day is essential.

II. Research essay (required). Everyone will complete a research paper of no more than twelve pages on a topic relevant to the course, i.e., one that examines a particular case of interaction between Africans, Indians, and Europeans in the early Southeast or Southwest. Your grade in this category will reflect several components of the research project: having your topic approved in a timely fashion; giving an oral research report in class; participating in a draft review session with a classmate; and completing the final paper itself by the deadline.

III. Shorter essays on the three required books. To be eligible for an A in this category, you will need to complete the shorter essays on all three books. To be eligible for a B in this category, you will need to complete the shorter essays on your choice of two of the three books. If you complete only one of the three shorter essays, you will earn no higher than a C in this category. To pass the course, everyone must complete at least one of the three shorter essays.

There are no examinations in this course.

Please note:  Completing the work that makes you eligible for a particular grade level does not mean that you will earn that grade.  To earn an A, for instance, you need to complete the required quantity of work listed above and that work must be, on average, at the A level.  Likewise, if you earn an A in every category but do not complete enough to be eligible for more than a C, then you will receive a C.  The choice is yours.  Everyone who earns an A will receive an A; there are no limits.

All written work must be typed, double spaced, in twelve-point font, with no smaller than one-inch margins all around. Number all pages. Do not use cover sheets or covers of any kind. Staple the pages together. Click here to see the guidelines I use to determine the differences between A, B, C, D, and F papers. Important:  Your name should appear only on the back of your essays; I grade anonymously.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Mon., Aug. 21: Introduction

Wed., Aug. 23: Slavery before Europeans and Africans