United State History and Constitutional Government I

HIS 204

TR 11:30-12:45

Final Exam: Tuesday, May 7, 2002 8:30-10:30

SB 107A

Dr. Gayle V. Fischer

Office: SB 109B

Office Hours:

978/542-6399

gayle.fischer@salemstate.edu

www.salemstate.edu/~gfischer

January 15, 2002

Dear Class,

Welcome to HIS 204: US History and Constitutional Government I. During the semester we will explore the historical development of the United States from contact through the Civil War. This class will focus on understanding how history is shaped by human choices, not mainly by impersonal forces of fate. Our journey through the first half of US history might differ from your previous experiences in high school and college history courses. With a little trust and effort on your part, I’m hopeful that you will enjoy the voyage and learn some history along the way.

I should probably begin by introducing myself. I’m Gayle V. Fischer and you may call me Gayle, Dr. Fischer, or Professor Fischer—I have no preference. However, you may not call me Mrs. Fischer. My undergraduate degree is from the University of Texas at Austin; I majored in Drama. My Ph.D. in US History is from Indiana University. My book, Pantaloons and Power, was published in spring 2001. In addition to being an historian and a professor, I am a wife and the mother of two boys. I am hearing impaired. Because of this impairment I wear two hearing aids. However, I also need you to speak clearly in class, perhaps a hair louder than your usual volume, and please do not cover your mouth when you speak. I’ve learned to live with this impairment but it can still embarrass me. The most embarrassing thing is when I think I’ve heard someone say something that they didn’t say and I start talking and everyone around me is clueless about what I am talking about. If you find that I’m going off in some weird direction please let me know, chances are I misunderstood something someone said. It is more embarrassing for me to keep talking than to have you correct me. Please be patient if I ask you to repeat yourself two, three, even four times—some days it is harder to hear than others. Over the course of the semester, I will not conceal my political views from you—including my detestation of war and militarism, racial and sexual inequality, the unfair distribution of the world’s wealth. However, I will attempt to be fair to other points of view and I strongly encourage you to disagree with me. I don’t expect my views to be your views but I want us both to think about why we hold the views we do. That is probably enough information for now since this letter is about our class, not about me.

The preceding two paragraphs should have clued you in, but if you haven’t figured it out yet, let me tell you that this class is different. It is different in a number of ways. First, the choice of readings for the class; some might consider some of the books I’ve chosen for the class subversive. I prefer to think of them as thought provoking. On the other hand, some of you might think I’ve chosen “children’s books” and might be offended. The “subversive” books are: Peter Irons, A People’s History of the Supreme Court; James W. Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me; Matt S. Meier and Feliciano Ribera, Mexican Americans/American Mexicans; and Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States. These books are available at the SSC bookstore, from your favorite online bookstore, and on reserve in the library—in fact, since we do not read these books in their entirety, I have had past students copy the appropriate chapters from the books on reserve thereby saving themselves some money. Unfortunately, Irons, Loewen, Meier, Ribera, and Zinn pay little attention to women and I have included two books on women’s history to correct this oversight. The “children’s books” are: Jane Kamensky, The Colonial Mosaic: American Women 1600-1760, and Marylynn Salmon, The Limits of Independence: American Women 1760-1800. These books are available at the SSC bookstore and from your favorite online bookstore. The SSC Library does not own these books and they are not on reserve. Most of the titles used in this class are fairly popular and you may want to see if they are available through your local library—another cost-saving measure.

Second, we will be writing letters to one another. I’m always looking for new ideas to try in the classroom and an article by Toby Fulwiler, “Writing Back and Forth,” intrigued me so much that I just had to give it a try. I tried it in my HIS 204 Fall 2001 with great success. Essentially the exercise requires weekly letters—you write to me, I write back to you. I’ll have more details and the logistics later in this letter. Third, the history and film projects that you will do throughout the semester. Again, more details and the logistics later in this letter. Fourth, attendance and participation are extremely important in this class. In fact, it is critical that you attend classes if you wish to earn a decent grade. Finally, you will notice that there is only one exam—the final.

If you are like most of the students in my classes, one of your first concerns is “how will I be graded?” Well, quite simply 20% of your grade is based on attendance and participation, 20% of your grade is based on the weekly letters you submit, 30% of your grade is based on “History 204: A Reflection” essay, and 30% is based on the history and film project and the final exam.

Let me explain each of the grading criteria in the order that I presented them above. Attendance and participation seem self-explanatory but there are a few fine points that I want to point out. I don’t just want your body in my classroom I want your mind there as well. That means for the hour and fifteen minutes that we’re together put aside thoughts of lunch, the babysitter, the boyfriend or girlfriend and think about the reading you’ve done and what your classmates are saying. In order to participate you must do the reading—most of our class sessions will be oriented around discussing the reading, if you haven’t done the reading, you can’t participate, and if you can’t participate, you earn a less than decent grade. It goes without saying that you can’t participate if you are not in class—so Attend. There are some factors that will result in the lowering of your participation grade, they are: coming to class late, leaving class early, talking while I am talking, passing notes, and being disruptive. I know this sounds picky but trust me, these things make for a disagreeable classroom atmosphere and really irritate me. For a detailed list see the attached “Participation and Attendance Grading Guidelines.”

Now for the weekly letters. Each week I invite you to write a letter to me about ideas related to our readings and class discussions. Make your letter honest, lively, and personal, while still addressing matters of intellectual and emotional concern to US history. Twice you will include your classmates as your audience—you are responsible for making copies for the entire class (The first letter must be distributed by March 7; the second letter must be distributed by April 25). I will write a letter back to all of you (the whole class) each week, distributing it on Thursday so that you will have read it by Tuesday. In this letter I will address some, but not all of the concerns you raise collectively in your letters to me. (In fact, I have written this syllabus as a letter to suggest a possible model for style and form—obviously given all the information that I have to impart to you this is a rather long letter, yours do not have to be this long.) The weekly letters are examples of “good-enough writing,” that is these letters are one-draft writings that make a good enough case and don’t need to be revised, edited, and worried to death. By now you are all wondering, “how is she going to count these letters?” I expect a letter each week (unless the syllabus indicates otherwise); but it’s the doing of them that counts, not their conventions, content, form, or style. Exactly what and how you write are your business that you write is mine. But, believe me, your reactions to the readings, class discussion, movie projects, as well as anything else related to the course helps me teach better. The only requirement in addition to writing the letters is that you submit a typewritten/word-processed letter every Tuesday on paper. My experience is that e-mail letters differ greatly from paper letters and I want the letters for this class to be paper letters. Letters MUST be submitted the week that they are due; the letter due week 6 cannot be turned in week 9 and still receive credit. I will not return your letters to you; you MUST keep a copy of the letters you write or you will not be able to complete the “History 204: A Reflection” essay.

More on weekly letters: The letters I received last semester ran the gamut from awesome to disappointing. Students noticed this disparity in the letters their classmates distributed to the class. It worried some that awesome letters counted as much as poor quality letters and suggested grading letters to give those who took the assignment more seriously more credit. However, grading the letters undermines the point of the letters. For those of you who take the letter-writing assignment seriously take heart: poor quality letters produced poor quality final essays that in turn earned poor grades.

A further guide (or possible letter material): you might consider these questions as you read and incorporating them into your letters:

1) What is the major argument of each reading? How does the author support that argument?

2) Does one reading help you understand another reading better? How?

3) What are the contradictions or points of tension between the various readings? Can you explain these contradictions? (Mark passages that seem to be contradicting other passages.)

4) Are there passages that are particularly interesting to you? Are there passages that are confusing or that you think require more explanation? What are they? (Mark them so you can find them in class.)

5) How familiar or foreign does the world the readings describe seem to you?

6) What additional questions do the readings raise for you?

7) What would you like to talk about in the class discussion?

One more thing about weekly letters: I am trying to figure out a way to incorporate effectively the letters into class discussion. If any of you have any suggestions please suggest.

Thirty percent of your final grade is based on “History 204: A Reflection” essay. In the “History 204: A Reflection” essay I expect to see more focused, deliberate, and crafted writing examining themes, patterns, and concerns of a semester’s worth of correspondence. For this assignment, re-read all of your letters, your classmates’ letters, and my letters, review your class and reading notes, look for recurring themes, patterns, and concerns. “History 204: A Reflection” reflects on what you have learned over the course of the semester using the various class letters as primary sources. You must quote and cite letters in your essay. Conventions, content, form, and style “count” in this assignment; see separate grading rubric You may turn in two or three pages of a draft of the essay on April 11 or before. I will not grade the draft but I will make comments that should help you improve the essay. “History 204: A Reflection” is due the last day of class, May 2, 2002.

The remaining thirty percent of your grade is based on the film project that you will be doing outside the classroom and the final exam. You will be assigned a film drawn at random from the pool—depending on the size of the class, some of you may end up viewing the same film. You will also be required to locate at least one primary source that complements your film. You must analyze the assigned film as history and compare its portrayal of the past to the academic representation of history presented in class, in texts, in the primary sources you locate, and in other sources. In your comparisons, you must utilize critical and scholarly resources and present your conclusions in a four to six page paper. Unfortunately, the SSC Library film collection is quite limited and most of you will have to check your local libraries or favorite video stores for these films. You will all receive the pamphlet, “History Written With Lightning,” by Paul B. Weinstein, Wayne College, which outlines the rationale for using commercial film as a historical tool and describes specific elements to be examined for accuracy, such as costumes, sets, chronology, and behaviors. Due dates are staggered throughout the semester. You are also required to give a 15-minute presentation on your film—five minutes of the presentation should be an excerpt from the film. A few basic questions all of your papers/presentations must address: How does the film’s presentation of history compare with the scholarly history you have researched? How does the film content relate to course content? Are the ideas and values consistent with those we are studying? Overall, does the film present an accurate picture of history? Is the film effective? Does it capture the feel of the period? Does it present a convincing portrait of times past? Does it make you feel as though you are experiencing history? The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, May 7, 2002, 8:30-10:30am. The final exam question will be distributed on the last day of class and we will meet during our designated exam period to discuss your answers. If you have taken class from me before or have talked to others who have taken classes from me then you know I hate exams. However, I have come up with a really great final exam that will be interesting for me to read and for you to write—trust me. As long as you keep up with the class, the exam will not present any problems for you and you might actually enjoy it.

State law requires that I include the equal access statement in my syllabus: "Salem State College is committed to providing equal access to the educational experience for all students in compliance with Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act and The Americans with Disabilities Act and to providing all reasonable academic accommodations, aids and adjustments. Any student who has a documented disability requiring an accommodation, aid or adjustment should speak with the instructor immediately. Students with Disabilities who have not previously done so should provide documentation to and schedule an appointment with the Office for Students with Disabilities and obtain appropriate services."

Rather than placing our course schedule in paragraph form for convenience’s sake I have listed the assignments below. All assigned reading should be completed by Tuesday, unless otherwise stated:

Week 1: January 15: Introduction & write first letter to Gayle; distribute “History Written With

Lightning,”

January 17: Discuss “History Written With Lightning,” distribute film assignments

Week 2: January 22 & 24: Contact

Read: Loewen, “Introduction,” and “1493: The True Importance of Christopher Columbus;” Zinn, “Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress;” Meier and Ribera, “The Meeting of Two Worlds.”

Don’t forget to give Gayle letter #2 on Tuesday

Week 3: January 29 & 31: Colonial “United States”

Read: Loewen, “The Truth About the First Thanksgiving;” Zinn, “Drawing the Color Line,” and “Persons of Mean and Vile Condition;” Irons, “Introduction,” and “’Morally Sinful by the Word of God.’”

Letter #3 due on Tuesday

Week 4: February 5 & 7: Colonial “United States” continued

Read: Kamensky, The Colonial Mosaic—ALL

Letter #4 due on Tuesday

Week 5: February 12: Contact/Colonization in Film

*Movie Projects/Presentations: Plymouth Adventure; The Crucible; Black Robe; Broken Chain; Drums Along the Mohawk

February 14: Revolution

Read: Zinn, “Tyranny is Tyranny;” Meier and Ribera, “Revolution and Disarray;” Salmon, The Limits of Independence—ALL

Letter #5 due on Tuesday

Have you written a letter to your classmates yet? Don’t put it off too long.

Week 6: February 19: Begin the Constitution

Class will not meet on the 19^th: Read: The Constitution; fill out Constitution worksheet—due Thursday

February 21: Revolution in Film

*Movie Projects/Presentations: 1776; Last of the Mohicans; Mary Silliman’s War; The Patriot

Week 7: February 26 & 28: The Constitution

Read: Irons, Chapter Two, “’The Exigencies of the Union’” to and including Chapter Seven, “’The Nauseous Project of Amendments.’”

Letter #6 due on Tuesday (include comments on week 5 and 6 film presentations)

Week 8: March 5 & 7: The Constitution and The Early National Period

Read: Zinn, “A Kind of Revolution;” Irons, Chapter Eight, “’The Court is Now Sitting,’” to and including Chapter Twelve, “’Great, Good, and Excellent Man!’”

Letter #7 due on Tuesday

Midterm attendance/participation forms/grades distributed

If you have not turned in your first letter to the class you MUST do so this week or you will NOT get full credit for the letter writing exercise

Spring Break March 12 &14

Week 9: March 19 & 21: Oppression

Read: Loewen, “Red Eyes;” Zinn, “As Long as Grass Grows or Water Runs,” and “The Intimately Oppressed.”

Letter #8 due on Tuesday

Week 10: March 26 & 28: Manifest Destiny

Read: Meier and Ribera, “Man and Land on the Frontier” through “Roots of the Poison.”

Letter #9 due on Tuesday

Have you written a second letter to your classmates yet? Don’t put it off too long.

Week 11: April 2 & 4: Slavery

Read: Loewen, “’Gone With the Wind’: The Invisibility of Racism;” Zinn, “We Take Nothing by Conquest, Thank God,” and “Slavery Without Submission, Emancipation without Freedom.”

Letter #10 due on Tuesday

Week 12: April 9 & 11: Early National and Antebellum United States in Film

*Movie Projects/Presentations: Jeremiah Johnson; Jefferson in Paris; The Buccaneer; Tecumseh: The Last Warrior; The Alamo; Gone With the Wind; Beloved

Optional: You may turn in 2 or 3 pages of a draft of “History 204 Letters: A Reflection.”

Week 13: April 16 & 18: The Approaching Civil War

Read: Loewen, “John Brown and Abraham Lincoln;” Irons, “’A Small, Pleasant-Looking Negro,’” to and through “’Another Explosion will Soon Come.”

Letter #11 due on Tuesday (include comments on the previous week’s film presentations)

Have you written a second letter to your classmates yet? The semester is almost over.

Week 14: April 23 & 25: Civil War

Read: Zinn, “The Other Civil War,” Irons, “’A Higher Law than the Constitution’” to and including “’An Evil Eye and an Unequal Hand.’”

Letter #12 due on Tuesday

If you have not turned in your second letter to the class you MUST do so this week or you will NOT get full credit for the letter writing exercise

Week 15: April 30: Civil War Films

*Movie Projects/Presentations: Santa Fe Trail; Abe Lincoln in Illinois; Red Badge of Courage; Glory

May 2: Finish Civil War

“History 204: A Reflection” DUE May 2

Final Exam question distributed May 2

Final Exam: Tuesday, May 7, 2002, 8:30-10:30am

As you can see, we have a full schedule for this semester.

Sincerely,

Gayle

Participation and Attendance Grading Guidelines

Much of the work we do in the classroom in History 204 depends upon you and your active participation. You must:

1. Be prepared for class

2. Be on time for class

3. Contribute to a positive atmosphere in the classroom by including and working with others and encouraging open discussion

4. Participate actively in class discussions by asking relevant questions, sharing personal experiences, and listening to the viewpoints of others

5. Help maintain the focus of the class and group focus

6. Demonstrate an understanding of course information

7. Take risks in presenting personal opinions, original ideas, and asking questions

8. Go beyond the minimum requirements for assignments

9. Maintain a usable notebook containing assignments, due dates, relevant class information, etc.

10. Accept and give constructive criticism

11. Demonstrate a respect for the physical environment of the classroom

12. Attempt to grow personally by demonstrating academic growth based on class learning activities

13. Take personal responsibility for absenteeism—anticipating problems, making up work, etc.

14. Attend and actively participate with thoughtful questions when classmates present their movie projects

Grading: Proficiency in all….A

Proficiency in eleven….B

Proficiency in nine….C

Proficiency in seven….D