HIST 1103-903: Honors Survey of American History
Dr. Laura A.
Belmonte
T, TH 2:00-3:15 p.m.
Spring 2002
CLB 317
The syllabus is your friend - know the syllabus, love the syllabus,
consult the syllabus before you ask me about course policies.
This is an intensive course in the history of the United
States from settlement to the present.
It incorporates a great deal of multimedia in attempting to make history
come alive in ways that verbal-only lectures cannot. I aim to challenge you, to
make you think, and to help you understand America’s tumultuous past.
You have two options
for structuring your assignments in this course.
Track A – Complete FIVE book assignments and a
cumulative final exam drawn from the course lectures.
Track B – Complete SEVEN book assignments only
– no final exam.
Readings:
All books are available at the OSU Bookstore (which many
have used copies but also will include their mark-up) or Amazon.com. I also suggest bestbookbuys.com for
comparative pricing on on-line booksellers.
Books are also available for three-day check out at the Reserve Desk at
the Library.
Track A – PICK FIVE
OF THE FOLLOWING:
Track B – PICK SEVEN OF THE FOLLOWING:
Jon Butler, Becoming America: The Revolution before 1776
John C. Burnham, Bad Habits: Drinking, Smoking, Taking Drugs, Gambling, Sexual Misbehavior, and Swearing in American History
James M. McPherson, For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War,
Beth Bailey, From
Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth-Century America
Nella Larsen, Passing
Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried
Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin, America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s
Be sure that you read
the assignments before reading the books - only portions of some books are
required.
All assignments and course materials will be posted on the class web
site,
http://www.oocities.org/okieprof/
NOTE - I do not use American Passages or the History Department=s 1103 study guide. If you would like an optional extra resource, I suggest that you purchase the textbook assigned for other HIST 1103 sections (Henretta, et al., America: A Concise History, 2nd edition). I do not assign material from this text.
I STRONGLY SUGGEST
THAT YOU DOWNLOAD THE LECTURE OUTLINES AVAILABLE AT URL
http://www.oocities.org/okieprof/
Office Hours:
My office hours are Tuesdays from 3:30-6:30 or by appointment. My office is 503 Life Sciences West. My office phone number is 744-8198. My home phone is (918) 743-8093. My cell phone is (918) 640-0904. Please do not call me before 9 a.m. or after 9 p.m. My e-mail address is labelmonte@hotmail.com. I am often on-line with the MSN Messenger Service.
The web site for this course is located at http://www.oocities.org/okieprof/. At this site, you will find many helpful materials including the lecture outlines, the book assignments, the syllabus, guides to political terminology, and grammar tips.
E-Mail Reminders: Frequently throughout the course, I will send you e-mail reminders about upcoming assignments, extra credit opportunities, schedule updates, etc… If you use hotmail or other e-mail services with “Junk Mail” protectors, be sure to include my e-mail address among those that you can receive bulk mail routed to your In-Box.
Assignments
While I think that you will find this an interesting and enjoyable course, stand forewarned that it is also a very demanding one.
There will be several written assignments based on approximately 100 pages of reading per week. There is a great deal of flexibility in these assignments. You will pick the books you wish to read and critique.
Track A students will write on five books. They will also
take a cumulative final exam.
Track B students will write on seven books. They will not have a final exam.
ALL students are expected to contribute to class
discussions in a thoughtful way.
I believe students focus too much on grades and not enough on learning. It is my hope that by offering you options, students will sharpen their writing, reading comprehension, and analytical skills. Those who test well can take the final, those who prefer a no-tests format can write additional papers. I believe this technique will give you a much better sense of how history affects a wide variety of people and will allow you to capitalize on your academic strengths.
ALL of your work must be typed.
Handwritten work will NOT be accepted.
I will accept work via email or fax. My home fax is (918) 743-8093.
Questions During Lectures:
Please feel free to ask me questions during the
lectures. I enjoy spontaneous discussion in the
course. I do ask, however, that you
demonstrate respect for your classmates’ varying opinions on the topics
addressed.
Possible Schedule Changes
Depending on the pace of the lectures, there may be changes in discussion days and/or assignments. Watch your e-mail, check your syllabus, and listen in class to keep track of the course schedule.
Discussions:
I am interested in your input and strongly encourage student participation. Accordingly, we will devote some of our class time to discussions of the books assigned. Up to 100 points of your final grade will be based on your informed and regular contributions to class discussions.
You will
automatically lose 50 points on your book assignment if you fail to
attend the class discussion of that book.
Book Assignments:
Each book has a specific
accompanying assignment – they will be posted on the course web site at http://www.oocities.org/okieprof/ Be sure that you read the assignment
carefully to ensure that you read the appropriate pages (or the entire text)
and complete the essay or worksheet properly.
Attendance at Lectures
Obviously, your performance in this class will be improved
by your attending it. In the past, I
have had far too many students who expect to blow off the course for most of
the term and still receive high grades.
I have also had a few students who register for the course, never
attend, and never drop. I have no
choice but to fail these students. Since
there is no a textbook in this course, your attending and paying attention to
lectures will be ESSENTIAL to doing well on the final exam.
I hope to avoid these problems. Accordingly, I take attendance frequently. If
you are not seated when I take roll, you will be counted absent unless you can
provide an acceptable excuse for your tardiness. If you have more than TWO unexcused absences, you will NOT
be eligible for extra credit. Only
those students who put forth extra effort
deserve the opportunity for extra credit.
I believe this policy is quite reasonable. It still leaves you days to accommodate job conflicts, cramming for other tests, child care emergencies, etc… If you have had a legitimate emergency (your illness or that of a parent or child, financial crises, etc…) that prevents you from attending class, especially for several days, please tell me. Otherwise, I will assume that you simply do not care about your grade in this course. Be advised that students will excessive absences can be reported to the University Registrar.
Grading
I expect a great deal from my students. But I also want your hard work to reap rewards. Accordingly, I offer ample opportunities for extra credit and feedback. I will also be glad to review first drafts of your assignments.
***If you have more
than TWO absences, you will forfeit the right to earn extra credit (this
includes video reports, current events reports, and extra book assignments.)
For extra credit, you can complete additional book assignments. Keep in mind that the 10-point per day late penalty still applies, so don’t plan on finishing an assignment weeks after its due date.
For extra credit, you can write short reports (1-2 typed pages) on current events reflecting themes and/or events that we cover in class. In this way, you can explore some of the ways that the past continues to affect the present. Staple the newspaper clipping or Internet printout to your report or include the date of the radio or television broadcast that your report is based upon.
Appropriate recent examples include the 9-11 incidents, news about the 1921 Tulsa Riot, and the death of historically significant Americans. These reports are worth up to 10 points depending on the depth of your analysis and are due within two week of the date the story appeared.
For another extra-credit option, you can write short reports (2 typed pages) on approved videos. Depending on the selection, reports are worth between 5 and 20 points – see the list of approved videos at the end of the syllabus. In these reports, provide
*a brief summary of the video
*your reactions to the historical events presented
*your opinion of the video itself.
For example, if you reviewed “Top Gun,” I’d expect you to discuss how the spirit of the Reagan
years is reflected by the film, not simply tell me, AThe flight scenes were cool.@
Videos are available for overnight checkout in the History department office (LSW 501). The office is open M-F 8:00-5:00. Friday checkouts are due on Monday. You will be asked to give your id number as collateral. If you don't have access to a VCR, there are several available in the Microfilm room at Eldon Low Library.
NOTE: ALTHOUGH THERE
IS NO LIMIT ON THE AMOUNT OF EXTRA CREDIT YOU CAN EARN, EXTRA-CREDIT REPORTS WILL
NOT BE ACCEPTED AS SUBSTITUTES FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS.
NO EXTRA CREDIT WILL BE APPLIED IF YOU FAIL TO RETURN MY VIDEOS!
IF YOU CHEAT ON VIDEO OR CURRENT EVENT REPORTS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM (i.e., copying material from the Internet, other written sources, or a fellow student), ALL OF YOUR EXTRA CREDIT POINTS WILL BE VOIDED AND I WILL LOWER YOUR FINAL GRADE BY A LETTER
The most effective
way to use the videos is to watch them in conjunction with the material being
covered in lecture. Video reports will
be accepted at any time until the last day of lecture.
Current events
reports are due within two weeks after the event you describe occurred. They will be accepted at any time until the
last day of lecture.
Late Assignments: In
order to be fair to students who turn work in on time, I have a rather strict
policy on late work. Do NOT test me on this, I DO enforce it.
If you fail to give me
your assignments at this time, your grade will be dropped 10 POINTS for EACH day late (Saturday and Sunday count for SEPARATE
days) UNLESS you have made alternative arrangements with me.
If you have a legitimate emergency (validated with University documentation or a doctor’s note), we can arrange an extended deadline. BUT - most excuses including oversleeping, hangovers, failure to find a computer (there are several computer labs at OSU - see the OSU Catalogue), vacation plans, and social activities (including Greek functions, residence hall activities, etc....) are not acceptable excuses.
Grade Scale
Your grade is based on your CUMULATIVE point total as assessed on an 800-point scale, divided as follows
Five 5-9 page papers or written assignments based on the books =500
Cumulative Final Exam =200
Class Participation – based on informed and regular contributions =100
Seven 5-9 page papers or written assignments based on the books =700
Class Participation – based on informed and regular contributions =100
Final grades will be
based on your cumulative points according to the following scale:
720-800 = A
640-719 = B
560-639 = C
480 – 559 = D
below 480 = F
Course Drop Policy:
Prior to January 25, you may drop this course with no grade assigned on your transcript
Prior to April 12, you may drop this course with an automatic "W"
Between April 13 and April 26, you may withdraw with my authorization; however, you will receive either a "W@ (passing) or "F" (failing) grade on your OSU transcript.
Incomplete Grades:
University Policy requires that students complete at least 50% of course work to receive an Aincomplete@ grades. But, in the rare instance that I do allow a student to take an “incomplete,” I will require that student to sign an agreement stipulating that all course work will be finished within a year of receipt of the “R” grade. If the student does not meet that deadline, the “R” will be changed to an F.
Learning Disabilities:
Students requiring extra testing time on account of learning disabilities must present me with written verification from Student Disability Services by Janaury 25th. Verifications can be obtained by contacting 744-7116.
Academic Dishonesty: I do not tolerate cheating in my classes. The minimum penalty for an act of academic dishonesty (including cheat sheets, turning in material from the Internet as your own, copying answers, letting someone else copy your answers, alteration of grade records, plagiarism, inappropriate possession of examinations or other course materials) will be an automatic zero on the assignment grade.
Additional sanctions may include requiring the student to complete a substitute assignment or examination; a reduction in the student’s final grade; automatic failure in the course, and/or disciplinary actions through the Office of Student Conduct.
I strongly suggest
that you learn the difference between paraphrasing and directly quoting
material. Failure to cite material that
is copied verbatim is academic dishonesty and will be penalized accordingly.
NOTE: I occasionally use anti-plagiarism software that is very good at
tracking down materials taken from the Internet and other digitized
sources.
See the OSU catalogue for more information on this policy.
OSU History Department Statement on Plagiarism:
Plagiarism may be defined as the act of using another’s words or ideas as one’s own and may include any of the following practices: (1) direct copying from any source without citation. (2) direct copying form any source without quotation marks (even if footnotes are used.) (3) paraphrasing (putting into your own words) the argument of another author or student without citation. (4) presenting purchased research as one’s own.
For proper citation forms, see Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Terms Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 5th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982) or The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition.
Things Guaranteed to Make Dr. Belmonte evil:
-Excessive chattering during my lectures. Your talking distracts me and your classmates – keep it to a minimum or you may be asked to leave.
-Reading the newspaper or anything not related to this course during lecture. If you are not here to pay attention, do not bother attending.
-Tardiness. If you are more than 5 minutes late and do not have a legitimate excuse, do not come to class, you will be counted absent.
-Early Departure. If you have a legitimate reason for needing to leave class early, please tell me. Otherwise, you will be counted absent for leaving early.
There are many of you and only one of me. Please accord me and your classmates respect and help preserve an environment conducive to learning. Please silence or turn off your cellular phones. I do not do not mind if you eat and/or drink in class as long as you clean up after yourself.
Thursday, January 31st – Jon Butler, Becoming America: The Revolution before 1776
Thursday, February 14th - John C. Burnham, Bad Habits: Drinking, Smoking, Taking Drugs, Gambling, Sexual Misbehavior, and Swearing in American History
Tuesday, March 12th - James M. McPherson, For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War,
March 17th-24th
– Spring Break
Thursday,
March 28th - Beth Bailey, From Front Porch to Back Seat:
Courtship in Twentieth-Century America
Tuesday, April 9th - Nella Larsen, Passing
Tuesday, April 23rd - Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried AND Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin, America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s
Al videos are available in my collection at the History Department unless marked “rent” indicating their availability at video stores. Several of the videos in my collection are also available at video stores.
A Raisin in the Sun (rent) - worth up to 15 points
After Stonewall
All the President’s Men -worth up to 15 points
America and the Holocaust: Deceit and Indifference -worth up to 10 points
And the Band Played On -worth up to 15 points
Anderson Platoon (rent)
Apocalypse Now - worth up to 20 points
Apollo 13 - worth up to 15 points
Assassinated: The Last Days of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy - up to 15 points
Atomic Café - worth up to 10 points
Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittmann - worth up to 15 points
Ballot Measure No. 9
Bay
of Pigs
Before Stonewall
Berkeley in the Sixties - worth up to 15 points
Best Years of Our Lives -worth up to 20 points
Big Chill (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Big Jim McLain -worth up to 15 points
Black Like Me - worth up to 10 points
Born on the Fourth of July (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Bugs and Daffy Wartime Cartoons
Cartoon Crazys Go to War
Cartoons Go to War
Castro
Celluloid Closet (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Changing Our Minds: The Story of Evelyn
Hooker
Chicago
68
China Beach (rent) -worth up to 15 points
China Syndrome (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Citizen Cohn (rent) -worth up to 15 points
CNN Cold War (24 parts) - each part worth up to 5 points
Come See the Paradise (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Coming Home (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Common
Threads: The Story of the AIDS Quilt
Country (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Dave (rent) -worth up to 10 points
Day After (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Dead Man Walking (rent) -worth up to 10 points
Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam - worth up to 15 points
Deer Hunter -worth up to 20 points
Do the Right Thing - worth up to 15 points
Douglas
MacArthur – worth up to 20 points
Dr. Strangelove -worth up to 15 points
Drug Wars – worth up to 20 points
Eleanor Roosevelt – worth up to 20 points
Eyes on the Prize (12 parts) - each part worth up to 5 points
FDR (4 parts) -each part worth up to 5 points
FDR: The War Years
Fifties (6 parts) - each part worth up to 5 points
First Blood (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Forrest Gump - worth up to 15 points
Four Little Girls - worth up to 15 points
Frank Capra’s Why We Fight series (5 parts)
Free a Man to Fight: Military Women in WWII - worth up to 10 points
From Earth to the Moon (8 parts) - each part worth up to 5 points
Front - worth up to 15 points
Full Metal Jacket (rent) - worth up to 15 points
G.I. Bill: The Law that Changed America
Gentlemen’s Agreement - worth up to 15 points
George Wallace -worth up to 15 points
Ghosts of Mississippi - worth up to 15 points
Gimme
Shelter (rent) – worth up to 10
points
Go Tell the Spartans -worth up to 15 points
Godfather Part II (rent) -worth up to 20 points
Great Dictator -worth up to 10 points
Green Berets -worth up to 15 points
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Guilty by Suspicion -(rent) -worth up to 15 points
Gung Ho -worth up to 15 points
Harlan
Country USA
Heaven and Earth (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Heavy Petting
Heidi Chronicles - worth up to 15 points
Hiroshima: The Decision to Drop the Bomb
Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies, and the American Dream - worth up to 15 points
Hooked: How Illegal Drugs Got That (4 parts – each part worth up to 5 points)
Hoop Dreams - worth up to 20 points
I’ll Make Me a World: A Century of African-American Arts (6 parts)
If These Walls Could Talk -worth up to 15 points
Ike -worth up to 20 points
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 version) -worth up to 15 points
J. Edgar Hoover - worth up to 10 points
JFK -worth up to 20 points
Kennedys - worth up to 20 points
Killing Fields -worth up to 15 points
LBJ
-worth up to 20 points
Lindbergh
Long Walk Home - worth up to 15 points
Longtime Companion - worth up to 15 points
Lost Children of Rockdale County - worth up to 15 points
Love
and Death in America: The End of the Sexual Revolution and AIDS
Making Sense of the Sixties (3 parts) - each part worth up to 10 parts
Malcolm X - (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Manchurian Candidate -worth up to 15 points
Marshall Plan
Maya Lin: A Strong, Clear Vision - worth up to 10 points
Mi Familia (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Miss Evers’ Boys (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Mission to Moscow (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Mississippi
Burning (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Mr. And Mrs. Loving (rent) - worth up to 15 points
My Own Country – worth up to 10 points
Nixon - The American Experience documentary - worth up to 20 points
Nixon -The Oliver Stone film - worth up to 20 points
Nixon’s China Game
Nuremberg (rent) – worth up to 20 points
On the Waterfront (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored (rent) -worth up to 15 points
One, Two, Three (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Paralyzing Fear: The Story of Polio in America
Philadelphia (rent) - worth up to 10 points
Places in the Heart (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Platoon - worth up to 15 points
Quiz Show - worth up to 15 points
Race for the Hydrogen Bomb
Rambo (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Reagan - worth up to 20 points
Rebel Without a Cause (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Red Menace -worth up to 10 points
Reefer
Madness – worth up to 10 points
Return
with Honor – worth up to 10 points
Right Stuff - worth up to 20 points
River (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Roe v. Wade - worth up to 15 points
Roger and Me - worth up to 15 points
Salt of the Earth -worth up to 15 points
Saving Private Ryan - worth up to 15 points
Separate But Equal (rent) - worth up to 20 points
Sexual Harassment and Pornography
Silkwood (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Snow Falling on Cedars (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Stepford Wives -worth up to 15 points
Swing Shift - worth up to 15 points
Tea and Sympathy - (rent) worth up to 15 points
Testament (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Thirty Seconds over Tokyo - (rent) worth up to 15 points
Times of Harvey Milk - worth up to 10 points
To Kill a Mockingbird (rent) -worth up to 15 points
Top Gun - worth up to 10 points
Tora! Tora! Tora! - worth up to 15 points
Tora! Tora! Tora!: The Real Story of Pearl Harbor – worth up to 15 points
Truman - worth up to 20 points
Truman -film starring Gary Sinise (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Tuskegee Airmen (rent) - worth up to 15 points
Two Nations of Black America -worth up to 10 points
Ugly American -worth up to 15 points
Vietnam: A Television History (13 parts)
Vietnam:
Chronicle of a War
Vietnam:
The War at Home
Wall Street -worth up to 10 points
War Games (rent) -worth up to 10 points
War Room (rent) -worth up to 10 points
Way We Were - worth up to 15 points
West Side Story - worth up to 15 points
When We Were Kings (rent) – worth up to 15 points
Why Japan Attacked
With God On Our Side (6 parts) - each part worth up to 5 points
Woodstock (rent) -worth up to 15 points
HIST 1103
Spring 2002
Survey/Student
Information
Completion of this
form indicates that you have reviewed and understand the course syllabus.
NAME:
_________________________________________________
PHONE:
___________________
E-MAIL:
______________________________
MAJOR/YEAR:
____________________________________
OTHER HISTORY/SIMILAR
COURSES TAKEN: _________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
PERSONAL (Interests,
Hobbies, Job, etc….)
1.) Do you like history? Explain your answer.
2.) What topics in American history are you most interested in learning about?
3.) What do you think are some of the most controversial and most pressing issues in America today?
4.) Which track will you be pursing?
_____ Track A – five papers, cumulative final
_____ Track B – seven papers, no final