HST 202D Winter 2008
Dr. Max G. Geier
geierm@wou.edu
http//www.wou.edu/~geierm/
Office: Maaske 221
Office Hrs: M 12-1, W 12-2, R
1-2 or by appointment
On-line Syllabus and contacts
• See syllabus to access my webpage at
http://www.wou.edu/~geierm/
• On-line version of Syllabus is on my webpage under “Current
Courses” link to HST 202D
– Includes hyperlinks to publisher’s website:
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/henrettaconcise/
– Weekly readings include hyperlinks to Critical
Thinking Modules (e.g. “Voices from Slavery” )
– Includes hyperlinks to on-line versions of the student code
of conduct and campus/division policies on academic
honesty
Course Objectives
• This is a survey course that introduces students to professional
standards of history as an academic discipline involving
critical analysis and written interpretation of primary
documents.
– It links these primary materials with recent scholarship in the field of
American history for the period before 1830.
– Class meetings are designed to encourage general discussion of
assigned readings, with supplemental lectures that develop contrasting
interpretations and expand on relevant interpretive themes.
– Student-led roundtables focus on particular primary sources and
interpretive themes.
– Students will learn and gain experience with the various tools historians
use to advance our understanding of the past.
– By the end of the course, students will develop and demonstrate an
ability to synthesize and express, in writing and in oral argument, their
own understanding of evidence and ideas, following the accepted,
professional standards of scholars in this field.
REQUIRED TEXTS
• There are 5 required
texts, which we will refer
to in class discussions by
using the last name of the
leading author or editor:
• 1. Henretta
• 2. Rampolla
• 3. Calloway
• 4. Chávez
• 5. Marten
www.bedfordstmartins.com/henrettaconcise
A free web site
accompanies the
Henretta text. Some
required
assignments will
draw on this site,
which also includes
much unassigned
material that may
help you better
understand this
course.
Required Texts
James Henretta, et al., America: A Concise History, Third Edition. Boston, MA:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006.
See also the website for this text at
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/henrettaconcise/ (log-in as “student” and note the
various resources available for students--then click on “critical thinking
modules”—these will be the focus of a number of in-class discussions, as
indicated in the schedule, below. Contact the instructor immediately if you have
difficulty accessing these on-line materials)
Mary Lynn Rampolla, Pocket Guide for Writing in History, Fifth Edition. Boston,
MA: Bedford/St Martin's, 2007.
Collin G. Calloway, ed. Our Hearts Fell to the Ground: Plains Indian Views of How
the West was Lost. Boston, MA: Bedford Books, 1996.
Ernesto Chávez, ed. The U.S. War with Mexico: A Brief History with Documents.
Boston, MA: Bedford/St Martin's, 2008.
James Marten, ed. Childhood and Child Welfare in the Progressive Era: A Brief
History with Documents. Boston, MA: Bedford/St Martin's, 2005.
Class Format:
• Weekly units of readings in primary and
secondary sources
• Discussion questions for each week are
designed to suggest how the readings for that
week relate to each other and to broader
themes
• Lectures supplemental to readings and
discussions
• Six Student-led Roundtables during the term
based on Bedford texts
Required Products:
• Analysis Papers: 35% of total for the course
– combined total for 2 papers
– each is due one week after roundtable(s) on which it is based
– Each is a formal essay responding to a question that will be
provided in the week prior to the due date
• Class Participation: a combined total of 20% of total for
the course, broken down as follows:
– 50% based on participation on a Roundtable panel
– 30% based on participation in other class discussions
– 20% based on regular attendance and engaged listening
• Midterm exam: 20% of total for the course—a unit exam
covering material from the first 5 weeks
• Final Exam: 25% of total for the course—a unit exam
covering material from the final 5 weeks
Roundtables
• Each student will serve on one of the six scheduled Roundtable
panels, as shown in the syllabus (about 4-6 students per panel)
– Each roundtable focuses on a specific group of primary-source “voices” as
shown on the syllabus (readings from on-line sources & Bedford texts)
– Panel participants will lead a class discussion of those readings, focusing on
the central question(s) posed for that Roundtable (see syllabus)
• In-class time will be provided at the end of several class meetings
to help panel members coordinate their work for each Roundtable
• A passing grade in this course requires satisfactory service on at
least one Roundtable panel
• During the first week of classes, students may volunteer to serve
on a particular Roundtable panel, as space permits.
• Students who have not volunteered by Monday of week two will
be placed on a panel chosen by the instructor.
Analysis Papers
• a formal essay that critically analyzes a Roundtable question (see
syllabus), drawing effectively on evidence from assigned
readings, discussions, lectures, and primary-source documents
• grading criteria are explained on the syllabus
• length is flexible, but a well-crafted paper will run about 7501000 words (3-4 pages, double-spaced), not including endnotes.
• All papers submitted for a grade must fully and completely cite
sources, following the endnote/footnote format explained in
the Rampolla pocket guide. As historians, we follow the
Chicago Manual of Style, which is the basis for this pocket guide.
Exam Format
• Identification/matching section of terms and their
broader significance to central themes
• Essay section
– Two questions on midterm (one focusing especially
on material covered in Roundtables #2 and #3, the
other more broadly based on material from the first 5
weeks of the course, including Roundtable #1)
– Two questions on final exam (one focusing especially
on material covered in Roundtable #6, the other more
broadly based on the final 5 weeks of the course,
including Roundtables #4 & #5)
Academic Honesty Policy
• Analysis papers must fully cite any and all sources referenced,
quoted, or otherwise consulted in the course of generating or
developing ideas for these assignments. (i.e. Use Footnotes!)
• Students are expected to familiarize themselves with, and adhere to
the WOU student code of conduct and the Social Science Division
policy on academic dishonesty in all matters pertaining to this class.
Student code of conduct (see course syllabus for hyperlink):
http://www.wou.edu/student/csr.php
• Penalties for violating academic honesty guidelines include failure
in this course
Policy on Academic Dishonesty (see syllabus for hyperlink):
http://www.wou.edu/las/socsci
• Violations are subject to review at the campus level, as detailed in
the student code of conduct.
Statement on Disabilities
Students with documented disabilities who may need
accommodations, who have any emergency medical
information the instructor should be aware of, or who
need special arrangements in the event of evacuation,
should make an appointment with the instructor as
early as possible, and no later than the first week of
the term. For more information on services and
support available on this campus, interested students
should contact the Office of Disability Services (8388250v/tty) in the AP 405.
Statement on Cell Phones & Other
Electronic Devices
Cellphones should be turned off before class begins, and
they should remain off during class.
Use of electronic devices during class is prohibited unless
previously authorized, in writing, by the instructor.
Violations will be referred to the dean of student’s office.
Recording images or voices of people without the
knowledge and permission of the person being recorded
is a violation of law and is prohibited in this class.
Violations will be referred to the dean of students office.
Before Next Meeting (Wednesday)
• Read the entire syllabus (all 4 pages)
• Purchase required texts
• Read assignment for this first week:
– Rampolla, pp. 1-24, 43-68, 88-95;
– Henretta, pp. 309-321, 322-341 (note especially “voices”)
– Calloway, pp. 1-8, 21-30, 31-36 (see “voices” on syllabus)
• Visit and bookmark my website for future reference
• Sign-in to the bedfordstmartins site (see on-line syllabus for
hyperlinks), and then:
– complete the plagiarism tutorial
– Browse through the other available resources & learning aids
– Note: pop-ups must be enabled in browser to access the modules
on this website
Outline for Week 1 (week of Weds. 7 January 2008)
1. Economic Revolution and the Nature of History: Remembered
and Imagined Pasts
a. Week #1 Readings: Rampolla, pp. 1-24, 43-68, 88-95; Henretta,
pp. 309-321, 322-341; Calloway, pp. 1-8, 21-30, 31-36
b. Discussion Questions:
- What are some inherent biases in the discipline of history as an
academic pursuit? How do Historians adjust for those biases?
- What is the relation between evidence and argument in
professional history writing and analysis?
- How does choice of evidence influence perceptions of
sectional differences in 19th century U.S.?
- How did the economic revolution and urbanization trends
discussed in Henretta relate to Indians in the West?
c. Voices: Lone Dog’s Winter Count (1801-1877); John Gough,
Black Hawk, Margaret Bayard Smith
2. Defining the Limits of
American History
a. What kinds of sources
are available for
understanding the
experience of 19th
century America?
b. What biases do those
sources introduce into
our understanding of
that period?
c. How do historians
adjust for those biases?
d. What kinds of questions
do historians ask of
those sources?
3. Re-definition of the U.S. after the War of 1812
3. Re-definition of the U.S.
after the War of 1812
a. “opening” of American
society and collapse of prewar leadership
b. birth of “Manifest Destiny”
paradigm of Militant
Nationalist Expansionism,
1815-1920
3. Re-definition of the U.S. after
the War of 1812
c. America in transition
• era of rapid growth
and origins of a
“Reform” ethic in the
U.S.
• roots of westward
expansion in the
“Reform” impulse of
19th century
• problems of race and
cultural conflict amid
origins and aftermath
of the Civil War
3. Re-definition of the U.S. after the War of 1812
d. Imperial tendencies of the United States in 19th century and
origins of the Civil War
3. Re-definition of the U.S. after
the War of 1812
d. Imperial tendencies of the
United States in 19th
century and origins of the
Civil War
3. Re-definition of the U.S. during the War of 1812 (theme of
expansive nationalism)
e. Industrial transformation of the United States in 19th century
and origins of the Civil War
4. Evangelical expansiveness and mission vs underlying culture of
parochialism and localism
a. Suspicion/hostility to outsiders vs outward thrust of American
development/culture
Charging Up San Juan Hill, 1898 (version one)
4. Evangelical expansiveness and mission vs underlying culture of
parochialism and localism
b. differences of race, class, culture
Charging up San Juan Hill, 1898 (version two)
4. Evangelical expansiveness and mission vs underlying culture of
parochialism and localism
c. Rhetoric of rampant individualism vs traditions of community
and continuity
Colored Women’s League, ca.1890s
New Orleans militiamen in January 1815
4. Evangelical
expansiveness and
mission vs
underlying culture of
parochialism and
localism
d. American System
ideal of an
integrated
economy vs
reality of
slave/plantation
economy
4. Evangelical expansiveness
and mission vs underlying
culture of parochialism and
localism
e. Era of rapid industrial
development and urban
growth vs rhetoric of
frontier individualism
Pennsylvania “breaker boys”, ca. 1880s
4. Evangelical expansiveness and mission vs underlying culture of
parochialism and localism
f. Era of challenges to the dominant culture
Hampton University History Class, ca. 1890
Booker T. Washington
4. Evangelical expansiveness and mission vs underlying culture of
parochialism and localism
g. Emerging paradigm of violence vs co-existing cultures of
“uncommon men”
Victims of the Wounded Knee Massacre, 1890
Next meeting: Industrial networks and pastoral landscapes: How
did the national system change the lives of rural people?
Before Next Meeting (Wednesday)
• Read the entire syllabus (all 4 pages)
• Purchase required texts
• Read assignment for this first week:
– Rampolla, pp. 1-24, 43-68, 88-95;
– Henretta, pp. 309-321, 322-341 (note especially “voices”)
– Calloway, pp. 1-8, 21-30, 31-36 (see “voices” on syllabus)
• Visit and bookmark my website for future reference
• Sign-in to the bedfordstmartins site (see on-line syllabus for
hyperlinks), and then:
– complete the plagiarism tutorial
– Browse through the other available resources & learning aids
– Note: pop-ups must be enabled in browser to access the modules
on this website