HISTORY 431
THE
AMERICAN
SOUTH
SYLLABUS
REVIEW
Professor Kristalyn M.
Shefveland
Fall 2015
ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR
My name is Dr. Kristalyn Shefveland and I am a specialist in Colonial
and Native American History. I received my PhD in American History
from the University of Mississippi in May 2010. My research interests
include Colonial America, Native America, the Southeast, the Atlantic
World and the British Empire. I am eager to learn about you and
your specific interests in History.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to introduce students to the history and culture
of the South. This class will serve as an introduction to the history of
the colonial, antebellum, and New American South. Students will
distinguish between myth and reality as they study a variety of topics,
including slavery, politics, economics and the causes of the Civil War.
The class will also focus on southern culture and daily life, including the
role of women and a look at food, clothing and entertainment. In-class
readings provided by the instructor will consist of various primary
documents, short stories and poems from the South as well as relevant
films, music, food, and other items of material history.
REQUIRED READINGS
Steven C. Hahn, The Life and Times of Mary Musgrove (Gainesville: The University of
Florida Press, 2012) ISBN: 9780813042213
W.J. Cash, Mind of the South (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1941) ISBN:
9780679736479
Lalita Tademy, Cane River (New York: Warner Books, 2001) ISBN: 9780446678452
W. Fitzhugh Brundage, Southern Past: Clash of Race and Memory (Cambridge: Harvard
University Press, 2005) ISBN: 9780674018761
SUGGESTED READING: Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz
COURSE QUESTIONS & OBJECTIVES
How has the concept of the South and the myth of the Lost Cause shaped the American
experience?
In what ways has the South been romanticized in American popular folklore and
culture?
What role has memory played in the creation of the Southern past?
How can we examine cultures and their experiences comparatively, when cultures are
experienced as unique and distinctive?
How do legendary narratives shape our understanding of American history, American
culture in the present, and the role of America in the world? In particular, in what ways
is the South a shaping force in the ways that outsiders view the American experience?
GRADING SCALE
A:
900 + points
B+:
870-899 points
B:
800 – 869 points
C+:
770-799 points
C:
700 – 769 points
D+:
670-699 points
D:
600 – 669 points
F:
000 – 599 points
COURSE WEBSITES
A course Blackboard page will be maintained throughout the semester. On it
you will find the syllabus and the PowerPoints from each lecture as well as
any additional course reading material and handouts relevant to the
assignments. Any changes to the class schedule will be posted on the
Blackboard page and it is your responsibility to keep up to date.
Additionally there will be a course website maintained at
http://www.kristalynshefveland.com/hist-431-the-american-south
(Additional Resources can be found at
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/wilson5.html and
http://www.ibiblio.org/sostudies/jump.htm)
ASSIGNMENTS
DISCUSSION PAPERS (400PTS)
For our monographs you are responsible for turning in a brief (5-7
pages, 100 points each) response essay based on your understanding
of the reading material, class discussion, and lecture. These essays are
not book reports but rather are an incorporation of class-discussion
and analysis with your reading of the works in question. A series of
questions will be developed in class that you will be endeavor to
answer in your essay, thus engagement in class discussion is a
necessary component. Essays should be double spaced with one-inch
margins in 12 point, Times New Roman font. Citations for these brief
essays should still be in Chicago Manual of Style format, either
footnotes or endnotes, further directions on these assignments will be
available on Blackboard.
CLASS PARTICIPATION (300 POINTS)
You can obtain participation points by completing assigned projects and
discussion from class topics, regularly speaking in class, participating in
dialogue on Blackboard, and/or by attending office hours or special events
that I have announced in class will count towards the participation grade. The
in-class assignments cannot be made up. You will get credit for completing the
assignments and lose credit if you miss one. The assignments will include
individual work and group work. Class attendance is essential for this course
as in-class discussion and assignments will play a significant role in your course
grade. Students should plan to be in class on time every day.
RESEARCH PROJECT (300 POINTS)
 Do not use Wikipedia or any other unreliable internet sources for your exams or papers
without permission from instructor (This does not include online databases such as JStor or
Project Muse), please contact me regarding specific sources if you have concerns. This
assignment requires you to produce a 15-20 page paper on a subject of the American West.
YOU WILL FAIL THE ENTIRE PROJECT IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE EACH COMPONENT, i.e.,
A TOPIC PROPOSAL AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY MUST BE APPROVED AND A
ROUGH DRAFT MUST BE SUBMITTED. ADDITIONALLY FAILURE TO PROVIDE A
BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THE ROUGH DRAFT AND FINAL DRAFT WILL EQUAL A ZERO FOR
THAT PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT.
 Topic Proposal (10): All topics must be approved before the project can begin, further
instructions will be communicated in class.
 Annotated Bibliography (40): A minimum of 10-12 sources is required. Further instructions
will be posted to Blackboard. Your bibliography and ALL of your citations should follow the
Chicago Manual of Style: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html.
 Research Paper (Rough Draft-50, Final Draft-100, Final Presentation-100) Your research
paper will be on an approved topic of your choice on any aspect of the American South,
broadly defined. You will be responsible for identifying sources, formulating a thesis, and
providing evidence to prove your thesis. More specific guidelines for your research paper
are available on Blackboard. ALL of your citations should follow the Chicago Manual of
Style: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html.
IMPORTANT POLICIES AND
GUIDELINES
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic dishonesty and plagiarism in particular, will not be
tolerated. Academic dishonesty is a reprehensible and grievous offense to
the learning process and educational environment of all students. As such,
any occurrences will be punished to the full extent of department and
university policy. This shall include, but not be limited to: 1. No points for the
assignment/exam, 2. Potential failure of the course. The student will be
required to sign an academic integrity report that will be submitted to the
dean of students. USI considers academic dishonesty (defined by the Dean
of Students as cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, interference with another
student’s work, or facilitating academic dishonesty) to be a serious misconduct
and subject to disciplinary measures up to and including expulsion from the
university. These infractions and the penalties are explained further at the
Dean of Students’ website: http://www.usi.edu/media/3379739/AcademicIntegrity-Policy-Interim-Fall-2014.pdf It is your responsibility to read this
and comply with its requirements. Even in instances of informal resolution
between student and instructor will be entered into the university’s Maxient
system.
DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES:
If you have a disability for which you may require academic
accommodations for this class, please register with Disability Resources
(DR) as soon as possible. Students who have or who receive an
accommodation letter from DR are encouraged to meet privately with
course faculty to discuss the provisions of those accommodations as
early in the semester as possible. To qualify for accommodation
assistance, students must first register to use the disability resources in
DR, Orr Center Rm. 095, 812-464-1961
http://www.usi.edu/disabilities. To help ensure that accommodations
will be available when needed, students are encouraged to meet with
course faculty at least 7 days prior to the actual need for the
accommodation.
USI POLICY ON SEXUAL ASSAULT, SEXUAL
HARASSMENT, AND GENDER VIOLENCE:
USI is committed to creating and maintaining an educational and work
environment free of all violence in which all members of the USI
community are treated with respect and dignity. USI condemns all
gender-based discrimination including sexual assault, rape, sexual
harassment, and all other forms of non-consensual sexual activity. The
USI Code of Conduct prohibits all forms of gender-based violence,
harassment, and exploitation.
WITHDRAWAL FROM THE COURSE:
If you complete the procedure for a Withdrawal from this class
beginning with the first day of the term through Friday 10/23, you
will receive a ‘W’ for the course. If you complete the procedure for a
Withdrawal between 8/24 and Friday 10/23, you will receive the
grade ‘W’ if you are passing with a D or above at the time you drop
the course. However, if you are failing at the time you drop the course,
you will receive a grade of ‘F.’ It is in keeping with University policy
that students who withdraw from a class after the Friday of the
ninth week of the term and have a failing grade in the class at
time of withdrawal will receive an F, not a W.
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY
In the case of inclement weather please check your USI e-mail every
day. In case of inclement weather or if I must cancel the class due to
other reasons, I will send an e-mail to all students in the class and post
a notice on the Blackboard web site no later than 2 hours before the
class is scheduled to meet. Please sign up for the USI text message
system in order to get the most up-to-date information about
university closings due to weather.
COURSE EVALUATIONS
Course evaluations are administered near the end of the semester.
They are an integral part of the teaching and learning process. At
the University of Southern Indiana, course evaluations are used for
many purposes. These purposes include curriculum and assignment
review, course structure changes, changes in instructional delivery as
well as the university’s evaluation of, and continuous improvement
efforts for, faculty and faculty development initiatives. Please
complete the course evaluations for this course with care, thought and
attention toward the improvement of the class, the faculty and the
university community overall.
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
In this class, I highly suggest the Chicago Manual of Style for citations as
it is the standard for historical research. A brief guide is available on
Blackboard for your use.
Do your very best to take care of all necessary business (phone calls, text
messages, calls of nature, whatever) before class begins. If you absolutely
must leave class, take your books and notebooks with you and do not return.
Contact me later to explain your decision to leave class early. In addition, no
laptops are to be used in this classroom.
Students should plan to be in class, on time every day. Habitual tardiness
is both rude and unprofessional. By the same token, wait until I have
signaled that the class is over before you begin closing your notebooks
and gathering your belongings to make a hasty rush to the exist. In
return, I promise to never keep the class after the designated time.
READING AND ASSIGNMENT
SCHEDULE