History 4330 THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION
Dr. Lorien Foote
Office Hours: MWF 8:30-9:30; W 2-4; TTH 8:30-10:30; and by appointment
Irby 104, 450-5620, email lfoote@mail.uca.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
History 4330 covers the social and political development of America from 1850-1877, focusing on the sectional crisis of the 1850's, the social and political origins of the Civil War, the military and social aspects of the war, and the period of Reconstruction. The course aims to develop student skills in analytical thinking, fact-based interpretation, assessment of historiography, research, and written communication.
REQUIRED BOOKS
James McPherson, Ordeal by Fire: The Civil War and Reconstruction, 3rd Edition
William E. Gienapp, The Civil War and Reconstruction, A Documentary Collection
Bell Wiley, The Life of Johnny Reb or The Life of Billy Yank
Drew Faust, Mothers of Invention
Ambrose Bierce, Civil War Stories
EVALUATION
9 Reading Quizzes (out of 10) 90
Exam I 100
Exam II 100
Exam III 100
Research Paper 100
Faust Paper 50
Class Participation 100
There will be 10 quizzes over the course of the semester covering the weekly readings. These will be short essay. The quizzes may be announced or unannounced. There may be a quiz any day on which reading is due. If there is reading due on Tuesday, there may be a quiz on Tuesday. If you have readings due on Tuesday and Thursday, there could be a quiz on Thursday that might cover the material from either day.
The three exams for the course will be based on class lecture, discussion, and the readings, including the Wiley book. One week before each exam, you will be given a study guide with potential questions for the exams. The exam will consist of an ID section and an essay section - three ID terms and one essay question will be taken from the study guide. You will be expected to incorporate material from the McPherson and Gienapp readings into your answers.
Class participation is critical in this course, and you will receive a grade for this aspect of the course. This grade will be based on four things: participation in small group/class discussion, and completion of three assignments.
1. Participation: You are not required to participate in every class discussion, but over the course of the semester you must make a contribution that shows a thoughtful reading of the material. You must contribute to every small group activity. (50pts)
2. Glory Assignment: Due October 7th. By that date, you must have viewed the movie Glory and read a short essay on the film (this is available upon request). You must be prepared to discuss the movie and the essay on that date. (10pts)
3. Wiley Assignment: Due October 9th. Half of the class will read Life of Johnny Reb and half of the class will read Life of Billy Yank. On Oct. 9th you must bring to class a short, typed report summarizing the main idea of each chapter. These reports will be used to share with others in an assigned group to discuss similarities and differences in soldiers' experiences in the Union and Confederate armies. (20pts)
4. Bierce Assignment: Due October 30th. By that date, you must read three short stories by Ambrose Bierce: "What I Saw of Shiloh," "A Son of the Gods," and "Killed at Resaca." For each story, you should compose three discussion questions. Bring to class your questions, and written answers to each question. (20pts)
You will write a short (3-5 pages, typed ) paper over the book Mothers of Invention. One week before the paper is due, you will receive the paper question.
The full assignment for the research paper will be given later. You will write an 8-10 page paper on a topic of your own choosing. You must use primary sources in your research for this paper.
The final grade for the course will be based on the total number of points.
576-640 A
512-575 B
448-511 C
384-447 D
383 F
MAKE-UP POLICY
There are two acceptable excuses for missing an exam or quiz -- illness and a family emergency. You must contact me before the examination and have my consent for your absence if you wish to take a make-up exam. Please note that even if you have an acceptable excuse, unless you contact me about missing the exam by or on the day of the exam, I will not schedule a make-up for you. You must take the make-up within a week of the missed exam, or you will receive an F for that exam. The format of any make-up exam is at the sole discretion of the instructor.
ATTENDANCE AND DROP POLICY
You may not miss more than four classes in this course. After four absences, your grade may be lowered one letter grade or you may be dropped from the class. Faculty reserve the right to report students who frequently miss class to student services, who may notify you that continued absences will result in a "WF" for the course. These proceedings may begin after an absence of four class periods. Friday, October 31 is the last day to drop the course with a non-punitive grade.
ACCOMMODATION FOR 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 me as soon as possible. Students may also contact Disability Support Services.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the University's policy on academic misconduct (cheating, plagiarism, etc.), which can be found on page 36 of the student handbook. Failure to abide by the accepted standards of academic honesty may result in an "F" for the assignment or for the course.
OTHER UNIVERSITY POLICIES
You should familiarize yourself with all the policies listed in the student handbook, especially the Sexual Harassment Policy on page 107 and the Academic Policies on page 36.
DAILY ASSIGNMENTS AND DUE DATES
Aug. 26 McPherson (Mc), Ch. 1-3; Gienapp (G), pp. 3-25.
Aug. 28 Mc, Ch. 4-6; G, pp. 27-40.
Sept. 2 Mc, Ch. 7-8; G, pp. 41-55.
Sept. 4 Mc, Ch. 9; G, pp. 57-68.
Sept. 9 Mc, Ch. 10; G, pp. 71-82, 131-142.
Sept. 11 Mc, Ch. 11-13; G, pp. 83-88.
Sept. 16 Mc, Ch. 14-16; G, pp. 89-99, 115-130.
Sept. 18 Mc, Ch. 17; G, pp. 100-104.
Sept. 23
Sept. 25 Exam I
Sept. 30
Oct. 2 No Class
Oct. 7 Glory Assn. Due; G, pp. 219-234.
Oct. 9 Wiley Assn. Due
Oct. 14
Oct. 16 Mc, Ch. 18, pp. 349-359; G, pp.147-158.
Oct. 21 No Class
Oct. 23 Mc, pp. 359-372, review pp. 334-341; G, pp. 159-163
.
Oct. 28 Mc, Ch. 20-21; G, pp. 165-218.
Oct. 30 Mc, Ch. 22; Bierce Assn. Due
Nov. 4 Exam II
Nov. 6 Mc, Ch. 23-24; G, pp. 249-279.
Nov. 11 Mc, Ch. 25; G, pp. 281-314.
Nov. 13
Nov. 18 Faust Paper Due
Nov. 20 Mc, Ch. 26-27; G, pp. 317-350.
Nov. 25 Mc, Ch. 28-29; G, pp. 351-360.
Nov. 27 No Class
Dec. 2 Research Paper Due; Mc, Ch. 30-31; G, pp. 367-391.
Dec. 4 Mc, Ch. 32-33; G, pp. 393-417.
FINAL SCHEDULE
Exam III Tuesday, December 9 11:00 a.m.