Essay (2500 words): 30% November 19
Final Exam: 30% TBA
Seminars: 15% Oct 5; Nov 2; Nov 23
METHOD OF INSTRUCTION: Lecture & Seminar
LECTURE TOPICS AND READINGS (tentative and subject to change):
1. Introduction – Course Requirements
2. History of Slavery – Sectional Tensions to 1840; MacPherson: Chapters 1, 2
3. Ideological Conflicts Over Slavery; Chapter 3
4. Texas and Mexican War; California, Kansas Nebraska Tensions Chapters 4, 5, 6
5. Lincoln, Republican Party; Dred Scott; Caning of Senator Sumner Chapters 7
6. Election of 1860; Lower South Leaves Union; War begins Chapters 8, 9, 10
7. Opposing Forces; Armies and Navies; Military Strategies Chapters 11, 12
8. The Campaigns of 1861 –– 1862 Chapters 13, 14, 15
9. Emancipation – Foreign Relations Chapters 16, 17, 18
10. Winter 1862-1863; Summer 1863; Home Fronts Chapters 19, 20
11. Winter 1863-1864; Summer 1864 Chapters 21, 22, 23, 24
12. The Final Year 1864-1865 Chapters 25, 26, 27, 28
13. Reconstruction – Conclusions Epilogue
SEMINARS:
Three one-hour seminars will be scheduled during the semester. Discussion will be based on lecture and assigned reading materials. Participation is mandatory and worth 15% of the final mark based on attendance and quality of participation.
Assignments:
Essay: A topic of your choice pertaining to the American Civil War. Come see me if you need help or advise in choosing your topic. Suggested topic areas will also be posted on the website.
There are two aspects of this essay:
· Prior to writing your essay, you will submit a one page outline (apx. 250 words) that clearly defines your approach and a proposed annotated bibliography that describes your sources and their relevance to your essay. You will be marked on the basis of originality and specificity of your subject matter and the depth and currency of your sources. Due date for your proposal is the week of October 22. This is worth 10% of your grade.
· An essay of 2,500 words based on a topic of your choice pertaining to the history of the American Civil War. This is due November 19 by end of class and is mandatory for all students. It is worth 30% of your final grade. Only those essays handed in on this date will be guaranteed return on the day of the exam. A minimum of six acceptable sources are required for the essay. The essay should be in 12pt font, double-spaced and approximately 10-12 pages in length plus a cover and title. Clearly indicate on the cover page the title of your essay, your name and section.
Sources:
You six minimum required sources should be scholarly monographs, journal articles, or primary sources. Institutional and archival websites are acceptable if they were approved at the proposal stage. Websites like Wikipedia or History Place, encyclopaedias, general history textbooks, the course text book, are never acceptable as a citable source, and will result in penalty deductions of marks if they appear in your essay. Journal readings assigned for tutorials are acceptable. References:
Essays MUST contain proper references, either in the form of MLA/Chicago style footnotes at the bottom of each essay page (or as endnotes in the worst case) which include in the first citation the author, place, and date of publication of the work cited, as well as the correct and exact page number(s), and for every subsequent citation, author and precise page number(s). As a general rule, references should be given for direct quotations, summaries or paraphrases of other people’s work, ideas or points of view, and for material that is controversial or obscure. WHEN IN DOUBT, IT IS BETTER TO PROVIDE A REFERENCE. Improper citations will result in lost marks. Citations without precise page references will result in failure of the assignment with no opportunity to resubmit. APA style parenthetic references are discouraged.
This is an example of the preferred style for citations:
[1] Jane Doe, The ABC’s of History (Toronto: Ontario Publishers, 1997), pp. 20-21.
[2] Jane Doe, p. 23
See: www.aresearchguide.com/8firstfo.html for a detailed guide to the citation style.
Bibliographies:
Essays MUST provide bibliographies of all works consulted, whether or not they have been quoted directly. Dictionaries, atlases and/or encyclopaedias DO NOT count towards this minimum number of sources, and their inclusion should NOT be considered as constituting research. An example of a bibliographic citation is as follows:
Smith, John. History Rules (Toronto: Ontario Publishers, 1997).
Submission of Essays:
Essays must be typed. If this is a problem, please speak to me. Students should hand essays in directly to an instructor. Late essays may be placed in the essay box on the fifth floor of Jorgenson Hall with my name clearly on them and e-mailed to me. Do not slide essays under my office door. Students are responsible for ensuring that their essays have been received. Please keep copies of your work. Worse case scenario, you may e-mail a copy of your submission to me at pwronsky@ryerson.ca to secure a submission date and submit a hard copy at the first opportunity.
Deadlines and Penalties
Late work will be penalized by the deduction of 2% per day, including weekends. Extensions may be granted on medical or compassionate grounds. Students requesting an extension should submit a written request to me before the deadline. If this is not possible, students should be prepared to provide appropriate documentation relating to the extension request (i.e. doctor’s note). No late work will be accepted after the last day of classes in the term.
Deduction of Marks
The evaluation of your research, content, and argumentation is of primary concern in marking. Equally important is the syntax or structure of your work. Marks will be deducted from work containing excessive grammar/spelling mistakes, which is excessively long or inadequately short, or which fails to provide proper footnoting/bibliography. Be sure to edit and check your work carefully. Do not simply rely on your computer’s spelling or grammar check.
Grounds for Failure
Essays which do not supply proper and adequate citations indicating precise page references and bibliographies will be failed. Any written work that quotes directly from other material without attribution, or which paraphrases extensive tracts from the works of others, is plagiarised. It will receive no marks and there will be no chance to resubmit. Please consult the Ryerson academic calendar for further information on plagiarism. If you have any questions or doubts about how to cite material, please feel free to contact me.
Academic Integrity
For additional help, Ryerson now offers the Academic Integrity Website at www.ryerson.ca/academicintegrity. This offers students a variety of resources to assist in their research, writing, and presentation of all kinds of assignments. It also details all dimensions of Academic Misconduct and how to avoid it. It was put together by a team representing the Vice President Academic, faculty, the library, Digital Media Projects, and Student Services.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a form of intellectual dishonesty in which someone attempts to claim the work of others as their own. Work which has been researched and/or written by others, such as an essay-writing agency, internet service, friend, or family member is NOT acceptable. The submission of such work is one form of plagiarism, and it will be dealt with accordingly as academic misconduct. Quoting directly or indirectly from research sources without proper attribution is also plagiarism, and it will also constitute an academic misconduct. The Faculty of Arts policy on plagiarism will be strictly enforced in this course; resulting in a grade of zero for the assignment, a report to the Registrar and the programme department of the student, and possibly other academic penalties. A second violation of the Code of Academic Conduct on a student’s record will result in a recommendation of suspension or expulsion.
The policy is available in its entirety at www.ryerson.ca/acadcouncil and at www.ryerson.ca/rr and in the Student Guide.
Ryerson University is committed to promoting academic success and to ensuring that students’ academic records ultimately reflect their academic abilities and accomplishments. The University expects that academic judgments by its faculty will be fair, consistent and objective, and recognizes the need to grant academic consideration, where appropriate, in order to support students who face personal difficulties or events. It is also expected that students will deal with issues which may affect academic performance as soon as they arise. It should be understood that students can only receive grades which reflect their knowledge of the course material.
Students should refer to the Student Guide and to the Academic Council and Records and Registration web sites for detailed information on the various types of academic consideration that may be requested; necessary documents such as appeal forms, medical certificates and forms for religious accommodation; and procedural instructions. Information is also available from the Departments and Schools, Dean’s Offices and the Secretary of Academic Council.
Students are responsible for reviewing all pertinent information prior to the submission of a formal academic appeal. Incomplete appeals will not be accepted. Students are responsible for ensuring that a formal appeal is submitted by the deadline dates published in the calendar, and must adhere to the timelines established in the policy.
Course Evaluation:
This coming year the Faculty Course Survey will be administered on line. Students will be able to access the surveys through their my.ryerson.ca (Blackboard) portal during the 11th and 12th weeks of the semester (November 10-25), which is after the last date to drop the course.
]]>
HST 501: American Civil War
(Fall Session 2007)
Section 011: Mon 11:00AM – 1:00PM (RBB 1109) & Fri 9:00 – 10:00AM (KHW 061)
Section 021: Mon 1:00PM – 3:00PM (SHE554) & Fri 2:00 – 3:00PM (ENG LG21)
Instructor: Peter Wronski
Office Hours: JOR 501 Fridays 10:00 – 11:00 AM or by appointment.
Email : pwronsky@ryerson.ca
Phone : 979-5000 ext. 6058
Course website: www.petervronsky.com/civilwar.htm OR
www.russianbooks.org/civilwar.htm
COURSE DESCRIPTION / OBJECTIVE:
This course examines the origins, impact and course of the Civil War, the most traumatic even in American history. The first part of the course deals with the events and causes leading to the Civil War, including the tensions between North and South. The second part covers the military campaigns and the domestic problems of both sides and the effects on the United States. The objectives of this course are: 1. To examine the period and the country in its contemporary setting and to establish a factual framework; 2. To suggest connections between the war and later U.S. civilization; 3. To improve your ability to think critically and to analyze data by undertaking the kind of research required for upper level university essays and to write clearly and effectively.
(Upper-level liberal studies elective)
Battle Cry of Freedom, James M. McPherson, Oxford University Press ISBN: 019516895X
and to be assigned on-line sources.
METHOD OF STUDENT EVALUATION:
Mid-Term Test: 15% October 19
Essay Proposal (250 words): 10% October 22