The American West, H5377
(CRN 23587)
Course Syllabus, Spring 2012
Section .01 online
(3 graduate credit hours)
Professor: Ty
Cashion (Ph.D.
TCU, 1993) his_rtc@shsu.edu
Contact Info: Office AB4 463 936-294-3835
(Note:
If you fail to reach me by phone,
please send me an email—do not leave a voice message)
Office
Hours: By
arrangement
Since this online section does not meet physically, we will
likely conduct all of our business electronically. If you are in Huntsville and would like
to meet with me, we can try and arrange an appropriate time. There may also be times when it is
expeditious to visit by phone. If
you ever have an emergency and cannot reach me, please call our department
office at 936-294-1475.
Note
regarding email correspondence
Please use your university email account for all
correspondence. I will be sending
information to the entire class regularly through SHSUonline. It is incumbent upon you to check your
email account and make sure that you remain well informed.
Request
for personal information
Personally,
I find it rewarding to something about my online students. Any of you who has ever enjoyed a pen pal
can appreciate developing a fondness for someone you may never meet in
person. By sharing this information
collectively,
perhaps you will be able to cultivate a sense of camaraderie among your fellow
classmates in an otherwise impersonal online class. That said, let me encourage each of you
to access “Virtual Office” and enter some “Howdy”
information. Let’s not get
too intimate—no revealing photos, or maudlin expressions of getting your
jollies from long walks along the beach and such. Do share with us how you make a living;
how you became interested in history; what you plan to do with your masters
degree, etc. Then, in a
separate email message, please forward to me an alternate email address
and a contact number in the event I need to reach you on short notice. Please know there have been times when students’ messages have been returned
“undeliverable” (most often, because their storage limit maxes out
by reason of having never checked their university-issued account!) as well as
occasions when I have been unable to pass along important information in a
timely manner. Don’t let that
happen to you!
Textbook/Historiography/Style
Guide
Textbook:
Chapters 1-8, Gary Clayton Anderson and Kathleen P.
Chamberlain, Power & Promise:
The Changing American West (New York:
Pearson Longman, 2008)
A
prerequisite for every graduate course is a survey knowledge of the
subject. In my experience, this is an unrealistic expectation. For
that reason, I have assigned the first eight chapters of Power
& Promise (hereafter P&P). This volume covers the entire
range of American Western history; the first eight chapters will give you a
sense of context for the nineteenth century, that is, the “big
picture” into which every reading assignment will fit. It may also prepare
you for your written and oral comprehensive examinations. When that day
comes, and, if I am on your committee, I will expect you to possess a basic
survey knowledge. This is the “big picture,”
or context mentioned above that will give your individual readings resonance.
Style Guide: Strunk &
White, The Elements of
Style (any recent edition)
I
expect everyone to submit work that is grammatically correct. If you are
uncertain whether your composition is accurate, reference your Strunk & White (S&W) before you submit it. For almost
a century, aspiring writers have relied upon Strunk & White for assurance;
I believe it is worth mentioning that this book has not been out of print since
it was first published in 1918!
Note:
You might as well consult S&W before sending me your work, because I will
not only highlight your errors and ask you to find the rule, but I will also
ask you to relate to me the rule and the page number(s) where you found
it. Don’t worry, though… S&W is brief and easy to follow.
Highlighted
below are some common grammatical mistakes. Know why they are
grammatically incorrect…and then avoid them! I take writing seriously, and I want
every student under my direction to understand that how you express yourself
through the words you compose is just as important as what you are trying to
convey.
Some common
grammatical mistakes to avoid:
Her motto, “Always saddle your own horse”, exemplified
this belief.
Green
defines “the Establishment” as a loosely knit plutocracy comprised mostly of Anglo
businessmen.
Being unsound of mind, the court found the testimony of the
defense witness to be inadmissible.
Governor
“Pa” Ferguson played politics with higher education, and was impeached.
Dr.
Cashion takes writing seriously
and he wants his students to take it seriously as well.
Some additional
notes regarding usage, grammar, and style that you will find helpful: link
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Ø
Students
will develop an understanding of the history and the historiography of the
nineteenth-century American West
Ø
Students will gain contextual
knowledge for the periods of history covered within each assignment by reading
the survey text
Ø
Students will then build upon that
base by reading particular works that fit within the scope of the selected
historical periods.
Ø
In the process, I expect students
to
o polish
their critical thinking skills
o be
able to form and defend opinions
o compose
clear, concise, and expressive prose
COURSE
DESCRIPTION & INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD
This
course approaches the nineteenth-century American West from a historiographical
perspective. Its range covers the
contact period (i.e., when European and American Indian cultures first met)
through the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the
twentieth. The approach is topical
in nature and will take the lead from the chapters in P&P. A readings list (see hyperlink below)
presents a variety of books that will allow students to investigate particular
aspects of various historical periods.
In all, each student will compose four book reviews, and at the end of
the semester, a final review will be due covering a Hollywood western. This last assignment should be fun! It will also provide you with a
benchmark for appreciating how much you will have learned, because almost all
of you will come into the class with preconceptions of the mythic West. Some additional research will be
required (such as finding associated journal articles and professional reviews
of the books you will be reading).
Each review will be between 500 and 750 words. Setting a pace for reading, composing,
and submitting work is incumbent upon each student according to his or her
ability and the length and complexity of the selections.
As
in all graduate work, each student must gain the permission of the department
before enrolling in this course.
Another prerequisite is written competency. I expect each paper to be well
conceived, grammatically correct, and clearly stated. A paper that does not meet this standard
cannot earn a grade above a “C.”
SUBMITTING
WORK & GRADING
My promise to you is that by the time you complete this
course, you will detect a material improvement in your writing. You might even know a little more
about western history than you know now!
Please communicate and send your work to me via email. Do not use the “Digital Drop
Box.”
Please submit all work in Microsoft Word,
single-spaced, with a 12-point, Times New Roman font and one-inch margins.
Regarding endnotes and referencing, please use the Chicago
Manual of Style (the link below will take you to the CMS “Quick Guide”).
I will calculate your course grade
on the quality and thoroughness of your work. Those of you who have had me for other
courses know that I am fair to the point of being generous, and I am always
willing to listen to any concerns you might have.
Please know that you will not
receive a grade for your individual assignments, because I am not inclined to
base your grade on an average.
Figuratively, each of you will be coming out of the blocks from
different lanes and running at various speeds. I have had students begin by submitting
lousy work that improves only gradually until something goes
“click,” and then they start running like a scalded
dog—again, figuratively. No
matter how you are doing from assignment-to-assignment, if you do everything
you are asked, and you are producing “A” work when you cross the
finish line, you will receive an “A” for the course.
Please know that I will issue a
grade of “X” (incomplete) only in the event of some extraordinary
circumstance for which you should be prepared to provide convincing
documentation. In that case, I will
read and grade your work, but will not be able to offer any meaningful
feedback. Moreover, you will be
unable to earn higher than a “B.”
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
The university has advised each
professor to include a guideline compatible with “Academic Policy
Statement 810213,” reproduced in italics in the following paragraph. In addition, I expect all of the
work you submit to be the product of your own efforts. See the “Style Guide”
(Strunk & White) regarding quotations.
Plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment and an
“F” in the course.
All students are expected to engage in all academic pursuits in a manner
that is above reproach. Students
are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in the academic
experiences both in and out of the classroom. Any student found guilty of dishonesty
in any phase of academic work will be subject to disciplinary action. The University and its official
representatives may initiate disciplinary proceedings against a student accused
of any form a academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating on an
examination or other academic work which is to be submitted, plagiarism,
collusion and the abuse of resource materials.
Note: Due to time constraints and unforeseen
circumstances, I may modify the syllabus; any significant changes will appear
in this color font
HYPERLINKS
Ø Readings list link
Ø Book Review
Guidelines link
Ø Some notes regarding usage, grammar, and style that you will
find helpful: link
Ø Basic Chicago Manual of Style Guidelines for written work
If the link to the CMS does not work, try cutting and
pasting the URL,
<http://chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html>