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In calculating your final grade, the
assignments will be weighted as follows: Mid-term Exam 20% Final Exam 25% Written homework assignments (6 total) ** 25% In-class
essays ***
20%
**You MUST read the entire assigned chapters from APAN, DAP, and CV and you MUST be able to discuss the material (and talk about the questions posed for each chapter) in class. BUT you will turn in written answers to only three DAP assignments and three CV assignments. You can pick which ones to do. However, I strongly advice you not to put them all off until the end of the semester. A minor consideration is that I do not want to be grading all the homework at the end of the semester. A major consideration is that you won’t get the most of the assignments if you pursue that avenue (I make comments on the assignments so you can learn from them—this is not just busy work). Do not take the homework assignments lightly (they will be graded with either a +, +/check, check, check/-, -). Answer all the questions posed at the end of each CV chapter. DAP questions are often complex. You must use the (and give evidence that you have used) the primary documents in answering the questions posed. If you don’t the very highest grade you can receive on the assignment is a ?. For those assignments, you will get the most from the assignment if you to work through the sections called “The Method” and “Questions to Consider.” The information in those sections will help you answer “the central questions.” You will only hand in answers to the “central questions.” The central questions are usually posed two or three times in the chapter (the authors are generally not subtle about pointing out the issues you should be exploring), but I’ve pointed you to the specific questions below. Homework assignments are due in class the day the readings are to be discussed. Papers handed in after class (even 30 minutes after class) will be considered late and I’ll start “the clock” at one day late. ***For the assigned readings for both Common Sense and Related Writings and Uncle Tom’s Cabin, you will write an in-class essay (you must use your book for this essay, so don’t forget to bring it to class that day). I will pose a question. Your essay must make an argument (that is, have a thesis) and you must be able to prove your point. I will expect you to be able talk about the historical context of those readings, to discuss the authors, to highlight and explore the main points the authors made, and to evaluate the effectiveness of their works. I would encourage you to relate these specific readings to material you have encountered in the course so (for example, you might compare Common Sense and The Declaration of Independence since they were written within 6 months of each other; or you might compare what Harriet Beecher Stowe has to say slaves’ lives with what they say about their own lives). You must be prepared to discuss the assigned readings from the foundation text (APAN) in class. Every book, even a textbook, has a point of view, and I will expect you to be able to tell me what the main theme of each chapter is and what major points the authors raised in the chapter (and how those points relate to the main theme). WEEKLY TERMS ARE POSTED ON THE WEB SITE. PART OF BOTH THE MID-TERM AND FINAL EXAMS WILL ENTAIL THESE TERMS. You will be expected to be able to define the terms, but most importantly, you will be expected to explain the significance of the terms. You must understand the term in the context of the chapter (understand the introduction and the main ideas--what is the chapter about?) and of the particular section in the chapter (pay attention to the section before as well as the relevant section—understand the main points of those sections--what are they about?). For example, you should be able to tell me that Nat Turner was a slave who fomented an insurrection in Virginia in 1831. True enough. But there is more to it than that. You might explain that not only was Nat and other “rebels” hunted down and hanged, but also in the process vengeful whites killed 200 African Americans, including innocent victims. Also while Virginia debated abolishing slavery many southern states ultimately tightened legal codes outlawing the education of blacks and black religious practices. It also escalated tension between the north and south. As southern fears of further slave uprisings increased so did restrictions on slave movements and harsh punishment of resistance. This atmosphere fueled northern abolitionism as they responded in horror to the treatment of southern slaves. This page is maintained
by Vivian Bruce Conger, vconger@ithaca.edu |