Ryerson University

Department of History

HST 501: American Civil War

(Fall Session 2008)

Section 1:   Mon    11:00AM - 1:00PM   (TRS 1077) & Wed     9:00 - 10:00AM (TRS 1077)

Section 2:   Mon      1:00PM -  2:00PM   (EPH112)   & Wed   11:00 -   1:00PM (KHW 061)

Instructor:        Peter Wronski 

Office Hours:   JOR 501  Mon  2-3 PM & Wed 10-11 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)

TEXT:

Battle Cry of Freedom, James M. McPherson, Oxford University Press ISBN: 019516895X
and to be assigned on-line journal sources.    

METHOD OF STUDENT EVALUATION:        

Mid-Term Test:                       15%     October 15                 

Essay Proposal (250 words):   10%     October 20

Essay (2500 words):               30%     November 19

Final Exam:                             30%     TBA

Seminars:                                 15%     Oct 6; Oct 27; Nov 10  

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION:     Lecture & Seminar
 

LECTURE TOPICS AND READINGS  (tentative and subject to change):

SEMINARS:

Three one-hour seminars will be scheduled during the semester.  Discussion will be based on lectures 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 advice 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.    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.   It is worth 30% of your final grade.  Only those essays handed in during lecture in hardcopy 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, Encarta, encyclopaedias, general history textbooks, the course text book, are never acceptable as a citable sources, 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,  in the form of Chicago style footnotes at the bottom of each essay page 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.  

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 or e-mailed to me. Do not slide essays under my office door. Students are responsible for ensuring that their essays have been received by me. 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.   Name your file in the following format:  “Last name_first name_HST501-essay”  

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.

Student E-Mail Policy

Ryerson’s email policy http://www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol157.pdf clearly states that only Ryerson e-mail accounts are to be used for communication with students. All students, including continuing education students, have access to Ryerson email through their my.ryerson.ca site, and this is the official way in which they receive communication. They are required to register for and maintain this account.

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.

Appeals and Academic Consideration

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 (in November) which is after the last date to drop the course.

Important Resources available on campus:

Use the services of the University when you are having problems writing, editing or researching papers, or when you need help with course material:

o   The Library (LIB 2^nd floor) provides research workshops and individual assistance. Enquire at the Reference Desk or at www.ryerson.ca/library/info/workshops.html

o   The Writing Centre (LIB 272- B) offers one-on-one tutorial help with writing and workshops www.ryerson.ca/writingcentre/workshops.htm

o   Learning Success Centre (VIC B-15) offers individual sessions and workshops covering various aspects of researching, writing, and studying www.ryerson.ca/studentservices/learningsuccess/seminars/

o   English Language Support (VIC B-17) offers workshops to improve overall communication skills www.ryerson.ca/studentservices/els/

There is one general site where you may see and register for all of the available workshops offered by all of these areas: https://runner.ryerson.ca/acadint/aiWorkshopSystem/aio_public.cfm