Syll HIST2301FA15

Alvin Community College HIST2301, Fall 2015

Professor Andrew Joseph Pegoda Page 1 of 14 Syllabus and Course Calendar Syllabus and Course Calendar

HISTORY 2301-‐01 (8931)

Texas History Fall 2015, Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00-‐12:20 pm, G175 Liberal Arts Building

Professor Pegoda *[email protected] :andrewpegoda.com (979-‐341-‐9139 @pegodaaj pegodaaj

Office: G100 Office Hours: TBA and By Appointment

History is a tale told about the past in the present for present purposes.

The past is never dead. It’s not even the past.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Texas History provides an across-‐the-‐discipline thinking and writing-‐intensive survey-‐seminar of important and interesting events, peoples, and ideas in the cultural, economic, political, and social development of the geopolitical area called “Texas” from the “beginning of time” to the present with an emphasis on women, geography, and historical memory. This course is an exploration of questions and perspectives. In, particular, this course will focus on six questions:

1) who had and didn’t have freedom or power, and why?; 2) what does biography tell us and not tell us about large-‐scale historical narratives, and why?; 3) how “revolutionary” was the Texas Revolution?; 4) what connections exist between history and geography and change, and why?; 5) how does Texas History fit, challenge, and/or expand other historical narratives, and why?; 6) how has historiography and historical memory shifted overtime, and why?; & 7) what is Texas History, Texas identity, and why?

As a survey, coverage is highly selective, by necessity. In addition, this course provides an overview of and emphasis on basic Historical Methods, including instruction in primary and secondary sources. History is much more than a collection of “facts” to be memorized (and forgotten). History is one framework which helps explain where we have been and where we are going. Taught and studied correctly, history is, simply, a blast! Class time will be used for interactive lessons and discussions and to explore topics beyond the scope of the readings; therefore, students must come prepared to explore new topics, to analyze documents and cultural artifacts, and to actively participate with an open-‐mind.



GENERAL COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1) We will learn to ask informed, insightful, productive questions. 2) We will examine and analyze “what is Texas History?”. 3) We will explore how Texas interacts with other geopolitical areas, including borderlands. 4) We will explore the interplay of freedom and unfreedom. 5) We will examine the role of Texas governments and on-‐going relationships and conflicts with

local and federal governments and associated relationships with business, individuals, and interest groups.

6) We will explore the role that everyday individuals play in advocating for change. 7) We will explore relationships between eras in terms of how issues change or do not change and

how perception differs from “reality” based on evidence. 8) We will analyze written documents and cultural artifacts from periods under study in order to

understand historical memory and how people responded to hopes and fears. 9) We will analyze primary sources and scholarly secondary sources in order to understand how

History is constructed and the History of History. 10) We will analyze the differences between history (little “h”) and History (capital “H”).

THECB CORE OBJECTIVES: 1) Critical Thinking Skills (CT): Through a variety of in-‐ and out-‐of-‐class oral and written assignments, students will demonstrate effective critical thinking to 1) select and examine important arguments in primary and secondary sources; 2) analyze and describe strengths and weaknesses of these arguments when compared with other sources and/or critical thinking and consider other possibilities; and 3) take a variety of perspectives, sources, and methodologies to present original, unified points of views. Critical thinking includes curiosity, connections, creativity, and communication. This skill will be measured on the article analysis specifically and almost all assignments generally using the appropriate ACC rubric. 2) Communication Skills (COM): Through a variety of in-‐ and out-‐of-‐class oral and written assignments, students will demonstrate effective communication skills to 1) appropriately follow written directions for written assignments, 2) write formal, organized, complex papers that open with a thesis, body paragraphs follow with topic sentences, and conclusions that appropriately make larger, real-‐life connections, 3) write papers with no more than one mechanical (i.e., grammatical) error for every 250 words, and 4) deliver organized, appropriate, and informed formal and informal, with practice and without practice, comments, presentations, and lectures. This skill will be measured on the article analysis specifically and almost all assignments generally using the appropriate ACC rubric. 3) Social Responsibility (SR): Through a variety of in-‐ and out-‐of-‐class oral and written assignments, students will demonstrate social responsibility, including understandings of citizenship, ecology, and social justice. In particular, students will use critical thinking and communication skills to evaluate issues of fairness, prejudice, and/or discrimination and recognize the subjective, always-‐changing shifting mores of such notions. Social responsibility also includes writing papers that are not plagiarized and that cite correctly. This skill will be measured on the in-‐class discussions specifically and almost all assignments generally using the appropriate ACC rubric. 4) Personal Responsibility (PR): Through a variety of in-‐ and out-‐of-‐class oral and written assignments, students will use critical thinking and communication skills to articulate translate seemingly abstract historical events and methodologies to their personal everyday life. Specifically, by using a variety of sources, approaches, academic disciplines, methodologies, and personal experience, students will



identify and describe ethical dilemmas in the ways in which History is remembered and written and studied by historical methodologies. Additionally, students will apply these skills in recognizing ethical issues in order to make and justify ethical decisions as responsible history students, “everyday historians,” and citizens. Personal responsibility also includes writing papers that are not plagiarized and that cite correctly. This skill will be measured on in-‐class discussions specifically and almost all assignments generally using the appropriate ACC rubric. LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of this semester, through reading and writing assignments, cultural artifacts, lectures, and discussions, students will have increased their written and oral communication and critical thinking abilities. Additionally, students will have honed the ability to 1) create an argument through the use of historical evidence; 2) analyze and interpret cultural artifacts and primary and secondary sources; 3) analyze the short-‐ and long-‐term effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on geopolitical areas presently called Texas (and borderlands: culturally, geographically, or temporally) from the beginning of time to the present. Most importantly, as the goal is in any Liberal Arts course, students will be more enlightened, well-‐rounded individuals, with a desire to learn and ask questions. Specifically, students should be able to recognize 1) the importance of supporting “facts” based by evidence, 2) on-‐going dialogues between past and present, 3) broad patterns instead of specific events, and 4) as well as multiple perspectives on every thing and how these vary by time, place, individuals, institutions, and theories/perspectives. REQUIRED TEXTS (to be brought to class on appropriate days):

1) A. Ray Stephens, et al., Texas: A Historical Atlas 2) Elizabeth Hayes, et al., eds., Texas Women: Their Histories, Their Lives 3) Gregg Cantrell, et al., eds., Lone Star Pasts: Memory and History in Texas 4) Weekly Packets

Students are also required to have a stapler for packets, a folder or binder to be used for hardcopies of important course material, paper and blue or black pen for in-‐class assignments, and buy one bluebook. Please note: Copies of the required books can be bought on campus or elsewhere online and are on reserve in the Library and may be checked out for two hours at a time. Good blogs and news sources: http://www.texastribune.org https://tshaonline.org/handbook https://www.facebook.com/TracesofTexas COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Students are required to read all material, complete all assignments, and attend all classes. Students who miss class are responsible for all material covered. There is no extra credit. Professors expect students to study 2-‐3 hours outside of class for 1 hour in class. Therefore, students should be aware that reading and writing and thinking for 6-‐9 hours weekly is important for any college course. Requirements are designed to provide numerous low-‐risk opportunities, as to optimize student success. Grades are based on performance. Students must wait 24 hours before asking questions about returned work. The general breakdown of course requirements, all of which cover required THECB course objectives and learning outcomes, are as follows:



30%—In-‐Class Participation (CT, COM, SR, PR) Enrollment in this course acknowledges the intent to learn, and the professor is committed to creating and maintaining an open and productive intellectually engaging learning environment. Further, this is a college course, and students should know that anything is fair game. College classrooms are unique places where diverse ideas, opinions, and perspectives are welcomed and should be shared-‐-‐respectfully. There are not “exact” answers as there are in math classes. Additionally, professors (and students) have the academic freedom to discuss anything they desire within the bounds of common decency and good taste, as related to the study of History. Readings, videos, and discussions, etc., will frequently provoke very strong feelings, as they should. Additionally, our reactions to these topics will vary by age, experience, and interest. Discussing these feelings and reactions in a respectful, open-‐minded way is vital. Students should also remember that they do not yet know enough to “disagree” per se with the methods and theories with which scholars study and share knowledge. Behaviors that would impede this process are prohibited, such as text-‐messaging, surfing the Web, answering cell phones, talking out of turn, etc. Students are responsible for knowing and following common sense. Rude or disruptive students will be instructed to leave the classroom—warnings will not be issued. As a result, attendance and active participation are mandatory and include attentiveness, behavior, performance on group work, performance on miscellaneous in-‐class writing assignments, and informed contributions. In order to be counted present, students must arrive on time, remain the entire period, actively participate, AND BRING HARD COPIES OF READINGS DUE THAT CLASS. Students who have more than FIVE physical or mental absences will earn an automatic zero on participation. Students who miss more than TEN classes will earn an automatic “F” in the class. See Addendum II and IV. 30%—Blog & 20%—Blog Replies (CT, COM, SR, PR) Students need to create and maintain a blog at wordpress.com. Students are required to make a minimum of one posting of around 500-‐750 words in response to the assigned topic due each Saturday at 10 pm. Blogs are great for taking positions and pointing out rare or unpopular information. Blogs should reflect and understanding and appreciation of classroom topics. Blog postings and comments can (and should!) be a bit more informal, however, be sure and remember to cite where necessary (regularly linking is important) and be polite. Add the tag H2301B to all blogs so that we can read each other’s work. Two blog grade will be dropped, excluding any extra required postings. Students must make at least five replies to other posts and comments due each week Monday at 10 pm. Replies must be more than “I agree” or “I disagree.” Replies should continue conversations. Student replies are not limited to posts made a given week. Two reply grades will be dropped. Student are welcome to the Handbook of Texas Online provided they cite and paraphrase appropriately. 10%—Article Analysis (CT, COM, SR, PR) Students should pick an article of their choice from Texas Women or Learn Star Pasts and write a 4-‐6 page article analysis (see Addendum III). Students may do more than one article analysis to improve their grade, if desired. This is due no later than November 23, 2015, 10 pm online. 10%—Final Exam (CT, COM, SR, PR) During the final exam period, students will write respond in writing to the following questions: What have you learned? What is Texas History? Why is Texas History important? To what degree has Texas changed or not changed since “the beginning of time”? (Be sure to consider who, where, and when as variables influencing change and/or lack of change.) The final will also have a primary source to analyze.



**Honors Credit is available and highly recommended.**

The grading scale is as follows:90-‐100, A 80-‐80, B

70-‐79, C 60-‐69, D

Below 60 or for academic dishonesty, F

I—Incompletes are only considered when students have extreme and documented emergencies, have been passing, and are unable to complete the course. W—Students should discuss their options with the professor prior to withdrawing from a class. Current course withdrawal information can be found in the printed version of the ACC Schedule or online. Students who file withdrawal requests by the published deadline and have not exceeded the withdrawal maximum (6) will receive a grade of W. GUIDELINES FOR ASSIGNMENTS: All in-‐class assignments must be completed in regular blue or black ink – any other work will not be graded—it is unprofessional and hurts the professor’s eyes. Work submitted without a (clearly written) full name will also not be graded. In-‐class work must also follow normal guidelines of Standard English—this includes complete sentences and legible handwriting. For out-‐of-‐class work, excluding blogs, spelling, grammar, and format count—please use Academic English (e.g., this means NOT using first person, text-‐message language, contractions, clichés, or slang). This work must be submitted for plagiarism detection and must be in Times New Roman size 12 with one-‐inch margins on all four sides and double-‐spaced. Additionally, use creative titles for assignments! See Addendum II for more very important details. Work is only considered “submitted” when it is submitted both online and face-‐to-‐face. Additionally, students must bring a hardcopy of the academic honesty pledge to class. Pages must be stapled. For blogs, students are required to submit quality, understandable work; however, blogs can and should be a bit more informal. Students are encouraged to be creative and to experiment. The professor will regularly run blog entries through plagiarism detection software and/or use search engines to protect the academic integrity of the course. LATE WORK POLICY: There is no late or makeup work permitted. No exceptions. No excuses. HOWEVER, students legitimately needing more time on a writing assignment should talk with the professor in advance. Exceptions for major assignments will be considered but only for legitimate, documented emergencies and only in cases where the student is passing the class. ACADEMIC HONESTY: Students at Alvin Community College are members of an institution dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge through a formalized program of instruction and learning. At the heart of this endeavor, lie the core values of academic integrity, which include honesty, truth, and freedom from lies and fraud. Because personal integrity is important in all aspects of life, students at Alvin Community College are expected to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity both in and out of the classroom. Incidents of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and students guilty of such conduct are subject to severe disciplinary measures. Students will typically earn an automatic “F” in the class for any instance of



cheating or plagiarizing. In no case, will students with an academic dishonestly report earn above a “C” in the class. Professors are required to report violations of academic honesty. Students are responsible for policies in the student handbook, as well as common sense. For all written assignments, students must submit an academic honesty pledge. See Addendum V. RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES: ACC complies with ADA and 504 Federal guidelines by affording equal access to individuals who are seeking an education. Students who have a disability and would like classroom accommodations must register with the Office of Disability Services. Students must present documentation to the professor the requested accommodations during the first week of class or as soon as a disability arise. Professors are not able to provide accommodations otherwise. Call (281) 756-‐3433 or email Eileen Cross. BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION TEAM (BIT) – LETTING SOMEONE KNOW: The Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) at Alvin Community College is committed to improving community safety through a proactive, collaborative, coordinated, objective, and thoughtful approach to the prevention, identification, assessment, intervention, and management of situations that pose, or may reasonably pose, a threat to the safety and well-‐being to the campus community. College faculty, staff, students, and community members may communicate concerns by email or by Web. SUPPORT INFORMATION: For technical problems with Blackboard complete the Online Support Form. For WEBACCESS contact (281) 756-‐3544 or visit their Webpage. The ACC Library is an excellent source for research and writing help. Quiet rooms are available for studying and doing class work. For more information, visit the ACC Library Website or call 281-‐756-‐3559. The ACC Tutoring/Learning Lab, located upstairs in building A, provides students with a variety of services including tutoring (math, writing, and other disciplines); computers and printers; a testing facility; and tables/carrels for studying. Call 281-‐756-‐3566 or visit the ACC Tutoring/Learning Website for more information. VERY IMPORTANT TIPS FOR BEING SUCCESSFUL: This is not designed to be a difficult course. Students who attend class, take notes, participate, read the required readings, and who study actively and deeply, will have no problem earning a high grade. Starting early (and following directions) is the number one key to being successful. Students are encouraged to form study groups. The professor is available to students for any questions or concerns about the subject material, including reviewing drafts of assignments. One final note, while students frequently say “this is a lot of reading,” please remember the privilege you have to both be able to read and to have the opportunity to read. Students who attend class and make good-‐faith efforts to participate and learn are guaranteed to pass the class. Welcome! COPYRIGHT PROTECTION: © Andrew Joseph Pegoda, 2007-‐2015. All copyright protections reserved for all original material presented in this course. Unless otherwise noted, all materials are the intellectual property of the professor and are copyrighted. Individuals are prohibited from being paid for taking, selling, or otherwise transferring for value, class notes or other information made during this course to any entity. In addition to legal sanctions, students found in violation of these prohibitions may be subject to disciplinary action from the administration.



**NOTE** The professor reserves the right to change any part of the course requirements, policies, deadlines, content, etc. Students are responsible for keeping track of any and all changes. Any changes will be

announced in class and/or sent by email.

Students are more than welcome to email at any time. Please feel free to ask questions, express concerns, or even to share something interesting. Emails will general be answered within 24 hours. Additionally, the professor will usually send an email each week with updates and reminders. Be sure

you receive these.

Visiting on-‐campus out-‐side-‐of-‐class is always great, too!

Finally, this class and my office will always will be a

safe place & judgment free zone for everyone regardless of race, religion, color, sex, pregnancy, gender or gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, parental status, national origin, age, disability, family medical history or genetic

information, political affiliation, AND/OR military service or veterans status. –to name just a few of the possible overlapping variables that make us unique and contribute to our

intersectionality-‐



COURSE CALENDAR: Reading must be completed prior to attending class. Blogs are due Saturdays at 10 pm. Blog replies are due Mondays at 10 pm. Week 1: Why are you here? 8/25: First day of class! 8/27: Packet #1; Texas Women pgs. 1-‐4, 147-‐150, 277-‐280, 481-‐506; Lone Star Pasts Intro. and Ch. 11 Blog: “I’m here” (due ASAP) Blog: What does it mean to be a Texan? What is Texas History? Week 2: What is History? What is Texas History? 9/1: Packet #2 9/3: Atlas skim all and read 1-‐33 closely; Texas Women 5-‐29 Blog: How does education “change” History? Why is geography important? What are the strengths and weaknesses (so far) of the Atlas? What are your thoughts about using an atlas as a “textbook”? Week 3: Colonizing the Americas 9/8: Atlas 34-‐69 9/10: Packet #3; Texas Women 30-‐52 Blog: What is colonization? How did this affect Texas, according to primary and secondary sources? Week 4: Texas as a Battleground 9/15: Atlas 70-‐103 9/17: Lone Star Pasts Ch. 2 and 10; Packet #4 Blog: How did Texas change from the 1820s to the 1830s? How and why? Was this change good or bad? Week 5: Manifest Destiny 9/22: Lone Star Pasts Ch. 10 9/24: Atlas 104-‐134; Packet #5 Blog: Is documentary and/or Hollywood film an effective tool? How was the information provided different from other sources in this course? How did the Texas Revolution lead to the United States/Mexican war? Week 6: Antebellum Texas to Postbellum Texas 9/29: Atlas 135-‐207; Packet #6 10/1: Texas Women 53-‐81 and 82-‐104 Blog: How did Texas change throughout the 1800s? Week 7: Civil War History and Memory 10/6: Packet #7 (cw docs, wpa) 10/8: Lone Star Pasts Ch. 4 and 6; Texas Women 105-‐127 Blog: What factors lead to a sustained and “successful” colony, nation, and state of Texas? How and why? Discuss several of these factors in order of importance. Name and briefly describe a few factors that were not as important or transformative. Define “successful.” Week 8: Industrialism in Texas 10/13: Atlas 208-‐267



10/15: Packet #8 Blog: Through the 1870s, the geopolitical area of Texas was involved in numerous military or military-‐style conflicts. Briefly, what were these wars? Considering these wars collectively, what were the two most important causes? What were the two most important consequences? How do these wars relate to broader events in the Atlantic World and in the United States? What do these wars suggest about the values peoples of recent European origin brought with them? Week 9: Capitalism, Feminism, and Women 10/20: Texas Women 128-‐146, 176-‐200, 201-‐224 10/22: Texas Women 249-‐276, 318-‐337; Packet #9 Blog: How and why do the women discussed this week challenge stereotypes? What are the strengths and weaknesses of biography? Week 10: Culture of Segregation 10/27: Lone Star Pasts Ch. 3, 5 10/29: Packet #10 Blog: What is Texas History? Week 11: Women, Politics the Arts, and Texas 11/3: Texas Women 281-‐301, 338-‐358 11/5: Packet #11 (fergs) Blog: How and why do the women discussed this week challenge stereotypes? What do political documents suggest about change elsewhere? Week 12: Chican@s in Texas 11/10: Packet #12; Lone Star Pasts Ch. 7 11/12: Texas Women 225-‐248, 302-‐317 Blog: How has the Chicano experience changed and not changed since Spanish Texas and Mexican Texas? How do the arts reflect aspects of this experience? Week 13: African Americans in Texas 11/17: Texas Women 359-‐409, 410-‐433 11/19: Lone Star Pasts Ch. 8; Packet #13 Blog: See separate handout. (See Strange Demise of Jim Crow Handout) Week 14: Women, Science, and Society 11/24: Texas Women 457-‐480, 481-‐506; Packet #14 11/26: Happy Thanksgiving – No Class Week 15: Women, Texas, and Today 12/1: Atlas 268-‐358; Packet #15 12/3: Lone Star Pasts Ch. 9 Blog: Compare and contrast pre-‐1870s Texas to post-‐1870s Texas. How much or how little has changed? Where has this change occurred? What does this change or lack of change suggest about mores in Texas? Week 16: Final Exam Period, 12/8, 10:30-‐12:30


Professor Andrew Joseph Pegoda Page 10 of 14 Syllabus and Course Calendar

Addendum I:

Grammar Tips THECB Core Objectives COM

“Five Characteristics of College Writing” http://andrewpegoda.com/resources/five-‐characteristics-‐of-‐college-‐writing/ “Checklist for Writing Assignments: http://andrewpegoda.com/resources/checklist-‐for-‐writing-‐assignments/ “The Oxford Comma, plus Every Comma Rule You Need to Know” http://andrewpegoda.com/2014/06/24/the-‐oxford-‐comma-‐plus-‐every-‐comma-‐rule-‐you-‐need-‐to-‐know/ “Mastering the Semicolon, Colon, and Apostrophe” http://andrewpegoda.com/2014/06/25/mastering-‐the-‐semicolon-‐colon-‐and-‐apostrophe/ “14 Must Know Rules of Grammar Guaranteed for Successful Writing” http://andrewpegoda.com/2014/06/25/14-‐must-‐know-‐rules-‐of-‐grammar-‐guaranteed-‐for-‐successful-‐writing/ “General Grading Rubric” http://andrewpegoda.com/resources/grading-‐rubric/ “Commonly Confused Word” http://andrewpegoda.com/resources/commonly-‐misused-‐words/ “Hidden Power of Words Series” http://andrewpegoda.com/tag/hidden-‐power-‐of-‐words-‐series/ Keep quotations must be kept to a minimum. Unless prior permission is granted, no more than four (brief) total sentences may be quoted throughout the paper. When quoting, put the page number in a parenthetical citation. For example, “I am quoting this line” (4). Please note that books about the past are not “novels” (novels are fictional accounts). These books are considered “monographs.”



Addendum II:

Guidelines for Reading and Studying Historical Texts

THECB Core Objectives CT, COM, SR, and PR Students will regularly read and analyze primary sources and cultural artifacts (also called “texts”). Primary sources provide direct, first-‐hand information about a topic, time, place, or person, for example. Thus, primary sources are very much a part of the time in which they are created. Primary sources can be and actually are anything and everything: letters, newspaper articles, official documents, songs, movies, clothes, etc. Secondary sources are based on primary sources. In many cases, a simple boundary between the two types of sources does not exist, per se. For example, the movie Gone with the Wind (1939) is clearly not a primary source (or an accurate secondary source) about enslavement or the Civil War, but it is a primary source about how people tended to perceive such in the 1930s. It could also serve as a primary source regarding filmic techniques at that time. When reading primary source documents and making annotations OR when writing primary source analysis essays, students should specifically focus on the following guidelines:

1) identify where, when, and by whom/for whom it was originally produced; 2) describe and evaluate at least three important points and the main argument and evaluate the

credibility; 3) consider what assumptions the author(s) has; 4) analyze its various meanings to different people or groups (e.g., women, men, leaders, everyday

people, “the other”); 5) compare/contrast it with other assigned texts or documents; 6) explain why it is important (i.e., context and significance) and to whom; 7) recognize other major events or peoples living during the same period; 8) consider how time and place have provided different perspectives; 9) consider how the core issue relates or does not relate to the same, different, similar, or parallel

issues today; 10) state a reaction to the document; 11) consider what ethical issues are involved with said document being analyzed (this question is

especially for sources that were not designed to be read by the public, such as private letters); 12) pull out one sentence (or so) that is especially effective from the document and explain why it

was selected; and 13) develop a question about the document that would be good for further research and another

question that would be a good quiz/test question.



Addendum III:

Guidelines for Article Analysis Essays THECB Core Objectives CT, COM, SR, and PR

All of these questions should be considered but should be addressed in a narrative fashion that is clear and makes sense. The professor will happily go over reviews and provide feedback before the deadline so students have an opportunity to improve. Students seeking early feedback should contract the professor several days before the due date. I. This review should open with an introductory paragraph where the writer tells the reader what to expect in the review. This paragraph should also provide a BRIEF summary of the author’s work. It should also identify the author’s overall thesis. Why does the author say his topic is needed? What themes or topics does the author address? What does he say about how his cast of historical actors (people and social institutions) influenced broader society? II. The next three paragraphs should explain the three most important major arguments the author uses. One per paragraph. Why are these the most important compared to all of the other arguments? What are the implications of these arguments? What assumptions do these arguments rest on? Be sure to give brief examples. III. In the fifth paragraph, discuss what kind of evidence the author uses. What kind of sources does he mention or reference? Does the author do an effective, fair job of using said evidence to support his overall ideas? Can you imagine other kinds of evidence that would support, or possibly contradict, the author’s argument? IV. In the next paragraph, consider how the author’s work compares with a variety of other assigned secondary works, assigned primary sources, and other materials related to similar times and places. How do these perspectives agree or disagree? Do textbooks explore any of the same questions explored by the author of the monograph? What observations can you make about what seems to be important to historians or what they disagree about? V. In the seventh paragraph, what kind of ethical decisions did the author have to make? What about the people he or she wrote about and their struggles, hopes, and fears? What does it even mean to make an ethical decision? What does this suggest about the role of primary sources and good historical studies and ethics? Based on this, what responsibility do you have as you work on other assignments for this course, blogging, and as an individual living in Texas, the United States, and Earth? For all of these questions, answer why and how and provide examples. VI: In the conclusion: Were you persuaded by the author’s argument and use of evidence and explanations? Are you persuaded as to the larger significance of this material? Did the author write in a clear, coherent, organized way? Does the author seem biased in any way? What did you like about the book and why? What did you not like about the book and why? Has your interest in the been satisfied, piqued, or bludgeoned out of you? What is your final impression of the article?



Addendum IV:

Participation: Reading Roles for Discussions THECB Core Objectives CT, COM, SR, and PR

For each discussion class students will receive one of the following roles, every student will do all roles a number of times throughout the semester.

• Discussion Leader– the discussion leader helps set the day’s agenda, is an expert on the day’s

readings, and comes with several high-‐level questions to ask classmates.

• Advocate– the advocate will be a “cheerleader” for the text and the author’s point of view and will help articulate the larger importance of ideas brought up.

• Devil’s Advocate– the devil’s advocate is skeptical and/or takes diverging positions from assigned primary and secondary sources for purposes of argument and understanding.

• Passage Master– the passage master will select and dissect important passages.

• Connections Specialist– the connections specialists will help connect the readings to other issues explored in the course and will consider connections to parallel issues in different times and places, especially as relates to events/people elsewhere in North America.

• Ethicist – the ethicist will help determine if the historical material was handled appropriately and will consider ethical issues confronted by historical actors.

• Fact Checker– the fact checker will do additional research to verify the “accuracy” of important and controversial statements.

• Methodologist– the methodologist will 1) discuss how this course challenges, expands, or compliments other groupings (demographics, geography, chronology, etc. – for example the difference between “Texas History,” “Mexican American History I” and “United States History to 1877″₺) used by academics; 2) as possible based on assigned reading, discuss how other historians or historical actors have addressed similar topics; and 3) analyze the construction of arguments in the readings.

• Visualist-‐ the visualist will find maps, images, and other multimedia relevant to the readings. Artist-‐ the artist will write a Haiku, which can be multiple stanzas, summarizing and/or responding to the readings. Alternatively, students can write poems in other styles or make some kind of other visual representation in the form of a painting or installation, for example.

Roles will be added, deleted, and adapted as needed.



Addendum V:

Academic Honesty Pledge:

This document is intended to remind all students about the importance of academic honestly. This is especially true for any students who wait until the last minute to work on this assignment. Do not make a poor and regrettable decision that will tarnish your academic credentials and academic future (i.e. do not use someone else’s ideas/paper and call it your own). By initialing each item and signing this document below (as appropriate), I acknowledge that:

• __________ I completely read (or watch) the appropriate material.

• __________ The ideas in this written work are mine and mine alone.

• __________ I did not use any sources from the Internet (including academic databases) to help

write this paper or develop these ideas without prior permission.

• __________ I did not seek nor provide any assistance to other students in this course (current or

former students) while preparing or writing this assignment.

• __________ I did not buy this paper.

• __________ I did not pay someone to write this paper.

• __________ I did not use any kind of paraphrasing website or tool that generates sentences.

• __________ I understand that if any part of this paper is plagiarized, I will be caught and

punished.

• __________ I understand that the consequences for plagiarizing lead to an automatic “F” for the

semester, a report with the Dean of Students, and possible expulsion from college.

Full Name (print): _______________________________________ Date: _________________

Signature: ______________________________________________ Student ID #: __________

Documents

Syll HIST2301FA15