Instructor Information: Anthony G. Gulig 
Office: Baker 303 
Office Hours: T, Th 12:30-1:30; W 12-2, 4-5

E-Mail: guliga@uww.edu 
Web Page: http://facstaff.uww.edu/guliga/
Office Phone: (262) 472-5148

 

Content Outline  

History 324 is an overview of American Indian History.  In many ways, this course is a survey of American Indian History although several of the individual topics covered in this course will be discussed in considerable detail.  A thematic and topical analysis will be developed within a larger chronological framework.  The broad nature of the course and the limited timeframe of the semester means, however, that this class can not be a comprehensive investigation of the historic American Indian experience in every place and in every era. Rather, emphasis will be placed on those topics which were instrumental in shaping the contemporary conditions and experiences. 

It is impossible to study North American Indian history in a void--that is apart from the larger North American experience (this is certainly true in the post-contact era).  Accordingly, the experiences and history of American Indians will often be considered in light of laws, policies, and other events which shaped North American Indian history over the past several hundred years.  A comparative framework will be employed where the experience of Aboriginal people elsewhere in North America will be examined.  A better understanding of the American Indian experience can be synthesized by drawing comparisons from many different parts of North America.  

Course Information

By the end of the course students will be able to: 

• Identify important historic themes relative to North America's Aboriginal people

• Discuss the development of these themes as they relate to current events in the United States 

• Understand the divergent experience of Native peoples in the United States 

• Understand the complex nature of the relationship between Native peoples and North American Governments 

• Interpret present day events in relation to their historical antecedents 

• Think critically about the historic and contemporary American Indian  experience 

Web and E-Mail Proficiency:

Students must be able to retrieve information via the internet.  Information regarding course assignments, examinations and other assessments, discussions and assigned readings maybe made available via the internet.  It is the student's responsibility to check this on-line course syllabus page often (at least daily) for important information.  A Desire2Learn (D2L) companion page has been established for this course.  The sole purpose of the D2L site is to serve as an on-line repository for supplementary course readings.   Supplementary readings will be added to the D2L site in a timely fashion as they are selected and become available.     If you have trouble accessing on-line material, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor immediately.  Do not wait!  If you are having trouble with the content or context of this course, ask questions early, often, and repeatedly!  Information about the course, examinations and other assignments may be sent to you UW-Whitewater student e-mail account.  You should keep that e-mail account up to date and check it often to keep on track in this course.

Click here to login to your Desire to Learn page and access to the D2L component of this course.

D2L uses your University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus e-mail address as the default e-mail contact unless you change your e-mail address using the "Tools;" "Personal Information;" and "Change Personal Information" buttons in Blackboard.  It is your total, complete, and solitary responsibility to ensure you have the correct e-mail contact information within D2L.  

Students must be able to retrieve information via the internet.  Information regarding course assignments, assigned readings, and other material is made available via the internet  pages devoted to the course.  It is the student's responsibility to check the course syllabus and D2L web page often (at least daily) for important information.  If you have trouble logging in or accessing on-line material, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor for assistance.  Do not wait!  If you are having trouble with the content or context of this course, ask questions early, often, and repeatedly!  

NetId:: [UWW Student Login]

Password: [Student Number]

Evaluation

Quizzes: You are required to complete fifteen (15--approximately one each week) web-based quizzes.  Quizzes are objective (10-20 question each) in format and will be available each Friday.  The quizzes will be based on the assigned reading, discussion, and other assigned course material. The quizzes are designed to help you pull together some of the broader concepts identified in the readings. Each quiz must be taken via the web during the specified period, essentially each Friday of the course.  All quizzes will cover the reading material  and course discussion up top that point in the course.  Quiz timing and availability, as well as the material covered by each assessment is available in the "quizzes" section of the D2L page related to this course.  The five lowest quiz scores will be dropped in the calculation of quiz averages in the calculation of final course grades.  The practice quiz and pre-test are not used in calculating a final, or any other grade.

Important Note:  Plagiarism is a serious offense and all instances of it will be dealt with according to the  “Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures” [UWS Chapter 14] see below.   Students who submit plagiarized papers, in whole or part, will receive a failing course grade in all instances    Plagiarism is generally defined as using the ideas of another as your own.  Plagiarism is not avoided by simply changing a few words or by paraphrasing the work of others.  All borrowed material must be cited.  When in doubt, reference it and ask your instructor!  

All students enrolled in this class should download, read, and become familiar with thus guide on avoiding academic misconduct.

In-Class Writing Assignments:  There will be a number of in-class writing assignments.  These brief written assignments will draw from the assigned reading and in-class discussion.  

Essays  There will be two written assignments (5-7 pages each) during the course of the semester.  It is expected that these written assignments will be completed using  a standard word processing software (preferably MS Word) and submitted in class on the date assigned.  The topic of each the assignment and details on how to complete the assignment will be made available approximately three weeks before it is due.  

While you may use reading material assigned in class in the preparation of your essay, it is strongly recommended that you look beyond the course reading list for material.  For each essay, you should select (upon consultation with me--the course instructor) primary and secondary source material including at least five scholarly articles dealing with the particular topic assigned. Important Note:  Scholarly articles appear in peer-reviewed journals.  It is strongly recommended that you consult with the reference staff at UW-Whitewater's Andersen Library to locate articles appropriate for this assignment.  Project Muse and JStor, in addition to the many print journals held by our library, would be a good place to start in locating articles for this assignment.  

These papers are designed to help you pull together some of the broader concepts identified in the readings and class discussion. Each paper is to be typed, double-spaced on standard paper with reasonable margins, and should not exceed seven pages. Your essay must include a clear and identifiable thesis, facts in support of your thesis, and a reasoned conclusion. The topic for each position paper will be provided approximately three weeks before it is due. All borrowed material must be referenced according to the Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers, style guide. Parenthetical references are not acceptable. 

For more information on how to write an essay, consult the guide provided here. Even though this page was created with essay exams in mind, the basics of these, argument, and organization apply to the assignments for this class.   

Each essay must include:  

• your name and student number

• A clear, immediately available, reasonable and accurate thesis which provides an answer to the question

• An ordered examination of the facts/patterns/eras which support the thesis

• A clear, accurate, and complete description of the cause and effect relationship between the facts/patterns/eras presented 

• Coherent grammar, spelling, and punctuation

• A solid progression, paragraph by paragraph, leading up to a conclusion in support of the thesis presented

Each essay should be between five and seven typewritten, double-spaced pages and must be submitted via e-mail (guliga@uww.edu) no later than the assignment due date).

Participation: in this course constitutes a significant portion of each student's final grade (see below).   Participation will occur through in-class discussion.  The ability to merely recite discussion or the prose in a history text is not education. Learning occurs best when ideas and interpretations are shared and discussed. Participation will occur in a number of ways in this course:

• Students will read and listen critically and interactively 
• Readings will be discussed in class 
• Students will discuss the readings and lectures with the instructor and other students outside of class on a regular, consistent, and on-going basis.
• Students will complete course content surveys from time to time throughout the semester.

It is imperative that you participate in the Backboard discussion, both in responding to questions posted by the instructor, and by posing your own ideas and questions in response to others. 

Statement on Academic Integrity and Personal Responsibility:  All students are expected to complete the required assignments, readings, and participate in the class discussion as prescribed in this syllabus.  It is further expected that work submitted for this class is the students’ own work created expressly for the assignments in this course.  All assignments are due on the due date.  Late assignments will be penalized at the rate of one letter grade per calendar day it is late.  Exams must be completed according to the course syllabus.  Make-up exams or extra crdit opportunities are not a reality in this class. 

Grading: A standard 90-100% = A; 80-89%=B; 70-79%=C; 60-69%=D scale will be employed for the calculation of final course grades.  The weight of assignments in the calculation of final grades is as follows: