American Women's History  Since1870 History/WS 326 Spring, 2003   Already registered for this course? If yes, login now Office hrs: Tu-Th 2:30-3:30 pm and by appointment Admin. 709 lindenme@umbc.edu

Course Description

This course examines U.S. history from 1870 to the present using the history of women and gender as the primary analysis. The class lectures, multimedia presentations, and readings emphasize U.S. women's history (incorporating factors of race, class, region, ethnicity, and age), but also trace how the changing definitions of gender for both males and females has affected general historical trends. Students are responsible for all lecture and multimedia material presented in class as well as assigned readings on the World Wide Web and in required texts. Weekly assignments can be found on the Course Schedule.

Of course, I expect students enrolled in this course to uphold the UMBC Code of Student Conduct for Academic Integrity. During the Spring, 2002 semester the UMBC Faculty and Student Senates adopted the following statement emphasizing the importance of academic integrity:

• On-Line Syllabus through UMBC's Blackboard Server

  • This course has a web-based syllabus that utilizes the UMBC Blackboard software. Your first assignment is to make sure that you are enrolled for this course at the UMBC Blackboard website located at: http://blackboard.umbc.edu. You are enrolled in the course if you see a hotlink for HIST326 on your list of "courses" after logging into to Blackboard. If you don't see HIST326 listed, there are detailed instructions for logging into Blackboard and enrolling in this course at this site at http://blackboard.umbc.edu
  • I suggest that you go to a campus computer lab the first time you enroll in a Blackboard course. Helpdesk personnel can assist with any questions or problems you might encounter.
  • Blackboard automatically uses your UMBC email address. You may change the email address used by Blackboard by changing your "personal information." Be sure to include an email address you plan to check often.
  • The UMBC Office of Instructional Technology maintains a helpdesk at 410-455-3838 (ECS 20) and has a good helpdesk website at: http://www.umbc.edu/oit/.
  • Being enrolled in this course with the UMBC registrar's office does not automatically enroll you in the Blackboard course. Be sure to check NOW if you are enrolled in the course. http://blackboard.umbc.edu

Required Texts

• Kriste Lindenmeyer, ed. Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives: Women in American History.
• Mary Beth Norton, ed. Major Problems in American Women's History
• Anne Moody. Coming of Age in Mississippi
• Mary Crow Dog. Lakota Woman.
• Additional reading assignments are linked to the World Wide Web (WWW) from the online Course Schedule.

Grade Requirements

• Midterm Examination (100 points) There will be a midterm examination covering material presented in class and assigned readings. The exam will consist of multiple choice/short answer questions (50 points) and two topical essay questions (25 points each). Thursday, March 6th.

• Formal Paper (100 points) This assignment asks you to compare and contrast the lives and philosophies described in Mary Crow Dog's Lakota Woman and Anne Moody's Growing Up in Mississippi. What are the similarities and differences in the lives of these two women? What factors contributed to these similarities and differences, and why? There are many topics that you could address in your paper, but be sure to keep your analysis focused on the historical trends reflected in the lives of these two women. In other words, do not write a literary criticism. Instead use the perspectives of historical analysis: Time, place, gender, race, class, and ethnicity. The two books provide most of the information you will need to complete this assignment. However, the best papers will also be informed by additional research examining the times in which these women lived. For example, you might consult additional works on the black civil rights movement, or the American Indian movement. Another approach might be to look at newspaper or magazine articles from the period. Use your imagination to find an approach that will help to make your paper unique. You will turn-in a print version of your paper at the start of class on April 29th. I also require that you submit an electronic version of your paper via the course dropbox in Blackboard. Late papers will be penalized 10 points per day.
   
• Final Examination (100 points) The final examination will cover material presented in class and the assigned readings since the midterm. In other words, the final is not comprehensive. It will consist of multiple choice questions and two topical essay questions (25 points each). Tuesday, May 20th, 10:30am-12:30pm.

• Weekly Online Quizzes (10 @ 10 points each = 100 points) Students are required to complete an online quiz each week based on the assigned readings. The quizzes are housed on the course Blackboard site. The format may be multiple choice or a short essay. Each week's quiz is due by 9:30 am, Thursday. There are no make-up quizzes. (Although I will offer 11 quizzes. Students may earn up to 110 points in the Quizzes category)
   
• *Out-of-class Events (2 @ 10 points each = 20 points) Students may earn up to 20 extra credit points by attending and evaluating approved out-of-class events or films. All events, films, documentaries must be approved in advance by me. March is Women's History month, so there are always several events appropriate for this class. All evaluations should be submitted to my email account (lindenme@umbc.edu). Evaluations are due within one-week after the event. You must submit your last evaluation by midnight April 26, 2003.

Grading Summary

Make-up Policy

There are no make-ups for the weekly quizzes. I will offer make-up examinations for the midterm and final. However, arrangements for make-ups must be made the day the examination is scheduled or before. Warning: I am strict about this policy and make-up examinations are more difficult.