History 355B
Native American History, Pre-Contact-Present
Fall 2008
Terry Bouton
Associate Professor of History
Phone: 410-455-2056
Email: bouton[at]umbc.edu
Office: 722 Administration Bldg.
Office Hours: Wed. and by appointment
Course Webpage:
http://research.umbc.edu/~bouton/NativeAmerican/NativeAmerican08.htm
Course Meeting Place: ACIV006 (Academic IV, Room 006)
Course Meeting Time: Wednesday/Friday 2:30-3:45
Course Description:
History 355B is a survey of Native American history from before contact
with Europeans to the present. The course will emphasize the different
ways that Indian societies confronted the “Invasion of America” and explore how
Indian peoples resisted and adapted to the dramatic changes of the past four
centuries.
Grading:
The final grade breaks down as follows:
MIDTERM EXAM #1: 100 pts. (20% of your total grade)
MIDTERM EXAM
#2: 100 pts. (20% of your total grade)
FINAL EXAM: 100 pts. (20% of your
total grade)
PAPER: 100 pts. (20%
of your total grade)
READING
DISCUSSION: 100 pts. (20% of your total
grade)
TOTAL
GRADE: 500
pts.
Books:
1) Miguel Leon-Portillo and J. Jorge Klor
de Alva, The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico,
Beacon Press, ISBN 978-0807055007
2) James E. Seaver, ed. A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison,
3) Peter Nabokov, ed., Two Leggings: The Making of a Crow Warrior,
University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 978-0803283510
4) Mary Crow Dog, Lakota Woman, Harper Perennial, ISBN-13 978-0060973896
IMPORTANT: The campus bookstore usually only keeps books in stock
for the first half of the semester.
Consequently, you need to purchase your books early in the semester and,
preferably, at the start of the course.
I will not accept “the bookstore ran out” as an excuse for missed
reading assignments.
You
may also want to buy DVD or VHS copies of the films Black Robe and Smoke
Signals, which can be purchased inexpensively through various online
sellers. You can also obtain a copy of Black Robe and Smoke Signals
through Netflix, Blockbuster, and at many public libraries.
I reserve the right to make changes to the requirements or to the
schedule.
Requirements:
1)
Examinations:
The midterm exams and the final exam will be composed of an essay
section and a series of identifications (define and explain the significance of
various names, events, places, ideas, etc., drawn from lectures and
readings). The identification portions
of the exams will NOT be cumulative; the essay portions will be somewhat
cumulative, but will emphasize material from the most recent section of the
course. The essay for the final exam
will be cumulative. All exams are closed
books, closed notes unless otherwise specified.
Make-up Policy: I will offer make-up examinations for the midterms and the
final examination, but only if arrangements for a make-up are made by
midnight the day the examination is scheduled. If you miss the midterm or final
and have not notified me in advance, you may not take a makeup and will earn 0
points for the missed exam. Warning: I am strict about this policy.
Midterm Examination # 1 will be held in
class on Fri., Sept. 25
Midterm Examination # 2 will be held in class on Fri., Oct. 31
The Final Examination will be held in class on Wed., Dec. 17 from
1:00pm-3:00pm
2) Paper:
Students will be required to write a SEVEN-PAGE
paper based on Two Leggings: The Making of a Crow Warrior, DUE: In
my mailbox by 11:00am on Tuesday, Oct. 28
Paper Topic: The memoir of
the Crow warrior Two Leggings provides a unique window into the culture of the
plains Indians during the 19th century. Through Two Leggings’
life (the things that happen to him, his take on events) we can gain some
understanding of the values and principles that underlay Crow society.
What were the primary ideals and principles guiding this society? Craft a
SEVEN-PAGE paper that presents the FIVE main spiritual/social rules or
principles governing Crow society.
The rules/principles you choose are
entirely up to you. You will not be graded on whether you selected the
“correct” five areas. There are NOT five “right” answers. In
selecting your “rules,” it might be helpful to think about these as the Five
Commandments of Crow society (“Thou Shalt…”). Your rules might begin:
“Crow warriors were supposed to….”; “Crow society demanded that men…”; “Crow
society required women to play this role”; “Crow society prohibited….” Be
as creative as you want. But you must identify rules that can be
supported with evidence from Two-Leggings’ memoir.
In deciding what the rules are, you should pay attention to the things that Two
Leggings says and does. For example, what does Two Leggings consider to
be proper behavior? What was improper behavior? Does Two Leggings
follow the rules? What happens when he does what he is supposed to do?
What happens when he breaks the rules? How does Two Leggings explain his
success/failure? What was a Crow warrior supposed to do to be successful?
For that matter, what did “success” mean in Crow society? What did
“failure” mean?
Once you have identified your five rules, you must PROVE each principle with quotes
and specific examples from the book Two Leggings: The Making of a
Crow Warrior (TWO LEGGINGS’ ACTUAL WORDS, NOT THE EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION OR
CHAPTER INTRODUCTIONS). When you quote Two Leggings or use specific
examples from the book, you must site the page number in the text of your
paper. [i.e., After one unsuccessful raid, Two-Leggings asserted that
they returned with no horses because “we didn’t have strong medicine.” (p.
245)] Keep in mind that you will need several examples to support each
argument you make.
For this paper you must also do the following: 1) Underline the
thesis statement; 2) Develop strong topic sentences that specify the argument
each paragraph is making; 3) Organize each paragraph around a single coherent
idea; 4) Use specific evidence to support each argument; and 5) Explain
how this evidence supports the argument.
NOTE: Your grade will depend, not simply on the rules you identify and the
clarity of your prose, but on your ability to provide many examples and quotes that
support your case. Generally speaking, the more evidence you provide, the
better your grade will be. Let this be very clear: in grading the paper,
I will pay particularly attention to the EVIDENCE you provide to support your
points. If you do not provide SPECIFIC evidence -- even if you produce an
otherwise magnificently written essay -- the best grade you can hope to achieve
will be a “C.”
Papers must be TYPED (normal double spacing -- don’t adjust the margins to
turn a three page paper into a seven pager). Your paper must also be
SPELL CHECKED AND PROOFREAD. Handwritten papers will be dropped
one letter grade.
Late work will be penalized as follows:
*Same day, after I leave the classroom -- 1/3 letter grade
off
*The following class period -- an additional 1/3 letter
grade off
*Every day thereafter an additional 2/3 letter grade off
Penalties cease when the grade reaches "F" (50 points). Please
note that it is in your best interest to submit a paper even if it is a
"guaranteed F." Having a score of 50 points will be
substantially less detrimental to your final grade than a score of zero.
3) Blackboard
The grade for reading discussion will depend on the quality of your posts
to the Blackboard Discussion Board, which I will treat as short papers. There
will be TEN posting assignments throughout the semester, each worth ten points.
I will assign each student to a discussion group and they will post to
their group’s folder on Blackboard. Each posting will answer a specific
question based on the material being read for that particular assignment.
I have listed the questions below in the schedule. I will also post
them on Blackboard. Your posting will be graded based on the quantity and
quality of your response. Each posting must use SPECIFIC EXAMPLES and
QUOTATIONS from the reading to support your argument and, when appropriate,
provide PAGE NUMBERS from the books. I will be looking to make sure that
your quotations come from THROUGHOUT the reading and not just from a few pages
at the beginning or end of the book. Think of the postings as mini-papers
of about a page of single-spaced text. Remember to ANSWER the QUESTION rather
than just reporting what the reading said. These are analytical essays designed
to prove an argument, not "book reports." Make sure you proofread
your posts before you submit them!
NOTE: To receive full credit, you must make your posting by on the days
listed below by 9:30AM. If you do not finish your posting by class time,
DO NOT cut class to submit a posting; simply submit it after class. I
will deduct DOUBLE the number of late points for any posting submitted during
the time the class meets.
IMPORTANT: I require everyone to save a personal copy of all of their
discussion postings on their home computer, floppy disk, or whatever other
storage device they have. Since Blackboard is occasionally buggy, I
HIGHLY suggest that you type out your response with a word processing
program and then cut and paste your response into Blackboard. If you have a
problem with Blackboard, it is your responsibility to ensure that I receive a
copy of your posting by the deadline. DO NOT automatically email me a
copy of every posting. ONLY email postings in the event of a Blackboard
emergency.
Warning: I consider Blackboard Reading discussion to be one of the most important parts of the course. DO NOT take these assignments lightly. If you put effort into the postings, they are one of the surest ways to boost your grade. If you blow them off, they can kill your grade and result in you failing the course—no matter how well you do on the exams. When I assign final grades at the end of the semester, I always use postings to decide whether to bump up the grades of those on the borderlines. If you have diligently completed your postings, I usually will bump your grade. If you have failed to submit postings or continually submit them late, I WILL NOT BUMP YOUR GRADE even if you are one or two points short of the next grade level.
Getting started on Blackboard: Blackboard is relatively easy to use and
will allow you to have access to course materials 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
through the Internet. If you have registered for the course, you should
automatically be registered on Blackboard. As a UMBC student, you have a
personal email account and access to the Internet and through the school's many
on-campus computer labs. You can also access Blackboard off
campus through a personal account or from the UMBC dial-up. BEFORE you do
anything else, check to see if you are enrolled in the course by going to http://blackboard.umbc.edu. If you
have been automatically registered, take some time to explore the Blackboard
site for the course. If Blackboard indicates that you are not registered,
follow the directions at the main Blackboard site for new users.
Email:
I will send all email messages to your UMBC email account (yourusername@umbc.edu).
If you do not usually check this account, have messages forwarded to your
preferred email address (such as aol, hotmail, etc.). For help with this
procedure, or if you have other questions about UMBC's Office of Information
Technology services visit the OIT helpsite at http://www.umbc.edu/oit/. Helpdesk personnel in the
on-campus computer labs can help with most questions. The helpdesk phone number
is 410-455-3838.
Random Rules:
1) TURN OFF CELL PHONES, BEEPERS, WATCH ALARMS, or any other device
that might disturb the class. I will
make examples of those who violate this rule (for example, if your phone rings,
I will take the call). 2) On test
days, students will not wear hats of any kind. If you come to class wearing a hat, you will
be asked to remove it. 3) On test
days, if you leave the room for any reason, I will consider your test to be
completed. In other words, make your
trip to the restroom before the test begins. If you need a drink, bring one; if
you have a cold, bring Kleenex.
Academic Integrity:
By enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities
of an active participant in UMBC's scholarly community in which everyone's
academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty.
Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and helping others to commit these acts are
all forms of academic dishonesty, and they are wrong. Academic misconduct
could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is not limited to,
suspension or dismissal. To read the full Student Academic Conduct
Policy, consult the UMBC Student Handbook, the Faculty Handbook, or the UMBC
Policies section of the UMBC Directory. To read the policy online, see: http://www.umbc.edu/integrity/.
I show no mercy toward cheaters.
If you are caught cheating on any test or assignment, you will receive a
zero for that grade and I will submit your name to the proper disciplinary
authority. Rest assured that I will do
all I can to see that those disciplinary bodies take the strongest possible
action against anyone who cheats.
Potential cheaters: you have been warned.
Turnitin.com:
To ensure authenticity of assignments, students will submit their paper
to Turnitin.com, a web-based
service that checks papers against everything on the internet as well as the
papers in their databanks.
Unfortunately, every semester Turnitin.com catches at least one student
who plagiarized some or all of a paper they submitted to one of my courses.
That said, I see Turnitin.com less as a punitive device than as a measure to
ensure that those who complete assignments honestly do not have their hard work
debased by lowlife cheaters.
If you haven't used Turnitin.com before, go to the main turnitin.com page and
click on "New Users" in the top left corner. Turnitin.com will walk
you through the rest of the registration process and give detailed instructions
on how to submit your paper.
If you have already registered for Turnitin.com, simply login using your email
and password.
In either case you will need the course ID# and Password. They are as follows:
COURSE ID#:
COURSE PASSWORD: [The Password is available on Blackboard; I will also give it
out in class]
(NOTE: The password is case sensitive. Also, this password is different from
the password you will select to register for Turnitin.com. Use a password of
your own choosing when you initially register as a new user)
Here's a link to Turnitin.com: http://www.turnitin.com/index.html
Schedule of Lectures, Exams,
Part I: The Invasion of
Week 1:
Wed.
Aug. 27:
Introduction
The
Fri., Aug. 29: Indian Cultures Before Contact: What were Native American cultures like in 1492? What values did they tend to share?
Post Discussion by 10:30AM Reading:
Iroquois Constitution. Question: What
does the "constitution" of the League of the Iroquois reveal about
the culture and politics of this Native American society?
Week 2:
Wed., Sept. 3: Spaniards and Indians: What were relations like between the Spanish and the Indian peoples they encountered?
Fri.,
Sept. 5: The
Week 3:
Wed., Sept. 10: The Algonquin and French Middle Ground: What was the “middle ground”? Why did it develop? And how did it work?
Fri.,
Sept. 12: Limits
of the Middle Ground: What tensions underlay the Indian and French “middle
ground”?
Post Discussion by 10:30AM Broken Spears, ALL. Question: How did a handful of Spanish soldiers defeat one of the great world powers of the day?
Week 4:
Wed.,
Sept. 17: Powhatan and John Smith: What were
relations like between the Powhatans and the English settlers at
Fri.,
Sept. 19:
The First Thanksgiving and Beyond: How did the "first thanksgiving" come to pass? Why did
peace in
VIEW
BEFORE CLASS: Movie, Black Robe (101 min.) (on reserve in the library)
Post Discussion by 10:30AM
for film Black Robe. Question: How does the film portray
the Algonquin and French “middle ground”? What examples did you see of the
“middle ground”? What examples did you see that reveal the shortcomings of the
“middle ground”?
Week 5:
Wed., Sept. 24: European Dominance: What factors allowed most European powers to dominate most of the Indian peoples they encountered?
Post Discussion by 10:30AM for Metacom’s War and Indians in New England. Question: What do these documents tell us about the causes of Metacom’s War and the effect it had on Indian-English relations?
Fri., Sept. 26: MIDTERM EXAMINATION I [Click Here for the Study Guide for the First Midterm Exam]
Part II: Indians and the New Nation
Week 6:
Wed.,
Oct. 1: The Indians' American
Revolution: What role did Native peoples play in the so-called “French and
Indian War” and the American War for
Fri.,
Oct. 3: The Plan of Civilization and Indian
life in Post-Revolution
You can also access the Narrative for free online. Here are
several locations:
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/etext/bl_nlmj00.htm
http://manybooks.net/titles/seaverjaetext04jemsn10.html
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/jemsn10.txt
Post Discussion by 10:30AM for A Narrative of the Life of
Mrs. Mary Jemison: What was
life like as a captive for Mary Jemison? Why do you think she stayed among the
Seneca? What do her experiences during and after the American Revolution
tell us about life for Native Americans in the
Week 7:
Wed., Oct. 8: Resisting the New Order: How did
Indians attempt to resist the changes the
Fri., Oct.
10:
Accommodation and Removal: Why did some Indian peoples such as
the Seneca and Cherokee accept the US-imposed changes? What were the
possibilities and limits of accommodating to this new order?
Week 8:
Wed.,
Oct. 15: How the West was Won…and Then
Lost: How did the arrival of horses and European disease lead to the rise
of peoples like the Sioux and Crow? How did those groups lose ground before the
Fri., Oct. 17: Documentary Film: The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy
Post Discussion by 10:30AM
for Two Leggings. Question: What does Two Leggings memoir
reveal about the warrior culture of the Crow? [You can use this
post as an initial attempt to develop a thesis for the Two Leggings
paper]
Week 9:
Wed., Oct. 22: The Crow and Accommodation: How did the warrior culture of the Crow operate? Why did the Crow follow the Peace Policy and what were the results for the Crow?
Fri.,
Oct. 24: Documentary Film on the Plains Indians
PAPER ON TWO LEGGINGS DUE: In my
mailbox by 11:00am on Tuesday, Oct. 28
Week 10:
Wed., Oct. 29: The Sioux and Resistance: How did the Sioux attempt to resist the Peace Policy? What were the results of their resistance? What was the Ghost Dance and why did it reveal about the situation facing the Native peoples of the west?
Fri., Oct. 31: MIDTERM EXAMINATION II: [Click Here for Study Guide]
Part III: The Making of Modern Native
Week 11:
Wed.,
Nov. 5: "Friends
of the Indian": Who were the reformers who called themselves the
"Friends of the Indian" and how did they try to transform Native
peoples?
Fri.,
Nov. 7: Ishi and the Failures of Assimilation: Who was Ishi and what does his story tell us
about the shortcomings of the
VIEW BEFORE CLASS: Documentary Film, Ishi, The Last Yahi (60 min.) (On Reserve at the library)
Week 12:
Wed., Nov. 12: The Indian's New Deal and WWII: How did the New Deal and WWII transform the lives of Native peoples?
Fri.,
Nov. 14: Cold War Indian Policy: How did the
Cold War change US Indian policy and the lives of Native peoples?
Post Discussion by 10:30AM for Lakota Woman,
ALL. Question: Based on Mary Crow Dog’s memoir, what were the
primary causes of Indian’s civil rights movement? In what ways did AIM succeed?
Why do you think it succeeded? How did it fall short? Why do you think it fell
short?
Week 13:
Wed., Nov. 19: The Indian Civil Rights Movement: Why did many Native Americans begin to protest for civil rights during the 1960s and 70s? How effective were their efforts?
Fri., Nov.
21: Contemporary
Life on the Reservation:
VIEW IN CLASS: Documentary Film, Super
Chief (75 min.)
VIEW BEFORE
CLASS: Film, Smoke Signals (89 min.)
Post Discussion by SUNDAY,
Nov. 22, 9:30AM: Based on your viewing of the films Super Chief and Smoke
Signals, how has life on the reservation changed since the 1960s? What old
problems have endured? What new challenges and opportunities have emerged?
Week 14:
Wed., Nov. 26:
Discussion of Contemporary Native American Issues
Post Discussion by 10:30AM: Report on your topic. Be sure to cover all the relevant who, what, where, why, and how factors. You should also reflect on the relationship between the issue you are investigating and the history we have discussed this semester. Be sure to include specific references to the THREE sources you used.
Fri., Nov. 28: THANKSGIVING BREAK
Week 15:
Wed., Dec. 3: Discussion of Contemporary Native American Issues
Fri., Dec. 5: Native American History in Perspective
BEFORE CLASS ON FRI., Dec. 5: Visit the
Website: http://www.nmai.si.edu/
Directions and Hours: http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=dc&second=visitor&third=hours
Post Discussion by 10:30AM:
Review of