History Syllabus

Brightspace Administration and Instructor Information

• Email Contact Protocol:

  • Instructor Email: Jack.Green.IV@...

  • Exact formatting requirement: A period must be included between the first and last name, along with the Roman numeral IV. Searching without the exact string Jack.Green.IV will fail to return the correct institutional directory result.

• Brightspace Course Portal Setup:

  • Course identifier code: Labeled as 26 wall on the Brightspace portal.

  • Syllabus resolution: Syllabi were initially misuploaded to incorrect course shells (e.g., political science content uploaded to American history). Updated syllabi will be re-uploaded to the proper course sections by $5:00\,\text{PM}$.

• Syllabus Document Standards:

  • Institutional requirements mandate comprehensive syllabi spanning $14\text{--}15\,pages$, although core operational and course information comprises approximately $4\text{--}8\,pages$.

• Office Location and Facilities:

  • Office location: Room $2140$ / $2170$ on the 2nd Floor, situated directly across from the men's restroom, adjacent to the College of Arts and Sciences offices.

  • Campus facility timeline: Donovan Hall is scheduled for closure and major renovation within approximately $1\,year$ (by December).

Required Course Textbooks and Acquisition Guidelines

• Primary Course Textbook:

  • Title & Author: Main History Textbook by Jill Lepore (2nd Edition, distinct orange cover).

  • ISBN Identification: Exact $13\text{-digit}$ ISBN begins with 978. Inputting this exact ISBN into search engines (such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble) ensures retrieval of the required 2nd edition rather than obsolete prior editions.

  • Format Options: Paperback format is recommended. Digital Kindle/ebook formats are permitted and can be accessed without dedicated Kindle hardware by downloading free Kindle software on a PC, smartphone, or tablet.

  • Shipping & Delivery Warnings: Default seller shipping defaults to third-class mail, which risks delivery delays past Halloween. Paying an additional $\$3$ for First-Class Mail is strongly advised to secure the book within the first week of class.

• Supplementary Required Text 1:

  • Title & Author: Southern Horrors and Other Writings by Ida B. Wells.

  • Critical Selection Distinction: Students must purchase Southern Horrors and Other Writings (containing primary sources and historical commentary), NOT the standalone library pamphlet titled Southern Horrors.

  • Content & Tone: Covers historical documentation of lynching in America, utilizing explicit primary data, facts, and uncompromising historical detail.

  • Timeline: Required for the first formal book review within the first $4\text{--}6\,weeks$ of the semester.

• Supplementary Required Text 2:

  • Title & Author: Book on the Scopes Trial by Moran.

  • Target Acquisition Date: Must be acquired by October 1st to avoid shipping delays or backorders.

  • Library Reserve Option: Copies may be placed on short-term reserve at the university library, requiring reading on-site or short-duration checkout for copying.

• Textbook Backorder Protocol:

  • Orders placed through campus vendors or VitalSource may experience backorder delays running through September 13th.

Academic Integrity, AI Policy, and Writing Guidelines

• Plagiarism & Code of Conduct:

  • Assignments (including book reviews) are structured around direct analysis of assigned readings without requiring external secondary research.

  • Submitting work that is not original results in immediate removal and failure from the course under the Student Code of Conduct.

  • Institutional detection tools automatically flag plagiarized submissions.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy:

  • The course syllabus details a $2.5\,page$ policy governing ethical and unethical AI usage.

  • Ethical Use: Utilizing AI for basic note-structuring or formatting is acceptable only if transparently disclosed and properly cited.

  • Unethical Use: Generating primary assignment text or purchasing AI-generated essays constitutes academic dishonesty. Submissions evaluated as AI-generated will receive a failing grade.

Course Assignments and Grading Structure

• Semiweekly Discussion Questions ($5$ Total):

  • Schedule & Timelines: The first semiweekly question opens in Week 3 and is due Sunday, September 20 at $11:59\,\text{PM}$. The academic week begins on Monday; all end-of-week submissions are strictly due Sundays at $11:59\,\text{PM}$.

  • Submission Format: Initial posts must be $5\text{--}7$ sentences in length ($100\text{--}200\,words$, or roughly $1\,page$ double-spaced).

  • Portal Requirements: Text must be typed or pasted directly into the Brightspace discussion thread (file attachments are prohibited). Peer posts remain hidden until the student submits an initial response. Peer replies must provide substantive analytical contributions beyond basic agreement.

• Student-Led Group Discussions & Projects:

  • Group Allocation: Students are automatically split into Group 1 and Group 2 via Brightspace.

  • Question & Answer Generation: Assigned groups must submit $3$ discussion questions alongside detailed written answers covering assigned textbook chapters (e.g., Chapters 14 or 15).

  • Workflow: Questions and answers are submitted on Sunday (e.g., September 27). The instructor reviews filings over $1\,week$ to synthesize a overarching thematic project topic.

  • In-Class Structure: The final $40\,minutes$ of class are split between groups (Group 1 stays while Group 2 is dismissed, followed by the reverse process).

  • Project Completion: Groups receive $1\,week$ to finalize their synthesis project and present findings in subsequent class meetings.

• Book Reviews ($2$ Total, $300\,points$ Combined):

  • Length: Exactly $3\,pages$ double-spaced per review.

  • Analytical Standard: Reviews must cite direct evidence from the book, evaluate whether the author fulfilled the scope defined in their introduction, address underlying historical biases, and present a clear thesis on the work's validity.

• Midterm and Final Examinations ($250\,points$ Each):

  • Format: $4$ comprehensive essay prompts are provided in advance on Friday. Students select and complete $2$ prompts during the exam window starting Monday.

  • Proctoring Protocol: Administered online through LockDown Browser, requiring photo ID verification, facial recognition checks, and single-screen locking.

  • Time Constraints: Once initiated, exams have a non-pausable $2\,hour$ ($120\,minute$) continuous timer.

Technical Submission Protocols

• Syllabus Contract Assignment ($25\,points$):

  • Located under "Week 1" / "Other Weekly Assignments".

  • Process: Download the Microsoft Word template, review all course policies, type full legal name as an electronic signature, set the completion date (due September 6 or September 10), append _signed to the filename (e.g., Contract_Signed.docx), and submit via the Brightspace submission link.

• Mac OS & Safari Technical Guidelines:

  • Mac OS users must submit all Brightspace assignments using the Google Chrome browser. Safari frequently generates false-positive submission receipts without transmitting the actual file.

  • Prohibited Formats: Files saved in Apple Pages (.pages) format cannot be read by Brightspace. All uploads must be converted to Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) or PDF (.pdf) format prior to submission.

Historical Context: Post-Civil War Social Movements

• Evolution of 19th-Century Women's Activism:

  • 1820s: Women entered the public political sphere through advocacy in the Temperance Movement.

  • Mid-19th Century: Activism expanded into the Abolitionist Movement and subsequently crystallized into the early Women's Rights Movement.

• The Seneca Falls Convention:

  • Location Significance: Held in Seneca Falls, New York, as it was one of the few historical venues permitting integrated public gatherings of mixed genders and races.

• Post-Civil War Abolitionist-Suffrage Schism:

  • Constitutional Catalyst: Enactment of the 15th Amendment, which extended voting rights specifically to Black men while omitting women of all races.

  • Key Figures & Conflict: Susan B. Anthony strongly opposed the amendment due to its exclusion of women, engaging in public debate against her long-time ally Frederick Douglass, who advocated for the amendment's immediate passage to secure civil protections for African American men.

  • Historical Consequence: The debate resulted in a permanent ideological and personal rupture between Anthony and Douglass, establishing a formal split between the women's suffrage and civil rights movements.