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Associate Professor of History Krebs 125, Mailbox K104 O. 2987 Fax: 7255 H. 535-3176 pnewman@pitt.edu pitt.edu/~pnewman Class Meets: TR 12:30 K124 Off. Hrs:T-R11-12, 2-3 & by appt |
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There will be no "examinations" in this course, but do not let that fool you--this class is not for the feint of heart--the reading load will be heavy and the writing will be constant. As a result, however, you will emerge from the course not only with a greater understanding of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, but also with fine tuned reading, writing, and analytical skills.
Field
Trip
On Friday, August 29, we will take an
optional field trip to
Pittsburgh to see "Lewis & Clark: A Journey with the Rooney Family"
at the Heinz History
Center, to the Phipps Conservatory to see "The Adventures of Lewis
& Clark," and to see National Geographic's IMAX film "Lewis &
Clark,
Great Journey West" at the Carnegie Science Center Transportation
will be provided free by the University for 14 students.
Admission to the Heinz Center is $4.50, Phipps is $4.00 and the movie
costs $8.00. We will lunch at Primanti Brothers,
which'll run you about $5-10 for
the best $%&@#!%^*@ing sandwich in the world! $30 or so should get you through the
day. We will leave UPJ
at 8 am and travel to the Heinz Center. We'll lunch at Primanti
Bros. and catch the 2pm showing of the Imax film, then head to the
Phipps Conservatory. We'll stop for fast food on the way home,
and we should get back to UPJ before 9 pm. I will write e-mails
to profs whose classes you'll miss, but I cannot guarantee that they
will accept it as an excused absence. (Most of my colleagues
don't like me very much!)
Reading
As mentioned above, there
will be an extremely heavy reading load in this course, and each class
will be a discussion revolving around that reading. Therefore,
you
must read the assignments in order for this class to work. If you
fail to read an assignment there is no reason for you to come to class
that day--you will only be risking humiliation when you are called upon.
Participation
Since this class will
live
or die with your level of participation, I am requiring you to
contribute
to our conversations by according 20% of your grade (100 points) to
participation.
I will make a seating chart and I will record each relevant
contribution
you make to our class discussion. At term's end, the highest 10%
will receive an A, the second 20% will receive a B, the middle 40% a C,
the next 20% a D, and the lowest 10% an F for the participation
grade.
If the class as a whole does well, then the scale will slide from A to
D, or A to C, but that depends on all of you. I know what you're
all thinking now: "1. But it's not fair! 2. I'll feel
stupid!
3. I don't like to speak in front of people! 4. You're mean old
S.O.B.!"
Well, in response to those statements, I would say: "1. Life isn't
fair,
get over it. 2. If you were stupid you would not be in college,
and
I care about your intellectual development, not your
"feelings."
3. You may not like speaking in front of people but honing your oral
communication
abilities is one of the most important skills that you can take out of
college and into the real world. Things that are good for you are
not always pleasant. 4. I am a mean old S.O.B., refer back
to response number 1."
Quizzes
There will be periodic
quizzes on your reading material that will account for 20%
of your grade (100
points).
Only persons with excused absences will be permitted to take "make-up"
quizzes–no exceptions. You must make-up missed quizzes within one
week of the missed quiz. Excused absences will only
be granted prior to the
class
you intend to miss. You are responsible for making up your
quizzes.
I will make no attempt to remind you or track you down. Any
quizzes
that you fail to make-up will be recorded as a zero.
Book
Reviews
You will write two, 3-5 page typed book reviews on
Botkin,
Our
Natural History, and Ronda, Lewis and Clark Among the Indians.
The book reviews will be graded on writing as well as content for a
total
of 250 points (50%). The review of Lewis and Clark Among the Indians
will account for 100 points (20%), and Our Natural History will
account for 150 points (30%). Students who receive a D or F will
be REQUIRED to re-write their paper. Through the rewrite, they
will
be able to increase their score by one letter grade. This is NOT a
punishment,
but a way for you to improve both your grade and your writing skills.
Students
receiving a B or C will have the OPTION of rewriting their paper under
the same terms as listed above.
Book Review Exercise
In order to prepare
yourself
to write this review you must do two things. First, read the
handout
that I will distribute in class. Second, you must go to the
library
and use the most recent issue of the William & Mary Quarterly,
choose and read 5 book reviews, and submit a two-page typed summary of
those reviews. The summaries must include brief summaries of the
books themselves as well as the reviewers' positive and negative
criticism
of the books. You will bring this assignment, and be prepared to
discuss the project, to class on for 50 points (10%).
Grading
This class will operate
on a points system composed of 500 points. At term's end, 450=A,
400-449=B, 350-399=C, 300-349=D, and 299 and below=F. The points
will be accorded as follows:
Participation .
. . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quizzes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Book Review: Ronda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Book Review: Botkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Book Review Summaries . . . . . . . . . . . . Total Points for Semester . . . . . . . . . . . |
100
100 100 150 50 500 |
Attendance
I have no attendance
policy.
Late
Work
Late work is absolutely
unacceptable and will merit a zero. Period.
Howver, all assignments must be turned in, no matter how late, in order
to pass the course. Anyone with uncompleted assignments at term's
end will fail the course.
Incompletes
Only students with severe
cases of hardship will be permitted a grade of "I" or "G" at term's end
with the permission to finish the coursework at a later date. I
reserve
the right to determine what is a "severe case of hardship."
Cheating
Any
attempt to offer anyone
else's
work as your own will merit
a zero for that assignment, a G grade for the course, and will
automatically
begin the proceedings for an F in the course and for your expulsion
from
this university in accordance with the Academic Integrity Guidelines
found
in your student handbook.
Disabilities
Anyone in need of special
accommodations due to a disability of any kind must seek guidance from
the Disability Resources and Services Director in Biddle 133, 269-7109
immediately in order to comply with the Americans with Disabilities
Act.
Do so now.
Professorial
Prerogative
I reserve the right to
make any changes to this syllabus that I deem necessary
at
any
time for any reason of my choosing. Failure to
comply
with any revisions to the syllabus will not be excusable due to absence
on the day the changes were announced. You are responsible for
everything
that transpires in the classroom every class meeting.
R=Ronda Lewis & Clark Among the Indians |
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1. First Day: A: Indtroduction; B:
Preface; R: Preface
2. A: 1 & 2
3. A: 3 & 4
4. A: 5 & 6
5. A: 7 & 8
6. A: 9 & 10
7. A: 11 & 12