Course Syllabus - History 600History of American Capitalism-- Prof. Dunlavy -- |
This seminar offers the History major a "capstone" experience with hands-on research, an experience that puts the finishing touches on your major. Over the course of the semester you will produce a 20- to 25-page paper that is based on primary sources and makes an original contribution to historical knowledge. Because of its intensive nature, you should plan to make this seminar the focal point of your semester and to devote lots of time to it. If the research topic that you develop is intellectually gripping and challenging, it will be a wonderful experience.
Any and all aspects of the history of American capitalism are fair game for your research project. You may focus your research on any period in American history and on any aspect of the history of capitalism, e.g., on its social aspects, its political dimensions, or economic factors. We will read one book in common on the history of capitalism, and the rest of the time you will each do lots of reading related to your developing research topic. Fair warning: developing a viable and interesting research topic is often the most difficult, time-consuming part of the research process!
During the first few weeks of the semester, we will develop a common foundation of knowledge of several kinds -- about the history of capitalism, about the nuts-and-bolts of the research process, and about the wealth of research materials available on campus and on the web.
As you begin to firm up your paper topics, we will switch modes and the seminar will function like a workshop in which each student presents an aspect of her/his research and develops critical-thinking skills by critiquing the other students' work.
For full details on required and recommended course materials as well as bibliographic leads for your research, go to the Historian's Toolkit.
Listed here are the required books for this course, which may be purchased at the University Bookstore and are also available on reserve at College Library.
Also available at the bookstore and on reserve is a recommended book -- Mansel G. Blackford and K. Austin Kerr, Business Enterprise in American History, 3d ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1994). If you haven't already read this textbook (e.g., in my History 247), plan to do so during the first few weeks of the semester. It will give you a useful overview of the history of American capitalism.
The success of this seminar -- and its value to you -- depends critically on your participation. Also, twenty-five percent of your course grade will be based on your participation in seminar.
Participation is comprised of several elements.
Attendance: This is vital, although it is not sufficient for a good grade (faithful attendance alone will earn you only a "C").
Preparation: In weeks when we have assigned readings, be sure to read them closely and critically. Come to seminar with the questions the readings raise in your mind. If you are having trouble generating questions, then you need to learn to read more actively (rather than passively). For help, turn to Browne and Keeley's Asking the Right Questions (see above). Once we shift into workshop mode, bring to the weekly seminar the issues and questions that crop up each week in the course of your own research.
Engaged discussion: Active and informed discussion of the readings and your own or other students' research problems will enhance the value of the seminar for all concerned. You can make a difference! -- and it certainly matters for your semester grade.
Over the course of the semester, you will produce a series of written assignments related to the process of researching and writing your paper. These are:
This class has a password-secured Learn@UW site, which you can reach through your UW portal at http://my.wisc.edu, from the UW homepage (http://www.wisc.edu), or directly at https://uwmad.courses.wisc.edu. Use your UW NetID and password to log on.
On our site, you will find a link to this syllabus and a calendar of course events. As they become available, I will also post instructions for your various writing assignments. You will also be using the "journal" tool during the semester to keep a working log (like a blog) of the research you have done, questions that have come up, issues that you need to explore. You might also want to try out the chat tool or launch a discussion thread. At any time during the semester, feel free to suggest ways that we might use Learn@UW to facilitate learning in this class.
Your grades will also be available on the Learn@UW site and they will be submitted electronically to the Registrar at the end of the semester. Check them periodically to ensure that what I have recorded matches your information.
Faithful attendance is absolutely critical to the success of the seminar. No "ifs," "ands," or "buts" -- be there. If an emergency prevents you from attending, be sure to let me know as soon as possible.
One full letter grade will be deducted for each day that an assignment is late.
I am committed to creating and maintaining a bias-free learning environment that allows everyone to do his or her best work. Please note carefully the following excerpt from UW policies:
"The University of Wisconsin-Madison, in accordance with the laws of the State of Wisconsin, seeks to protect its students from discrimination. S. 36.12 of the Wisconsin Statutes reads in part:
No student may be denied admission to, participation in or the benefits of, or [be] discriminated against in any service, program, course, or facility of the (UW) system or its institutions or centers because of a the student's race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, or parental status."
If you have any questions or concerns about this policy, please feel free to talk with me.
For more information on the university's policies, contact UW-Madison's Equity and Diversity Resource Center, 179A Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706; (608) 263-2378.
From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th ed.) -- plagiarize: "to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own; . . . present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source."
Plagiarism has become an increasingly serious offense as Western society has become increasingly property-oriented. The very notion of "stealing" ideas or words implies private-property rights in them -- a concept made explicit in the term intellectual property rights, a matter of great controversy in the computer/media world today. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, an excellent source of information is Turnitin.com's pages on plagiarism (or you may download here a pdf copy of Turnitin's manual on plagiarism). Also, please feel free to talk with me, with your teaching assistant, or with the Dean of Students, 117 Bascom (3-5700). Plagiarism can result in expulsion from the university -- not a good way to begin the rest of your life!
Your grade for this course will be based on your written work as well as on your participation in the seminar meetings.
Participation accounts for 25% of your seminar grade. To do well, attend seminar faithfully, come well prepared, and display active engagement with your own and other students' research projects. I will periodically let you know your "participation-to-date" grade.
The remaining 75% will be divided among the following assignments:
Grades will be assigned according to the standard UW format (A, AB, B, BC, C, D, F), except that I will also use pluses and minuses to give you more nuanced feedback during the semester. At the end of the semester, however, final grades must be reported without pluses and minuses. Note that an overall average grade with a "plus" (e.g., B+) will not translate into a higher grade -- that is, it will be reported as a B. However, a "minus" grade (e.g., B-) will not result in a lower grade; it, too, will be reported as a B.
Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 p.m., and Thursdays, 5:30-6:30 p.m., 5109 Mosse Humanities Building; or by appointment: email cdunlavy@wisc.edu.
This is fairly detailed, so I have linked it here: Semester Schedule.