History 5455, Fall 2005
Dr. Keith S. Bohannon, Dept. of History,
The course meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00-9:50 a.m. in Pafford, Room 204
Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays- 10-11, 2-4;
Fridays, 10-11 and by appointment
Office: TLC, Third Floor, Room 3247
Office phone:
Email: Kbohanno@westga.edu
COURSE GOALS/LEARNING OUTCOME: The principal goal of the course is to
provide students with an understanding of the origins, scope and consequences
of the American Civil War, the bloodiest conf
This is not a
course exclusively about Civil War battles and generals, although a
considerable portion of class time will be devoted to mi
The research paper in this course will require students to survey secondary sources on a topic and provide a historiographical overview of the literature. The student will also be expected to conduct research into primary sources to arrive at his/her own independent opinions.
Mid-term- 10% of grade
Final Exam- 10% of grade
Response Papers (in class)- 25% of grade
Research Paper-25%
Book reviews (2)- 25% of grade
Discussion section/participation- 5%
There is no extra credit given in this course.
Mid-term and final exam- These will both be in-class essay tests based on material from the lectures & assigned readings.
Response papers- There
will be a number of unscheduled papers
written in class throughout the semester in response to assigned readings. These assigned readings include the books
Book reviews- Students will be required to write typed,
critical reviews that are five to seven pages in length on two of the assigned
books (Grimsley and Ash).
Research Paper-
Students will write an 18-20 page research paper based on a topic approved by
the professor. The paper must be typed,
double-spaced, and include footnotes and endnotes. Students will need to set up
individual meetings with the professor during the first 3 ½ weeks of class to
decide on a topic and begin research. I
will hand out a style sheet for the paper at that time. At the end of the ninth
week of class, students will turn in an annotated bibliography of the sources
they will use in the research paper. A final draft of the paper is due no later
than November 30.
Discussion sections- Each graduate student must lead one discussion of weekly reading
assignments at some point in the semester. You will need to let the professor
know by the end of the second week of class which week you want to lead
discussion. The graduate student must
compose a list of questions that he/she intends to ask the class and submit
them to the professor at least 48 hours prior to the discussion.
Makeup Exams and Late Assignments- Makeup exams will be given only under emergency circumstances. Students needing to make up an assignment must have a written excuse explaining their absence. One letter grade will be deducted per day for all assignments turned in late.
Attendance & classroom etiquette- Regular classroom attendance is critical
to earning a passing grade in this course.
Attendance will be taken on a daily basis and weighed at the end of the
semester in assigning course grades. If
a student misses class, it is his/her responsibi
Students who need to leave during class must provide an excuse to the instructor before the class begins. Anyone who leaves during class without providing an excuse will be marked absent and will receive a zero on any assignment given that day, even if the student has completed the assignment.
Cheating- Cheating in any form (including plagiarism- presenting someone else’s words as your own without properly citing them) will not be tolerated. Students caught cheating will receive an F on the assignment and possibly an F in the course.
There is no
textbook for this course. Students who
wish to uti
The assigned books are listed below. The other readings have been placed online on electronic reserve. A handout will be given to you in class explaining how to access the electronic reserves. All assigned readings must be completed prior to the discussion dates given in the lecture schedule.
Ash, Stephen V., A Year in the South, 1865
Dew, Charles B., The Road to Disunion
Gallagher, Gary W., The Confederate War
Grimsley,
Schedule of Assignments
Week One August 22-26 Introduction to the course; Background of the Civil War
Week Two August 29-September 2 Background of the Civil War;
Election
of Lincoln and Secession of the Lower South- Reserve readings: Henry
Wilson, “A Slave Power Conspiracy;” Alexander Stephens, “A Need for Justification;”
Eric Foner, “Cultural and Ideological Origins;” Eugene Genovese, “Southern
Slaveholders Against the World;” David M. Potter, “Why the Repub
Week Three Sept 5-9 Labor Day- Holiday; Secession and
Week Four September
12-16 Early Union Triumphs in the West; The
Peninsula and the Seven Days/Confederate Counteroffensives in Maryland and
Kentucky; Reserve reading: Gallagher, “The Net Result of the Campaign Was in
Our Favor” Note: September 14 is the due
date for research paper topic
Week Five September 19-23 Background for Emancipation; Emancipation Completed
Week Six September
26-30- Fue
Week Seven October 3-7 African-Americans in Wartime- Freedpeople and Soldiers;
African-Americans in Wartime/ Behind the Lines; Prisoners of
War; Union Victories in the East and West-
Week Eight October
10-14 Diplomacy in the North and South;
Chickamauga/Chattanooga Campaigns & elevation of U.S. Grant; Wartime Reconstruction in the North
Week Nine October
17-21
Week Ten October
24-28 The Northern Home Front; The
Southern Home Front; Northern and Southern Women during the War Reserve
readings: Faust, “Altars of Sacrifice;” Paludan, “The Scars of War;” Cashin,
“Deserters, Civi
Week Eleven October 31-November 4 Note: Class will not meet on Friday,
October 4 The Beginning of the End: Summer and Fall 1864; The Final Campaigns: Fall 1864 and
Spring 1865
Week Twelve November
7-11 Reading: Gallagher, Confederate
War on Monday, November 7 Reconstruction
Week Thirteen
November 14-18 Reconstruction Review
of Ash, A Year in the South, due Nov 18
Week Fourteen
November 21-25 Note: No classes on
November 23 or 25, Thanksgiving Break Reserve readings: Bryant, “We Have No
Chance for Justice before the Courts;” Foner, “Was Reconstruction a Splendid
Failure”
Week Fifteen November
28-December 2 The Lost Cause and the
legacy of the Civil War Research Paper due Wednesday, November 30
Week Sixteen December
5-8 Last day of class is Monday,
December 5 Reserve readings: Horwitz, Confederates
in the Attic; Foster, Ghosts of the Confederacy
Final Exam is on
Wednesday, December 14, 8-10 a.m.