J300, History of American Capitalisms, Spring 2022

CONDITIONS OF LEARNING.  We are all now living in conditions of prolonged and terrible pandemic/caregiving/economic crisis, in which an under-count has nevertheless recorded over 800,000 Covid deaths in the United States between the mid-semester closure of Spring 2020 in-person classes and the start of Spring 2022 in-person classes.  This bitter reality and human toll must be acknowledged, since it surrounds us, locally, regionally, nationally, and globally, and since it fundamentally affects every aspect of everyday life — including your experience of what have become truly historic college years.

Indiana University continues, despite hindrances from the state government, to strive to put in place a stringent public-health regime for the safety of all students, faculty, and staff.  For the Spring 2022 semester, at the intersection of the Delta and Omicron variants, this means masking covering mouth and nose when inside any campus building (corridors and classrooms), including for the duration of any class, and including no food or drink in classrooms.  Our classroom size will not enable social-distancing, and thus masking is that much more necessary.  I would also encourage everyone in this class to receive all vaccination and booster shots, as I myself have done, to minimize our collective risk of contracting and sharing Covid.  If you do feel unwell on a given day, please do not attend class, but instead get tested.

Researching, teaching, studying, and learning have, in the current historic moment, become acts of defiance, and protection, and joy.  Public research universities like Indiana University are striving to continue their function of rigorous inquiry and intensive pedagogy toward long-term strengthening of community, nation, and world, without the baleful corruption of short-term elections or profits, and as a corrective to the ideologically-driven misinformation and bile now saturating American culture.  And universities are striving to continue their role of questioning what is not otherwise questioned, toward sustaining principles and practices of democracy, justice, and freedom, all currently under grave threat in the United States.

Even before the pandemic might possibly be subdued, at some point in the future, we are all now already confronted with the staggering task of reconstructing community, nation, and world, on a foundational level, in the face of many overlapping crises:  of the pandemic, of climate change, of inequality, of anti-democracy, and more.  At the same time as this amounts to a monumental task, it also presents an enormous opportunity to work toward greater freedom, justice, and democracy in the future — in which individuals, families, communities, and future generations can thrive.

Empowering you to make a positive difference is what your time at Indiana University is all about.  You have the chance not only to live through history, but also to make history — a better history.

CLASS CONTRIBUTION.  This course will be held exclusively in-person.  As with any seminar, the success of this course depends on your regular attendance, your conscientious preparation, and your active participation.  Respectful, informed, and constructive participation in discussion is the expectation for a seminar course.

Prior to attending each class, you must complete the corresponding response sheet indicated on the course syllabus and found under Assignments in Canvas.  This response sheet will help you prepare for each class, and will also facilitate in-class writing exercises to occur in each class.  These response sheets should be submitted electronically via Assignments in Canvas when or soon after you exit a given class session.  These assignments will not be formally graded, but will be assessed on a rolling basis as the “contribution” dimension to the class, collectively counting approximately 30% toward your final grade.

I will also meet each of you individually on two occasions over the course of the semester, during our regularly scheduled class time.

If you must be absent at some point, you should have the courtesy to alert the professor beforehand if possible, and you should have the responsibility to complete and submit the before-class portion of the response sheet.  Again, if you feel unwell on a given day, please do not attend class, but instead get tested for Covid, toward any necessary medical treatment, and to prevent further spread.

READING ASSIGNMENTS.  Weekly reading will generally involve a blend of “primary” documents produced by people in the past, and “secondary” readings written by historians.  Direction to these documents and readings can be found in the course syllabus, which will direct you to Files in Canvas.  These readings serve as the basis for the before-class portion of the response sheets, and they will form the basis of analytical discussion as well as writing exercises in class.

For general tips on interpreting primary documents and evaluating secondary readings, see the following two guidelines:  Strategies for Interpreting Primary Documents and Strategies for Evaluating Secondary Readings.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS.  Consistent with the intensive writing requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, there will be a series of writing assignments culminating in a 12-page research paper (altogether 70% of your final grade).  Improvement over the course of the semester will be rewarded, with respect to both writing assignments as well as response sheets.

Papers as well as response sheets are to be submitted in Word or PDF format via the Assignments feature in Canvas.  They should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins in a readable (10, 11, or 12 point) font, with your name (but never your student identification number), course number and title, date, and paper title at the top of the first page.

Plagiarism will result in failure of and ejection from the class, and will become a permanent part of the student’s transcript and academic record.  Writing must be original, and all quotations, derivative ideas and uncommon facts must be duly footnoted.  See “Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It” from Writing Tutorial Services.  For student responsibilities and university procedures related to academic misconduct, see the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct.

For general assistance with writing papers or other study skills, you are encouraged to consult with Writing Tutorial Services (Wells Library Learning Commons), one of the Academic Support Centers (in Briscoe, Forest, and Teter), or the Student Academic Center (408 N. Union Street, Suite 300).

For specific guidelines on how to write thesis statements, how to write topic sentences and organize paragraphs, and how to use evidence, see the various “Writing Guides” produced by Writing Tutorial Services.

ASSISTANCE.  If at any time during the semester you have questions about the course website, lecture material, reading material, class discussion, writing assignments, or your performance in this class, please feel free to email the professor to make a virtual appointment.

Whenever you email the professor, please put “J300” somewhere in the subject line.

If you have a disability or learning disability, please provide the professor with official written notification from Office of Disability Services for Students (Wells Library Suite W302) as soon as possible so that any necessary accommodations can be made.

International students may find resources at the Office of International Services (Poplars 221, 400 E. Seventh Street).

If any difficult situation related to the ongoing pandemic/caregiving/economic crisis — or otherwise — confronts you, please avail yourself of a range of university services found at:  Division of Student Affairs.

Among the available university services are:  Counseling and Psychological Services and the Student Advocates Office.

If you experience any bias-based incident — i.e., any any act of discrimination or harassment based on race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability — you can report the incident to the Division of Student Affairs.

LEARNING PROTOCOLS.  Please set aside and turn off all distracting cell phones or screens upon attending class, out of respect to your peers (and yourself).