Arts & Sciences

Carsten Schmidtke Hum 2243 Native Peoples of North America Syllabus

Study of the history and cultures of Native Americans from pre-colonial to present times. Emphasis will be on tribal cultures, traditions, and experiences; conflicts with European explorers and settlers; and U.S. government relations. Students will discuss cultural differences as well as legal and political issues affecting Native Americans today. Theory.

Credit Hours: 3; Total hours of theory per semester: 48; Total hours of lab for the semester: 0.

Prerequisites:  None, but students are expected to have sufficient writing skills to do well in this course.

Required Text, References, and Materials

Course Activities

In this course students will

►   Be prepared for each class meeting.

►   Read between 20 and 50 pages of text each week.

►   Read all assigned materials before each class meeting.

►   View videos that elaborate and enhance textbook readings and classroom discussions.

►   Read and use materials beyond the course textbook.

►   Visit a museum with American Indian exhibits

►   Give a short individual presentation.

►   Submit an analytical and evaluative paper.

►   Take objective mid-term and final exams.

►   Participate in a contextual group project, including a paper and a classroom presentation.

GRADES WILL BE BASED ON THE QUALITY AND COMPLETION OF THESE TASKS:

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

According to the ADA, each student with a disability is responsible for notifying the University of his/her disability and requesting accommodations.  If you think you have a qualified disability and need classroom accommodations, contact the Access Services Office located in the Student Union.  Please advise the instructor of your disability as soon as possible, to ensure timely implementation of appropriate accommodations.  Faculty have an obligation to respond when they receive official notice of a disability from the Access Services Office but are under no obligation to provide retroactive accommodations.  To receive services, you must submit appropriate documentation and complete an intake process during which the existence of a qualified disability is verified and reasonable accommodations are identified.  Call 293-4988 for more information.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty or misconduct is neither condoned nor tolerated at OSU-Okmulgee. Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty or misconduct shall be subject to disciplinary action.  Academic dishonesty and/or misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following actions: (1) plagiarism: the representation of previously written, published or creative work as one’s own; (2) unauthorized collaboration on projects; (3) cheating on examinations; (4) unauthorized advance access to exams; (5) fraudulent alteration of academic materials; (6) knowing cooperation with another person in an academically dishonest undertaking. Students are required to actively protect their work against misuse by others. For details, refer to the OSU-Okmulgee Student Handbook available in the Office of Student Support & Development, each division office, and online at http://www.osu-okmulgee.edu/handbook/.

Student Conduct

Students are expected to cooperate in maintaining a classroom environment conducive to learning. Courteous and respectful behavior will be expected from all students each day.  All pagers, cellular phones, and CD and MP3 players should be turned off. The use of tobacco in any form in University buildings is prohibited.

Course Outline

Instructor’s Policy on Absences

Your attendance is vital and mandatory. Attendance will be taken at every class meeting, and you are expected to arrive on time as set forth in the OSU-Okmulgee student handbook.

If you are absent for any reason, you are responsible for all work missed. In addition, you are expected to be prepared when you return to class after an absence. Therefore, please get the name and telephone number of at least one of your classmates so that if you are absent, you can find out about missed work and assignments that are due. If you know in advance that you will be absent, ask me for assignments first.

Instructor’s Late Work Policy

Late work is a serious disruption of the progress of the class. It forces you to concentrate on “old business” when you should be studying the new material. That said, the policy for this course is that all work must be submitted by the assigned due date to receive full credit. If work is submitted late, the following rules apply:

1. Late papers will automatically receive a deduction of 5 points for each class meeting they are late. You will not be reminded that your assignment is late. Keeping track of how many penalty point you accumulate is your responsibility. Papers that are more than five (5) class meeting late will no longer be accepted.
2. Biography presentations must be given on their assigned dates. They are useless if given on a day when something else is being discussed in class.
3. The midterm and the final exam must be taken on their assigned dates. Both exams may be taken early if you make arrangements with your instructor before the test date. Neither test may be taken late.
4. Museum presentations must be given on their assigned dates.

“I was absent that day” or similar comments are never acceptable for turning in late work. If you know that you will be absent on a day something is due, be sure to turn your work in early or e-mail it to me. Do not make doctor’s appointments or the like for those days when you have presentations or take written exams.

If you have an excused absence (departmental functions, job interviews on campus, jury duty), arrange to submit your work early or e-mail it to me. In case of longer excused absences or other problems, talk to me or call me before your absence.  I will work with you, but do not assume that you are automatically entitled to turning in late work. Questions about missed work and absences need to be discussed during my office hour, not during class.

 Other Lab and Classroom Policies

• Class begins as soon as I enter the classroom. Private conversations, reading the newspaper, doing homework for other classes, and other activities that have nothing to do with this class must be taken care of before or after class. If you engage in such activities during class, you will be asked to leave.
• You may bring a drink into the classroom, but food is not allowed.
• “I didn’t see,” “I didn’t hear,” “I didn’t know,” “I didn’t understand,” and “I was absent that day” are never acceptable as excuses for missing an assignment or turning in late work.

Instructions for Specific Tasks and Assignments

See assignment sheets posted on Blackboard.

These links may be helpful in completing your written assignments:

• The Editing Process
• Revision Checklist for Essays
• The Editing and Rewriting Process
• Proofreading, Editing, Revising
• Proofreading Strategies

 SOME USEFUL LINKS TO GET YOU STARTED

Native American Resources on the Internet

If you do reasearch in Native American studies like me, this is the place for you. Karen Strom has compiled a list of links that will let you find anything on Native Americans (history, culture, language, literature--you name it) that's out on the Web. This site is a gold mine.

Native American Indian Resources.

American Indian Heritage Foundation

Comprehensive information on Native American history, culture, and literature.

The South and Meso-American Indian Rights Center

Directory of Sources on the indigenous people of Mexico and Central and South America.

American Indian Institute

Resources for Native Americans

Native Web

Collection of Native-American-Related Sites

Native American Sites

Access to home pages of individuals and nations and other sites that provide information on American Indians.

The People's Paths

Native Americans

First Nations

Native American History on the Web

Wotanging Ikche - Native American News

This Week in American Indian History

Village of First Nations

Shadow Wolf's Index of Native Resources

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carsten@osu-okmulgee.edu

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