HIST 417A/617A
Nevada and the Far West
Phone: 895-3309 on campus: 53309
Office: WRIGHT B-312 (Office Hours—to be announced)
email: eugene.moehring@unlv.edu
Course Outcomes:
The primary goal of this course is to describe and evaluate how the state of Nevada developed from its days as a colony and later a territory. Emphasis will be given to social and economic development and how Nevada met the challenges of growth and modernization. The main objective of the course is to help students develop their analytical skills in both oral and written forms by encouraging critical thinking and policy analysis in discussions and examinations. Most of the time (but not all of the time), the emphasis of the course will be urban.
Course Requirements:
Students will read four books and we will have a class-long discussion of each of them during the semester. There will be questions relating to these discussions on the midterm and final examinations. All students are expected to participate actively in class discussion. Failure to do so will result in the lowering of your final grade. There will also be a term paper.
Term Paper:
Undergraduates will be asked to read three items (one of which must be a book) from the course bibliographies and then write a review essay (of about 10-12 pages) in which they describe and, where appropriate, criticize the main findings and viewpoints of each author.
Graduate students will select five items (two of which must be a book) and write 15-20 pages. Graduate student essays should be written at a higher level than the rest of the class and should be patterned after the review essays often found in history journals. We will discuss this further after class.
Any student may also write an original paper based on primary sources. See me about this if you are interested.
Papers are due the last day of class.
Academic Misconduct:
“Academic integrity is a legitimate concern for every member of the campus community; all share in upholding the fundamental values of honesty, trust, respect, fairness, responsibility and professionalism. By choosing to join the UNLV community, students accept the expectations of the Academic Misconduct Policy and are encouraged when faced with choices to always take the ethical path. Students enrolling in UNLV assume the obligation to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with UNLV’s function as an educational institution.” An example of academic misconduct is plagiarism: “Using the words or ideas of another, from the Internet or any source,
without proper citation of the sources.” See the “Student Academic Misconduct Policy” (approved December 9, 2005)
located at: http://studentlife.unlv.edu/judicial/misconductPolicy.html.
Plagiarism or Cheating in This Course:
Anyone engaging in plagiarism or cheating on a test or a paper will receive a grade of F for the course.
Copyright Policy:
The University requires all members of the University Community to familiarize themselves and to follow copyright and fair use requirements. You are individually and solely responsible for violations of copyright and fair use laws. The university will neither protect nor defend you nor assume any responsibility for employee or
student violations of fair use laws. Violations of copyright laws could subject you to federal and state civil penalties and criminal liability, as well as disciplinary action under University policies. To familiarize yourself with copyright and fair use policies, you are encouraged to visit the following website: http://www.unlv.edu/committees/copyright/.
Disability Resource Center (DRC):
The Disability Resource Center (DRC) coordinates all academic accommodations for students with documenteddisabilities. The DRC is the official office to review and house disability documentation for students, and to providethem with an official Academic Accommodation Plan to present to the faculty if an accommodation is warranted.
Faculty should not provide students accommodations without being in receipt of this plan. UNLV complies with the provisions set forth in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, offering reasonable accommodations to qualified students with documented disabilities. If you have a documented disability that may require accommodations, you will need to contact the DRC for the coordination of services. The DRC is located in the Student Services Complex (SSC), Room 137, and the contact numbers are: Voice (702) 895-0866, TTY (702) 895-0652, fax (702) 895-0651. For additional information, please
visit: http://studentlife.unlv.edu/disability/.
UNLV Writing Center:
One-on-one or small group assistance with writing is available free of charge to UNLV students at the WritingCenter, located in CDC-3-301. Although walk-in consultations are sometimes available, students with appointments will receive priority assistance. Appointments may be made in person or by calling 895-3908. The student’s Rebel ID Card, a copy of the assignment (if possible), and two copies of any writing to be reviewed are requested for the consultation. More information can be found at: http://writingcenter.unlv.edu/
Religious Holidays:
Tests will not be given on a major religious holiday or during “study week” (the last week of class).
Attendance: While I do not take attendance in class, I expect you to be there! Anyone can miss a class or two because of illness or a personal emergency. But if I see that you are absent from class more than a few times during the semester, I will lower your final course grade accordingly.
Constitution Requirement:
This course satisfies the Nevada Constitution requirement.
Discussions:
In addition to mini-discussions at various point during some lectures, we will hold four formal class discussions. Study questions will be handed out well in advance. All students are expected to participate in class discussions. See handouts provided below.
417AAbbottQuestions 417AFogelsonQuestions 417AStevensQuestions
Handouts:
Many course handouts can be found on my website, http://emoehring.faculty.unlv.edu/. Click on appropriate course webpage; links to handouts are embedded in the course syllabus on the left side of the page.
Examinations:
There will be two essay examinations. The Midterm will cover the first half of the course’s lectures and discussions, and the final exam will cover the second half. There will also be an announced quiz specifically covering the Nevada Constitution.
Grades:
Grades will be determined primarily by your performance on the midterm and final examinations. Once the course grade is calculated, your term paper can raise or lower the grade to the next level. For example, a course grade of B+ would become an A- with a good term paper. A great paper could bump the grade higher. A weak term paper can lower the grade. Extraordinary discussion can also bump up a grade.
Lecture Guides:
The lecture guides for each half of the course are more like an outline of the lecture, listing what will be discussed. They are not lecture notes and do not take the place of lecture notes. On exams it won’t be enough to mention, for example, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act or the Interstate Commerce Act. You will have to explain what they did and why they were significant. To do that, you will need to be in class and take good lecture notes. See handouts provided below.
417ALectureOutlinePartI 417ALectureOutlinePartII
Examination Review Guides:
These will not list the questions to be asked on the test, but will instead review what was important in the lectures and encourage you to master that information. See handouts provided below.
417AMidtermTestReview 417AFinalExamReview
Lecture Topics:
Introduction: When and Where was the West?
Native Americans and White Explorers in the Great Basin, 1400-1848
The Gold Rush: California’s Early Economic Development
The Comstock Economy and Nevada’s Statehood and Constitution
Building a Railroad Network Read–How Cities Won the West, Chap. 3
Racism and Class Conflict: Violence and Reform on the American Frontier
From the Frontier’s Closing to Wall Street’s Crash, 1890-1929
Midterm Exam-To Be Announced
Maverick City vs. Mainstream Culture: The Emergence of Reno
Depression and Growth: Federal Power and Regional Shifts in the 1930s
The Martial Region: World War Two in the West
Postwar Economy: Vibrancy and Change after 1945
New Industries in the Modern West Read–How Cities Won the West, Chap. 11
The Rise of Las Vegas
Final Examination