Course Outline

Course
UNYP 58120 American Cultural History

Credits: 3 semester credits / 6 ECTS
Length: 1 semester (15 weeks)
In-class contact hours: 45
Language of instruction: English
Level: Lower-level course in a bachelor's degree program
Pre-requisites: None. Students are expected to have completed or be enrolled in the university writing sequence (English Composition I, English Composition II)
Teaching methods: Lectures, readings, discussion
Evaluation methods: See below

Class times, rooms
Section 1: Thursdays 15:00 - 18:00, Room D
Section 2: Fridays 12:00 - 15:00, Room F

Instructor
William Barnard, Ph.D.

Office
3rd floor, L72

Consultation hours (Fall 2008)
Wednesdays 14:30 - 15:30
Fridays 15:00 - 16:00
Or by appointment

Email
wbarnard@unyp.cz

Catalog description
Introduction to the interdisciplinary practice of cultural history by examining the development of American culture from the colonial period to the present. Prerequisite: None.

Course description
By looking at a wide variety of primary sources (including oral history, narrative and documentary film, autobiography, speeches, literature, and photography), we will deepen your understanding of specific periods, themes, and developments in American history.

By reading a variety of secondary sources - the works of historians, cultural critics, economists, scientists, and others - we will develop interpretive models - ways of making sense of history and culture.

An online video series will provide the historical background for our discussions of primary and secondary materials.

Because the course is taken primarily by first-year university students, we will also spend time looking at examples of student work, with an eye on best practices.

Course objectives
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
* know the basic chronological history of the US from pre-colonial times to the present;
* understand the requirements and characteristics of scholarly work;
* critically interpret and evaluate competing historical and cultural interpretations;
* critically interpret and evaluate primary sources of a variety of types/media, and with a sensitivity to historical context.

To successfully complete the course, students will
* develop coherent, sustained arguments in writing, supported with appropriate examples and placed in the context of scholarly discussions;
* use research skills to discover relevant material for discussion and written assignments;
* articulate ideas, and respond to the ideas of others, in the context of group discussions;
* manage self and time to successfully meet course requirements, including preparation (homework), attendance, active participation, and the timely submission of assignments.

General Education Requirement
A grade of C- or above in this course satisfies the General Education requirement for the following knowledge and skill areas:

American History
Students will demonstrate:
* knowledge of a basic narrative of American history; political, economic, social, and cultural, including knowledge of unity and diversity in American society;
* knowledge of common institutions in American society and how they have affected different groups; and
* understanding of America's evolving relationship with the rest of the world.

The competencies of Critical Thinking / Reasoning and Information Management are infused throughout this course:

Critical thinking / Reasoning
Students will
* identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments as they occur in their own or others' work; and
* develop well-reasoned arguments.

Information Management
Students will
* perform the basic operations of personal computer use;
* understand and use basic research techniques; and
* locate, evaluate and synthesize information from a variety of sources.

Required readings, other course materials
* All readings / viewings should be completed before that week's class meeting; they form the basis of that week's work in class.
* Students should have a copy (paper or electronic) of the week's reading at each class meeting.
* All readings are available on reserve in paper format in the UNYP library, and in electronic format on NetLearn (login and password required).
* All films are available on reserve in the UNYP library.
* For those who wish to purchase copies, the UNYP Library can provide you with a list of local booksellers/distributors.
* For the online video series A Biography of America, free sign-up is required for first-time users.

Primary sources
In chronological order of publication

Declaration of Independence (1776)
Song of Myself (Walt Whitman, 1855)
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Harriet Jacobs, 1861)
Gettysburg Address (1863)
Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the Bootblacks (Horatio Alger, Jr., 1868)
How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York (Jacob Riis, 1890)
Principles of Scientific Management (Frederick Winslow Taylor, 1911)
Sherlock, Jr. (dir. Buster Keaton, 1924)
Hiroshima (John Hersey, 1946)
Smoke Signals (dir. Chris Eyre, 1998)
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (dir. Errol Morris, 2003)

Secondary sources
Alphabetical by author's last name.

Ayers, Edward L. (2003). In the Presence of Mine Enemies: The Civil War in the Heart of America, 1859-1863. New York: W.W. Norton.

Barzyk, Fred (Producer/Director). (2000). A Biography of America [Video series]. United States: WGBH Educational Foundation for Annenberg Media. Videocast retrieved from http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/

Diamond, Jared. (1997). Guns, Germs and Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years. London: Vintage.

Gould, Stephen Jay. (1981). The Mismeasure of Man. New York: W.W. Norton.

Kasson, John. (1978). Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century. New York: Hill and Wang.

Kern, Stephen. (1983). The Culture of Time and Space, 1880-1918. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.

Limerick, Patricia. (1987). The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West. New York: W.W. Norton.

Peiss, Kathy. (1986). Cheap Amusements: Working Women and Leisure in Turn-of-the-Century New York. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Schivelbusch, Wolfgang. (1977). The Railway Journey: The Industrialization of Time and Space in the 19th Century. [Orig: Geschicte der Eisenbahnreise.] Berkeley: University of California Press.

Tompkins, Jane. (1986). "'Indians': Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History." Critical Inquiry, 13 (1), 101-119.

Content of the Course
Please see the schedule for a detailed listing of weekly course topics, materials, assignments, and assessments.

Course Requirements
* Quizzes (10 out of 12)
* Web response paragraphs (10 out of 12)
* Essays (3)
* Active, positive participation in class meetings
* Regular, punctual, and attentive attendance at class meetings
* Weekly readings, viewings (per class meeting, you can expect about 100 - 150 pages of reading, plus 1 hour of episodes from the video series A Biography of America)

Criteria for Determination of Grade, including Evaluation Methods
* Quizzes (10 out of 12) 10%
* Reading/Viewing response paragraphs (online, 10 out of 12) 10%
* Participation 15%
* Essay 1 15%
* Essay 2 25%
* Essay 3 25%
Criteria for evaluating specific assignments are included in the assignment.

General Requirements
* All course work is governed by the UNYP Honor Code, and students are expected to maintain the highest standards of honesty and academic integrity in their work. All students are expected to be familiar with and to understand the UNYP Honor Code.
* Mobile phones should be on silent; no calling or texting during class meetings (wait for the breaks).
* All media and communication devices, including computers, may not be used in ways that distract you or other students from our work during class meetings.
* Papers/essays are due at the beginning of the class period indicated on the schedule.
* Late papers are not accepted.
* Missed quizzes, response paragraphs, and discussions are not made up.

Requirements for written assignments
All essays must
* be word processed;
* use a 12-point font;
* be double-spaced;
* have numbered pages;
* include your name and a title on the first page;
* use APA citation format;
* use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Students with disabilities
I encourage students with disabilities to contact me as soon as possible to discuss reasonable accommodations.

Grading Scale
A: Outstanding work
B: Good work, distinctly above average
C: Acceptable work
D: Work that is significantly below average
F: Work that does not meet minimum standards for passing the course.

Specific grading criteria are included with each assignment.

Technology Expectations
* Regular use of word processing software
* Regular use of internet
* Regular use of online databases
* Regular use of UNYP NetLearn
* Regular use of email

Please note that this course makes substantial use of a course blog and electronic communication via email. Regular checking of the course blog and the email address you give me is required.