Spring 2016 HCOL 86C Instructor: Melanie Gustafson, Department of History

Spring 2016
HCOL 86C
UVM Honors College
Instructor: Melanie Gustafson, Department of History
Classes: Tuesday and Thursdays, 11:40-12:55
University Heights North 34F
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 1:15 – 3:45 in Wheeler House 301 (History Dept.)
E-mail: [email protected]
Ways of Knowing: Creative Constructions of Freedom
This course is concerned with how Americans have individually and collectively
creatively constructed ideas of freedom and acted upon those ideas. Defining freedom has
been a fundamental part of American life since the founding of the nation; freedom, we
might say, is one of keywords shared by those who think about what it means to be
American. This semester we will closely examine a variety of primary and secondary
sources to explore how the working out of freedom’s meanings has had a profound
impact on individual lives, community dynamics, and political and legal culture. These
sources have been chosen to highlight how assertions and understandings of race,
ethnicity, gender, and class have worked together and separately to support and challenge
constructions of freedom.
Course Objectives:
This course emphasizes the methods of history to understand why and how definitions of
freedom changed over time. However, the interdisciplinary nature of the course means
that we will not adhere to a strict chronological framework. Instead, readings are
positioned in groups and in a sequence that I hope will evoke the multiple, and often
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competing, narratives that represent (just a few of) the myriad ways of knowing how
freedom was creatively imagined, constructed, and lived. The primary course objectives
include: developing writing skills; enhancing critical thinking skills; practicing speaking
skills; and learning how to interpret primary documents and situate them in the context of
their times.
Requirements:
1. Regular and active class participation
3. Two short essays
4. A first draft and final draft of a seminar research paper
5. A presentation on your seminar research paper
6. Participation in the poster project
Final grades will be based on:
Participation (including Homework)
Two Short Essays (5% each)
First Draft of Seminar
Group Poster Project
Final Draft of Seminar Paper
25%
10%
20%
25%
20%
Course Policies:
Attendance: Regular attendance is required and you are expected to arrive on time. We
will start each class promptly at 11:40 and work until our tasks are complete or until
12:55. You will find that attendance and active participation in class is crucial to your
ability to do well in the course. You are allowed one unexcused absence. Additional
unexcused absences will result in your final grade being lowered by one letter grade
(10%) for each missed class. Excused absences included a documented health problem,
personal or family emergency, or religious obligation. If you have another reason for
missing class, please consult with me. Tardiness or early departures will bring down your
participation grade. If you know you will be absent, please send me a brief email as soon
as you can, putting in the subject line: “HCOL 086 Class Absence.” If you wish to talk to
me about your participation or attendance, please email me to set up a meeting.
Eating in the Classroom: I do not permit students to eat during class. Feel free to bring
your coffee or water or other drink.
Laptops in the Classroom: There will be no use of laptops when we are discussing
readings. Please take notes on paper. However, due to the nature of some of our
assignments, please be prepared to bring your laptop to class for some projects.
Electronic Submission of Written Work: Electronic submission of work allows me to
maintain a file of your writing to track improvement, return your work sooner to you, and
provide comments that are easier to read. To make this process run smoothly, please
follow this procedure as closely as possible:
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First, all documents must be saved as a Word document (.docx). Do not save your work
as a PDF file or in a Zip file.
Your document must have the following title:
Your Last Name_Assignment Name.docx. I will give you the assignment name.
If it is the first version of a multiple-draft assignment, please mark it as Draft1, following
the assignment name. Examples: Jones_FDR.docx or Jones_SeminarPaperDraft1.docx
Second, please submit all written work to me using UVM’s File Transfer Service (not
email). The file transfer address is: https://filetransfer.uvm.edu
You will receive an automatic confirmation email from the system when I have
downloaded your paper.
Note: It is your responsibility to maintain a virus-free computer and send me a document
that I can open. I will consider any corrupted files that I receive as not having met the
deadline and will grade the paper as late, one letter grade a day (10%) until I receive a
good copy.
Deadlines: Without my approval of your documentation of an excused reason for
tardiness (e.g., health problem, personal or family emergency), late work cannot be
accepted.
Academic Integrity: Please familiarize yourself with definitions of plagiarism and
cheating. I recommend that all students obtain more information on academic integrity,
plagiarism, fabrication, collusion, and cheating by reading the UVM Code of Academic
Integrity at https://www.uvm.edu/policies/student/acadintegrity.pdf
Religious Observance: Please submit in writing to me by the end of the second full week
of classes your documented religious holiday schedule for the semester. I will then
consult with you about when you need to make up missed work.
Accommodations: Appropriate accommodations will be provided to students who have
obtained an accommodation letter from the ACCESS office. Please see me early on in the
course to discuss accommodations. For more information: http://www.uvm.edu/access.
Intellectual property policy: All course materials, including the syllabus, course
handouts, Blackboard materials, PowerPoint slides, and any audio or video recordings of
class sessions, are the intellectual property of the course instructor. They are provided for
academic purposes for the individual use of students enrolled in this course. Posting,
distribution, or sale of course materials by students is not permitted.
Changes to the Syllabus: This syllabus is subject to modification by the professor at any
time.
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Group Poster Projects and Seminar Research Papers: I will be giving you more specific
information about the group poster projects and seminar research papers in class.
Spring Plenaries are from 5:05-6:20 in Billings Lecture Hall unless otherwise noted:
Wednesday, January 20
Monday, Jan. 25, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 24
Wednesday, March 16
Wednesday, March 30
Wednesday, April 13
Wednesday, April 20
Wednesday, April 27
Jim Hudziak
Peter Agre
Shakespeare (Music Recital Hall)
Poster Plenary “How To”
Eli Clare (Silver Maple Room, Davis Ctr)
Research Presentations 1 (location tbd)
Research Presentations 2 (location tbd)
Research Symposium (Livak Rm, Davis Ctr)
COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK ONE: INTRODUCTIONS
Jan. 19, Tues.
Introductions
Jan. 20, Wed.
Plenary: Jim Hudziak on Student Wellness
Jan. 21, Thurs.
Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream”
Listen and Read King’s “I Have a Dream” speech
Available online at http://freedomsring.stanford.edu/
Please come to class prepared to discuss this version of King’s speech.
Read Brooks, “Riot,”
Available as Word Document on Bb or Online at
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/182440
Read “American Enlightenment Thought,” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Available as Word Document on Bb or Online at http://www.iep.utm.edu/amer-enl/
Read Kevin Bruyneel, “The King’s Body: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and the
Politics of Collective Memory,” History and Memory 26:1 (Spring/Summer 2014): 75108. Available as PDF on Bb or Online at JStor (through the UVM Library)
WEEK TWO: SLAVERY AND FREEDOM
Jan. 25, Mon.
Plenary: 6:30 - 7:30: Peter Agre on Science Diplomacy
Jan. 26, Tues.
The Songs Are Free
Watch Bernice Johnson Reagon, interviewed by Bill Moyers, 2007
Available online at http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/11232007/watch3.html
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Read Eric Foner, “The Contested History of American Freedom,”
in Preserving American Freedom: The Evolution of American Liberties in Fifty
Documents, Historical Society of Pennsylvania Digital History Project.
Available as Word document on Bb or Online at
http://digitalhistory.hsp.org/pafrm/essay/contested-history-american-freedom
Jan. 28, Thurs.
Contested History
In class we will do Preparation for Next Tuesday’s Class: The class will be divided into
eight groups and each group will be responsible for presenting a two-minute summary of
one of the editorials written about the Princeton Woodrow Wilson controversy.
Note: It is recommended that everyone read all the editorials, reprinted by the National
Constitution Center, “Eight Editorials about Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson Controversy,”
November 20, 1915. Available Online at
http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2015/11/eight-different-editorials-about-princetonswoodrow-wilson-controversy/
Assignments for Editorial Summaries:
Randy Barnett
John Fund
David Harsanyi
Los Angeles Times Editorial Board
Dylan Matthews
Esther Maddox
Zeena Mubarak
Alexandra Petri
Read Gabriel Fisher, “Princeton and the Fight Over Woodrow Wilson’s Legacy,” New
Yorker, November 25, 2015.
Available as Word document on Bb or Online at
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/princeton-and-the-fight-over-woodrowwilsons-legacy
Read: Be sure to follow the article’s link to the Gordon David editorial in the New York
Times. If you missed it, the link is:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/24/opinion/what-woodrow-wilson-cost-mygrandfather.html?_r=1
WEEK THREE: THE POWER OF SYMBOLS
Feb. 2, Tues.
Contested Symbols
In Class we will have Presentations of Editorial Summaries
Feb. 4, Thurs.
Continued
Read Christopher Phelps, “Removing Racist Symbols Isn’t a Denial of History”
Chronicle of Higher Education, January 8, 2016.
Available as Word document on Bb or Online at
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http://chronicle.com/article/Removing-Racist-Symbols/234862/
WEEK FOUR: ARTISTIC CONSTRUCTIONS OF FREEDOM
Feb. 9, Tues.
Poetry
Read and Listen to Rita Dove, “Canary,”
Available as Word Document on Bb and Online at
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172132
Read Rita Dove, Biography from the Poetry Foundation
Available as Word Document and Online at
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/rita-dove#poet
Watch Rita Dove, interviewed by Charlie Rose, 1999
Available Online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBwLZlg7w_I
Feb. 11, Thurs.
Music
In Class we will talk about your First Short Essay, due February 19
Watch Nina Simone, “Mississippi Goddam”
Available Online at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVQjGGJVSXc
(Note: there is also a link to this in the Chandler online article)
Read Adam Chandler, “What Happened to Nina Simone?” Atlantic, June 27, 2015
Available as Word Document on Bb and Online at
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/06/nina-simone-and-mississippigoddam/396923/
Read Claudia Roth Pierpont, “A Raised Voice: How Nina Simone turned the movement
into music,” New Yorker, August 11, 2014
Available as Word Document on Bb or Online at
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/11/raised-voice
Note: If you have Netflix access, watch “What Happened, Miss Simone?”
WEEK FIVE: FOUR FREEDOMS
Feb. 16, Tues.
States of Union
Read FDR, “State of Union Address,” (Four Freedoms Speech), January 6, 1941
Available as PDF on Bb
Watch Film Clip of FDR’s “State of Union Address,” (Four Freedoms Speech), January
6, 1941 Available Online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnrZUHcpoNA
Feb. 18, Thurs.
States of Freedom
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In Class we will talk about the Poster Project: What are our Groups? Our Topics?
Feb. 19, Friday
First Short Essay Due (use File Transfer Service)
There is currently a national discussion about putting a woman on the new $10 or $20
bills to be issued by the U.S. Treasury Department. In fact, the discussion has become a
controversy and the Treasury Secretary has slowed down the process.
See the USA Today article at
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/12/11/treasury-delays-decision-on10-bill-woman-alexander-hamilton-currency-redesign/77178580/
Let’s imagine that Secretary Lew has given you the decision-making power and that his
only requirement is that you keep the word “freedom” in mind as you proceed.
Write a letter to Secretary Lew either 1) explaining how you will handle the assignment
of currency redesign and listing the steps you will undertake to get the job finished or 2)
explaining your choices for the redesign of the $10 and $20 bills and why you made
them.
Submit by File Transfer Service: YourLastName_FirstPaper.docx
WEEK SIX: INDIAN EDUCATION & RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Feb. 23, Tues.
Indians as Students and Indian History as Instruction
In Class we will create a list of our Poster Projects
Watch the trailer for “The Thick Dark Fog”
Available online at
http://www.thickdarkfog.com/
Read “U.S. Forest Service Employees View ‘The Thick Dark Fog’”
Available as Word Document on Bb or Online at
http://blogs.usda.gov/2014/05/01/us-forest-service-employees-view-%E2%80%98thethick-dark-fog%E2%80%99-documentary-about-treatment-of-native-american-schoolchildren/
Read Native American Rights Fund Newsletter, 1979
Available as PDF on Bb or Online at
http://www.narf.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/nlr5-1.pdf
Read American Indian Religious Freedom Act Amendments, 1994
Available as PDF on Bb or Online at
http://www.fs.fed.us/spf/tribalrelations/documents/policy/statutes/American_Indian_Reli
gous_Freedom_Act.pdf
Read Linda M. Waggoner, “On Trial: The Washington R*dskins’ Wily Mascot: Coach
William ‘Lone Star’ Dietz,” Montana: The Magazine of Western History (Spring 2013):
24-47
Available as PDF on Bb or Online at
http://nmai.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/seminars-symposia/WaggonerWEBSpr2013.pdf
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Feb. 24, Wed.
Plenary: Shakespeare at Music Recital Hall
Feb. 25, Thurs.
Religious Freedom
In Class we will discuss our Poster Projects and Individual Research Topics
Read Merrill D. Peterson, “Jefferson and Religious Freedom,” Atlantic Monthly,
December 1994
Available as Word Document on Bb or Online at
http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/96oct/obrien/peterson.htm
WEEK SEVEN: TOWN MEETINGS ARE PART OF ENACTING FREEDOMS
March 1, Tues.
Town Meeting Day Recess
March 3, Thurs.
Discussion of Individual Research
Individual Research Topics Due (more information to follow)
March 4, Friday
Second Short Paper Due (use File Transfer Service)
Freedom from Fear. That’s the topic you need to deal with in this paper. Read President
Obama’s most recent (2016) State of the Union address. You can view the speech at:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sotu
and read it with annotations at
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/12/remarks-president-barackobama-%E2%80%93-prepared-delivery-state-union-address
What was Obama’s central message about “freedom from fear”? Can you see any
similarities between Obama’s message and FDR’s 1941 message in his State of the
Union address? Or are they too dissimilar to attempt a comparison? In either case, how
do you think each address was influenced by the national and global context in which it
was delivered?
Submit: YourLastName_SecondPaper.docx
March 7 – 11
Spring Break
WEEK EIGHT: THE GREAT SOCIETY
March 15, Tues.
Poetry is Freedom
In Class we will do Preparations for Poster Plenary
Read Terrance Hayes, “How to Draw a Perfect Circle”
Available at http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/249116
Watch LBJ, “The Great Society”
Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDeBd1j7sCM
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Read “LBJ, Domestic Affairs,” from the Miller Center
Available as Word Document on Bb or Online at
http://millercenter.org/president/biography/lbjohnson-domestic-affairs
March 16, Wed.: Plenary Poster Plenary “How To”
March 17, Thurs.
LBJ Continued
In Class we will do preparations for Poster Plenary, discuss Individual Research, and
talk about the Great Society
WEEK NINE: WOMEN, GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND FREEDOM
March 22, Tues.
Intersectionality
Today you will submit the First Outline your Individual Research Project
Read The Combahee River Collective Statement (1977)
Available as Word Document on Bb or Online at
https://www.sfu.ca/iirp/documents/Combahee%201979.pdf
Read Kimberle Crenshaw, “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black
Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist
Politics,” University of Chicago Legal Forum (1989): 139-167
Available as Word Document on Bb or Online at http://philpapers.org/rec/CREDTI
March 24, Thurs.
Draft of Group Project Poster Slide Due
WEEK TEN: THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT
March 29, Tues.
Context, Context, Context
Read “Black Lives Matter: The Growth of a New Social Justice Movement,”
Available as Word Document on Bb or Online at
http://www.blackpast.org/perspectives/black-lives-matter-growth-new-social-justicemovement
Read what you can at
http://www.autostraddle.com/blacklivesmatter-the-longform-reading-list-265454/
March 30, Wed. Plenary: Eli Clare, “Listening to the Freaks” (Silver Maple, Davis Ctr)
March 31, Thurs.
Work on Poster
WEEK ELEVEN: BRINGING THINGS TOGETHER
April 5, Tues.
Introduction to Practicing Presentations
April 7, Thurs.
Practice Presentations
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WEEK TWELVE: ENTERING THE FINAL STRETCH
April 11, Monday
Final Draft of Posters Due !!!! No Extensions
April 12, Tues.
Practice Presentations
April 13, Wed.
Research Presentations 1
April 14, Thurs.
Practice Presentations
WEEK THIRTEEN: ENTERING THE FINAL STRETCH
April 19, Tues.
Practice Presentations
April 20, Wed.
Research Presentations 2
April 21, Thurs.
Recap of Presentations; Thinking of the Symposium
April 22, Fri.
First Draft of Research Paper Due
WEEK FOURTEEN: THINKING BACK
April 26, Tues.
April 27, Wed.
Research Symposium, Davis Center
April 28, Thurs.
WEEK FIFTEEN: CONCLUSIONS
May 3, Tues.
Final Paper Due
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