HIS 4973 Prof. Harvey J. Graff
Spring 2002 HSS 4.04.20; 458-7353
T,R 12:30-1:45 p.m. hgraff@utsa.edu
Office hours TR 2-3:00& apptmts.
Searching for Cities Past and Future
The Senior Seminar is a course required of all students majoring in history. Each Senior Seminar offered at UTSA has a different focus. They have dealt with local history, immigration, US foreign policy, Civil War and Reconstruction, the Holocaust, and, for us this semester, urban spaces, societies, and cultures. The seminar gives all majors an opportunity to conduct historical research and present their findings and conclusions orally and in writing in the setting of a group made up of their fellow history majors.
Our work this semester will focus on cities, especially (but not exclusively) American cities, and the lives lived within them as they develop over time and from place to place from the 18th to the 21st centuries. We will examine a variety of historical approaches, methods, topics/questions, and the uses of different sources, including visual evidence and films. Keep in mind, that although cities provide the places and spaces for our studies, this is not a course in urban history. Students may choose non-local and non-American research topics, provided that relevant sources are available, accessible, and sufficient for a serious study.
Among the course’s specific objectives is practice in:
· writing historical essays of a variety of kinds and lengths, including analysis, criticism, and comparison
· exploring a range of historical approaches, methods, and sources (including film and electronic materials)
We will also learn about what it means to refer to history as a profession and to practice history.
Required Books (ordered by bookstores):
Ludmilla Jordanova, History in Practice (Arnold, 2000)
Richard Marius, A Short Guide to Writing About History. 4th ed. (Longman, 2002)
Raymond Mohl, ed., The Making of Urban America (Scholarly Resources, 1997)
Optional:
*Peter Burke, ed., New Perspectives on Historical Writing 2nd ed. (Penn State Press, 2001)
Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and
Dissertations, any recent edition
Library reserve:
*Kathleen Conzen, “Community Studies, Urban History, and American Local History,” in The Past Before Us, ed. Michael Kammen (Cornell, 1980), 270-291
*Charles Tilly, “Introduction” to An Urban World (Little, Brown, 1973), 1-35
*Sharon Zukin, “The
Hollow Center: U.S. Cities in the Global Era,” in America at Century's End, ed. Alan Wolfe (California,
1991), 245-261, 526-528
*Joan Dideon, “New York:
Sentimental Journeys,” New York Review, 17 Jan. 1991, 45-56
[* indicates items on
Library Reserve]
For research on San Antonio
history:
Urban Texas: Politics and Development, ed. Char Miller and Heywood Sanders (Texas A & M University Press, 1990:
Char Miller and David R. Johnson, “The Rise of Urban Texas,” pp. 3-29, 174-177,
David R. Johnson, “Frugal and Sparing: Interest Groups, Politics, and City Building in San Antonio, 1870-85,” pp. 33-57, 177-181,
Char Miller and Heywood T. Sanders, “Olmos Park and the Creation of a Suburban Bastion, 1927-39,” pp. 113-127, 196-198,
Heywood T. Sanders, “Building a New Urban Infrastructure: The Creation of Postwar San Antonio,” pp. 154-173, 203-204
David Johnson, “Power and Progress
in San Antonio Politics, 1836-1970,” in The Politics of San Antonio: Community, Progress, and Power,
ed. David R. Johnson, John A. Booth, and Richard
J. Harris (University of Nebraska Press, 1983), pp. 1-27, 214-219.
Robert A. Goldberg, “Racial Change on the Southern Periphery: The Case of San Antonio, Texas, 1960-1965,” Journal of Southern History, 49 (1983) 349-374
Arnold DeLeon and Kenneth L Stewart, “Lost Dreams and Found Fortunes: Mexican and Anglo Immigrants in South Texas, 1850-1900,” Western Historical Quarterly, July 1983, 291- 310
Preparation, attendance, participation 15%
In-class activities—oral report on essays in Burke, New Perspectives; exercises, quizzes, group activities, writing projects, discussion, projects, films.
Based on required reading, films, and presentations, this work may include reading quizzes, discussions, writing exercises. Some will relate to analyzing, critiquing, comparing, and contrasting readings, and different ways of asking and answering questions. We will use essays in Mohl, ed., The Making of Urban America; other reading; and films (“The City,” “Metropolis,” “Mission Hill and the Miracle of Boston” or perhaps “Style Wars”). This will include the work of fellow students in learning groups.
Assignments 45%
It is important to think of these assignments as related rather than as separate tasks.
·
analytical and
comparative essays on articles in Mohl, at least two [instead of a book
review]:
a) analytical critique of one article in Mohl
(2-3 pages)
b) analytical, comparative review of two
articles in Mohl (4 pgs) 10
· research proposal (4-6 pgs) 10
·
film
review (3 pgs)
6
· peer critiques of draft of research paper 7
Final research projects
40%
Oral and written reports on studies of selected topics or questions in urban history that draw, at least in part, on primary sources. These may include San Antonio, other American, or comparative questions or topics. Final papers should be approximately 20 double-spaced pages (plus notes, tables or figures, illustrations, etc.).
The subjects of the articles in Mohl, ed., The Making of Urban America offer useful suggestions and examples for research subjects and questions, as well as strategies for conducting research. Examining their footnotes, which you should be doing regularly at this stage in your program, as well as their general approach in actively dealing with their subjects and problems that arise, can pay off. We will discuss possible topics and different modes of research together and individually throughout the semester.
In working toward your papers, each of you will:
1) Define the research’s topic, generate questions, approaches, likely sources, etc.
2) Plan the overall
work, divide it into specific tasks, and allocate your time and labor
3) Identify primary and secondary sources for research
4) Conduct library, archival, field research
5) Study the evidence gathered in relationship to your questions, conception and plan of the research, and expectations about what you are likely to discover (and why)
6) Make conclusions on the basis of the research in light of the questions and problems with which you begin, and as they change as you conduct the research
Use topics, methods, and approaches in essays in Mohl, ed., Making of Urban America, to help orient research projects including San Antonio research topics.
Draw on Mohl, films, other course materials to help plan and conduct study.
Use course materials to suggest topics, questions, approaches or methods, sources, connections, or comparisons.
Each paper should have an introduction and a conclusion; endnotes as necessary; bibliography of sources; tables or illustrations if needed or useful.
A handful of articles about San Antonio history is on Library Reserve for your use in this project. They are listed above.
Oral presentations during final 2-3 weeks of semester; final papers due by the last day of classes.
Roles of learning groups
Groups will discuss reading and assignments; generate questions for
class discussion; brainstorm on projects; help to plan research; share sources
and other “finds”; read and critique drafts of papers
During regular class meetings, we will take up a variety of activities and projects. These may include taking quizzes, participating in exercises, screening films, exploring different perspectives and skills, discussing assignments or assigned readings, listening to guest speakers, presenting individual or group work, and related activities. Come to class on time, prepared for the session by completing any assigned work or other preparation; bringing paper, pens, pencils, and other items announced in preceding meetings or the syllabus.
All work that is turned in for evaluation or grading should be typed, usually double-spaced, with margins of 1-1 ½ inches on all sides; printed in 11 or 12 point font, in a legible type face. Be sure that your printer ribbon or toner allows you to produce clear copies. Follow page or word limits and meet deadlines. Follow any specific assignment requirements (formatting or endnotes or bibliography, for example). Your writing should be gender neutral as well as clear and to the point. If you have a problem, see me, if at all possible, in advance of due dates. Unacceptable work will be returned, ungraded, to you. There will be penalties for work submitted late without excuse.
Final grades are based on each student’s performance on all required activities listed above. Significant improvement in students’ work over the course of the semester will be rewarded. Group work is a part of the course and its grade. Students will have an opportunity to evaluate the contribution of all the members of their group.
Note: Students should keep track of their scores and their progress in the course.
Because of confidentiality laws, I cannot report
grades by email or telephone.
Attendance is essential for successful participation in this course. Each student is responsible for all material presented, discussions, and group activities. I will note absences. More than two or three unexcused absences may lead to deductions from your grade. If you have an emergency or are ill, contact me as soon as possible. There will be no make-up quizzes. Under very special circumstances, a student may be excused from a quiz. This includes cases of illness or emergencies. Contact me as early as possible, preferably before the time of the quiz. Late assignments will be penalized five points for each day late. Please discuss with me as soon as possible any problems you have with the course.
Mutual respect and cooperation, during the time we spend together each week and the time you work on group assignments, are the basis for successful conduct of this course. The class is a learning community that depends on respect, cooperation, and communication among all of us. This includes coming to class on time, prepared for each day’s work: reading and assignments complete, focusing on primary classroom activity, and participating. It also includes polite and respectful expression of agreement or disagreement—with support for your point of view and arguments--with other students and with the professor. It does not include arriving late or leaving early, or behavior or talking that distracts other students. Please turn off all telephones, beepers, CD or MP3 players. Please remove ear- or headphones.
Scholastic honesty is
expected and required. It is a major part of university life, and contributes
to the value of your university degree. All work submitted for this class must
be your own. Copying or representing the work of anyone else (in print or from
another student) is plagiarism and cheating. This is unacceptable in this class
and also prohibited by the University. Information on scholastic dishonesty,
including plagiarism, is provided in the Student Code of Conduct,
Section 203 “Scholastic Dishonesty.”
When in doubt, consult the instructor.
To receive support
services, students with disabilities must register with the Office of
Disability Services (MS 2.03.18; 458-4157-voice; 458-4981-TTY)
HIS 4973 Prof. Harvey J. Graff
Searching for Cities Past and Future
Week 1 Introduction/Professing
and Practicing History (1/15, 17)
Ludmilla Jordanova, History in Practice (Arnold, 2000), Chs. 1-4
Richard Marius, A Short Guide to Writing About History
` “The City” (45 mins.)
Week 2 Practicing History (1/22, 24)
Ludmilla Jordanova, History in Practice (Arnold, 2000), Chs. 4-7
Richard Marius, A Short Guide to Writing About History
Oral reports on fields of history, based on *Peter Burke, ed., New Perspectives on Historical Writing 2nd ed. (Penn State Press, 2001)
Week 3 Searching for Cities/Cities in History (1/29, 31)
*Kathleen Conzen, “Community Studies, Urban History, and American Local History,” in The Past Before Us, ed. Michael Kammen (Cornell, 1980), 270-291
*Charles Tilly, “Introduction” to An Urban World (Little, Brown, 1973), 1-35
Raymond Mohl, ed., The Making of Urban America (Scholarly Resources, 1997), Part 1
Library
session 1/31
Week 4 History in Cities/Urban History (2/5, 7)
Mohl, ed., The Making of Urban America, Parts 1-2
Archives/Special
Collections session 2/7
Week 5 History in Cities/Urban History (2/12, 14)
Mohl, ed., The Making of Urban America, Parts 2-3
Analytical, comparative review of 2 chapters in Mohl, 4
pages
Week 6 History in Cities/Urban History (2/19, 21)
Mohl, ed., The Making of Urban America, Part 3
Week 7 Research (2/26, 28)
Richard Marius, A Short Guide to Writing About History
Week 8 Research (3/5, 7)
Richard Marius, A Short Guide to Writing About History
Spring Break
Week 9 Research and Writing (3/19, 21)
Last day to drop course or withdraw with automatic
grade of “W” (3/22)
Week 10 Research and Writing (3/26, 28 )
Week 11 Cities in Pictures and Moving Pictures (4/2, 4)
“Mission Hill and the Miracle of Boston”
“Metropolis”
other films or photographs
film
critique, 3 pages
Week 12 Writing/Drafts to Classmates (4/9, 11)
Week 13 Oral reports/Revisions (4/16, 18)
Week 14 Oral reports/Revisions (4/23, 25)
Week 15 Papers due (4/30)
*Sharon Zukin, “The
Hollow Center: U.S. Cities in the Global Era,” in America at Century's End,
ed. Alan Wolfe (California, 1991), 245-261, 526-528
*Joan Dideon, “New York:
Sentimental Journeys,” New York Review, 17 Jan. 1991, 45-56
In Mohl, The Making of
Urban America: William Sharpe and Leonard Wallock, "Bold New City or
Built-Up 'Burb? Redefining Contemporary Suburbs." See American
Quarterly, 46, 1 (March, 1994), for responses by Robert Bruegmann, Robert Fishman, Margaret Marsh, June Manning
Thomas, 31-54, and Response by Sharpe and Wallock, 55-61.
* indicates items on
Library Reserve
Research Proposals/Research Papers
The major written requirement for this course is a research
paper based at least in part on primary sources. You will also write a proposal for the research you plan to do.
Papers should be 20 double-spaced, typewritten pages (11 or 12
point font), in length. Research proposals should be about 4-6 pages in length.
Your topic should fall within the general scope (broadly
defined) of urban history. It may focus on San Antonio and the region, or on
other places, depending on the availability of primary research materials.
Preparing a formal research proposal and a paper provides a
valuable experience in your academic training, one useful and applicable to
many other scholastic or nonacademic tasks.
Whatever their many
differences, research proposals and research papers or reports address these
key concerns:
1) defining the research
problem or subject;
2) discussing
briefly the intellectual context of the subject or background to the research
proposed--often in the form of a "literature search" and/or a comment
on previous studies and approaches to the subject;
3) explaining your own
distinctive approach or research strategy, with specific attention to your
assumptions and use of specific theoretical or critical approaches, your
questions and/or hypothesis(es), the ways in which your research can be
distinguished from that of other researchers;
4) locating
and using primary
and secondary sources relevant to your project and accessible to you, as well
as how you deal with any problems that the sources may present to you. You need
to demonstrate their usefulness for understanding the subject and answering the
questions you propose to ask;
5) explaining the methods you employ to probe those sources; and
6) stating results or outcome, and briefly exploring their implications (say, on the
one hand, what you learned and the contribution you have made, and, on the
other hand, how it fits into our understanding of the subject—confirming it or
challenging it, etc.).
Both the proposal and the final paper should include a
bibliography of both primary and secondary sources. This will help to establish the practicability or do-ability of
your project. Present the bibliography
in proper and full bibliographic form, divided (in terms of the usual
definitions) into primary and secondary works.
Identify library locations and, where possible, library call
numbers. With the help of UTSA and
other reference librarians, use card and electronic catalogues, print and
electronic databases and bibliographies.
When relevant, explore the usefulness of specific nonprint sources. Use course readings and bibliographies as
points of origin and landmarks. If the
relevance and usefulness of a specific item is not readily apparent, indicate
in a few words what you take as its usefulness. In other words, avoid any signs of padding. As you conduct your own research, be alert
for items that might be useful to your colleagues in the class. That, too, is an important part of academic
labor.
The instructor, within the limits of his knowledge and
imagination should be considered one of your resources; so, too, are your other
professors and your peers in the program.
We will discuss your work toward proposals and papers, as possible, in
class and provide some time for progress reports and raising general questions.
Members of your group will also assist you.
Note: All written work for this course should be conducted
with gender-neutral, nonsexist language and rhetorical constructions. It is my strong preference that class
discussion and oral reports also be gender-neutral and nonsexist. This is part of a seminar situation in which
full respect and opportunity are accorded by and to all participants by all
others. The collegial relationships
begun in the classroom should accompany our relevant relationships with each
other elsewhere as well.
Written work should be turned in without cover pages or
special folders. Simply put your name
and course identification on the top of the first page and staple in upper left
corner. If you use a dot-matrix
printer, please ensure that the ribbon is new and of good quality; papers with
faint or blurry print will not be read.
You may use any system for annotation, foot- or endnotes, bibliography,
and the like, that you know or prefer, provided that it is one accepted within
the disciplines of the social sciences and humanities, and that you use it
correctly and consistently. Most common
are University of Chicago/Turabian.
Various style sheets and guidebooks are sold in the campus bookstore and
most other bookstores.
No written work will be accepted late unless unusual
circumstances arise or permission is granted in advance of the time the paper
is due.
Please provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope so your
research proposals can be returned to you after the semester.