History 598: Race and Gender in the U.S. West
Winter Quarter
2002 Professor
J. Wu
Mondays: 1:30-3:18 Office: 261 Dulles
Journalism 291 Phone: 292-9331
Office
Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 3:30-4:30
Email: wu.287@osu.edu
Course Description
This course will focus on the racial
and gender dynamics of the 19th and 20th century American West. The class does not provide a chronological
overview of the history of the West.
Instead, discussions and assignments are structured around themes that
highlight the intersections of race, gender, class, and nationality. Through our weekly meetings, we will explore
the following issues: the definitions
of the American West and Western History; the cultural encounters between
diverse racial, economic, cultural, and social groups; the role of religion in shaping gender,
ethnic, and racial identities; the significance of migration and its impact on
labor relations; commercialism and tourism in the West; and the connection
between the historical and the contemporary American Wests.
All students must be officially enrolled in the course by the end of the second full week of the quarter. No requests to add the course will be approved by the department chair after that time. Enrolling officially and on time is solely the responsibility of each student.
Readings
All the books
are available at SBX and are on reserve at the Main Library.
Patricia
Nelson Limerick, The Legacy of
Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the
American West (1987)
Luther Standing Bear, My People, The Sioux (University of Nebraska, 1975)
Mary Paik Lee, Quiet Odyssey: A Pioneer Korean Woman in America (1990)
J. Sanford
Rikoon, ed., Rachel Calof’s Story: Jewish Homesteader on the Northern Plains
(1995)
Linda Gordon, The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction
(1999)
Marilyn Johnson,
The Second Gold Rush: Oakland and the East Bay in World War II
(1993)
As a senior colloquium, the success
of this course depends upon your active participation. All reading and writing assignments must be
completed by the appointed date and time.
Incomplete assignments and lack of participation will not only adversely
affect your grade but will also lessen the overall learning experience for
everyone else in the course.
1. Weekly reading responses (20% of
overall grade). These 1-2 page
responses are graded +/check/-. This is
your opportunity to reflect upon the main themes for the weekly reading
assignments and to suggest discussion questions for the class. I recommend writing one paragraph
summarizing the main argument or arguments from the readings and an additional
one or two paragraphs offering your critiques of the readings. These responses are due by 11 a.m. in
my office, 261 Dulles, the day of class.
2. Each student is required to co-lead a
class discussion (10%).
3. A 5-7 page primary document analysis of
Luther Standing Bear’s, Rachel Calof’s and/or Mary Paik Lee’s life narratives
(30%). This assignment is due at the beginning
of class on 18 February. You may
chose to focus on one life narrative or write a comparison between two or all
of these works. In analyzing these
historical documents, think about what their lives reveal about gender
relations, ethnicity, and racial identity in the American West. How did men and women’s experiences and
responsibilities differ from one another?
How did religion shape the lives and outlook of their lives? How did their experiences and their
identities change over time? Be sure to
clearly state a thesis and development your argument by citing evidence from
the readings.
4. A 10 page historical analysis of a
contemporary issue related to the American West (40%). You may want to peruse the newspapers to
select a current topic that intrigues you.
Conduct research to understand the historical background of the
topic. Write a paper that explains how
the history of the American West shapes the contemporary dynamics surrounding
the issue. The paper should also
address why the topic is significant for the history of the U.S. West. For graduating seniors, the essay is due on March
11 at the beginning of class. For
all other students, the essay is due on March 18 at 1:30 in my office.
To encourage you to think of writing
as a process, the following activities and intermediate assignments will be
required
February 18: Library workshop in Main Library, Room 122, to familiarize you
with OSU’s resources on the American West.
February 25: A one-paragraph introduction to the topic of your choice, including a preliminary thesis statement, will be due at the beginning of class. Graduating seniors also should submit a working bibliography for your project.
March 4: Non-graduating students should submit their bibliographies. Graduating seniors will give a 5-minute presentation about your topics.
March 11: Non-graduating students will give presentations. Think of this as an opportunity to receive feedback before the final essay is due. I encourage you to write drafts and ask each other for comments before turning in the final product.
Absences: If
you will be unable to attend class, you should inform me beforehand. If an emergency arises and you are unable to
reach me before the class, contact me as soon as possible to explain your
absence. If you miss more than two
classes, you will not be able to pass the course.
Late Assignments: Any
late assignment will be deducted 1/3 of a grade for every day or fraction of a
day that it is late. For example, an
otherwise “A” paper that is turned in after the due time but not more than one
day late will be marked as “A-”. The
paper will be marked as “B+” if it is up to two days late.
Plagiarism: All
work presented in class or turned in must be a student's own. Plagiarism or any
other form of academic misconduct will be dealt with in accordance with the
guidelines laid down by the University’s Committee on Academic Misconduct and
will seriously affect a student’s grade.
Class
Schedule
7 January: Introduction
14 January: Defining the West
Frederick
Jackson Turner, “The Frontier in American History.”
Patricia
Nelson Limerick, The Legacy of Conquest,
pp. 17-96, 179-282
21 January: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – no class
28 January: “Tradition” and Change
Luther Standing Bear, My People, The Sioux (University of Nebraska, 1975)
4
February: Religion and Homesteading
J.
Sanford Rikoon, ed., Rachel Calof’s
Story: Jewish Homesteader on the
Northern Plains (1995)
11
February: Migrating East to West
Mary Paik Lee, Quiet Odyssey: A Pioneer Korean
Woman in America
18
February: Oral History Analysis Due
Library Orientation, Main Library,
Room 122
25
February: Empire and Family, Part 1
Linda
Gordon, The Great Arizona Orphan
Adoption, beginning – p. 148
Paper
topic due
Bibliographies
due for graduating seniors
4 March: Empire and Family, Part II
Linda
Gordon, The Great Arizona Orphan
Adoption, p. 149-end.
Bibliography
due for non-graduating seniors
Presentations
by graduating seniors
11 March: Migrating South to West
Marilyn
Johnson, The Second Gold Rush: Oakland and the East Bay in World War II
(Berkeley : University of California Press, c1993)
Paper for graduating seniors due
Presentations by non-graduating
students
18 March: Paper Due for Non-Graduating Seniors at 1:30
in 261 Dulles
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