Autumn Quarter 2000 Professor J. Wu

Tuesdays 2:30-4:18 Office: 261 Dulles

Central Classrooms 354 Phone: 292-9331

Office Hours: Thursdays 2:00-3:30 and by appointment 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: how to define the American West and Western History; the cultural encounters between diverse racial, economic, 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.

Readings

All the books are available at SBX. Most of the books will be on reserve at the Main Library. There is also a course reader, sold by COP-EZ at the Tuttle Park Garage.

Ned Foley, White Scourge: Mexicans, Blacks and Poor Whites in Texas (1997)

Winona LaDuke, Last Standing Woman (1997)

Mary Paik Lee, Quiet Odyssey: A Pioneer Korean Woman in America (1990)

Patricia Nelson Limerick, The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West (1987)

Peggy Pascoe, Relations of Rescue: The Search for Female Moral Authority in the American West, 1874-1939 (1990)

J. Sanford Rikoon, ed., Rachel Calof’s Story: Jewish Homesteader on the Northern Plains (1995)

Course Assignments

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 1 p.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 Rachel Calof’s and/or Mary Paik Lee’s life narratives (30%). This assignment is due at the beginning of class on 31 October. In analyzing one or both of these historical documents, think about what their lives reveal about gender relations, ethnicity, and racial identity in the American West. Did these women’s experiences and/or responsibilities differ from the men of their communities? How did religion shape the lives and outlook of these women? How did their experiences and their identities change over time? You may chose to focus on one life narrative or write a comparison of the two. 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 November 28 at the beginning of class. For all other students, the essay is due on December 6 at 1:30 in my office.

To encourage you to think of writing as a process, intermediate assignments will be required. On October 31, we will meet at the Main Library for a workshop to familiarize you with OSU’s resources on the American West. On November 14, a one-paragraph write-up about the topic of your choice, including a preliminary thesis statement, will be due at the beginning of class. You should also submit a working bibliography for your project. On November 2 (for graduating seniors) and November 28, each of you will give a 5-minute presentation about your topics. 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

26 September: Introduction

3 October: Defining the West  reading questions

10 October: Religion, Domesticity, and Cultural Encounters reading questions

Peggy Pascoe, Relations of Rescue

17 October: Jewish Homesteading

Rachel Calof’s Story

24 October: Migrating East to West

Quiet Odyssey: A Pioneer Korean Woman in America

31 October: Life narrative paper due

Library Workshop, Main Library 124

7 November: Cotton, Class, and Race

Neil Foley, The White Scourge

14 November: Commercialism and Tourism

Final paper topic due: thesis and bibliography

21 November: History, Oral Tradition, and Literature

Presentations by graduating seniors

Winona LaDuke, Last Standing Woman

28 November: Presentations

6 December: Final essay due at 1:30 in my office
 
 

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