Erika M. Bsumek

This survey course will examine the history of Native American societies in North America from the earliest records to the present. We will explore the diverse ways in which Indian societies were structured, the different ways that indigenous peoples have responded to colonization and the complex history of European/Indian relations. Attention will be paid to political, social, economic and cultural transformation of Native American societies over time. We will cover, among other things, the following topics: disease, religion, trade, captivity narratives, warfare, diplomacy, removal, assimilation, education, self-determination, and gaming.

Possible readings to include:

1. Colin G. Calloway, First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of the American Indian History (Boston: Bedford St. Martins) – third edition.

2. Mary Crow Dog, Lakota Woman (New York: Harper Collins, 1990)

3. Douglas C. Sackman, Wildmen: Ishi and Kroeber in the Wilderness of Modern America (Oxford University Press, 2010).

4. David Edmunds, Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership (New York: Longman, 2006).

Assessment for this class will be based on class participation, a mid-term examination, one short paper/Digital timeline assignment, 2¬4 reading quizzes, in-class participation, a book review, and a final examination.

Grading:

The final grade breakdown is as follows:

Midterm: 100 points

Paper: 50 points

Final exam: 100 points

Book Review: 25 points

Reading quizzes: 10 points each

In class participation: 25 points.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

This class will provide an overview of the historiography related to American Indian histories with a special focus on issues related to land use, cultural preservation, identity, violence, and political action. Special attention will be devoted to defining key terms (i.e. Indigeniety, sovereignty) related to the field. Readings will cover a wide time frame (ranging from pre-contact to the twenty-first century). Not only will we chart how the field of American Indian history has changed over time, we will also discuss where the field might be headed in the future.  Possible readings include: Coll Thursh, Indigenous London: Native Travelers at the Heart of Empire, David Chang, The World and all the Things Upon It: Native Hawaiian Geographies of Exploration; Jean O’Brien, Firsting and Lasting: Writing Indians out of Existence in New England; Audra Simpson, Mohawk Interrupts: Political Life across the borer of Settler States; as well as others.

Students who wish to address particular topics can contact the instructor. 

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

This course will look at roughly 100 years of building in American society from 1867-1980. It will focus on the ways in which politicians, architects, engineers, urban planners, construction workers, naturalists, environmentalists, novelists, filmmakers and the American populous approached the relationship between large-scale infrastructure projects and social development. This course will pay special attention to  the design of specific dams, highways, and urban areas and will place them in larger historical perspective by evaluating key locations before and after they were built or expanded. Hoover Dam, for instance, would provide a key case study in this class. Hoover Dam does more than hold water and generate electricity. It dramatically changed (and continues to change) the relationship that people had with technology, the surrounding area, and with each other. The closest urban area, Las Vegas, will also be evaluated when discussing Hoover Dam, but so too will Southern California. Special attention will also be paid to the engineering innovations that changed construction techniques used in large scale projects.

Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America by Henry Petroski (Oct 29, 1996)

To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design by Henry Petroski (Mar 31, 1992)

Seely, Bruce Edsall. Building the American Highway System: Engineers as Policy Makers. Technology and Urban Growth. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1987.

Snyder, Logan Thomas. “The Creation of America’s Interstate Highway System.” American History 41, no. 2 (June 2006): 32–39.

Moudry, Roberta, ed. The American Skyscraper: Cultural Histories. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

McCullough, David G. The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.

Introduction to Engineering Nature: Water, Development, and the Global Spread of American Environmental Expertise, by Jessica Tiesch, (UNC Press, 2011). 

We will be reading short articles about specific building projects: Hoover Dam, Glen Canyon Dam, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Sears House, the Woolworth Building, etc.

Possible readings may include:

Schweitzer, Robert. America’s Favorite Homes: Mail-order Catalogues as a Guide to Popular Early 20th-century Houses. Great Lakes Books. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990.

Cooke, Amanda, and Avi Friedman. “Ahead of Their Time: The Sears Catalogue Prefabricated Houses.” Journal of Design History 14, no. 1 (January 1, 2001): 53–70. 

Midterm: 100 points

Paper: 50 points

Final exam: 100 points

Book Review: 25 points

Reading quizzes: 10 points each

In class participation: 25 points.

This one-semester introduction to the environmental history of the United States will examine some of the recent literature of environmental history. As with the field itself, this course will focus on human interaction with the natural world, chart how nature has influenced the development of human life and technologies, and discuss the various political, intellectual, cultural, economic, global and social meanings that people have attached to the environment at different moments in American history.  The course will start with an assessment of how indigenous peoples’ idea about the environment, how it was to be used, and how they approached interactions with land, water, and food sources. It will then examine the ways the colonial populations thought about land, resources, and the indigenous peoples. Moving forward in time, the class considers how American values evolved around the idea of the environment, especially what it was and how it should be treated and examines various historical moments such as the industrial revolution, the progressive era, the Great Depression and New Deal, and the Cold War.  Interactions between different groups and their different environmental ideals – from preservation to Wise Use – will be covered.

This survey course will examine the history of Native American societies in North America from the earliest records to the present. We will explore the diverse ways in which Indian societies were structured, the different ways that indigenous peoples have responded to colonization and the complex history of European/Indian relations. Attention will be paid to political, social, economic and cultural transformation of Native American societies over time. We will cover, among other things, the following topics: disease, religion, trade, captivity narratives, warfare, diplomacy, removal, assimilation, education, self-determination, and gaming.

Texts:

1. Colin G. Calloway, First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of the American Indian History (Boston: Bedford St. Martins) – third edition. 

2. Mary Crow Dog, Lakota Woman (New York: Harper Collins, 1990) 

3. Douglas C. Sackman, Wildmen: Ishi and Kroeber in the Wilderness of Modern America (Oxford University Press, 2010). 

4. David Edmunds, Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership (New York: Longman, 2006). 

Grading:

Assessment for this class will be based on class participation, a mid-term examination, one short paper, 2¬4 reading quizzes, in-class participation, a book review, and a final examination. 

The final grade breakdown is as follows: 

Midterm: 100 points 

Paper: 50 points 

Final exam: 100 points 

Book Review: 25 points 

Reading quizzes: 10 points each 

In class participation: 25 points.  

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

This survey course will examine the history of Native American societies in North America from the earliest records to the present. We will explore the diverse ways in which American Indian societies were structured, the different ways that indigenous peoples have responded to colonization and the complex history of European/Indian relations. Attention will be paid to political, social, economic and cultural transformation of Native American societies over time. We will cover, among other things, the following topics: disease, religion, trade, captivity narratives, warfare, diplomacy, removal, assimilation, education, self-determination, and gaming.

Texts:

1. Colin G. Calloway, First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of the American Indian History (Boston: Bedford St. Martins) – third edition. 

2. Mary Crow Dog, Lakota Woman (New York: Harper Collins, 1990) 

3. Douglas C. Sackman, Wildmen: Ishi and Kroeber in the Wilderness of Modern America (Oxford University Press, 2010). 

4. David Edmunds, Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership (New York: Longman, 2006). 

Grading:

Assessment for this class will be based on class participation, a mid-term examination, one short paper, 2¬4 reading quizzes, in-class participation, a book review, and a final examination. 

The final grade breakdown is as follows: 

Midterm: 100 points 

Paper: 50 points 

Final exam: 100 points 

Book Review: 25 points 

Reading quizzes: 10 points each 

In class participation: 25 points.

This course will look at roughly 100 years of building in American society from 1867-1980. It will focus on the ways in which politicians, architects, engineers, urban planners, construction workers, naturalists, environmentalists, novelists, filmmakers and the American populous approached the relationship between large-scale infrastructure projects and social development. This course will pay special attention to  the design of specific dams, highways, and urban areas and will place them in larger historical perspective by evaluating key locations before and after they were built or expanded. Hoover Dam, for instance, would provide a key case study in this class. Hoover Dam does more than hold water and generate electricity. It dramatically changed (and continues to change) the relationship that people had with technology, the surrounding area, and with each other. The closest urban area, Las Vegas, will also be evaluated when discussing Hoover Dam, but so too will Southern California. Special attention will also be paid to the engineering innovations that changed construction techniques used in large scale projects.

Texts:

Selected readings from the following and other sources, including primary sources.: 

To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design by Henry Petroski (Mar 31, 1992)

Snyder, Logan Thomas. “The Creation of America’s Interstate Highway System.” American History 41, no. 2 (June 2006): 32–39.

Moudry, Roberta, ed. The American Skyscraper: Cultural Histories. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

McCullough, David G. The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.

Cooke, Amanda, and Avi Friedman. “Ahead of Their Time: The Sears Catalogue Prefabricated Houses.” Journal of Design History 14, no. 1 (January 1, 2001): 53–70. 

Grading:

Midterm: 100 points

Paper: 50 points

Final exam: 100 points

Book Review: 25 points

Reading quizzes: 10 points each

New Perspectives in Environmental History: Global Concerns, Local Responses

What is environmental history? What kinds of methods and theories do environmental historians utilize? In this class we will focus on these and other questions. The course is designed as a semester-long workshop about environmental history. A main objective of the class is to broaden our perspectives regarding the kinds of source materials and methods that can be used when writing environmental history. Over the first 6 weeks of the semester we will read and analyze a series of key environmental histories that will help introduce students to a variety of archival and digital (GIS) research methods. Students will then conduct their own research and will prepare short conference length papers (about 12-15 pages) that they will present to their peers. After receiving feedback, students will conclude the semester by expanding and revising their papers. Students interested in any aspect of environmental history, from studying a specific time period, place, philosophy or environmental phenomenon are welcome.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

This course will look at roughly 100 years of building in American society from 1867-1980. It will focus on the ways in which politicians, architects, engineers, urban planners, construction workers, naturalists, environmentalists, novelists, filmmakers and the American populous approached the relationship between large-scale infrastructure projects and social development. This course will pay special attention to  the design of specific dams, highways, and urban areas and will place them in larger historical perspective by evaluating key locations before and after they were built or expanded. Hoover Dam, for instance, would provide a key case study in this class. Hoover Dam does more than hold water and generate electricity. It dramatically changed (and continues to change) the relationship that people had with technology, the surrounding area, and with each other. The closest urban area, Las Vegas, will also be evaluated when discussing Hoover Dam, but so too will Southern California. Special attention will also be paid to the engineering innovations that changed construction techniques used in large scale projects.

Texts:

Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America by Henry Petroski (Oct 29, 1996)

To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design by Henry Petroski (Mar 31, 1992)

Seely, Bruce Edsall. Building the American Highway System: Engineers as Policy Makers. Technology and Urban Growth. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1987.

Snyder, Logan Thomas. “The Creation of America’s Interstate Highway System.” American History 41, no. 2 (June 2006): 32–39.

Moudry, Roberta, ed. The American Skyscraper: Cultural Histories. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

McCullough, David G. The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.

Introduction to Engineering Nature: Water, Development, and the Global Spread of American Environmental Expertise, by Jessica Tiesch, (UNC Press, 2011). 

We will be reading short articles about specific building projects: Hoover Dam, Glen Canyon Dam, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Sears House, the Woolworth Building, etc.

Possible readings may include:

Schweitzer, Robert. America’s Favorite Homes: Mail-order Catalogues as a Guide to Popular Early 20th-century Houses. Great Lakes Books. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990.

Cooke, Amanda, and Avi Friedman. “Ahead of Their Time: The Sears Catalogue Prefabricated Houses.” Journal of Design History 14, no. 1 (January 1, 2001): 53–70. 

Grading:

Midterm: 100 points

Paper: 50 points

Final exam: 100 points

Book Review: 25 points

Reading quizzes: 10 points each

In class participation: 25 points.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

This course will look at roughly 100 years of building in American society from 1867-1980. It will focus on the ways in which politicians, architects, engineers, urban planners, construction workers, naturalists, environmentalists, novelists, filmmakers and the American populous approached the relationship between large-scale infrastructure projects and social development. This course will pay special attention to  the design of specific dams, highways, and urban areas and will place them in larger historical perspective by evaluating key locations before and after they were built or expanded. Hoover Dam, for instance, would provide a key case study in this class. Hoover Dam does more than hold water and generate electricity. It dramatically changed (and continues to change) the relationship that people had with technology, the surrounding area, and with each other. The closest urban area, Las Vegas, will also be evaluated when discussing Hoover Dam, but so too will Southern California. Special attention will also be paid to the engineering innovations that changed construction techniques used in large scale projects.

Texts:

Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America by Henry Petroski (Oct 29, 1996)To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design by Henry Petroski (Mar 31, 1992)

Seely, Bruce Edsall. Building the American Highway System: Engineers as Policy Makers. Technology and Urban Growth. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1987.

Snyder, Logan Thomas. “The Creation of America’s Interstate Highway System.” American History 41, no. 2 (June 2006): 32–39.

Moudry, Roberta, ed. The American Skyscraper: Cultural Histories. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.McCullough, David G. The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.

Introduction to Engineering Nature: Water, Development, and the Global Spread of American Environmental Expertise, by Jessica Tiesch, (UNC Press, 2011).

We will be reading short articles about specific building projects: Hoover Dam, Glen Canyon Dam, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Sears House, the Woolworth Building, etc.

Possible readings may include:

Schweitzer, Robert. America’s Favorite Homes: Mail-order Catalogues as a Guide to Popular Early 20th-century Houses. Great Lakes Books. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990.

Cooke, Amanda, and Avi Friedman. “Ahead of Their Time: The Sears Catalogue Prefabricated Houses.” Journal of Design History 14, no. 1 (January 1, 2001): 53–70.

Grading:

Midterm: 100 points

Paper: 50 points

Final exam: 100 points

Book Review: 25 points

Reading quizzes: 10 points each

In class participation: 25 points.

This one-semester introduction to the environmental history of the United States will examine some of the recent literature of environmental history. As with the field itself, this course will focus on human interaction with the natural world, chart how nature has influenced the development of human life and technologies, and discuss the various political, intellectual, cultural, economic, global and social meanings that people have attached to the environment at different moments in American history.  The course will start with an assessment of how indigenous peoples’ idea about the environment, how it was to be used, and how they approached interactions with land, water, and food sources. It will then examine the ways the colonial populations thought about land, resources, and the indigenous peoples. Moving forward in time, the class considers how American values evolved around the idea of the environment, especially what it was and how it should be treated and examines various historical moments such as the industrial revolution, the progressive era, the Great Depression and New Deal, and the Cold War.  Interactions between different groups and their different environmental ideals – from preservation to Wise Use – will be covered.

This survey course will examine the history of Native American societies in North America from the earliest records to the present. We will explore the diverse ways in which Indian societies were structured, the different ways that indigenous peoples have responded to colonization and the complex history of European/Indian relations. Attention will be paid to political, social, economic and cultural transformation of Native American societies over time. We will cover, among other things, the following topics: disease, religion, trade, captivity narratives, warfare, diplomacy, removal, assimilation, education, self-determination, and gaming.

Texts:

1. Colin G. Calloway, First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of the American Indian History (Boston: Bedford St. Martins) – third edition. 

2. Mary Crow Dog, Lakota Woman (New York: Harper Collins, 1990) 

3. Douglas C. Sackman, Wildmen: Ishi and Kroeber in the Wilderness of Modern America (Oxford University Press, 2010). 

4. David Edmunds, Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership (New York: Longman, 2006). 

Grading:

Assessment for this class will be based on class participation, a mid-term examination, one short paper, 2¬4 reading quizzes, in-class participation, a book review, and a final examination. 

The final grade breakdown is as follows: 

Midterm: 100 points 

Paper: 50 points 

Final exam: 100 points 

Book Review: 25 points 

Reading quizzes: 10 points each 

In class participation: 25 points.  

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

This one-semester introduction to primarily U.S. environmental history will examine some of the recent literature of environmental history as well as foundational texts from the field. It will survey various theories and methodologies currently being used to write environmental history as well as those used in the past. We will assess how the field has evolved and attempt to determine where it might be headed in the future. As with the field itself, this course will focus on human interaction with the natural world, chart how nature has influenced the development of human life and technologies, and discuss the various political, intellectual, cultural, economic, and social meanings that people have attached to the environment at different moments in history. Among the questions explored: What is the concept of "nature? What role have science and technology played in our understanding of the environment? How has environmental history been organized around different narratives? What is the relationship between environmental history and social and cultural history? How has the field evolved over time?

Class structure: We will meet together to discuss common readings roughly every week.  Each set of readings is designed to familiarize you with into an important set of issues related to environmental history.  Some weeks’ readings will have a reasonably narrow focus, but I have generally tried to assign books and articles that deal with different places, populations, and time periods so that we can compare and contrast experiences and scholarship.  Each seminar participant is required to complete all of the reading for each week. In some cases I have listed supplementary or “suggested readings” which are meant to help you read a bit more deeply in your specific field of interest. Each student will lead one class discussion. The books on the syllabus are intended to serve as helpful starting points should you want to pursue any of these questions in greater depth later.  Participation in class discussion is required and will account for 30% your grade.

Writing Assignments: This course is designed to help students develop important professional skills such as asking questions, writing book reviews, and leading discussions.  Each student will be responsible for leading one discussion, writing two short book reviews [one 500 and one 750 word essay] and one longer, 3500 word, historiographical essay.  The short reviews can be based on any of the course monographs. You should choose one of the books that we read over the course of the semester (or a book that we don’t read so long as you clear it with me before hand) and to write the longer review. In this review, you will summarize the argument thoroughly while placing it in as broad a theoretical and historiographical context as possible (meaning that you should place the book in the context of our reading for the semester). The other option for the historiographical paper is to write a prospectus for an original research project that you would like to do in the future.  You are welcome to use this as a chance to develop a prospectus for a Masters Report or Thesis.  Each short paper will be worth 10% of your grade. The final essay will be worth 50% of your grade. 

Possible texts: 

Linda Nash, Inescapable Ecologies: A History of Environment, Disease and Knowledge  (U.C Press, 2006)

Marc Cioc, The Game of Conservation: International Treaties to Protect the World's Migratory Animals (Ohio U. Press, 2009)

J.R. McNeill, Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth Century World  (Norton, 2001)

Ted Steinberg, Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disaster in America (Oxford, 2000)

Brian Fagan, Elixir: A History of Water and Humankind (Bloomsbury, 2012)

Mark Fiege, The Republic of Nature: An Environmental HIstory of the United States (University of Washington Press, 2012)

William Cronon, Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature (W. W. Norton & Company; New Ed, 1996)

William Cronon, Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West (W. W. Norton & Company, 1992)

Julie Cruikshank, Do Glaciers Listen: Local Knowledge, Colonial Encounters, and Social Imagination  (University of Washington Press, 2005)

 Andrew Hurley, Environmental Inequalities (The University of North Carolina Press, 1995)

Karl Jacoby, Crimes Against Nature: Squatters, Poachers, Thieves, and the Hidden History of American Conservation (University of California Press; 1 edition (2003)

Adam Rome, Bulldozer in the Countryside: Suburban Sprawl and the Rise of American Environmentalism (Cambridge University Press, 2001)

Susan Strasser, Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash (Owl Books, 2000)

Coll Thrush, Native Seattle: Histories from the Crossing-over Place,  (University of Washington Press, 2007)

Fred Turner, From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism (University of Chicago Press, 2006)

Articles may include --

Gregg Mitman, “In Search of Health: Landsape and Disease in American Environmental History,” Vol. 10, Issue 2 (2005).

Gunther Peck, “the nature of labor: Fault Lines and Common Ground in Environmental and Labor History,” Environmental History, Vol. 11, Issue 2 (2006).

Sverker Sorlin and Paul Warde, “The Problem of the Problem of Environmental History: A Re-Reading of the Field,” Environmental History, Vo. 12, Issue 1 (2007).

Mart A. Stewart, “From King Cane to King Cotton: Razing Cane in the Old South,” Environmental History, Vol. 12, Issue 1, (2007)

Donald Worster, “John Muir and the Modern: Passion for Nature,” Environmental History, Vol. 10, Issue 1 (2005)

Suggested:

Donald Worster, “Transformation of the Earth: Toward an Argoecological Perspective in History,” Journal of American History, Vol. 76, No. 4, (1990).

Edmund Russell, “Evolutionary History: A Prospectus for a New Field,” Environmental History, Vol. 8, Issue 2 (2003)

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

This survey course will examine the history of Native American societies in North America from the earliest records to the present. We will explore the diverse ways in which Indian societies were structured, the different ways that indigenous peoples have responded colonization, and the complex history of European/Indian relations. Attention will be paid to political, social, economic and cultural transformation of Native American societies over time. We will cover, among other things, the following topics: disease, religion, trade, captivity narratives, warfare, diplomacy, removal, assimilation, education, self-determination, gaming, as well as race and gender relations.

Grading:

The final grade breakdown is as follows:Midterm: 100 pointsPaper: 50 pointsFinal exam: 100 pointsBook Review: 25 pointsReading quizzes: 10 points each

Texts:

1. Colin G. Calloway, First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of the American Indian History (Boston: Bedford St.Martins) – fourth edition.

2. Mary Crow Dog, Lakota Woman (New York: Harper Collins, 1990)

3. S. C. Gwynne, Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, theMost Powerful Indian Tribe in American History (Scribner, 2010)

4. David Edmunds, Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership (New York: Longman, 2006).

This class will study Native American life and culture from the late nineteenth through the twentieth century through the use of historical and anthropological texts, autobiographies, documentaries, and fiction.  We will first examine various theoretical approaches to thinking about Native American history in regards to race, ethnicity, culture, and gender.  In loose chronological fashion, we will cover the topics of Native American history, anthropological theories of race, assimilation, boarding schools, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian self-determination and agency, radicalism, and representation.  Our discussions will raise questions about pan-Indian coalitions, Native/white relationships, the evolution of cultural identity/identities as well as issues related to citizenship and national identity.  This is a reading and writing intensive course, you will be expected to read approximately 200 pages each week.

Assigned Readings

1- Cladio Saunt, Black, White, and Indian: Race and the Unmaking of an American Family (Oxford University Press, 2005)

2- David Hurst Thomas, Skull Wars: Kennewick Man, Archaeology, and the Battle for American Indian Identity (Basic Books, 2000)

3- Brenda Child, Boarding School Seasons: American Indian Families, 1900-1940 (University of Nebraska Press, 1998), ISBN 0803264054

4- Esther Burnett Horne and Sally McBeth, Essie’s Story: The Life and Legacy of a Shoshone Teacher (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998)

5-Paul Chaat Smith, Like a Hurricane: The Indian Movement from Alcatraz to Wounded Knee, (The New Press, 1997) 1565844025

6- Mary Crow Dog, Lakota Woman (New York: Harper Perennial, 1990)

7- Carol Spindel, Dancing at Halftime: Sports and the Controversy of American Indian Mascots, (NYU Press, 2000, 2002)0814781276

8- Philip Deloria, Indians in Unexpected Places, (University Press of Kansas, 2002)

Grades:

Class participation: 25%

Weekly papers: 25%

Discussion: 20% of your grade, (10% for individual, 10% group grade.)

Paper topic: 5%

Final paper: 25%

Course Description

In 1979 a San Francisco based punk band, the Dead Kennedy’s, released a song called “California Uber Alles.” The politically biting song immediately tapped into not just the contemporary angst felt by a subset of America’s young people, it can also be seen as part of a running commentary about the American West. This class explores the history of the American West from the mid-nineteenth century forward. It examines, to name only a few events, the lives of those who battled the newcomers who made their way across trails by foot or in Conestoga wagons; the rise of the film industry in Hollywood; the advent of a innovative aerospace industry; the various political movements who fought for their rights and challenged “consensus” America; the culture of those surfers who slapped wheels on thebottoms of their boards and invented a whole new sport; and the actions of the ranchers who attempted to rest control of the land away from the federal government during the Sagebrush Rebellion. Along the way, students will learn about many of the diverse groups those who inhabited the region as well as how the region has been defined, mapped, and portrayed over time. We will explore the region’s boundaries and how its identity has changed over time.

This course will examine the history of the trans-Mississippi West with a special focus on the concepts of myth-making, economic development, and region. Beginning in the late 19th century, we will follow a loose chronological narrative as we try to learn more about the people, events, images and forces that have shaped our understanding of life and culture in the region and the nation as a whole. The course will cover migration and immigration of various peoples in the West, the development of state and federal power, the place of theWest in film, literature and popular culture, and the often-contentious politics surrounding tourism, environmentalism, race, ethnicity, and gender in the region.

This syllabus should be viewed as your general guide to the class. On the rare occasion Ineed to revise the syllabus, I will post a revised copy of the syllabus on Blackboard and sendout a general class announcement indicating that an updated version of the syllabus exists. Iwill not add new reading material nor will I change the course requirements.

Required Texts

The following books are available at the Co-op or for purchase on-line.

1- Scott Zesch, The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier

2 – John McPhee, Encounters with the Arch Druid

3- Walter Nugent, Into the West: The Story of Its People

4-Linda Gordon, Impounded: Dorothea Lange and the Censored Images of Japanese American Internment

This survey course will examine the history of Native American societies in North America from the earliest records to the present. We will explore the diverse ways in which Indian societies were structured, the different ways that indigenous peoples have responded colonization, and the complex history of European/Indian and Indian/Indian relations. Attention will be paid to the political, social, economic and cultural transformation of Native American societies over time. We will cover, among other things, the following topics: disease, religion, trade, captivity narratives, warfare, diplomacy, removal, assimilation, education, self-determination, gaming, as well as race and gender relations.

This course partially fulfills the legislative requirement for American history. 

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

What is the West? Where does it begin or end? How have boundaries and regional identities changed over time? How has the region been produced, created, consumed, and experienced by settlers, industrialists, tourists, Hollywood, Native peoples, and/or the Federal Government? This course will examine the history of the trans-Mississippi West with a special focus on the concepts of myth-making, economic development, and region. Beginning in the late 19^th century, we will follow a loose chronological narrative as we try to learn more about the people, events, images and forces that have shaped our understanding of life and culture in the region. The course will cover migration and immigration of various peoples in the West, the development of state and federal power, the place of the West in film, literature and popular culture, and the often contentious politics surrounding tourism, environmentalism, race, ethnicity, and gender in the region.

Possible Books and Required Readings:

1- Oliver La Farge, Laughing Boy (Novel)

2- Edward Abbey, The Monkey Wrench Gang  (Novel) or Desert Solitaire (Memoir)

3- Selected Readings from Valerie Matsumoto and Blake Allmendinger, Over the Edge: Remapping the American West (Essays)

4- David Wrobel, The End of American Exceptionalism: Frontier Anxiety from the Old West to the New Deal. (Possible)

5- Hal Rothman, Devils Bargains: Tourism in the Twentieth Century West (Possible)

6- Course packet for the class.

7- Frontiers: A Short History of the American West (2007) (Required Textbook)
Students are expected to complete the assigned readings by the beginning of each class.  Class attendance is required; roll will be taken, and both attendance and class participation will be taken into account in determining course grades. Students will turn in a take home midterm and a take home final exam and will complete two 5-7 page paper assignments.  Students will revise the first of the two short papers.

Participation and Writing Assignments: This class involves a combination of lectures, written work, exams and discussions. To succeed in this class you are expected to read all assignments and come to class ready to discuss them.

Grades

Grades will be figured on a scale of points divided as follows: 100 points for the midterm,

150 points for the final exam, 50 points for the paper, and 50 points for participation and

attendance for a total of 350 possible points.

Participation and attendance grade breakdown: 50 points.

Your grade will be determined by attendance, quiz scores, and your in-class participation (i.e.

in-class writing assignments, group work, and discussion). Attendance and in-class

participation will be worth 30 points. Quizzes: I will give 3 quizzes, each will be worth 10

points. You can drop your lowest score. 20 points.

Student responsibilities: You should attend class. You should come to class prepared and

ready to speak about the readings, lectures, and issues presented in the course. You are

expected to participate in both smaller group work and larger class discussions. You will also

be completing a number of “in class” writing assignments. These are designed to prepare

you for exams. Your participation will be assessed by me -- and your Teaching Assistant:

Neel Baumgardner.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

Dr. Erika Bsumek
Office: GAR 3.214
Class meeting time: M,W, F, 10-11:00
Room: Gar 2.124
Unique number: UGS 64625
Office hours: M,W, 4-5
Contact information: email: ebsumek@mail.utexas.edu, phone: 475-7253


Imagined West/Real West: History, Art, and the Far West

This course will explore the history of the American West through art and literature produced from 1840-1980. The following questions will be addressed: How has the American West been represented at different moments in American history? Why were such images important? In what ways have artistic, cinematic, and literary representations of the region influenced the settlements, development, and importance of the region to national identity? Finally, this course will place the production of visual and literary representations of the West in historical context, exploring the ways in which real events and places were experienced in the West. It also looks at the ways in which people experienced the West. Comparisons between the realities of life in the West and the ways in which it was imagined  will be made.

Among the questions explored in this course will be:
- What is the West?
- What role have art, literature and cinema played in our understanding of the region?
- What is the relationship between the history of the West and American History?


Required Texts
The following books are available at the University Co-op.

Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose
Oliver La Farge, Laughing Boy
Keith Basso, Wisdom Sits in Places
William Goetzmann, West of the Imagination


Course Requirements:

Students will be graded on the following:
-  Course participation. Students are expected to attend classes. Attendance will be taken. Blackboard Posting: Three times over the course of the semester, students will log onto blackboard and ask one question about that week's assigned reading. Students will also answer someone else's question.
Worth  75 points.

-  Students will turn in weekly writing assignments. Papers will be due on each Friday. On weeks when we do not meet on Friday, please turn in the paper on Wednesday. Worth 120 points.  In these papers you should:
o    1: Tie lectures, discussions and readings together.
o    2. Critique one aspect of the reading or discuss a particularly strong response you had to the material. Although these are not "formal" essays, you need to turn in well-crafted papers. [A good paper should have a thesis statement and clearly stated topic sentences.]

-  Original research paper. Worth 175 points. Students will produce an original research paper 15-20 pages in length. We will discuss how to pick a topic, do research, and write this paper at length in class.

-  Presentation of Research. Once you have picked your topic and conducted a significant amount of research you will present your findings in class. Presentations should last between 5-7 minutes.  You should discuss how you picked your topic, the questions you are asking, and give specific details about your research findings to date. This is a formal presentation. You can be as creative as you like. Worth 75 points.

-  There is no final exam in this class. Students will turn in their papers on the last day of class.

Total points recap: Participation: 75, Weekly writing assignments 120 points, Original Research Paper, 175, Presentation of Research, 75 points.

Grading:

Students receiving between 94-100 percent of the total points will receive an A.
90-93 = A-
87-89 = B+
83-86 = B
80-82 = B-
77-79 = C +
73-76 = C
70-72 = C-
67-69 = D+
63-66 = D


ACADEMIC HONESTY: Academic honesty is very important. You are expected to complete your own work. If you have any questions about  academic guidelines you may call me, 475-7253, or email me at ANY time. You should follow University guidelines regarding plagiarism and student conduct.  For further information see: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis.php

Important Notes:
1.  Respect the classroom environment. Turn off all cell-phones and electronic games.  Computers can be used for note taking. Do not read the newspaper, send text messages, or surf the web in class.
2.  Any handouts that you receive from me should be treated as required reading.
3.  My office is on the 3rd
Floor of Garrison. It is accessible by elevator. If, for some reason, my office is inaccessible to you, I will make arrangements to meet in a different locale.
4.  The University of Texas provides, upon request, academic accommodations for students with disabilities. For more information contact the Office of the Dean of Students, 471-6259 or 471-4641.
5.  I will follow University standards and rules regarding academic dishonesty. You should familiarize yourself with these standards [link provided above] and consequences of violations university policy.
6.  Email policy: I do not accept papers via email. I will answer student emails within 72 hours of receiving them.

Weekly agenda: You should complete the reading listed below the date and be ready to discuss the material prior to coming to class.

Week 1:

8/26: Introduction to course.

8/28: What is the West?
Reading: Goetzman, Introduction.


Week 2:

8/31: The Creation of Images
Goetzmann, Chapter 1

9/2: The Vanishing Race
Goetzmann, Chapter 2

9/4: Looking at Images, Evaluating meaning.


Week 3:

9/7 - Labor Day

9/9: What [not who] is the Noble Savage? Or, how Indians became Red.
Chapter 3, 4, 5

9/11: Course Handouts. Indian Voices from Peter Nabokov's Native American Testimony. In-class discussion/interpretation of documents.

Week 4:

9/14: PCL Meeting. GEM

9/16: Tentative Meeting at the Center for American History. GEM

9/18: How to do research and write a paper.
 How to pick a topic.
In class writing exercise.
Bring Goetzmann book to class.

Week 5:

9/21: Painting the West: Artists encounter the West.
Goetzmann, Ch. 4, 8
University Lecture: The State and the Economy - Tom Gilligan, Dean, McCombs School of Business.
There is also a University Lecture on 9/22: How to Know a Tyrant when you see one.

9/23: The Perilous West: Imagination and Reality.
Goetzman, Ch. 7

9/25: Blanton Tour of Western Art. GEM


Week 6: Post on Blackboard this week.

9/28: Manifest Destiny
Goetzman, Ch.11, 12

9/30: Manifest Destiny in the movies and American politics.
Viewing of scenes from The Covered Wagon by John Ford.
Goetzman, Ch. 30


10/2: In-class writing assignment; Trade Weekly papers. Peer review exercise.


Week 7:

10/5: Migration: Lived Experience v. imagined experience.
Goetzman, Ch. 13
Poems: "The Rio Grande" and "El Rio Bravo" by Americo Paredes

10/7: Going to California; living in California; encountering newcomers.
Goetzman, Ch. 14, 15

10/9: The Perils of Migration: The Donner Party Film
 
Week 8:

10/12: National Wonders: Creating National Parks and Dispossessing People
Goetzman, Ch. 16-19

10/14: The Frontier Photographers
Goetzman, Ch. 20

10/16: The Vanishing Frontier?
Frederick Jackson Turner Essay. Class Handout. You can also find a copy of this paper on: http://www.learner.org/workshops/primarysources/corporations/docs/turner.html


Week 9:Post on Blackboard this week.

10/19: Cowboys: Beyond Black and White.
Goetzman, ch. 24-25

10/21: Indians and the Wild West
Oilver La Farge, Laughing Boy, p. 1-72

10/23: Research day. Please make plans to go to CAH, the Ransom Center, or the PCL and do research on your topic. I will be available in my office for consultation.

Week 10:

10/26: Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and Literary Indians
Oliver La Farge, Laughing Boy, 73-128

Goetzman, Ch. 29

10/28: Playing Indian in the West
Oliver La Farge, Laughing Boy, 128-171
Tourism in the West.
Class handout:  Looking at Documents - Discussion

10/30: Tourism in the West
Oliver La Farge, Laughing Boy, 172-193
Touring San Francisco's Chinatown.

Week 11: Stegner's West

11/2: Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose, Part I- III
11/4: Stegner, Part IV-VI

11/6: Stegner, Part VII-IX


Week 12: Writing week.

11/9: First Draft of Paper Due.
11/11: Research day
11/13: Meetings with Professor. Discussion of Paper.

Week 13: Post on Blackboard this week

11/16: First Drafts returned
11/18: Writing day
11/20: Writing day

Week 14: In addition to reading Basso this week, you should spend this week revising papers

11/23: The Significance of Place in linking the past and the present
Basso, Wisdom Sits in Places, Ch. 1 and 2. Class discussion.

11/25: The Meaning of Stories in Understanding Place,
Basso, Ch. 3-4. Class discussion.

11/27: Thanksgiving holiday

Week 15:

11/30: Paper Presentations.

12/2: Paper presentations

12/4: Last day of class. Final papers due.

What is the West? Where does it begin or end? How have boundaries and regional identities changed over time? How has the region been produced, created, consumed, and experienced by settlers, industrialists, tourists, Hollywood, Native peoples, and/or the Federal Government? This course will examine the history of the trans-Mississippi West with a special focus on the concepts of myth-making, economic development, and region. Beginning in the late 19^th century, we will follow a loose chronological narrative as we try to learn more about the people, events, images and forces that have shaped our understanding of life and culture in the region. The course will cover migration and immigration of various peoples in the West, the development of state and federal power, the place of the West in film, literature and popular culture, and the often contentious politics surrounding tourism, environmentalism, race, ethnicity, and gender in the region.

Possible Books and Required Readings:

1- Oliver La Farge, Laughing Boy (Novel)

2- Edward Abbey, The Monkey Wrench Gang  (Novel) or Desert Solitaire (Memoir)

3- Selected Readings from Valerie Matsumoto and Blake Allmendinger, Over the Edge: Remapping the American West (Essays)

4- David Wrobel, The End of American Exceptionalism: Frontier Anxiety from the Old West to the New Deal. (Possible)

5- Hal Rothman, Devils Bargains: Tourism in the Twentieth Century West (Possible)

6- Course packet for the class.

7- Frontiers: A Short History of the American West (2007) (Required Textbook)
Students are expected to complete the assigned readings by the beginning of each class.  Class attendance is required; roll will be taken, and both attendance and class participation will be taken into account in determining course grades. Students will turn in a take home midterm and a take home final exam and will complete two 5-7 page paper assignments.  Students will revise the first of the two short papers.

Participation and Writing Assignments: This class involves a combination of lectures, written work, exams and discussions. To succeed in this class you are expected to read all assignments and come to class ready to discuss them.

Grades

Grades will be figured on a scale of points divided as follows: 100 points for the midterm,

150 points for the final exam, 50 points for the paper, and 50 points for participation and

attendance for a total of 350 possible points.

Participation and attendance grade breakdown: 50 points.

Your grade will be determined by attendance, quiz scores, and your in-class participation (i.e.

in-class writing assignments, group work, and discussion). Attendance and in-class

participation will be worth 30 points. Quizzes: I will give 3 quizzes, each will be worth 10

points. You can drop your lowest score. 20 points.

Student responsibilities: You should attend class. You should come to class prepared and

ready to speak about the readings, lectures, and issues presented in the course. You are

expected to participate in both smaller group work and larger class discussions. You will also

be completing a number of “in class” writing assignments. These are designed to prepare

you for exams. Your participation will be assessed by me -- and your Teaching Assistant:

Neel Baumgardner.

What is the West? Where does it begin or end? How have boundaries and regional identities changed over time? How has the region been produced, created, consumed, and experienced by settlers, industrialists, tourists, Hollywood, Native peoples, and/or the Federal Government? This course will examine the history of the trans-Mississippi West with a special focus on the concepts of myth-making, economic development, and region. Beginning in the late 19^th century, we will follow a loose chronological narrative as we try to learn more about the people, events, images and forces that have shaped our understanding of life and culture in the region. The course will cover migration and immigration of various peoples in the West, the development of state and federal power, the place of the West in film, literature and popular culture, and the often contentious politics surrounding tourism, environmentalism, race, ethnicity, and gender in the region.

Possible Books and Required Readings:

1- Oliver La Farge, Laughing Boy (Novel)

2- Edward Abbey, The Monkey Wrench Gang  (Novel) or Desert Solitaire (Memoir)

3- Selected Readings from Valerie Matsumoto and Blake Allmendinger, Over the Edge: Remapping the American West (Essays)

4- David Wrobel, The End of American Exceptionalism: Frontier Anxiety from the Old West to the New Deal. (Possible)

5- Hal Rothman, Devils Bargains: Tourism in the Twentieth Century West (Possible)

6- Course packet for the class.

7- Frontiers: A Short History of the American West (2007) (Required Textbook)
Students are expected to complete the assigned readings by the beginning of each class.  Class attendance is required; roll will be taken, and both attendance and class participation will be taken into account in determining course grades. Students will turn in a take home midterm and a take home final exam and will complete two 5-7 page paper assignments.  Students will revise the first of the two short papers.

Participation and Writing Assignments: This class involves a combination of lectures, written work, exams and discussions. To succeed in this class you are expected to read all assignments and come to class ready to discuss them.

Grades

Grades will be figured on a scale of points divided as follows: 100 points for the midterm,

150 points for the final exam, 50 points for the paper, and 50 points for participation and

attendance for a total of 350 possible points.

Participation and attendance grade breakdown: 50 points.

Your grade will be determined by attendance, quiz scores, and your in-class participation (i.e.

in-class writing assignments, group work, and discussion). Attendance and in-class

participation will be worth 30 points. Quizzes: I will give 3 quizzes, each will be worth 10

points. You can drop your lowest score. 20 points.

Student responsibilities: You should attend class. You should come to class prepared and

ready to speak about the readings, lectures, and issues presented in the course. You are

expected to participate in both smaller group work and larger class discussions. You will also

be completing a number of “in class” writing assignments. These are designed to prepare

you for exams. Your participation will be assessed by me -- and your Teaching Assistant:

Neel Baumgardner.

What is the West? Where does it begin or end? How have boundaries and regional identities changed over time? How has the region been produced, created, consumed, and experienced by settlers, industrialists, tourists, Hollywood, Native peoples, and/or the Federal Government? This course will examine the history of the trans-Mississippi West with a special focus on the concepts of myth-making, economic development, and region. Beginning in the late 19^th century, we will follow a loose chronological narrative as we try to learn more about the people, events, images and forces that have shaped our understanding of life and culture in the region. The course will cover migration and immigration of various peoples in the West, the development of state and federal power, the place of the West in film, literature and popular culture, and the often contentious politics surrounding tourism, environmentalism, race, ethnicity, and gender in the region.

Possible Books and Required Readings:

1- Oliver La Farge, Laughing Boy (Novel)

2- Edward Abbey, The Monkey Wrench Gang  (Novel) or Desert Solitaire (Memoir)

3- Selected Readings from Valerie Matsumoto and Blake Allmendinger, Over the Edge: Remapping the American West (Essays)

4- David Wrobel, The End of American Exceptionalism: Frontier Anxiety from the Old West to the New Deal. (Possible)

5- Hal Rothman, Devils Bargains: Tourism in the Twentieth Century West (Possible)

6- Course packet for the class.

7- Frontiers: A Short History of the American West (2007) (Required Textbook)
Students are expected to complete the assigned readings by the beginning of each class.  Class attendance is required; roll will be taken, and both attendance and class participation will be taken into account in determining course grades. Students will turn in a take home midterm and a take home final exam and will complete two 5-7 page paper assignments.  Students will revise the first of the two short papers.

Participation and Writing Assignments: This class involves a combination of lectures, written work, exams and discussions. To succeed in this class you are expected to read all assignments and come to class ready to discuss them.

Grades

Grades will be figured on a scale of points divided as follows: 100 points for the midterm,

150 points for the final exam, 50 points for the paper, and 50 points for participation and

attendance for a total of 350 possible points.

Participation and attendance grade breakdown: 50 points.

Your grade will be determined by attendance, quiz scores, and your in-class participation (i.e.

in-class writing assignments, group work, and discussion). Attendance and in-class

participation will be worth 30 points. Quizzes: I will give 3 quizzes, each will be worth 10

points. You can drop your lowest score. 20 points.

Student responsibilities: You should attend class. You should come to class prepared and

ready to speak about the readings, lectures, and issues presented in the course. You are

expected to participate in both smaller group work and larger class discussions. You will also

be completing a number of “in class” writing assignments. These are designed to prepare

you for exams. Your participation will be assessed by me -- and your Teaching Assistant:

Neel Baumgardner.

What is the West? Where does it begin or end? How have boundaries and regional identities changed over time? How has the region been produced, created, consumed, and experienced by settlers, industrialists, tourists, Hollywood, Native peoples, and/or the Federal Government? This course will examine the history of the trans-Mississippi West with a special focus on the concepts of myth-making, economic development, and region. Beginning in the late 19^th century, we will follow a loose chronological narrative as we try to learn more about the people, events, images and forces that have shaped our understanding of life and culture in the region. The course will cover migration and immigration of various peoples in the West, the development of state and federal power, the place of the West in film, literature and popular culture, and the often contentious politics surrounding tourism, environmentalism, race, ethnicity, and gender in the region.

Possible Books and Required Readings:

1- Oliver La Farge, Laughing Boy (Novel)

2- Edward Abbey, The Monkey Wrench Gang  (Novel) or Desert Solitaire (Memoir)

3- Selected Readings from Valerie Matsumoto and Blake Allmendinger, Over the Edge: Remapping the American West (Essays)

4- David Wrobel, The End of American Exceptionalism: Frontier Anxiety from the Old West to the New Deal. (Possible)

5- Hal Rothman, Devils Bargains: Tourism in the Twentieth Century West (Possible)

6- Course packet for the class.

7- Frontiers: A Short History of the American West (2007) (Required Textbook)
Students are expected to complete the assigned readings by the beginning of each class.  Class attendance is required; roll will be taken, and both attendance and class participation will be taken into account in determining course grades. Students will turn in a take home midterm and a take home final exam and will complete two 5-7 page paper assignments.  Students will revise the first of the two short papers.

Participation and Writing Assignments: This class involves a combination of lectures, written work, exams and discussions. To succeed in this class you are expected to read all assignments and come to class ready to discuss them.

Grades

Grades will be figured on a scale of points divided as follows: 100 points for the midterm,

150 points for the final exam, 50 points for the paper, and 50 points for participation and

attendance for a total of 350 possible points.

Participation and attendance grade breakdown: 50 points.

Your grade will be determined by attendance, quiz scores, and your in-class participation (i.e.

in-class writing assignments, group work, and discussion). Attendance and in-class

participation will be worth 30 points. Quizzes: I will give 3 quizzes, each will be worth 10

points. You can drop your lowest score. 20 points.

Student responsibilities: You should attend class. You should come to class prepared and

ready to speak about the readings, lectures, and issues presented in the course. You are

expected to participate in both smaller group work and larger class discussions. You will also

be completing a number of “in class” writing assignments. These are designed to prepare

you for exams. Your participation will be assessed by me -- and your Teaching Assistant:

Neel Baumgardner.

What is the West? Where does it begin or end? How have boundaries and regional identities changed over time? How has the region been produced, created, consumed, and experienced by settlers, industrialists, tourists, Hollywood, Native peoples, and/or the Federal Government? This course will examine the history of the trans-Mississippi West with a special focus on the concepts of myth-making, economic development, and region. Beginning in the late 19^th century, we will follow a loose chronological narrative as we try to learn more about the people, events, images and forces that have shaped our understanding of life and culture in the region. The course will cover migration and immigration of various peoples in the West, the development of state and federal power, the place of the West in film, literature and popular culture, and the often contentious politics surrounding tourism, environmentalism, race, ethnicity, and gender in the region.

Possible Books and Required Readings:

1- Oliver La Farge, Laughing Boy (Novel)

2- Edward Abbey, The Monkey Wrench Gang  (Novel) or Desert Solitaire (Memoir)

3- Selected Readings from Valerie Matsumoto and Blake Allmendinger, Over the Edge: Remapping the American West (Essays)

4- David Wrobel, The End of American Exceptionalism: Frontier Anxiety from the Old West to the New Deal. (Possible)

5- Hal Rothman, Devils Bargains: Tourism in the Twentieth Century West (Possible)

6- Course packet for the class.

7- Frontiers: A Short History of the American West (2007) (Required Textbook)
Students are expected to complete the assigned readings by the beginning of each class.  Class attendance is required; roll will be taken, and both attendance and class participation will be taken into account in determining course grades. Students will turn in a take home midterm and a take home final exam and will complete two 5-7 page paper assignments.  Students will revise the first of the two short papers.

Participation and Writing Assignments: This class involves a combination of lectures, written work, exams and discussions. To succeed in this class you are expected to read all assignments and come to class ready to discuss them.

Grades

Grades will be figured on a scale of points divided as follows: 100 points for the midterm,

150 points for the final exam, 50 points for the paper, and 50 points for participation and

attendance for a total of 350 possible points.

Participation and attendance grade breakdown: 50 points.

Your grade will be determined by attendance, quiz scores, and your in-class participation (i.e.

in-class writing assignments, group work, and discussion). Attendance and in-class

participation will be worth 30 points. Quizzes: I will give 3 quizzes, each will be worth 10

points. You can drop your lowest score. 20 points.

Student responsibilities: You should attend class. You should come to class prepared and

ready to speak about the readings, lectures, and issues presented in the course. You are

expected to participate in both smaller group work and larger class discussions. You will also

be completing a number of “in class” writing assignments. These are designed to prepare

you for exams. Your participation will be assessed by me -- and your Teaching Assistant:

Neel Baumgardner.