History 3840: The Twentieth-Century American West Spring 2015

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1 History 3840: The Twentieth-Century American West Spring 2015 M/W/F 1:00-1:50 Old Main 301 Professor Lawrence Culver Phone: Office: Old Main 321-H Office Hours: M/W 2:00-3:00, or by appointment. Graduate Teaching Intern: Alanna Beason Writing Fellow: Sarah Timmermann Books Available at U.S.U. Bookstore and on Reserve at Merrill-Cazier Library: Annie Gilbert Coleman, Ski Style: Sport and Culture in the Rockies Karl Jacoby, Crimes against Nature: Squatters, Poachers, Thieves, and the Hidden History of American Conservation Richard White, The Organic Machine: The Remaking of the Columbia River Additional readings listed in the syllabus will be available in electronic format or as handouts. This class examines the history of the American West since Its course goals and learning outcomes include: Historical Knowledge: An understanding of the environmental, economic, and technological forces that have shaped this region since 1900 Knowledge of the West s diverse population, and its histories of migration and immigration The role of the West in shaping modern U.S. culture, from cinema to suburbia The West s connections to the nation and the world Historical Thinking and Analysis: Critically reading and analyzing scholarly and primary materials, and responding to them in your own writing Using your historical knowledge to better understand the contemporary American West, and to place current events in historical context There are eight graded components in this class. You will write four papers. Three will be based on the books we will be reading: Ski Style, Crimes against Nature, and The Organic Machine. Your fourth paper (which you will also present to the class) will examine the

2 historical context of an issue in the contemporary West, and will utilize scholarly sources, as well as newspapers, periodicals, and other potential sources. There will also be a midterm and final based on class lectures. You will receive a participation grade based upon your attendance and participation in class discussion. You will also be responsible for turning in reading questions based on weekly reading assignments, and your questions will serve as part of class discussion. Papers Based on Ski Style, Crimes against Nature, and The Organic Machine 15% Each Contemporary Issues Paper and Presentation 10% Midterm Exam 10% Final Exam 10% Reading Questions (Due in class Friday each week common reading is assigned.) 15% Class Participation 10% Class Participation: This course is not solely a lecture class, and will include in-class discussions. Your participation in discussion is essential, and will determine 15% of your final grade. Simply showing up to class does not constitute active participation. Your participation grade will depend upon your contributions to our discussions. Joining in these conversations demonstrates your understanding of the readings, and allows you to share your views of the topics we discuss. Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. Unexcused absences will lower your participation grade. You should make every effort to be present when we meet. The second unexcused absence will result in the lowering of your participation grade by a full letter grade. The third absence will result in a zero for your participation grade. To avoid these penalties, you must speak with me prior to any absence except in the case of an emergency. If an emergency occurs, contact me as soon as possible to be excused from class. Reading Assignments: You are expected to complete each week s reading on schedule. These assigned readings provide the core materials for the course, and will enable you to participate in discussion. Failure to complete reading assignments will endanger your participation grade and make it impossible to successfully complete reading questions, essays, and exams. Grading: All work received on time will be graded and returned as promptly as possible. If your paper is turned in late, it will receive a reduced grade (1/3 of a letter grade a day) unless you make arrangements in advance. You are expected to proofread and revise your written assignments before turning them in. Please feel free to meet with me to discuss a topic, thesis statement, introductory paragraph or outline for your papers before they are due. 2

3 Academic Dishonesty: The USU Honor Code prohibits academic dishonesty. Plagiarism includes knowingly representing, by paraphrase or direct quotation, the published or unpublished work of another person as one s own in any academic exercise or activity without full and clear acknowledgement. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials (Code of Policies and Procedures for Students, Article V, Section 3A.1). The penalties for plagiarism are severe. Plagiarism or other academic dishonesty will result in an immediate F, and will be reported to the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Other penalties may also be imposed at the Dean s discretion. These include probation, suspension, expulsion, withholding of transcripts, denial or revocation of degrees, referral to psychological counseling, and other disciplinary actions. This syllabus and class schedule may be revised if needed. An updated version will be available on the History Department website: Course Schedule Week One January 7 Introduction to History 3840; The West in 1900 January 9 The Native West: Reservations, Allotment, and Entering a New Economy Week Two January 12 January 14 January 16 The Progressive Era in the West Conservation, the National Forests, and National Parks Urban Growth and Urban Reform Crimes against Nature, xv-78 Week Three January 19 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day No Class January 21 Regional Promotion and the New Tourist Frontier January 23 Labor, Company Towns, and the Ludlow Massacre Crimes against Nature, Week Four January 26 The Mexican Revolution and Mexican Immigration into the West January 28 The Urban West After World War I: The Roaring 1920s January 30 Discussion of Crimes against Nature and Paper # 1 Crimes against Nature, First Draft of Crimes against Nature Paper Due 3

4 Week Five February 2 February 4 February 6 The Rural West after World War I: Agricultural Depression Video: Cadillac Desert Cadillac Desert, Continued The Organic Machine, ix-58 Crimes against Nature Paper Due Week Six February 9 The Great Migration and African American Migration into the West February 11 Dust Bowl and Depression February 13 Discussion of The Organic Machine and Paper # 2 The Organic Machine, Week Seven February 16 President s Day No Class February 17 Monday Class Schedule. Video: The CCC February 18 The New Deal in the West February 20 World War II and the Transformation of the West First Draft of The Organic Machine Paper Due Week Eight February 23 Japanese American Internment Video: Topaz February 25 The Zoot Suit Riots and Other Wartime Unrest February 27 The Atomic West/Midterm Review Rebecca Solnit, Savage Dreams: A Journey into the Landscape Wars of the American West (Excerpt) The Organic Machine Paper Due Week Nine March 2 Midterm Exam March 4 The Postwar Boom in California and the Sunbelt March 6 The High-Tech Frontier, from the Space Race to Silicon Valley Ski Style, 1-72 March 9 March 11 March 13 Week Ten March 16 The New Leisure Frontier: Disneyland, Las Vegas, and Sun City Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth. Pages in John M. Findlay, Magic Lands: Western Cityscapes in American Culture after March 18 No Class March 20 No Class 4

5 Week Eleven March 23 Civil Rights in the West March 25 The Immigration Act of 1965 and New Immigrant Populations March 27 Goldwater, Reagan, and Republican Resurgence in the West Ski Style, Week Twelve March 30 Range Wars: The Sagebrush Rebellion versus the New Environmental Movement Mexican and Latino Immigration and an Expanding Borderland April 1 April 3 Discussion of Ski Style and Paper # 3 Ski Style, Week Thirteen April 6 The Native West at the Turn of a New Century Ski Style Paper Due April 8 Booming and Busting Once More: Californication, Aspenization, and the Sunbelt Subprime Mortgage Collapse Rebecca Solnit, Lake Las Vegas/Black Mountain (Excerpt) April 10 A Risky Region: Natural Disasters and Climate Change in the West The Case for Letting Malibu Burn. Pages in Mike Davis, Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster. Description of the Loma Prieta 1989 San Francisco Earthquake. Pages in John McPhee, Annals of the Former World. Week Fourteen April 13 Discussion of Contemporary Issues Paper and Sources April 15 No Class Work on Contemporary Issues Papers April 17 No Class Work on Contemporary Issues Papers Week Fifteen April 20 Contemporary Issues Paper Presentations April 22 Contemporary Issues Paper Presentations April 24 Contemporary Issues Paper Presentations/Final Exam Review Contemporary Issues Papers Due Final Exam: Monday, April 27th, 11:30-1:20 in Old Main 301 5