GENERAL SURVEY:
U.S. HISTORY SAMPLE SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW

This preliminary course seeks to provide a broad knowledge of U.S. History, coupled with a healthy skepticism as to the nature of historical "fact."

The semester shall begin with a broad discussion of what materials might be seen as "historical documents" (letters, diaries, broadsheets/newspapers, oral histories, novels, film, audio, etc.) and the difficulties of relating historical events objectively. It is intended that every student should see history as a continuum, not as a series of isolated and completed acts.

To this end, students shall investigate one key event in U.S. History from both the viewpoints of contemporary writers (on differing sides of the same issue) and from viewpoints of traditional historical 'schools' of thought. We will discuss the emergence of many of these ways of thinking, from the Neo-Whigs of the nineteenth century, through the New Left historians of the 1970s, to present-day scholars. The evolution of the bipartisan political system will be studied in light of these modes of political address.

Documents illustrating specific historical events will include: comparative study of the U.S. Constitution and the indigenous Iroquois Constitution; the letters and statements on the Boston Massacre; the Boston Tea Party; legislation and narratives on the Atlantic Slave Trade, the Dred Scott Case, and the Emancipation Proclamation; U.S. immigration, colonization, and census policies; the annexation of Alaska and Hawaii; historical and contemporary viewpoints on the status of Puerto Rico; U.S. involvement in the World Wars; the international and domestic roles of the U.S. military; and the relationships between federal, state, and local political systems. Thematic units will begin with discussions of such broad topics as: the first and second waves of U.S. Feminism and Suffrage; Industrialization; Religions in the U.S.; Frontiers and Boundaries; Federal vs. States Rights; or the Nature of "Foreign" Policies. For example, the topic on "'Foreign' Policies" would include discussion of Native American land rights and grievances; the Slavery debates; the Chinese Exclusion Act; the 1930's deportation of Mexican-Americans; and Japanese internment, as precursors for the counter-cultural explosion of the 1950s and 1960s and the central dichotomy of the American Dream.

Students may expect to find in these readings as many questions as answers. Part of this questioning will be addressed in the study of historiography, meaning an investigation of the way versions of various histories are recorded and standardized. We will therefore study an interdisciplinary array of documents, and will question for whom each type of documentation is prepared. For example, we will ask ourselves what contemporary rap artist Chuck D means, when he says, "Rap music is like CNN for black people."

A key aspect of the course will be the use of on-line resources (such as the Internet Library of Congress) and a brief introduction to the periodicals section of the public library resources. Students will be expected to incorporate two referenced periodical articles into each term paper, and four research references for the final paper. The interdisciplinary, pan-historical and multicultural foci of the course will allow for the inclusion of periodicals of all types, from the Journal of American History to Rolling Stone magazine.

Group discussions will be a central part of the course structure with groups often being assigned differing documents for discussion. This allows for a broader scope of material and requires the students to place themselves in the same subjective positions as the authors. These groups will also generate a strong environment for discussion and debate.

Successful completion of the course will require the maintenance of a semester-long writing journal; one in-class group or individual oral presentation; and a final paper, 4-6 pages in length. In addition, there will be three in-class quizzes, during the semester. Topics for student work may be on any theme in U.S. History, but must seek to address three fundamental issues: how has the presentation of this issue changed over time; what reactions to, or lessons learned from, this issue have been incorporated into law, policy or social behavior; and what changes you might expect to see in your lifetime, in view of the historical background from which it has grown.