American Studies 300: Comparative American Identities

(Crosslisted as Hist 3602, Eng 306, Soc 306, Comm 306)

Winter 2007, Thursdays 12:00-2:40

2165 SSB

 

Course Website: http://www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~ppennock/300home.htm

 

Professor Pam Pennock

e-mail: ppennock@umd.umich.edu

Office: 1240 SSB

Office phone: (313) 593-5284

Office Hours:  T 2:45-3:30 pm, Th 11:15-12:00

Dept. Office: 2nd floor SSB (593-5096)

                      *and by appointment*

 

 

 

Course Description

 

This course is an introduction to American Studies as a field of study and as a major. We will consider the complex answers to two major interwoven questions: what does it mean to be an American, and what is American culture?  To help answer these questions we will examine the multiple identities of Americans --exploring issues such as gender, race, class, ethnicity, and religion. Using the tools of many disciplines (e.g. history, English, sociology), we will thus explore the diversity of American culture, but also consider some core values and ideas uniting Americans both in historical and contemporary society.

 

In order to give our questions some focus, we will concentrate on events and documents in the years 1880 to 1920 because it was a time when many immigrants came to America, and many Americans traveled across it, in search (perhaps) of the American dream—thus also asking themselves what it meant to be an American. We will use Detroit as a case study for the urban experience.  The second (and shorter) part of the course concentrates on the western experience in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

 

A major theme will be “borderlands” as we consider how American identities both co-exist and clash and how identities are shaped in relationship to particular geographic places. Using the borderlands framework we also will examine other themes shaping American identities such as:  self vs. “others,” individual identity vs. group identity, urban space vs. rural space, myth (and myth-making) vs. reality, literacy as assimilation, power and hierarchy vs. democracy, and different perspectives on Americanization. 

 

Your own stories and perspectives as Americans will also be key to course discussions. You are invited to seek out and share fresh narratives of the American experience that you will build into your coursework via papers and projects.

 

Required Texts:

·         Coursepack  .  The coursepack is not available at the campus bookstore.

Call Dollar Bill Copying (in Ann Arbor) at 1-877-738-9200, or visit their website at http://www.dollarbillcopying.com  to order your coursepack.

Leave a few days for shipping.

 

·         Electronic Reserve readings (accessed through UM-D’s Mardigian Library website, under my name or History 3602)

I have placed all the Coursepack readings on Electronic Reserve.

Direct link: http://reserves.umd.umich.edu/coursepage.asp?cid=775    Password: america

 

·         On-line readings, linked from course website Schedule of Assignments:

http://www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~ppennock/300home.htm

 

·         Willa Cather, My Antonia  (available in campus bookstore)

Students must have regular access to a computer in order to be in this course. Computers are available for student use all over campus, including the first floor of the Social Sciences Building, the Library, and several labs in the CASL building. 

 

Course requirements:

1.       Short papers (40%):

Students will write 4 short papers, worth 10% each, for a total of 40% of the course grade.  The papers will be based on course readings, and the paper assignments and due dates are posted on the course website Schedule of Assignments. The recommended length for these papers is 4 to 5 pages (typed, double-spaced.)

Steady improvement on these papers will be taken into account when I calculate this portion of your grade.  Students are permitted to select one of these short papers to revise and resubmit at the end of the semester, to be turned in with the final project.

 

2.       Homework and Pop Quizzes (10%)

Students will be asked to write a few short responses to readings or other class activities (such as guest presentations or  films), along with some occasional discussion questions for the rest of the class. These homework assignments will be graded using a check, check-plus, check-minus system. To receive a “check plus,” students must exhibit exceptional insight and effort.

 

Pop quizzes are a possibility if I feel that students are not engaged with the course materials.

 

3.       Final Project (35%)

For this project you will apply the course’s essential questions about American identities and culture to a topic of your choosing.  The topic may be contemporary or historical (or both), and it will be based on sources.  The topic and the sources must be approved by me.  Your final product will feature a 7 to 9 page paper, and you may choose to incorporate other media as well (e.g. website, video, scrapbook).

The Final Project grade includes the following 5 components: 1) a conference with me (week of March 15); 2) proposal (Due March 22); 3) draft (due April 5); 4) presentation to the class (on April 12 or April 19), and 5) final product (due April 19).

 

4.       Attendance and Participation (15%)

(A Motto to Consider: You Paid For It, Why Not Attend?)

This is a discussion and project-oriented class, and I have designed the syllabus so that each class contains important information and new perspectives.  Thus your attendance in class is vital to your success as well as the success of the class.  We will simply miss you if you are gone. This class meets once a week. Not counting the first day of class, we only meet 13 times. It seems obvious, but I need to emphasize this: every time you miss a class, you are missing a whole week of class.

 

More than two unexcused absences will result in a 0 for this portion of your grade.

 

Please try not to be late because it shows disrespect to me and to your fellow students.  Tardiness (and leaving class early) will hurt your participation grade. Active participation can really make a positive difference in your course grade. 

 

In this course we will consider some controversial and touchy issues.  Discussion must remain respectful at all times.  I ask that students respect each other’s views and try not to monopolize the conversations.

 
Note: if students wish, we can set up an on-line discussion board for the class.
 
Course Policies
Late Work Policy and Absences
Unless otherwise specified, all assignments are due at the beginning of class.
 
1.A legitimate excuse for absence or late work must be an emergency and must be documented; it does not encompass work, vacation, or routine appointments (medical or academic).  
2. Students must inform me of a legitimate excuse within 24 hours of a due date in order to receive full credit for a late assignment.  
3. Students turning in late work because of a legitimate excuse must turn it in as soon as physically possible. Usually, email attachments are fine, as long as the attachment is in Word or rich text file (rtf) format
 
4. When students do not have a legitimate excuse for turning in a late assignment, the following penalties apply: 
·                            The penalty for late homework assignments is one check-mark level for each calendar day they are late.  
·                            The penalty for late short papers and final projects is 10 points (one letter grade) for each calendar day (including weekend days) that they are late. 
 
 
Academic Honesty

Plagiarism is a serious offense. It occurs when you pass other’s intellectual work off as your own; it includes the misuse of sources and the recycling of your own papers from previous classes.  If I determine that a student has plagiarized on any assignment, he/she will incur penalties up to and including expulsion from the University.

Plagiarism occurs when you:

·         use someone else’s exact words without putting quotation marks around them

·         put quotation marks around someone else’s exact words BUT fail to provide a reference or citation to the source and page number

·         paraphrase someone else’s words too closely without using quotation marks (even if you do provide a citation) Don’t get lazy when you’re paraphrasing!

·         use someone else’s thoughts without a reference or citation to the source  (if you’re paraphrasing someone’s words, you do not need quotation marks but you still need a citation)

 If you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please come talk to me. I don’t want anyone to fail on account of misunderstanding.

 

Note on responsibility:

All students are responsible for their own learning and for knowing the course policies. If you have to miss a class, you are responsible for knowing what occurred during the session, obtaining class notes and assignments from a classmate, and making up the work. 

 

Using Laptop Computers In the Classroom

Students may use laptops in the classroom as long as they stay “on task.” In other words, students may not engage in e-mailing, extraneous internet searching, or work for other classes or work during class time.

 

Email Etiquette

I welcome students’ email communication.  Please sign your email messages to me and write clearly. (You would be surprised at how often I cannot understand students’ messages and how often students do not include their names.)

 

Disability Resources

The University will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities.  Students need to register with Disability Resource Services (DRS) every semester they are enrolled for classes.  DRS is located in Counseling & Support Services, 2157 UC.  To be assured of having services when they are needed, students should register no later than the end of the add/drop deadline of each term.