History 10 ETHNICITY AND AMERICAN CULTURE
	The question(s) of what is the United States and who are Americans has throughout the history of this Republic ignited resistance, counter-revolution, and the distillation of facts to create a fiction of one people indivisible with liberty and justice for all. The course attempts to notice that it is not only dead Presidents but dust bowl migrants, gente de razon, railroad workers, strawberry pickers, slaves, all of whom can and during this course will provide lines of inquiry in exploring these questions. The goals of the course are: · Enhance and sharpen the analytical skills of the student · Explore the relations of time and space to the construction(s) of race and ethnicity · Examine how the student’s family narrative is related to historical process LECTURE: Each two hour class period will include lecture, a review of readings and student discussion. Attendance and participation in classroom discussion is expected. If students arrive one half hour after the beginning of class I would ask that you not attend as this is a disruption to the class. Further, other disruptions (such as whispering, cell phones, pagers) will not be tolerated as they distract from the learning environment. Students who are unable are unwilling to respect the classroom environment will be requested to leave. EXAMINATIONS: Two in-class examinations will be given.  The midterm will be on Tuesday, October 14, 2003; the final exam will be given on Tuesday, December 9, 2003.  Make-up exams will only be given if the student has a verifiable medical excuse.  In other words, a last-minute illness without a doctor's note is not a verified excuse.  You need to use a BLUEBOOK, which can be purchased at the SMC bookstore. FAMILY HISTORY PROJECT:   Please see the handouts for more specific information on the content of the family history project. The project is broken down into several components with various due dates A genealogy worksheet incorporating three generations of the family is due by Tuesday September 23, 2003; A synopsis of an interview with a family member/elder is due by Tuesday September 30, 2003 An outline of the overall project is due by Tuesday November 11, 2003; and the final project is due in class by Tuesday December 2, 2003. REQUIRED READINGS: In order for you to receive maximum benefit from class discussions and lectures, students must complete readings prior to the lectures. During each class session a student(s) will be assigned one section of the reading and will be expected to summarize major points and when prompted lead a discussion. Successful completion of this assignment will result in extra credit. PLEASE BRING YOUR BOOKS TO CLASS. The required books for this course are: James S. Olson, The Ethnic Dimension in American History, Third Edition. Jon Gjerde (ed.), Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History. Ronald Takaki, A Larger Memory: A History of Our Diversity, With Voices Ronald Takaki, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America WITHDRAWALS: While I will make every effort to drop students who stop attending class, it is ultimately the student's responsibility to make sure that s/he is withdrawn from the course.
Last Update:  09/12/01