History
467/567
The
United States West in the 20th Century
Winter Quarter 2008
Professor Peggy Pascoe
Office: 335 McKenzie Hall
Office Hours: 12-1:30 Mon, Wed
Office Phone and Voice Mail: 346-3406
Email: ppascoe@uoregon.edu (put HIST 467 in subject line)
Course Web Page: http://uoregon.edu/~ppascoe/467567/home.html
Class meets: MWF 11:00-11:50 Condon 260
This course offers an overview of the history of the U.S. West in the 20th century, covering the migration and immigration of the various peoples of the modern West, the development of state and federal power, the incorporation of "Old West" economies into a modern global economy, and the politics of race, ethnicity, and gender in a region that is now, and in many respects always has been, a national and international crossroads.
Books
The following books are required for the course. They are available at the University Bookstore and/or on reserve at Knight Library:
Linda Gordon, The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction
Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water
Jules Tygiel, Ronald Reagan and the Triumph of American Conservatism
History 467 Course Reader
Requirements
Class attendance is required for all students and will be taken into account in determining course grades; all students are expected to complete the assigned readings by the beginning of each week of class. Undergraduate students (all those enrolled in History 467) will be required to take an in-class midterm and a take-home final exam (both exams will be part essay and part short identification). Graduate students (enrolled in History 567) will have different requirements, which are spelled out in my discussion of History 567.
Grades
Grades will be figured along a curve on a scale of points divided as follows: 100 points for the midterm, 150 points for the final exam, and 25 points for attendance, for a total of 275 possible points. Up to 10 extra credit points will be given (up to 5 for the first half of the class, and up to 5 for the second) to students who write reaction papers on the readings, an exercise I highly recommend as exam preparation. Details will be provided in class.
Course Policies
The dates for the exams are clearly marked on the syllabus. Late papers will receive reduced grades, and I will consider requests for makeups only in cases of emergency and only when requests are made before the scheduled exam date. I will arrange for an "incomplete" grade for the course only in the most unusual of circumstances. It’s much easier—believe me—to meet the deadlines than to try to argue for an exception, so begin now to schedule time to complete the class readings and meet all the deadlines.
In this class, as in any other, students are responsible for meeting all the standards set by the UO Policy on Academic Dishonesty. For more information, see the UO Policy on Academic Dishonesty.
Class Schedule
(On the Web, click on each lecture title to see outlines and suggestions for additional reading on a wide variety of related subjects).
WEEK 1
Reading Assignment:
Reisner, Cadillac Desert, Introduction and ch. 1.
Ellis, "We Don't Want Your Rations, We Want This Dance" in Course Reader
Mon Jan 7: Introduction to the Course and Web Site
Graduate Students Make Individual Appointments To Meet With Me
Wed Jan 9: Major Themes of 20th Century Western History
Fri Jan 11: American Dreams and American Land Policy
WEEK 2
Reading Assignment:
Gordon, Great Arizona Orphan Abduction (entire book)
Mon Jan 14: Western Cities and Western Water (Video)
Mon Jan 16: The Incorporation of Old Western Economies
Fri: Jan 18: Corporate Industries, the Global Economy, and Immigration
WEEK 3
Reading Assignment:
Reisner, Cadillac Desert, ch. 2 & 3
Woods, "A Penchant for Probity," in Course Reader
Wed Jan 21: HOLIDAY/ NO CLASS
Wed Jan 23: The Puzzle of Western Progressivism
Fri Jan 25: A Political Life: Jeannette Rankin
WEEK 4
Reading Assignment:
Lee, "Enforcing the Borders: Chinese Exclusion along the U.S.-Canadian and U.S.-Mexican Borders" in Course Reader
Mon Jan 28: The Legacy of Conservation
Wed Jan 30: Immigration, Citizenship Policy, and the Production of Whiteness
Fri Feb 1: How to Take an Essay Exam (Like your Midterm)
WEEK 5
Reading Assignment:
Deloria, "Indian Wars, the Movie" in Course Reader.
Prepare for Midterm Exam
Mon Feb 4: American Dreams and Cultural Capital: The Rise of Hollywood
Extra Credit Reaction Papers Due at the Beginning of Class
Wed Feb 6: The Rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan
Graduate Student Preliminary Bibliographies Due at the Beginning of ClassFri Feb 8: MIDTERM EXAM: Bring Green Books
WEEK 6
Reading Assignment:
Reisner, Cadillac Desert, ch. 4 & 5
Worster, "The Black Blizzards Roll In" in Course Reader
Broselma and Arthur, "Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Welfare State," in Course Reader
Mon Feb 11: The West and the Great Depression
Wed Feb 13: New Deals?
Fri Feb 15: Forbidden City, U.S.A. (Video)
WEEK 7
Reading Assignment:
Reisner, Cadillac Desert, ch. 7
Basso, "Man-Power: Montana Copper Workers, State Authority, and the (Re)drafting of Manhood During World War II" in Course Reader
Matsumoto, "Japanese American Women During World War II" in Course Reader
Mon Feb 18: World War II and the Western Economy
Wed Feb 20: World War II and Asian Americans
Fri Feb 22: Atomic Cafe (Video)
WEEK 8
Reading Assignment:
Reisner, Cadillac Desert, ch. 8
Avila, "Suburbanizing the City Center: The Dodgers Move West" in Course Reader
Tygiel, Ronald Reagan (first half)
Mon Feb 25: American Dreams and Cultural Crackdowns: The 1950s
Wed Feb 27: A Political Life: Edward Roybal
Fri Feb 29: Democratic Dreams and 1960s Protests
WEEK 9
Reading Assignment:
Tygiel, Ronald Reagan (second half)
Jorgenson, "Gaming and Recent American Indian Economic Development" in Course Reader
Mon Mar 3: The Rise of Sunbelt ConservatismWed Mar 5: The Rebirth of Indian Power
Fri Mar 7: Late 20th Century Immigration
Extra Credit Reaction Papers Due at the Beginning of Class
WEEK 10
Reading Assignment:
Reisner, Cadillac Desert, ch. 12, epilogue and afterword
Belmonte, "Harvey Milk: San Francisco and the Gay Migration," in Course Reader
Mon Mar 10: New Western Economies
Wed Mar 12: A Political Life: Harvey Milk (Video)
Take-Home Final Exams Handed Out in ClassFri Mar 14: Contemporary Western Politics
FINAL EXAM (Take-Home): Due in my office, 335 McKenzie, on or before Friday, March 21, at 10:15 a.m. Final Exam questions.htm