DR. JENRETTE—HIST 668 US Labor HistorySpring 2015

Office: Hendricks 142Phone: 2575/1225Email:

Office hours: MW 1:30-2:30; TR 9:30-10:30;

Mon 4:45-5:45 (Wiley 100); and by appointment or walk-in!

(for additional copies of the syllabus)

D2L: At times additional information will be posted in D2L

Course Description:

This course studies the rise of American labor, presenting it as an integral part of American political, economic, industrial, and social history. It focuses attention on the pre-Civil War developments, upon which most labor institutions and traditions are based, and examines labor's impact upon American institutions. It also requires directed research in a specific topic or period dealing with or focusing on some aspect of labor history. In addition, selected readings will be assigned on specific topics in US labor history. The intent of the course is to build the student’s bibliographic, historiographic, and research knowledge on U.S. history. The culminating activity of this course is the preparation of a scholarly paper (that is to be submitted to an appropriate journal and/or conference).

This course is not a lecture course but is a Seminar in the true meaning of the word. Discussion will drive each class session and all students will be required to lead discussion and participate fully each week.

THIS IS A GRADUATE COURSE and as such I will not listen to complaints about the workload. Former graduate students who are now working on their doctorates have encouraged us to require more reading in our graduate courses!

Required Texts:

Philip Dray, There is Power in A Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto

Daniel Bender & Richard A. Greenwald, Sweatshop USA: The American Sweatshop in

Historical and Global Perspective(order through amazon.com)

Thomas Bell,Out of this Furnace: A Novel of Immigrant Labor in America

(order through amazon.com)

Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers, 8th edition

EUP Graduate School Thesis Requirements

Strunk and White, Elements of Style (recommended)

MASS Graduate program website content

Recommended Texts:

Boris, Eileen and Nelson Lichtenstein, eds. Major Problems in the History of

American Workers: Documents and Essays(recommended but very expensive)

Kitch, Carolyn. Pennsylvania in Public Memory: Reclaiming the Industrial Past. State College: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012. (If you’re interested in public history)

Additional books from the weekly readings lists (included in this syllabus). Each student will be responsible for 1-2 books per week in addition to your main textbooks listed above; at times more may be assigned.

All written assignments will adhere to the style found in Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers, 8th edition. SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION COUNT! SPELL-CHECK AND PROOFREAD. POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM ALL ASSIGNMENTS FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL, PUNCTUATION, AND SPELLING ERRORS. Do NOT use “in-text” citations. All students MUST use footnotes! All papers must be written with the intended goal of submitting the paper for publication consideration and conference participation.

Course Objectives:

  1. To expose you to the leading authors on selected topics in US labor history
  2. To examine the role communism/socialism have played in those struggles
  3. To analyze the history of labor struggles and how they have influenced the course of US history
  4. To examine the lives of some of the people who have played important roles in these struggles
  5. To analyze the role of race, class, gender/identity in labor history
  6. To evaluate the impact of globalization on US labor
  7. To improve your oral and written communication skills
  8. To examine, through discussions, essays, presentations, (tests if necessary), and research your comprehension of the material covered

Course Outcomes:

Each student will have demonstrated:

1.an indepth knowledge of important events, people, issues, etc. in labor history

2.knowledge of the complexities surrounding race, class, and gender/identity

3.knowledge of the leading scholars on labor history

4.the ability to analyze the impact of organized labor and its influence in shaping the course of US history

5.Improved your ability to express your ideas in written and oral communication

Course Requirements/Assessment:

1.Weekly Class Discussions.

  • Discussions will be based on the assigned books (Dray, Marx-Engels, Bender-Greenwald) and the reading list provided for each topic. Students will select 1-2books for each week for which you will read and be prepared to discuss in class. The appropriate number is listed in the course schedule. Of those you select you will write a review of one of the books. You will also write annotations of the other books you select.
  • Each student will regularly contribute to and, at times, lead class discussion. You will sign up on January 26 for at least two weeks to lead/facilitate discussion.
  • Failure to participate in and lead class discussion will result in your participation being recorded as no more than 50% and that is ONLY if you attend ALL CLASSES.
  • Because this is a seminar, this course depends on and thrives on quality discussion and dialogue. Failure to participate in each class will lower your grade by a minimum of 5 points per class.
  • To earn higher than a 50% on this section, you MUST ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSION DAILY.
  • To be counted present in this course all of you, including your brain, must be in attendance throughout the entire class period.
  • NOTE: Putting your body in a desk DOES NOT CONSTITUTE your presence in the course. Becoming actively engaged suggests presence. BE ATTENTIVE.
  • ZEROS WILL BE GIVEN IF STUDENTS ARE NOT PREPARED FOR CLASS and IF STUDENTS MISS CLASS without a legitimate reason (“I don’t feel good,” etc. is not a legitimate reason)
  • Students will be responsible for leading discussion on the assigned books in this course; this includes the required textbooks
  • ABSENCES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.
  • If you are not willing to “step up the plate” and behave like a real graduate student who aspires to excel, this is NOT the class for you.
  • I do not (and will not) find it acceptable for one or two people to carry the weight of class discussion.
  1. Guest Speakers. From time to time we MAY have guest speakers and/or films. You should consider these presentations comparable to books you’re reading. You may be required to write critiques of guest lectures and films. These assignments will be calculated in your Discussion grade.

2.SCHOLARLY RESEARCH PAPER. 35-40page research paper. Due April 20. (You should think of this assignment as a scholarly article that you will submit and it will be graded as such). You will submit both a hard copy and an electronic copy through D2L which will be evaluated for plagiarism.

  • No more than 5 sources may come from the Internet (unless they are digitized primary sources).
  • Wikipedia is NOT an acceptable source, other using it to find other sources for your bibliography.
  • You must have a minimum of 30sources; at least half must be primary sources.
  • You must include a title page, footnotes, and a bibliography.
  • You must also identify the appropriate journal for your paper and submit it before the end of the semester for publication consideration.
  • You must pick a topic by Monday, Feb. 2
  • You must submit a working bibliography by Feb. 16 class, and a detailed outline will be due March 16 (7-10 pages) immediately following spring break.
  • STUDENTS ARE ALSO REQUIRED TO DO A 15-20 MINUTE IN-CLASS PRESENTATION ON THE RESEARCH PAPER. DATES FOR THESE PRESENTATIONS ARE LISTED ON THE COURSE SCHEDULE. You will sign up for these dates the first week of class; all students are required to attend all presentations-failure to do so will result in the lowering of your course grade by a full 12 points.
  • Meeting these deadlines (or not) will have an impact on your Research Paper grade
  • Feb 2: Topic identified in writing via a 1 page, typed, proposal
  • Feb. 16: Submit a 1 page working bibliography (this will, of course, expand through your research
  • March 16: a detailed outline (7-10 pages)
  • April 20: Complete paper is due (35-40 pages)
  • May 4, 8: In-Class presentations of your research (You will read an 8-10 page excerpt from your longer paper). This paper must also be submitted to a scholarly journal for publication consideration and/or to a conference. Submissions must occur by April 30 so you have to provide the proof/indication from the journal and/or conference of your submission.

3.Book Review. Each student will write 1 book review (750-1000 words), choosing from the lists I have provided on this syllabus. There will be NO duplication of books you read; each student will read a different book. Book reviews must follow a traditional format appropriate for publication submission. Students will provide copies for each student in the class (and for the professor); these copies will be provided via email to the professor and the rest of the class by 7:00 p.m. on SUNDAY evenings. This will give the class and the professor time to read the papers prior to Monday evening classes. LATE PAPERS WILL BE PENALIZED BY 2 FULL LETTER GRADES REGARDLESS OF WHEN YOU SUBMIT IT AFTER 7:00 P.M. ON SUNDAYS. Consequently, if you submit a late book review you cannot earn higher than a C on the review. Students will submit the book review for publication consideration to Visions and Revisions or to another scholarly journal. Due dates will vary according to topic. NOTE: It is imperative that you select your books asap as I cannot guarantee that all are in the Baron-Forness Library; it is highly probable that you will have to order some through interlibrary loan. You will submit two copies of your book review, one of which will be the original which you will ask someone (and you must identify the individual at the end of your review) to critique it for you in advance. Then you will revise it based on the critique.

  1. Annotated Bibliography. (The first one is due by 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 8). Each student will develop a lengthy annotated bibliography in collaboration with the other students in the class. Students will pick 1-2books each week (depending on the weekly assignment) and prepare a substantial paragraph (75-100 words) about each book which will be included in the annotated bibliography. One of the best ways to achieve this will be to find other reviews of the books you select. You should also review the book’s contents (i.e. “we called it ‘gutting’ in my doctoral program”---I will explain this in class). The point of this assignment is that you become FAMILIAR with many, many sources so that you know the authors’ names, the books they have written and the main point of the books. You will provide copies of your annotations to the professor and the other members of the class. These annotations are due no later than noon on Mondays via email. You must also bring copies of your annotations to class for in-class critique by your peers. LATE PAPERS WILL BE PENALIZED BY 2 FULL LETTER GRADES REGARDLESS OF HOW LATE IT IS; FOR EXAMPLE, 7:01 IS LATE. SUBMIT via email to the professor and class by 7:00 p.m. on SUNDAYS. Complete annotated bibliography is due by April 27.

What should you include in the Annotations?

  • What is the author’s purpose in writing the book?
  • What is the major theme? Any subthemes?
  • What is the author’s position on the topic (i.e. Reconstruction, Progressivism, New Deal, etc.)?
  • What does the work contribute to the field?
  • What do other scholars say about the work?

Basically, the annotations should include enough information so you (or someone else) can read the annotation and “know” if the book is a valuable source on the topic. Annotations should include a full bibliographic citation and a substantial paragraph (75-100 words). You must double-space after the bibliographic citation, then indent the first line of the annotation and begin writing; the annotation itself will be single-spaced.

In sum, here’s what you have to do.

  • Choose 1-2books from the list each week (THE NUMBER IS LISTED AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH SECTION)
  • Write annotations for each book each week
  • Once during the semester select one of the books and write a full 3 page review
  • Reviews must be submitted periodically throughout the semester. I will not accept reviews after the topic has been covered; for example, if you choose to write a book review from the Mill Girls list, the review is due via email to the professor and class by 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22 for discussion on Monday, Feb. 23.
  1. POSSIBLE Final Comprehensive Exam. DUE BY Friday, May 8. A final take-home exam will be given IF students do not perform as they should during this course which will count as part of the discussion grade).
  1. Organized Labor “Today” Paper. Each student in the class will interview at least two people who represent both sides of Labor (management/administration and labor) to discuss their approach to labor relations. You will then write a brief (2 page) synopsis of the interviews, comparing/contrasting their perspectives. You may tackle this assignment by asking them to discuss their interpretations of a particular event, person, issue, etc. that fits in with one of the topics we are covering this semester. (You may also find others who are appropriate). DUE by 3/30.

Potential Interviewees

Management/AdministrationOrganized Labor

Dr. Julie Wollman (guest speaker)Dr. Michael Bucell, APSCUF

Dr. Michael HannanDr. Marc Sylvester, APSCUF

Ms Tina Megine, VP, AdvancementProf. James Parlin, APSCUF

Dr. Alan BielMr. Ross Brumagin, AFSCME President

Dr. Scott MillerDr. David Ferster, Prof Emeritus

Dr. Nathan RitcheyProf. Dave Obringer, APSCUF

Dr. Jean Jones, APSCUF

7.FAILURE TO COMPLETE ALL ASSIGNMENTS WILL RESULT IN AN F FOR THE COURSE. I WILL NOT TOLERATE LESS THAN OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE FROM EACH STUDENT.

Required Colloquia Attendance and Participation.

  1. HAWL Spring Colloquia. Students will the two colloquia presented by members of the Department faculty and/or students.
  1. Women’s History Month. Students MAY select at least two (OR MORE) appropriate presentations to attend during the university’s celebration of WHM, African-American Heritage Month, or any other university-wide presentation that fits in with the general focus of the course.
  1. International Academic Festival. March-April. Specific dates and presentations TBA. Some topics may be appropriate for this course.

Grading Percentages:Grading Scale:

Book Review15%0-65 =F

Research Paper30%65-69=D 70-75=D+

Annotated Bib15%76-79=C 80-85=C+

Discussions/Tests30%86-89=B 90-93=B+

Colloquia/WHM/IAF 5%94-100=A

Labor Paper 5%

100%

Course Outline:

DateTopic

1/26IntroductionDray, 349-352

Book/journal selections and presentation date sign-up

Research Topic Discussion

Historiography

Philosophy of History

Interpretations and Perspectives

Shaping and Defining Historical interpretations

See Reading Assignment below

2/2England and the ColoniesMarx-Engels, Communist Manifesto

Finding the LaborersDray, Introduction-Chapter 4

Labor Systems of Early America

Indentured Servitude

Shipping and Labor

2/9Lowell, Industrial Democracy, Dray, Chapters 5-8

and the IWWBell, Out of This Furnace

2/16The Rise and Decline ofDray, Chapters 9-11

Organized Labor

Sweatshops in AmericaBender & Greenwald

2/23Lowell Mill Girls/market economy/Chinese Immigrant workers

Dray, 11-99

(2 books, 1 from each topic)

Aarim-Heriot, Najja. Chinese Immigrants, African Americans, and Racial Anxiety in the United States, 1848-1882. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2006.

Blewett, Mary H. The Last Generation: Work and Life in the Textile Mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, 1910-1960. Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1990.

Dublin, Thomas Louis.Women at Work: The Transformation of Work and Community in Lowell, Massachusettes, 1826-1860. New York: Columbia University Press, 1981.

Eisler, Benita. The Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women (1840-1845). New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998, 1977.

Levine, Louis. The Women's Garment Workers. New York: B. V. Huebsch, 1924.

Moran, William. The Belles of New England: The Women of the Textile Mills and the Families Whose Wealth They Wove. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2004.

Peck, Gunther. Reinventing Free Labor: Pardons and Immigrant Workers in the American West, 1880-1930. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Robinson, Harriet. Loom and Spindle: Life Among the Early Mill Girls. Carlisle, MA: Applewood Books, 2011.

Saxton, Alexander. The Indispensable Enemy: Labor and the AntiChinese Movement in California. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1975.

Smith, Stacey L. Freedom’s Frontier: California and the Struggle over Unfree Labor, Emancipation, and Reconstruction. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2013.

Sullivan, William A. The Industrial Worker in Pennsylvania 18001840. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1955.

Weisman Deitch, Joanne. The Lowell Mill Girls: Life in the Factory. Marietta, GA: Discovery Enterprises, 1997.

Young, Elliot. Alien Nation: Chinese Migration in the Americas from the Coolie Era through World War II. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2014.

Slavery as Labor/Transition to "free" labor

Fraginals, Manuel. Between Slavery and Free Labor. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1985.

Grivno, Max. Gleanings of Freedom: Free and Slave Labor Along the Mason-Dixon Line, 1790-1860. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2011.

Lebergott, Stanley. Manpower in Economic Growth. New York: McGrawHill, 1964.

Mandel, Bernard. Labor, Free and Slave: Workingmen and the Anti-Slavery Movement in the United States. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2007.

Morris, Richard B. Government and Labor in Early America.New York: Columbia University Press, 1946.

Rockman, Seth, and Cathy Matson, eds. Scraping By: Wage Labor, Slavery, and Survival in Early Baltimore. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, 2009.

Rodriguez, Junius, ed. Slavery in the Modern World: A History of Political, Social, and Economic Oppression. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2011.

Starobin, Robert S. Industrial Slavery in the Old South. New York: Oxford University Press, 1970.