History 129-4297: History of California
Fall 2012
Aug. 30, 2012–Dec. 13, 2012
Thursdays: 6:00–9:05 P.M.
Founders 172: MJC East Campus
Office hours: After class, or by appointment
R. Vanden Bosch, Instructor
Email:
Rawls and Bean, California: An Interpretive History,
10th Edition. McGraw Hill: 2010.
Transfer: (CSU, UC)
Course Description: This is a college-level introduction to the history of
California. This course will emphasize the social, political, and economic aspects of that history and will focus on the manner in which culture, race, ethnicity, class, and gender shape understandings of social inclusion and exclusion. By the end of the course, you will be expected to identify, describe, analyze, and synthesize the components most influential to the historical development of California. To this end, our course is both chronologically and thematically structured.
Recommended for Success: Before enrolling in this course, students are strongly advised to satisfactorily complete ENGL 101.
Expected Course Learning Outcomes:
Students should be able to demonstrate mastery of these objectives in reading quizzes, comprehensive exams, and a historical analysis paper.
a. Identify and describe the major events, developments, and contributions of the major social actors in creating a unique regional culture;
b. Identify, describe, and interpret the most important political, social, and economic changes, and continuities, in the historical development of California;
c. Identify and discuss the role of gender in the shaping California society;
d. Evaluate the importance, influence, and impact of immigration, and race and ethnic relations to the historical development of California;
e. Identify and discuss the development and impact of social classes to political, economic, and social change;
f. Analyze the impact of political, ideological, and social movements in California history;
g. Assess California's role in national and international affairs;
h. Describe and analyze the economic development of California from pre-conquest to the present. Include an assessment of the role of labor and the labor movement(s).
History 129-4297: History of California
Fall 2012
Course Requirements and Grading
1. Please do not disturb other students by coming late or leaving early. Turn off all portable electronic devices once class begins, and leave them off throughout the class. Using electronic devices during class will void all participation points—no exceptions.
2. You are expected to attend class regularly, to keep up with the reading assignments, and to participate in class discussion and group activities. Be realistic with your schedule—I only want seats filled by those who can complete the course.
3. Quizzes will be given during the first fifteen minutes of class, and cannot be made up, so please don’t ask. Your lowest two scores will be dropped. Perfect attendance (you do not arrive late, leave early or use electronic devices during class) will enable you to drop three more quiz scores.
4. Sit every other seat during quizzes, and hand in only the Scantron sheet (not the quiz questions). Once you have completed the quiz, move to the center near the front once class begins. Be extremely quiet until the timer goes off—other students deserve a quiet environment in which to take their quizzes.
5. Purchase sixteen (16) Scantron Form 882-E answer sheets by Sept. 6 for use throughout the semester.
6. Examination make-ups are given only under extraordinary circumstances. I should be notified prior to the examination. Please e-mail me, but do not call the BBSS Office.
7. If you have any type of learning disability, please inform me after the first class so we can make arrangements to create an appropriate learning environment in conjunction with the Disabilities Office.
8. Copying material/answers from another source or student (i.e. quizzes, tests, information for the brief off the Internet) without authorization is cheating. You are expected to be honest and honorable in your fulfillment of assignments and in quiz/test-taking situations. Plagiarism and cheating are serious forms of academic misconduct. Cheating may result in an automatic grade of "F" for the course, no matter what the quality of your other class work is. You may also be referred to the Division Office for further disciplinary action. At the very least you will be given a “O” on the assignment without any opportunity to make it up.
9. You have a responsibility to help create a classroom environment where all may learn. At the most basic level this means you will respect the other members of the class and the instructor, and treat them with the courtesy you expect to receive in return. Do not talk while the instructor is lecturing, and work quietly while the timer is running before class. Differences of opinion will occur, but be respectful.
10. The schedule provided is subject to change. My lectures will address the subject of that week's reading. It will be mandatory to read the materials before coming to class in order to get more from the lectures and to do well on the quizzes. Examination questions will be drawn from lectures, videos, supplemental materials, and assigned readings.
Grading (subject to change)
· Quizzes 150 pts. (the lowest two scores will be dropped; perfect attendance can skip 4)
· Primary Source Act. 135 pts.
· Brief 100 pts. (due Nov. 15—no late papers will be accepted)
· Midterm 80 pts.
· Final 150 pts.
· Notebooks 150 pts. (Include answers to discussion questions—due Dec. 12)
· Participation 90 pts. (6 pts. per class x 15 classes—you must sign in to get credit)
Total 875 pts. (approximately)
· A = 90 to 100%
· B = 80 to 89.9%
· C = 70 to 79.9%
· D = 60 to 69.9%
· F = below 59.9%
History 129-4297: History of California
Fall 2012
Lecture Schedule and Assigned Readings:
Week 1: Aug. 30
Introduction
Week 2: Sept. 6
Topics: The First Californians and Spanish Settlement
Reading: Rawls, Chapters 1,
Week 3: Sept. 13
Topics: The Spanish Conquest
Reading: Rawls, Chapters 3, 4
Week 4: Sept. 20
Topics: Mexican Control of California and the Mexican-American War
Reading: Rawls Chapters 5, 6, 7
Week 5: Sept. 27
Topics: Gold Rush
Reading: Rawls, Chapters 8, 9
Week 6: Oct. 4
Topics: American Exploration and Conquest
Reading: Rawls, Chapters 10, 11, 12
Week 7: Oct. 11
Topics: Rise of Monopoly Capitalism
Reading: Rawls, Chapters 13, 14
Week 8: Oct. 18
Topics: Class and Race in Industrial California and Midterm Exam
Reading: Rawls, Chapters 15–18
Week 9: Oct. 25
Topics: Labor and Conflict 1880–1920
Reading: Rawls, Chapters 19, 20
Week 10: Nov. 1
Topics: Progressive Reform in California
Reading: Rawls, Chapters 21, 22
Week 11: Nov. 8
Topics: The 1920s and Hollywood
Reading: Rawls, Chapters 23, 24
Week 12: Nov. 15
Topics: The Great Depression in California
Reading: Rawls, Chapters 25, 26; Brief due
Week 13: Nov. 22; No class: Thanksgiving
Week 14: Nov. 29
Topics: The Impact of War
Reading: Rawls, Chapter 27, 28
Week 15: Dec. 6
Topics: Race, Politics, Protest and Reaction
Reading: Rawls, Chapters 29–on
Week 16: Dec. 13: Final Exam
Brief Format
The brief is a succinct synopsis and outline of the book's central argument. This is not a book report or a summary, so please do not summarize the chapters. The total length of the paper should not exceed six pages. It should include, in order, the following elements:
q an exact quote of the book's overarching thesis (quote the thesis exactly how it appears in the text—put the thesis in quotation marks). Give the page number (parenthetical reference) and a brief explanation of what the thesis means (approximately 50 words).
q an explanation of the book's title (and subtitle, if there is one; approximately 50 words). Why did the author choose the title he or she did? What is the significance of the title?
q a statement of the author's method (historical questions raised and answered), but more importantly, what does the author use as evidence (published accounts, such as primary-source books, pamphlets, or newspapers; unpublished material, such as chronicles, diaries, correspondence; official documents, such as court records and trial transcripts, church records, etc. Be specific—name examples) (approximately 100 words)
q an exact quotation of each chapter’s thesis (quote the thesis exactly how it appears in the text—put the thesis in quotation marks). Give the page number and a brief explanation of what the thesis means, not a summary of the chapter. Include introductory chapters and conclusions/epilogues (approximately 100 words per chapter—reduce words if there are a lot of chapters, or increase if fewer chapters).
q Minus ____ (if not long enough or too long): total length: 1200–1500 words
q Minus ____ Conveying your thoughts clearly requires grammatically correct writing, so grammatical correctness is an important part of this assignment. Grammatical problems will be pointed out in the evaluation process and, insofar as they detract from clarity, will be considered in the assignment of a score. Check your paper carefully and/or taking it to the Writing Center for evaluation before submitting if you feel uncertain about your grammar and/or spelling.
Brief Template
Book Title: Write the title out and explain what the title means.
Thesis: Identify and quote the thesis and parenthetically footnote the page on which it appears. Succinctly explain what the thesis means.
Author’s Method: What evidence does the author use to promote his or her point? Be specific—if primary sources are used, then what specific primary sources are used (give a few samples); if secondary sources are used, then what specific secondary sources are used (give a few samples)? Are sources documented throughout the book, or are endnotes used?
Chapter 1: Title and subtitle of the chapter (if there is or are subtitles)
Thesis: (quote it verbatim in quotation marks and parenthetically footnote the page) and what does it mean?
Chapter 2: Title and subtitle of the chapter (if there is or are subtitles)
Thesis: (quote it verbatim in quotation marks and parenthetically footnote the page) and what does it mean?
All papers must be submitted electronically using turnitin.com, as well as a hard copy. Instructions on how to do this properly will be given as the deadline approaches.
List of Approved Books for the Brief: Choose only 1
Robert F. Heizer, They Were Only Diggers
James J. Rawls, Indians of California
*Theodora Kroeber, Ishi in Two Worlds
Malcolm Margolin, The Ohlone Way
S.F. Cook, The Conflict between the California Indian and White Civilization
F.J. Weber, The California Missions as Others Saw Them, 1786-1842
Jack D. Forbes, Afro-Americans in the Far West
Damany M. Fisher, Afro-Latino Influence in California History
*Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before the Mast (1840)
*Alfred Robinson, Life in California (1846)
R.A. Billington and M. Ridge, Westward Expansion: A History of the American Frontier
John M. Faragher, Women and Men on the Overland Trail
Julie R. Jeffrey, Frontier Women: The Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-1880
Frederick Merk, Manifest Destiny and Mission in American History
Albert Weinberg, Manifest Destiny
Gene M. Brack, Mexico Views Manifest Destiny, 1821-1846
John Caughey, Gold Is the Cornerstone
Gunther Barth, Instant Cities
Roger Lotchin, San Francisco, 1848-1856
Charles Lockwood, Suddenly San Francisco
Christiane Fischer, Let Them Speak for Themselves: Women in the American West, 1849-1900
Holman Hamilton, Prologue to Conflict: The Crisis and Compromise of 1850
Michael DiLeo and Eleanor Smith, Two Californias
John W. Coughey, Their Majesties the Mob
Charles Wollenberg, Ethnic Conflict in California History
Leonard Pitt, Decline of the Californios
*Frank Norris, The Octopus (1901)
Glenn Porter, The Rise of Big Business, 1860-1910
Alexander Saxton, Indispensable Enemy
George E. Mowry, The California Progressives
Richard Hofstadter, The Age of Reform
Carey McWilliams, Factories in the Field
Cletus Daniel, Bitter Harvest
William Bronson, The Earth Shook, the Sky Burned
Gordon Thomas and M.M. Witts, The San Francisco Earthquake
Robert Jacopi, Earthquake Country
Walton Bean, Boss Ruef's San Francisco
Howard A. DeWitt, Images of Ethnic and Radical Violence in California Politics, 1917-1930
Norris Hundley, The Great Thirst
Robert Hine, California Utopianism
*Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Farewell to Manzanar
Jacobus tenBroek et al., Prejudice, War, and the Constitution
Gordon Kahn, Hollywood on Trial
J. Allen Broyles, The John Birch Society
John Steinbeck, In Dubious Battle
Curt Gentry, The Last Days of the Late, Great State of California
*recommended