Contemporary
American Experience
Core 101-04
Fall 2003
Dale Graden
T, Th
JEB 221
Office:
Admin 305 A; telephone: 885-8956
Office hour: Monday 9-10 or by appointment
Email: Graden@uidaho.edu
Online: www.class.uidaho.edu/Graden
Mentor:
Saba Gaffur
email: gaff1674@uidaho.edu
Greetings
and welcome. This course is part of a newly revised core curriculum at the
We
hope to offer a stimulating and challenging course. For that to happen, you need
to attend the classes and do the readings. We devote lots of class time to
discussion, so please come prepared to discuss the readings and share your ideas
on the days noted as discussion. There are several writing requirements. Why you
ask? Because the majority of students enter and depart from high schools,
colleges and universities across the land unable to express themselves
coherently on paper, in cyberspace, or verbally. Practice can help one to
develop basic and more advanced writing skills.
The
requirements for this core discovery course are as follows:
Five
(5) two-page response papers. Three of these response papers are required (based
on the evening meeting with author Kim Barnes and the films “American
Beauty” and “Smoke Signals”) and are noted on the syllabus. You can choose
two other events to attend during the semester and write a response paper to
these. We will suggest upcoming events, speakers and films that you might want
to select. Choices will also be noted at the core discovery course web site www.its.uidaho.edu/cae.
Foreign films are a great opportunity for the two independent response papers.
You can review the fall schedule for the Student Union Foreign Film Series at http://www.sub.uidaho.edu/cinema/cinema.asp.
You can read a short review of the films at foreign
film descriptions. Please note to me your choice before you attend an event. It is wiser to
attend the two events and write the two independent response papers earlier rather than later in the semester. Each of these
five response papers is worth eight points, for a total of forty points.
Two (2) quizzes on the dates noted. These are worth ten points each, for a total
of twenty points.
Two
(2) three-page essays due on the dates noted. These are worth fifteen points
each, for a total of thirty points.
Participation,
worth ten points. If you miss more than five meetings of the class, your final
evaluation drops by one letter grade. Please let me know by email if you cannot
attend a class for any reason.
We will discuss in class what we are looking for in the writing of the five response papers and the two short essays. My suggestion is that you be sure that after writing these assignments for the first time you return to them at least once before handing them in. Be sure not to submit anything that you have written without at least one, if not several, revisions
A
description of how to write a response paper can be found at the cae website
(noted above), go to class-related links, then four down go to "Response
Guidelines."
A helpful and concise description of how to write a book critique can be found
at http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/writecenter/web/critique.html
Core
Discovery 101 Packet
Virginia
Cyrus, Experiencing Race, Class, and Gender in the
Alan Ball and Sam Mendes, American Beauty: The Shooting Script
Kim Barnes, In the Wilderness: Coming of Age in Unknown Country
Week one Interdisciplinarity
Tuesday
August
26 Introduction with Professor Katherine Aiken
Th
28 During the class period, Dr. Aiken will lead a short tour of selected sites on
campus
Nels
Reese and Diana Armstrong, “The Olmstead Plan for the Campus” in the course
packet.
William Cronon, “‘Only Connect’: The Goals of a Liberal Education,” in
the course packet
Mark Edmundson, “On the Uses of Liberal Education” online
Cyrus, Experiencing Race, 1-10
Week
two Personal Values
M
Sept 1 Labor Day, no classes
T
Robert Jensen, “Three Speeches by Robert Jensen" online
L. Robert Kohls, “The Values Americans Live By,” in course packet
Th
4 Quiz number one (based on readings of 28 August, 2 and 4 September cited above and below)
Michele N-K Collison, “Many Students Press Colleges to Substitute
‘First-Year Student’ for the Term ‘Freshman’” in Cyrus, number 136
Gerald Gunther, “Freedom for the Thought We Hate,” Cyrus, number 121
Charles R. Lawrence III, “Acknowledging the Victims’ Cry,” Cyrus, number
122
Week three Place and Class
T
9 discussion
Wallace
Stegner, “A Sense of Place,” in course packet
Janet Zandy, “Decloaking Class: Why Class Identity and Consciousness Count,”
Cyrus, number 28
Th
11 Segments from PBS documentary: "People Like Us: Social Class in America
"
Holly
Sklar, “Imagine a Country,” in Cyrus, number 88
recommended are readings on class at cae website (site noted above)
Week
four Rural
T
16 watch in class POV “Times of a Sign” and discussion about place and
dissent
begin Barnes, In the Wilderness
Wed 17 and Th 18 : Highly recommended is the film "Bend it Like
Beckham" at SUB Borah Theater 7 and 9 pm.
Th
18 discussion of chapters one through three of In the Wilderness
Week
five Consciousness
T
23 Prepare questions for Kim Barnes and send them to me via email
continue
Barnes, In the Wilderness
W
24 Wednesday evening : Kim Barnes Presentation in Agricultural Science 106, 7 pm
(Ag Science is just north of Renfrew Building)
Th
25 Discussion of Barnes
Week six Cultures
T
30 response paper number one is due on Barnes, In the Wilderness
Segment
from 60 Minutes on playwright August Wilson
Th
October 2 documentaries as culture and history
Segments from documentaries / films "Hearts and Minds" (1974);
"Roger and Me" (1989); and Frontline: "Is This Any Way to Run a
Government" (1994)
begin
Ball and Mendes, American Beauty: The Shooting Script
Week
seven Suburbia
T
7 discussion
finish
The Shooting Script
suggested reading is Andres Duany et al., “Suburban Nation,” in course
packet
W
8 Wednesday evening showing of the film "American Beauty" at
Ag Science 106
Th 9 discussion of "American Beauty"
Dennis
Altman, “Why are Gay Men So Feared?”, Cyrus, number 25
Week
eight Indigenous
T
14 response paper number two is due based on American Beauty
View
in class first half of “Smoke Signals”
Vine Deloria, “The Indian Movement,” in course packet
Th
16 view in class second half of "Smoke Signals"
Rodney Frey, “The Tin Shed” and “Seeing from the Inside Looking Out,” in
course packet
Polingaysi Qoyawayma, “To Be Hopi or American,” in Cyrus, number 3
Week
nine Indigenous Americas
II
T
21 (independent) response paper number three is due on a film or presentation or
event of your choice
view
in class POV: “Lighting the Seventh Fire: Indian Fishing Rights in Wisconsin”
Discussion
of Deloria,
Frey and Qoyawayma articles noted above
Th
23 Discussion of the readings below
Michael Dorris, “Native Americans vs. the U.S. Government,” in Cyrus, number
49
Scott Kerr, “The New Indian Wars,” in Cyrus, number 50
Michael Ryan, “Don’t Tell Us It Can’t Be Done,” in Cyrus, number 130
Valerie Taliman, “Saving Native Lands,” in Cyrus, number 131
Ann Davis, “Cecilia Fire Thunder: She Inspires Her People,” in Cyrus, number
132
Fr 24 Michael Moore (director of the film/documentaries “Roger and Me”
and “Bowling for Columbine” will speak at WSU’s Beasley Auditorium at 8
pm. Highly recommended.
Week
ten Environments
T
28 response paper number four is due on “Smoke Signals”
Discussion of Bill McKibben, “The End of Growth” online
http://www.motherjones.com/mother_jones/ND99/mckibben.html
A
couple of other articles by Bill McKibben (see many others at google.com) that
are recommended but not required include:
"An
Explosion of Green," Atlantic Monthly, April 1995
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/environ/green.htm
"Checking
in with Bill McKibben," Utne Reader, July 1999
http://www.consciouschoice.com/citizen/citizen1207.html
W
29 Wednesday evening presentation by Josiah Pinkham at
Th
30
Today, Thursday, we will discuss a bit more Bill McKibben, "The End of
Growth" (cited above)
segment from Bill Moyer's "Now" focusing on labor in the US
Week eleven Religion
T
November 4 quiz number two
the
quiz is based
on readings from October 9 (Altman) to October 28 (McKibben)
Th 6 Discussion : Please bring course packet to class
Li-Young
Lee, “The Gift,” “Mnemonic,” “The Waiting,” “A Story,” all in
course packet
George Saunders, “Isabelle” in course packet
Week twelve Religion II
T
11 Discussion
Th
13 discussion of the two articles cited below:
Margaret
Talbot, “A Mighty Fortress,” in course packet
Lawrence Wright, “Lives of the Saints" on line below
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?020121fa_FACT1
Week
thirteen Religion III
T
18 Essay number one is due
View
"The Arabs: Who They Are, Who They Are Not"
“Basic
Beliefs of Islam,” online
http://www.islam-guide.com/ch3-2.htm
Recommended
is Edward W. Said, “Impossible Histories: Why the many Islams cannot be
simplified,” Harper’s Magazine (July 2002), 69-74
Recommended
also is Edward Said, "Europe
vs. America
" in Counterpunch
http://www.counterpunch.org/said1116.html
Th
20 Discussion of "Basic Beliefs of Islam" (cited above) and Paley and
Cherry essays (cited below)
Grace Paley, “The Loudest Voice,” in Cyrus, number 2
Robert Cherry, “Anti-Semitism in the United States,” in Cyrus, number 54
Thanksgiving break (week fourteen) : During the break, please write an essay
question that I can review upon your return. I will pick at least one of
these questions as the topic for essay number two, due 18 December.
Week
fifteen Family
T December 2
Robert Bellah, "Civil Religion in
David Macaulay, "Motel of Mysteries" in course packet
view All in the Family
Th 4 view The Simpsons
Week
sixteen Family II
T
9
George Sanders, "The 400-Pound CEO," in course packet
view The Cosby Show
Th 11 view American Family
Essay
number two and (independent) response paper number
five is due by
on Thursday, 18 December