HIS 4930 sec 05: U.S. Public History Thru MediaFlorida State University, Fall 2006Room: Bellamy 048Course ScheduleWk/DateTopicReadingsAssignmentsWk 1– 8/30Introduction to the courseThe Presence of the Past Rosenzweig, 1-36, 89-114, 147-176, 177-207Is the Medium the Message?SlaveryQuizThe Civil WarHistory Fair draftReconstructionNewspaper draftSuffrageQuizSuffrageSummary of one sourceCity Building in Southern CaliforniaCity Building in Southern CaliforniaHistory Fair FinalQuizModern African American Civil Rights MovementWalker, completeRough draftWk 13-11/22AIDSBrandt, Markel, Rosenberg articlesPrimary Source Packet for AIDSNewspaper finalConclusionsQuizPaper Due December 13, 2006 by 4pm in Prof. Koslow’s departmental mailbox and the digital mailbox through blackboard- Students must complete all requirements to receive a passing grade in this courseGrade Breakdown1. Class Participation & AttendancePaper MechanicsAcademic Honesty and Statement on Plagiarism:HIS4930sec05 - Fall 2006 1 HIS 4930 sec 05: U.S. PUBLIC HISTORY THRU MEDIA Florida State University, Fall 2006 Wednesday 2:30-5:15 p.m. Room: Bellamy 048 Instructor: Prof. Jen Koslow Email: [email protected] (emails will be answered 9am-5pm Monday - Friday) Class website: http://campus.fsu.edu/ Office: Bellamy 453 Phone: 644-4086 Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 10:00-11:00 and by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES: Have you ever watched the Antique Roadshow? Read a book by Caleb Carr? Listened to a song by Bruce Springsteen? Seen an Oliver Stone movie? How do these artists engage with historical questions? In turn, how do public historians communicate history to a wide audience using mass media? This course considers various mediums of public history. Students will assess the use of film, television, newspapers, magazines, radio, and the web in the construction of history for a general audience. They will also reflect on the relationship between vehicles of mass communication and narratives of history. We will explore these issues by focusing on five case studies throughout the semester: The Civil War and Reconstruction, The Women’s Suffrage Movement, City Building in Southern California, The Modern African American Civil Rights Movement, and AIDS. Upon completion of this course students will have developed: 1. A detailed knowledge of how public historians use mass media 2. An understanding of historians’ engagement with audiences outside of universities in the U.S. 3. An understanding of how public historians deal with controversial topics 4. An appreciation for participating in public history projects 5. Essential skills on how to read scholarly articles and primary documents for argument, sources, strengths, weaknesses, and perspectives 6. How to write expository essay on a historical topic REQUIRED READINGS: • Thomas J. Brown, The Public Art of Civil War Commemoration : A Brief History with Documents. (2004) • George Lipsitz, Time Passages: Collective Memory and American Popular Culture. (2001) • Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water. (1993) • Roy Rosenzweig and David Thelen. The Presence of the Past: Popular Uses of History in American Life (2000) • Alice Walker, Meridian. (2003) • Marjorie Spruill Wheeler, One Woman, One Vote: Rediscovering the Woman Suffrage Movement (1995) • Articles listed on course schedule (available online through course reserve/library) o Ira Berlin, “American Slavery in History and Memory and the Search for Social Justice” The Journal of American History 20O3 90 (4): 1251-1268 o Karen Sutton, “Confronting Slavery Face-to-face: A twenty-first century interpreter’s perspective on eighteenth-century slavery” Common-Place 2001 1(4) o David Blight, “The Birth of a Genre: Slavery on Film” Common-Place 2001 1(4) o Allan M. Brandt, “From Analysis to Advocacy,” in Locating Medical History: Their Stories and Their Meanings, eds. Frank Huisman and John Harley Warner (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004) o “AIDS in Historical Perspective,” from Charles E. Rosenberg, Explaining Epidemics and Other Studies in the History of Medicine (Cambridge Press, 1992)HIS4930sec05 - Fall 2006 2 o “No One’s Idea of a Tropical Paradise,” from Howard Markel, Germs Travel (Pantheon Books, 2004) o Introduction,” from Paul Farmer, Infection and Inequalities (U. of California Press, 1999) o Primary Source Packet for AIDS: “Rare Cancer Seen in 41 Homosexuals.” New York Times, July 3, 1981, p. A20; “Cancer Hits the Gay Community,” New York Native, July 13, 1981, p. 8; “Disease of Immune System Becoming a U.S. Epidemic,” Washington Post, March 17, 1983, p. A1; “Concern Over AIDS Grows Internationally,” New York Times, May 24, 1983, p. C1; “AIDS in Africa: A Pattern of Mystery,” New York Times, Nov. 8, 1985, A1; Minutes from Domestic Policy Council, Dec. 19, 1985; “Black People Do Get AIDS,” 1986; “Memorandum for the Domestic Policy Council,” Feb. 11, 1987; “For Immediate Release,” June 8, 1987; Selections from ACT UP/NY Women and AIDS Book Group, Women, AIDS and Activism (South End Press, 1990) CLASS WEBSITE: We will be using blackboard throughout the semester. Here you will be able to find copies of handouts from class and reserve readings will be available through the course library component. COURSE SCHEDULE Wk/Date Topic Readings Assignments Wk 1– 8/30 Introduction to the course Wk 2-9/6 The Presence of the Past Rosenzweig, 1-36, 89-114, 147-176, 177-207 Wk 3-9/13 Is the Medium the Message? Lipsitz, 3-36, 39-75,99-132, 163-177, 211-231 One-page discussion of perspective paper Wk 4-9/20 Slavery Brown 1-56 Berlin, Sutton, Blight articles Quiz Wk 5-9/27 The Civil War Brown 57-108 History Fair draft Wk 6-10/4 Reconstruction Brown 109-169 Newspaper draft Wk 7-10/11 Suffrage Wheeler 9-20, 37-44, 45-61, 61-80, 99-116 Quiz Wk 8–10/18 Suffrage Wheeler 203-220, 221-244,245-262, 263-276, 277-294, 2945-314 Summary of one source Wk 9-10/25 City Building in Southern California Reisner 1-14, 52-103 Outline Wk 10-11/1 City Building in Southern California Reisner 145-168, 332-378 History Fair Final Wk 11-11/8 Modern African American Civil Rights Movement Walker, through chapter Battle Fatigue Quiz Wk 12-11/15 Modern African American Civil Rights Movement Walker, complete Rough draft Wk 13-11/22 AIDS Brandt, Markel, Rosenberg articles Wk