Mark Stemen GEOG 106: The American WestCourse DescriptionCourse ReadingsCourse ObjectivesCourse RequirementsGrade Point ScaleMark Stemen GEOG 106: The American WestButte 541/ x5428 Fall [email protected] Office Hours: MWF 1-2Course DescriptionGEOG 106 covers the geography of the American West, emphasizing how the economic and political institutions of various cultural groups have each made a unique imprint on the western landscape. It is an approved General Education course.But this version of the course is also much more than that. The Western United States is aphysical region extending from the Pacific Ocean to roughly the 98th meridian. The “American West,” however, is not as neat and tidy. Take just one example, the two men historians consider the greatest “western” presidents in American history: Andrew Jackson and Ronald Reagan. Andrew Jackson was elected President in 1828, after serving as a Senator from the “western” state of Tennessee. His election, know as the Jacksonian Revolution, signaled a shift in political power westward away from the original thirteen colonies. At the time, California was not even part of United States. In 1980, when America elected former California Governor Ronald Reagan President and launched the Reagan Revolution (with its attack on the federal government’s meddling presence in the American West) no one in the country considered Tennessee as part of theregion. Where then is the West?I have chosen to highlight how “The West” is as much a process as a place, in part to playto my strength as a historical geographer, but I also think it is more interesting. This classwill explore how the region has had different meanings for different people at different 1times, and the course requirements are geared toward helping students appreciate the diversity of people and places that constitute the American West.2Course ReadingsLimerick, The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American WestAlt and Hyndman, Roadside Geology of Northern and Central CaliforniaCourse Objectives To introduce students to the physical and cultural features of the American West Introduce students to the American West as a region with both spatial and temporal components. Provide students with an economic and political framework to help them understand how and why the region and its inhabitants changed over the past 400 years. Provide students the opportunity to “do geography,” as well as the opportunityto improve their critical thinking and their writing skills.Course Requirements6 quizzes 180 pts10 two-page journals 300 pts1 three-page field assignment 200 pts1 journey map and travel plan 300 pts1 three-page final journal 30 ptsTotal 1000 ptsGrade Point Scale1000 - 930 A 899 - 870 B+ 799 - 770 C+ 699-670 D+929 - 900 A- 869 - 830 B 769 - 730 C 669-630 D829 - 800 B- 729 - 700 C- 629-600 D-3Course FormatThere is a map quiz on various features of the American West every week for the first six weeks. These quizzes are designed to expand your “mental map” of the American West.Acquiring a bunch of place names and their location is not the major focus of this class, however. I am more concerned with how you think about the American West, than what you think about it. I designed the class so we can discuss and expand on the same geographic concepts throughout the semester. Since writing is thinking on paper, we willspend a majority of the class focusing on your written work. Every week you will write a two-page journal on that week’s assignment. I comment on these journals, but I do not grade them. If it appears to me that you have done the reading, and spent some time thinking about it, you receive full credit. I assign this exercise to get you into the habit of writing about what you read. Journals are due the week they are assigned.You will also write two more formal essays throughout the term. These essays will be graded. The first essay will describe a field experience you will undertake. The second essay will require you to design a road trip (within a strict set of parameters), and draw a map of your intended journey. Additional directions will follow.You complete these projects one step at a time. You can begin writing in your weekly journals. You will write a rough draft, and I and/or your peers will comment on it. (Failure to write a rough draft will result in a thirty-point deduction.) Your final draft is due the following week, allowing you ample time to revise your work before any of it is graded.This class is a process as much as anything so I expect you to attend every day. But, I realize things do come up. Everyone is allowed one unexcused absence. After that each subsequent absence will lower your overall total by ten points. Not missing class all semester is hard to do and an effort I wish to reward. So, if you never miss a class, you earn ten points extra credit.As required, I will also host a culminating event.If you have a disability of any type that makes it difficult for you to complete any of abovethe course work please let me know and I will work with you to resolve the difficulty.4Weekly reading assignments and course work deadlinesAugust 24 – The 411SyllabusAugust 26 – The American West Paragraph DueAugust 28 – Furlough Day (no class) Moving From Trails to RailsAugust 31 – What is Geography and where is “the West”Quiz 1: United StatesSeptember 2 – Places and RegionsLimerick, IntroductionJournal #1 dueSeptember 4 – The West: The PeopleSeptember 7 – Labor Day (no class)September 9 – Crossing the CratonQuiz 2: Mountains and RiversSeptember 11 – Assembling CaliforniaAlt and Hyndman, pp. 1-24Journal # 2 dueSeptember14 – First Nations Quiz 3: Lakes, Bays, and Assorted FeaturesSeptember 16 – The New Western HistoryLimerick, Chapter 1Journal # 3 dueSeptember 18 – The Donner PartySeptember 21 – The Called Out PeopleNo QuizSeptember 23 –Beyond the 100th MeridianLimerick, Chapter 3 Journal # 4 dueSeptember 25 – Furlough Day (no class)5September 28 – The “F” WordQuiz 4: Cities and TownsSeptember 30 – The Urban Frontier Limerick, Chapter 4 Journal # 4 dueOctober 2 – The West: Speck of the FutureOctober 5 – The Spanish FrontierQuiz 5: Missions and FortsOctober 7 – Jesus and the Corn MothersLimerick, Chapter 6Journal # 5 dueOctober 9 – The West: The Grandest Enterprise Under GodOctober 12 – The Trans-Appalachian West Quiz 6: