We live in an age of information overload. Too much to see, too much to read, too much to hear. So we fall victim to the old proverb that says “colors weaken the eye; sounds deafen the ear.” When there is too much to see (on Instagram, on Twitter), we scroll through our feeds quickly and do not process anything. Often we forget what we just saw!
We scroll through the news the same way, meaning we do not grasp what is going on today. Zipping through a college textbook as quickly as possible, we do not linger. The result? We have yet to understand the inner workings of a legal system, an economic practice, or a verb in the past subjunctive tense. And forget about history! We usually do not even glance at anything historical unless we are forced to take an introductory course like this one! But we scroll by at our detriment. If we looked carefully at the past, we might find that some of the individuals that contributed to our “scrolling” technologies did so to keep the broader public from looking closer at their political and social surroundings. A forgetful and uncritical people make decisions that are poor and purchases that are worse. Welcome to class. My objective in this course is to use the last 150 years of U.S. History as a way to train you to become a critical thinker, reader, speaker, and writer. All of this in hopes that you consume and dialogue with greater reflection.
Expectations
This course is an engaging one. I would even venture to call it fun. But I have high expectations, and you need to know three things as we begin.
Attendance.I expect everyone to come to class. I will memorize all of your names and get to know each of you. I teach because I enjoy learning from students. When you do not come to class, I miss the opportunity to learn with you.
Public Speaking. I believe that public speaking is an important skill to learn so that you can go on to be a more effective leader, team player, and parent. Public speaking is scary for many of us, especially since our generation is more accustomed to communicating via text instead of on the phone. But I think for this reason it is even more important for us to practice speaking in a safe space such as our classroom. So on many occasions throughout the semester, I will ask for your opinion and a reading or lecture.
Work. There is homework in this class. You are asked to read around 25 pages a week. Sometimes there are other assignments, such as watching a documentary, writing an essay (actually three of them), or preparing to be involved in a gameshow. So if you are not willing to takeat least2 hours a week to prepare for class (essay weeks will take you longer), then drop the class and take it when you have the time necessary.
Learning Outcomes
Given the objectives for the course, after completing this semester you should be able to:
Understand basic scholarly terms relevant to US history (marked by #hashtags throughout the semester), such as #systemicviolence, #manufacturingconsent, and #neoliberalism.
Identify important trends and foundational debates in modern US history (such as the rise of consumerism, the debate over the role of the state, and the tensions inherent between freedom and democracy).
Situate advertisements in their historical context and apply critical reading strategies to explain their unspoken messages.
Politicize historic cartoons and news editorials, applying critical reading strategies to tease out their attempt to sway the reader.
Discuss historical events in a way that allows new perspective on contemporary debates
With regards to historical thinking and scholarly behavior, you should further be able to:
Approach primary sources with reading strategies and an eye that distinguishes fact, fiction, and the in-between.
Utilize ideas and vocabulary specific to the historic discipline and to scholarly speech
Craft an essay with a clear organization and historical argument. This includes an understanding of the role of an introduction and conclusion. It then means you are able to put together a coherent thesis statement. Finally, it means you construct body paragraphs with a topic sentences, scholarly evidence, and citations.
Work alongside colleagues (classmates) to moderate your own scholarly conversation featuring respectful debate and development of ideas.
Required Readings
There are no required textbooks for this course. You do not need to make any purchases. Weekly readings are available on our course website (here). The prompts for your essays will be available there as well, and you will submit your papers by going to our Canvas page and clicking to the corresponding assignment link. If you need help or training on how to use Canvas, visit http://online.fiu.edu/. Please make sure that you are comfortable with using Canvas from the beginning of class so you have full access to course email and assignments.
Assignments and Grading:
This class has a bit of an unconventional grading system. Instead of grades, I use points. Other than the three essays (which you have to attempt since this is a “Gordon Rule” writing course), there are no mandatory assignments; you just need to rack up as many points necessary to earn the grade you want. There are 1300 points possible; you need 900 to get an A. I organized the grading system this way for two reasons. First, because in a class of 100+ students, I know some of you will have family emergencies and hospital emergencies. You will have to miss a deadline. As an empathetic teacher, I do not want to penalize you for taking care of family or health. But I also do not want to coordinate extensions for the hundreds of students taking my courses. This grading format allows me to forego the nightmare of extensions; it affords you the flexibility of being able to miss an assignment without losing your grade. If you miss an assignment or bomb an essay, you can do a few more of the weekly worksheets or watch a documentary and write a reflection paper. The second goal of the grading system is to cater to multiple student learning modalities. Our class will feature much dialogue: I even had the room rewired so that we could have handheld mics! But I know some of you are nervous about speaking in a large group setting. So if you do not want to speak up as much, this way you have alternatives to earn your grade. **A word of caution: each of these assignments has their own due date. Once the due date is past, there is no way of you turning that assignment in. The weekly worksheets, for example, are due every Tuesday at midnight. Essays will not have extensions. The final exam only happens once. So I recommend you sit down at the beginning of the semester and get organized. Decide what letter grade you want in the class, and then figure out what assignments you will do to get there. I encourage you to go above and beyond. I recommend you “overshoot” the grade you want by 200 points. Why? Because I tend to be demanding when I read essays, and because you might not get all of the points you hoped for. There is the possibility of getting up to 1300 points. It takes 900 points to get an A. So there isplentyof leeway here. Here is the grade scale: A = 900+ B = 800-900 C = 700-800 D = 600 – 700 F = Below 600 As a Gordon Rule Course, there is no C-. If you do not achieve 700 points, you will have to repeat the course (or take another)
Ways to Get Points:
1. Attendance(100 Points) Attendance is important. Most huge survey courses have little or no peer-to-peer interaction, much less faculty-student interaction. This class is different. I need you here as often as possible so that I can learn from you and you can learn from me. I start taking attendance the day that I have memorized everyone’s name. This is usually week 3. At that point, I will call the names of the students that I do not see. If your name is called and you do not respond, you are marked absent. There are no “tardy” points. If you are not in the room when I call your name, you will not get attendance points for the day.
2. Stock Money(Limit100 Pointsper Student) These are “bonuses” that I award every day, based on your comments in class. I give out this “stock money” when you speak up in class. This of course assumes that you have done the reading and have something relevant to say. I will be on the lookout for comments that contain:
Insightful Observation
Analysis
Scholarly Speech
Connections to Lecture Points
Connections to Readings
If your answer has stock value, I will notify a TA, and they will record that value in virtual dollars. (Usually five dollars means you had a solid answer). **Word of caution. The stock market has a history of crashing on a regular basis. This historical fact will affect both classes. Five times during the semester, there will be a “market disruption.” On those occasions, a student will role a dice, and depending on the outcome, your points could go up or down. Here is how it works on those five occasions. If I roll a: 1: Lose 50% of Stock 2: Stock Falls 10% 3. Stock Stays the Same 4. Stock Stays the same 5. Stock Rises 10% 6. All Stock Doubled. At the end of the semester, whatever money you have in our virtual bank will be converted into points towards your grade. 1 dollar will become 1 point. Limit 100 points per person. 3. Time-Machine Millionaire (Up to100 points) Beginning with Week 2, every other Thursdayswill feature a gameshow called “Time-Machine Millionaire.” In this 45-minute session, a group of students will sign up to be game contestants. In theory, everyone will have the chance to be a contestant at least once during the semester. Being on the show gives each contestant the chance to earn up to 50 points towards their final grade. The show poses a contemporary (real-life) problem and then asks how people from the past might answer it. Two students act as important decision-makers in today’s world, and the remaining students act as actors who have time-travelled to us from the past, willing to share their experiences. As per upcoming instructions on the “Speak Like A Scholar” discussion method, I will award points based on how far students get in the discussion. There is an ongoing “Ask the Audience” feature to the show, that allows audience members to get points themselves, up to 50 points throughout the semester. Students do this by contributing to our classroom “live-feed” which operates on the social media platform calledSlack.Download slack on Google Play or the App store. Then use this link: SLACK LINK (Click here for access to our chatroom) Once in the Slack #general chatroom, audience members can offer support to the time-travel contestants, or they can pose challenging questions. See the PDF sheet on “Time-Machine Millionaire Instructions” for more information and guidance. 4. Weekly Worksheets: (10 total, @25 PointsEach, Grand Total of250 Points) These are one-page write ups in which you answer questions about the week’s PDF article. Find the questions/prompts for these worksheets on Canvas. Submit them on Canvas every week by Tuesday before class. 5.Histagram(3 total, @33 PointsEach, Total of100 points) Three times during the semester, you will post a picture that illustrates one of the themes discussed in class, such as #structuralviolence or #manufacturingconsent. Look for examples of the theme in your community and throughout Miami, then snap a picture of it. If you have Instagram and feel like using it for class, post the photo and tag me @realushistory. In the caption, write four scholarly sentences that explain the picture and how it helps further your understanding of the course theme. Then include the hashtags of the theme from the unit, such as #civilrights or #neoliberalism. If you do not haveInstagramor wish to keep separate private social life and public coursework, simply upload the picture to the “Histagram” Canvas Uploads Folder and leave your corresponding comment there. 6. Critical Essays (Three essays,150 Points Each) Three times during the semester, you will submit four-page essays (Double-Spaced, 12 pt font, Times New Roman, around 1,000 words). These assignments will be submitted through the Canvas’s link to Turnitin. Turnitin checks for plagiarism, so do not copy and paste from websites or peers. Do not copy a paragraph and simply change the order of the sentences or change the adjectives. The goal here is to think originally and creatively. To receive an “A” grade, essays must include an introductory paragraph providing context and a clear thesis. This will be followed with paragraphs that further your argument by referencing our PDF readings and the primary sources we read and discuss in class. Finally, students must use Chicago-style citations (footnotes) to give credit to the textbook and any primary sources that are reference or quoted. This is easy. On Microsoft Word, just click “Insert -> Footnote, and then click “okay.” At the bottom of the screen type: Author, “Title” (Year): pg number. Example: WEB Dubois, “Souls of Black Folk” (1902): 33. The essays are designed to allow you as students to demonstrate your critical engagement with the assigned primary and secondary sources. Essay prompts will be available on the course website two weeks before the assignment is due. 7.Documentary Write-Ups (50 points, 2x maximum) I designed this assignment as a way for students to get extra points, especially if they have had trouble with writing the essays. In other words, the documentaries do nothaveto be watched in order for the class to make sense. I will mention each documentary in passing and give students who have watched them the chance to comment on them. They are still relevant to the course—I picked them because they elaborate on the themes we will touch on in class. And if you do watch them, certainly you can use them as a reference during games of “Time-Machine Millionaire.” But they are not mandatory. To get the points, watch one of these five documentaries online (I think they are all free on youtube, or available to rent at an affordable price).
(Stream for free at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3RzGoQC4s I think this link has all four parts of the documentary; you only have to watch the first part, which is around 50 minutes)
Eyes on the Prize,episode 14 (On Miami): “Back to the Movement”
Once you finish the documentary, you will write a two-page reflection (two full pages, double-spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman, footnote citations). The reflection must include an intro paragraph naming the film, who made it, when it came out, and what themes it touches. The body of the reflection should explain the main narrative of the film andmustthen make at least two concrete connections with classroom lectures or with weekly readings. Submit this (like everything else) to Canvas. 8. Tutoring Visit:(25 points) FIU’s history department has an incredible tutoring program just for students taking history courses. Tutoring appointments are with graduate students or graduates of the history program. You take a draft of one of your “Critical Essays” to an appointment and spend 50 minutes working with a tutor to improve your writing. Working with a tutor usually results in a boost of at least 20 points in your essay. To make an appointment, visithttps://history.fiu.edu/tutoring. This website also contains valuable instructions for organizing an historical essay and editing your writing. I wrote those instructions, so they are absolutely valid and pertinent for our class. During the first ¾ of the semester, the tutors accept walk-ins as well, so feel free to stop by. Their offices is located in DM 397 (DM is the ugly old yellow building in between the library and the PC Primera Casa building). You can sign up for tutoring as much as you want, but you will only get the 25 points credit for your first visit. When you finish, sign the sign-in sheet so that you can receive credit. **Word of caution: If you are considering visiting the tutors at some time during the semester, I strongly suggest you visit them for the first essay. Everybody will be lined up to work with the tutors in the last weeks of the academic year and it becomes impossible to make an appointment. 9. Final Exam(75 Points) On the last day of class, bring a blank blue book to class to take a brief final exam. I have only made it worth 50 points, because I want it to be low-stakes, meaning I do not want you to stress out. The goal of the reflection is not to test your memorization of the names and dates, but rather to provide you the opportunity to synthesize many of the different ideas and lessons that you learned throughout the semester. Total Potential Number of Points: 1300
Respectful Engagement
Respect your peers by giving them your attention. If you need to make a phone call, step out of class. Laptop computers can be used for taking notes but should not become a distraction. Breaking this policy means I dock your stock market money or ask you to leave class.
Eat before class, not during. Drinks are welcome. If you bring Cuban coffee for the class, everyone will thank you.
Respect my time. All writing assignments are due on Canvas by the date and time indicated. I know that many of you will face tough circumstances this semester, ranging from health issues to extreme stress (there is so much stress in this country). This is why I designed a grade system based on points. If you cannot make a deadline, do not sweat it. Just move on to the next available assignment and get to work! There are 1300 points available in this class, and you only need 900 to make an A. So do what works for your schedule.
My respect for those of you facing ‘tough’ circumstances. Some of you this semester will face tough personal circumstances. By ‘tough,’ I am referring to:
Eviction or homelessness
Multiple nights spent at the hospital
Anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts that prevent you from coming to class.
In these cases, completing an assignment on time is not always feasible. If these end up happening to you, reach out to me as soon as possible by email or in office hours. You do not need to tell me what is going on; you just need to let me know you are facing a ‘tough’ situation. At that point I will work with you to find a strategy to help you the complete the course assignments and pass the class.
Academic Honesty
In addition to the fact that FIU has strict rules and policies regarding academic misconduct (http://undergrad.fiu.edu/academic-integrity/misconducts.html), I believe that History as a discipline is best when considered an ethical pursuit. We work with the past to learn how to live well in the present. As such, I will hold our classroom to a high standard of academic honesty. For me as your professor, this means I must teach you about citations, quotations, and how historians recognize other scholars for their ideas. On your part, this means doing your own thinking and crediting those that helped you along the way. Academic dishonesty will be officially reported and you will either receive a zero on the assignment or fail the entire course.
Warning regarding "Whatsapp" chat groups. At some point at the beginning of the semester, you will receive an invitation on Canvas or on paper to join a class "Whatsapp" group. Be careful if you decide to join the group, and then be careful what you say on such a platform. Groupchats have the tendency to degenerate into places for copying and pasting answers for worksheets and essays. I treat such sharing as academic dishonesty. If I find similar answers on worksheets, you will receive a 0 for the assignment, no questions asked. If I see similar writing on essays, I may charge you with academic dishonesty. Depending on the nature of the situation, this means you could be kicked out of my class or potentially even receive a permanent "dishonesty" mark left on your college transcript.
Global Learning & Gordon Rule
Our learning outcomes and assignments align with two initiatives at Florida International University. The first is theGlobal Learninginitiative, where the classroom becomes a place in which students entertain multiple perspectives about specific events. Indeed, this is a core pursuit in the study of history. Furthermore, aGlobal Learningclassroom encourages students to look at interactions of different groups in a single society, and then across regional and national boundaries. Few places provide as rich an opportunity to study such interactions as Latin America! Two assignments align particularly well with theGlobal Learninginitiatives. In your essays, you will demonstrateglobal awarenessandperspectiveby addressing prompts asking you to consider how local, regional and international events shaped interactions between groups. In these essays you will include multiple perspectives, a result and reflection of our in-class discussions. Second, our “Histogram” project demonstratescommunity engagement: you are looking for relationships between local events and historical processes, and this will prepare you to maintain historical awareness as you continue to engage the city of Miami. The other course initiative is theGordon Rule in Writing, which evidences FIU’s commitment to help students become stronger writers. As a Gordon Rule course, you will be responsible forwriting three essaysthis semester. Each must be written with athesisand supported withevidencefrom primary and secondary sources (and include Chicago-stylecitations). Furthermore, we will work together during class and through my feedback to ensure that your writingdemonstrates knowledgeandawarenessof college-level, scholarly English. In addition, we will use the in-classreading responsesas an opportunity to reflect on our reading and practice the fundamental skills of essay writing.
Accessibility & Accommodation
The Disability Resource Center (DRC) collaborates with students, faculty, staff, and community members to create diverse learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive and sustainable. If you have a diagnosed disability and plan to utilize academic accommodations, please contact the DRC at 305-348-3532 or visit them at the Graham Center GC 190. You can also visit Blackboard’s Commitment Accessibility webpage for more information. For additional assistance please contact FIU's Disability Resource Center. Two additional notes based on my experience: 1. Even if you have spoken with the DRC in past semesters, it is important to contact them anew each semester to assure they know which courses you are taking and to make sure they have contacted me as the professor. 2. The DRC tells me what general accommodations you need (extra time on an assignment, flexible deadlines, a quiet space for an exam) but they respect your privacy and do not give me additional details. So if you feel you need something additional from me that the DRC may not be able to provide themselves (eg: closed captioning for a video or a transcription of lyrics from a song I assign) then email me (or visit with me!) and tell me what you need. I will be happy to help.