History 579 – Topics in American
Cultural History
Syllabus and Survival Guide
Fall 2024
Thursday 4:00 pm – 6:45 pm, Maple
Hall 217
Instructor
Dr. Thomas W.
Devine
Phone: (818) 677-3550
Email: twd@pacbell.net
Office Hours: Sierra Tower
624, TuTh 2:30-3:30 and by appointment gladly
given.
The following
books – listed in the order in which we will read them – can be purchased on
line or checked out from either the CSUN Library or your local library. All
other readings will be provided in class or made available on the web syllabus.
To subvert the system and to save yourself some money, you should consider
buying used copies of the books. You are
likely to find used or discounted copies at significantly lower prices at the
following websites: www.bookfinder.com;
www.betterworldbooks.com; www.amazon.com.
David Monod, The Soul of Pleasure: Sentiment and Sensation in
Nineteenth-Century American Mass Entertainment
*
Brian Roberts, Blackface Nation: Race, Reform, and Identity in
American Popular Music, 1812-1925
Joy S. Kasson, Buffalo
Bill's Wild West: Celebrity, Memory, and Popular History
Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson [any edition]
John F. Kasson, Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the
Turn of the Century
Gaylyn Studlar, This Mad
Masquerade: Stardom and Masculinity in the Jazz Age
Dashiell
Hammett, The Maltese Falcon
Jill Lepore, The Secret
History of Wonder Woman
Sloan Wilson, The Man in the
Gray Flannel Suit
Michael T.
Bertrand, Race, Rock, and Elvis
* Full text available
on-line from the CSUN library
Spirit
of the Course
This
course takes as its premise that popular culture deserves historians’ serious
consideration. Though dismissed by many self-appointed critics as frivolous or
ephemeral, popular art forms often reveal much about the priorities,
assumptions, mores, and values of the culture that produced and consumed them.
Throughout
the semester we will be exploring nineteenth- and twentieth-century U.S.
history through the lens of the popular arts. In the process, we will consider
the power of the popular arts to influence politics, social movements, and the
economy – the “stuff” more traditionally associated with the study of U. S.
history. We will
examine primary sources such as autobiographies, novels, theatrical
productions, paintings, movies, songs, and comic books.
We will also read historians’ analyses of popular art forms and critique and
evaluate their interpretations.
In
this course, then, you will be learning not
simply more history, but a different
way of understanding history and, in tandem, sharpening your own skills as a
“cultural critic” – skills that will allow you to become both a more
sophisticated student of history and a better-informed observer of and
participant in American culture. In
short, this course seeks to increase not only your knowledge but also your
critical and interpretive abilities – to help you learn not only answers but
better ways of asking questions.
Though the topics covered are eclectic and
wide-ranging, there are certain themes that we will revisit over the course of
the semester:
Grading & Deadlines
Class Participation --30%
Oral Presentation --20%
Analytical Essay --20%
Option A due October 13
Option B due November 23
Semester Project --30%
Initial Proposal/Bibliography due October 3rd
Draft due December 1st
Note that written assignments are not due on the days we meet in class.
They can be emailed to me as MS Word attachments.
Explanation of Requirements
Completing the Reading
There’s
no getting around it – this class requires a lot of reading. But, as a Masters level seminar, it is
supposed to. To succeed in this course, you will need to complete the reading,
but you will also need to have given it some thought. Take notes in the
margins. Record terms that are unfamiliar to you or concepts that you don’t
understand, points that you find interesting or surprising, arguments with
which you strongly agree or disagree, methods of research or analysis that seem
especially creative or insightful (or misguided and unpersuasive), or ideas
that connect to things we’ve talked about in previous classes. Also, read smart
– don’t read every single word of the first 4 chapters and nothing thereafter
because you ran out of time. If you catch the argument the author is making,
don’t sweat all the details or supporting examples – skim over them and get on
to the next major point. It is more important to get a good sense of an entire
book than to master every aspect of the first one-third of it.
Participation
in Discussion
The
class format will be based entirely on discussion. Therefore, it is essential
for you to do the reading and come prepared to discuss it each week. Without
that, there is no class. Not participating in the discussion is akin to taking
swimming lessons but never jumping into the pool. Obviously, emergencies
happen, but repeated absences or failure to participate when you do attend will
significantly reduce your grade. I will do my best to ensure each student has
ample opportunity to contribute, but, ultimately, it will be up to you
to make certain that you remain an active participant rather than a passive
observer. I evaluate participation based on quality, not quantity. “Quality”
participation demands keeping your comments grounded in the reading. At times,
recounting an anecdote or a personal experience can shed light on a concept
covered in the reading, but be aware that it is easy to overdo this.
At the
end of each class, I record a grade for your discussion performance that
day—either a check-plus, check,
check-minus, an “X,” or a 0. Check-plus (100) indicates that you contributed
actively to the discussion and made thoughtful comments that drew directly from
information in the readings; check (85) indicates that you contributed the discussion
but in a more limited way and that your comments demonstrated familiarity with
the readings, if not a thorough mastery of them; check-minus (75) indicates that
you spoke up but that your comments did not refer directly to the readings; an
x (60) indicates that you were present but made no effort to participate, or
that your participation clearly demonstrated that you did not do the reading.
If you are not there, you will receive 0 points for that class discussion
session, unless you submitted written answers to some of the discussion
questions (see below under “Attendance”).
Leading Discussion
One
person will be responsible for leading the discussion each week. That person
will compose a list of 8 questions that address the major themes
and issues raised each of the assigned readings for the week. Well-formulated
questions will open up discussion and allow for various points of view. They
should not intrude the questioner’s own opinion or quiz people on specific
facts to which there is only one answer (“guess what I’m thinking questions”).
I invite each discussion leader to meet with me briefly to go over his or her
questions. (This exchange can also be done via email or Zoom.) The
discussion leader should submit his/her questions to me at least 24 hours
before the seminar meets so I can distribute them to everyone via email
attachment. Your leading of discussion will not receive a grade per se,
but will be taken into account in the calculation of your participation grade.
As leader, you must do more than simply read each question aloud and let others
talk. Rather, take an active part in facilitating the discussion by indicating
how various comments are related, occasionally summarizing what has been said,
and reminding the class how the various comments contribute to answering your
original question. When necessary, guide everyone back to the text and the
question at hand if you believe the discussion has gone on a tangent. You
should also be “reading” the room – make sure everyone gets a chance to speak
and, when recognizing people, favor those who have not spoken yet ahead of
those who have already contributed. Resist the urge to answer your own
questions since that is the fastest way to shut down discussion. If you believe
the class has missed pertinent points, phrase follow-up questions that are
likely to extract these points without tipping your own hand. If you have never
led a discussion before, or would like some helpful tips on doing so, I
encourage you to meet with me ahead of time. Though it would be helpful if you
had already formulated some of your questions before we met, this is not necessary.
Analytical
Essays
This 1500-word assignment will give you the opportunity to
respond to a specific question in a concise, tightly argued essay. You will
have several topics from which to choose. I will distribute the topics at least
a week before the paper is due. If you wish,
you may provide me with a draft of your essay ahead of time and I will provide
feedback. Please submit the paper via email on the day it is due. There will be
two opportunities to complete this assignment. If you hand in a paper on both
occasions, I will count the higher of the two grades
Précis
One
person will be responsible for producing a single-spaced 2-3 page précis
of the readings for each week. Please adhere to this page limit. Your précis
should be a summary
rather than a review – focus on what
the book says and how it says it
rather than giving your own assessment. Your précis should identify the book’s
central arguments, briefly note how it is organized, indicate the kinds of
sources employed and how the author uses them, and summarize the main points of
each chapter (or group of chapters, if that seems more appropriate). The person
who writes the précis should email me a copy 24 hours in advance of the class
meeting. I will look it over, make any appropriate edits, and send it to the
rest of the class the night before we meet. This assignment, too, will not
receive a grade per se, though in calculating your participation grade,
I will take into account the quality of and amount of effort you appear to have
put in to your précis. For those weeks in which the main reading is a novel,
there is no need to provide a plot summary; rather, summarize the content and
arguments of the supplementary articles.
Oral
Presentation/Written Critique
One person will be responsible for producing a 1500-word
critique of the assigned reading each week. This may be handled in one
of four ways:
1) a summary of the book’s critical reception and
your own assessment of it
2) a historiographical review that explains where
the assigned book or articles fit within the existing secondary literature (you
might counter pose the assigned reading against a book or article that takes a
contrary point of view).
3) a brief essay that focuses on a particular theme
or argument in the week’s reading that you found especially interesting and
wanted to explore further in other sources.
4) a report grounded in primary sources in which
you discuss whether the sources you examined led you to the same kinds of
interpretations that the author offers.
I can
provide you with both primary source suggestions and historiographical
background, so don’t hesitate to ask. At some point during class, usually right
after the break, you will have the floor to present your findings and field
questions from the class. Please do not
read your critique verbatim or read to the class the text you have put on a
series of Powerpoint slides. That said, you should
feel free to include an audio-visual component if you think it would enhance
your presentation. Your presentation should last 15 minutes. I will not allow you to go beyond 20 minutes, so be sure you know
ahead of time how long your presentation will run. The
written critique will be due a week from the date of your presentation.
Your grade will be based on the written product (2/3) and the quality of your
oral presentation (1/3). The quality of an oral presentation is judged on how
organized, informative, and prepared you are in your delivery. The written
critique will be graded by the same standards as the analytical essay.
Semester Project
Choose a topic from the period covered in the
course that you find to be of interest and locate FIVE scholarly articles that address your topic. (Be aware
that you will probably have to peruse more than five articles before you settle
on the ones you want to discuss in your paper.) These articles should be from
scholarly journals devoted to historical scholarship and written by historians,
preferably over a period of at least thirty years. You should choose a topic
narrow enough to give your essay a sharp focus. For example, “Silent Films” is
too broad; “Portrayals of gender relations in silent films” is more manageable.
Write an 8-10 page essay (approximately 2500-3000 words) in which you recount
how these historians have engaged your topic. What are the main points of
emphasis and/or contention? How do the interpretations in each article support,
undermine, complement, or challenge each other? Why do the interpretations
differ? (For example, do they draw on different kinds of evidence and sources
or do they emphasize different aspects of the topic?) To what extent did the
scholarly interpretations of your topic change over time? In addition to addressing the articles’
approaches to your topic, you should provide your own assessment of the five
articles. Which scholar’s work is most compelling to you and why? How would you
synthesize the various scholarly views you have read to present your own
interpretation? So as to prevent you from putting this assignment off until the
last moment, we will approach it in a three-step process. On October 3rd,
I will ask for a tentative annotated bibliography and a one-page status report
in which you offer your early impressions on how scholars have approached your
topic and what some of the emphases and issues of contention have been. At this
point (if not before) I will “approve” your topic. During weeks nine and ten, I
will hold extra office hours so each student can meet with me to discuss his or
her topic. At this point, you should have settled on the five articles that
will be the basis of your paper and be well on your way toward completing a
first draft. Finally, you will submit a complete draft of the essay by 11:59pm
on December 1st. I will provide you with extensive feedback on
this draft that you will be able to incorporate into your final submission.
Surviving History 579…
Attendance
It is important, and it is expected, that you will be present at every
session. Given the weight put on class participation, frequent absences will
bring down your grade significantly. To make up for a missed class, you may
submit written responses to any four of the eight discussion questions (the
total of the four responses not to exceed 1500 words). These will be due in
class one week after the class you missed.
Doing Well
The key to success in any graduate course is time management. You should have a clear sense of how long
it will take you to complete a task and then act accordingly. You should also
spend time on a task in proportion to the significance of the task. (Don’t
spend more time writing the precis than you did reading the book!) Start
reading on the side for your semester project as soon as possible – week two is
not “too early.” If you can, start reading the next week’s book as soon as you
get back from class – if only for 30-45 minutes before going to bed. You’ll
find this preempts procrastination (and you won’t arrive at class the next week
not having read the last third of the book!) Try to discipline yourself to
devote that occasional free half hour to reading another chapter of the book
rather than scrolling through social media!
Problems
I appreciate that most CSUN graduate students are stretching themselves
thin, often working full time, caring for family members, or raising kids --
all while taking a full load of classes. If you are feeling overwhelmed, find
yourself falling behind, or are having any problems outside of class that are
adversely affecting your performance in class, be sure to let me know. If you
need advice on how to improve your performance, ask for it. Do not wait until
the end of the semester when it will be too late. I am more than willing to
work with you to insure you “survive,” but I need to know you are having
difficulties. Keep the lines of communication open.
Discussion
Topics and Assignments
Schedule
Aug.
29 Introduction
An explanation
of course objectives, mechanics, and procedures.
Sept. 5 “Shakespeare in the Bowery” – Antebellum
Theater, Class Conflict, and Nationalist Masculinity
Richard
Butsch, The Making of American Audiences From Stage to Television, 1750-1990,
pp 44-65
Nigel Cliff,
“A Night at the Opera, and Another in Hell”
Sept.
12 P. T. Barnum and the Rise of
“Democratic Amusements”
Reading:
P. T. Barnum, The Life of P. T. Barnum, Chapters 1,
2, 7, 9, 11, 17, 18
Neil Harris, Humbug: The Art of P.T. Barnum, Chapters 3, 8
Terence Whalen, “P. T. Barnum and the Birth of Capitalist
Irony”
[Introduction
to the Autobiography, 2000]
Stephen Mihm, “P.
T. Barnum and the Business of Entertainment,”
[Introduction to the Autobiography,
2018]
Sept. 19 “The
Sentimental Century” – Mass Entertainment and the Middle Class
Reading: David
Monod, The Soul of Pleasure: Sentiment and Sensation in Nineteenth-Century
American Mass Entertainment
[Full e-text available through the CSUN Library]
Sept. 26 “More
Complicated than Black and White” – Popular Music, Race, and Reform
Reading:
Brian Roberts, Blackface Nation: Race, Reform,
and Identity in American Popular Music, 1812-1925
Oct.
3 “Authentic Fantasy” – Buffalo Bill Cody and the
Reconstruction of American Memory
Reading: Joy S. Kasson, Buffalo
Bill's Wild West: Celebrity, Memory, and Popular History
Oct. 10 “Deconstructing Race” – Mark Twain and the
Irony of American Race Relations
Reading: Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson
Eric J.
Sundquist, “Mark Twain and Homer Plessy,” Representations 24 (1988): 102-28.
Oct. 17 “Sodom by the Sea!” – The Emergence of Mass Culture at Coney
Island
Reading:
John F. Kasson, Amusing the Million
Oct.
24 “The New Man” – Movies and
Masculinity in the 1920s
Reading: Gaylyn Studlar,
This Mad Masquerade: Stardom and
Masculinity in the Jazz Age
Oct.
31 “A Whole New Ballgame” – Sports, Technology,
and American Culture in the 1920s
Jules Tygiel, “New Ways of Knowing: Baseball in the 1920s”
Susan K. Cahn, Coming On Strong: Gender and
Sexuality in Women's Sport, Chapter 2
Nov. 7 “Tough
Guys in a World of Chance” – The Detective Novel of the Interwar Years
Reading: Dashiell
Hammett, The Maltese Falcon
Nov. 14 “Feminist Flashpoint” – The Invention of
Wonder Woman
Reading: Jill Lepore, The
Secret History of Wonder Woman
Nov. 21 “Out of the Army and Into the Rat Race”
– Adjusting to the Postwar World
Reading: Sloan Wilson, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
MAN IN THE
GRAY FLANNEL SUIT STUDY GUIDE
Catherine Jurca, “Sanctimonious
Suburbanites and the Postwar Novel”
Footnotes for “Sanctimonious Suburbanites”
Nov.
28 Thanksgiving (No Class Meeting)
Dec.
5 “It Came from Memphis” – Elvis
Presley, Rock’n’Roll, and the Blurring of Cultural Heirarchiesedswa
Reading: Michael T.
Bertrand, Race, Rock, and Elvis
Robert Pielke, “Elvis and the
Negation of the Fifties”