Prof. Shawn Johansen Spring 2000
Office Phone: x4147 Office: Dunkle 105B
Office Hours: MWF 9-10:00, TR 10:45-11:45, Or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is a survey of the history of the American
family from pre-European contact to the present.
OBJECTIVES
1. Students will acquire and demonstrate understanding of:
·
Basic family forms and types from America’s past.
·
The ways in which class, race, and ethnicity have shaped
American family systems.
·
Changes in the societal construction of gender roles.
·
The impact of economic, legal, intellectual and religious
change on families.
·
Current issues facing families.
·
The history of their own families.
2. Students will develop and apply:
·
analytical skills to texts, movies, and primary historical
sources with the goal of understanding the historical context of selected
issues.
·
effective writing and speaking skills in order to
communicate ideas and information learned in the course.
·
The necessary skills to write a critical research paper on
their own family.
REQUIRED TEXTS
D’Emilio and Freedman, Intimate Matters: A History of
Sexuality in America
Demos, A Little Commonwealth: Family Life in Plymouth
Colony
Hiner and Hawes, Growing Up in America: Children in
Historical Perspective
May, Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War
Era
Selected Readings on Reserve in library
GRADING
Two Midterm Exams =
20% (10% each)
Book Quizzes = 15% (5% each)
Participation = 15%
Movie Review = 10%
Paper = 20%
Final Exam = 20%
Grading scale: A=100-90, B=89-80, C=79-70, D=69-60, F=59-
READINGS AND QUIZZES
Come to class having read the reading assignment for that
day. Quizzes on three of the books will
be given as noted in the schedule. You
may make up one missed quiz by handing in a three-page book review that
explores the main theme of the book.
There is no make-up for a second missed quiz without a valid, documented
excuse.
EXAMS
There will be two in-class midterms and one final exam. All
exams will consist of short answer and essay questions. The essay portion of the final will be
comprehensive. Make-up exams will be
given only for valid, documented excuses.
PARTICIPATION
Classes are more productive and enjoyable when students
participate. Come to class ready to
discuss the readings. Other forms of
participation include asking questions, being on time, raising pertinent
current events for class discussion, and listening. At the end of the semester, all students will have an opportunity
to participate in a forum focusing on the future of the American family. To ensure participation and good discussion
of the readings, 15% of your final grade will be decided by your in-class participation.
MOVIE ASSIGNMENT
Film is a powerful medium in today’s culture. This assignment is designed to encourage you
to develop the skills needed to critically examine the historical accuracy and
value of Hollywood-made movies. Using
the information and skills learned in the class, examine the portrayal of
family life in one of the movies listed on page three. You should view this movie at least
twice. Write a 3-4 page essay that
discusses what you think are the basic family types in the movie and what part
the family plays in the film’s main themes.
Due date: March 16.
PAPER
Write an 8-10 page paper comparing the experience of a
chosen family with that of the families we study in the lectures and
readings. To effectively make this
comparison, you must use primary and secondary sources. Begin early in the semester to locate these
materials. Suggested primary sources
include oral interviews, census records, personal and business letters,
photographs, genealogies, journals, diaries, and wills. Examples of topics for comparison include
changes in gender roles, division of work, immigration and assimilation,
sexuality, discipline, family size, education, careers, social mobility, class
issues. You should try to examine three
generations. Effective papers will
focus on a single topic, or at most two-to-three related issues. Students are strongly encouraged to study their
own families. However, you should
understand that this project is not an exercise in ancestor worship but an
attempt to understand the forces that have shaped families throughout American
History. Students whose family
situations prevent them from studying their own families can choose an
instructor approved alternate family.
All students are required to meet with me by March 1 to discuss their
research. On April 4, students will
present their research to the class.
Due date: May 11.
NOTE ON SOURCES:
Primary sources are actual documents or artifacts (or copies
of them) produced at the time of the event by someone who witnessed or
participated in the event or who talked with participants. Secondary sources record the findings of
someone who uses primary sources to form their view of the event. Your essay must include research in both
kinds of sources. Primary sources are
necessary because they are free from the biases of historians, but secondary
sources will show you how others have dealt with your topic. Also, secondary sources provide invaluable
supporting information for your essay.
NOTE ON WRITTEN MATERIAL
When writing papers and essay exams be sure to use sound
writing principles. Your written
material must have a strong argument, a clear thesis statement, evidence, and
depth. Use examples from the sources
and from class materials when appropriate—these give added depth to your
argument. You may use any standard
citation method when quoting material as long as it gives the author, title,
publisher, date published and page of the source. If you consult any source you should list it in a
bibliography. Internet sources should
cite address, author, and date if possible.
Beware of Internet material—much of it is of poor quality and of
questionable veracity. Late assignments
are penalized one letter grade (from B to C) after the due date and ˝ a letter
grade for every week after that. LARGE FONTS, SPACES BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS,
LARGE MARGINS, PICTURES, ETC., ARE NOT SUBSTITUTES FOR EFFORT AND DEPTH. Any assignment using these space-enhancing
methods will be penalized one letter grade (from B to C). No folders or binders please. You may slip papers under my door if I am
not in my office.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Plagiarism and cheating are grounds for a failing grade in
the course and possible disciplinary action by the University. Plagiarism is the use of someone else's
words or ideas in your writing without giving proper credit. See the "Pathfinder" (p. 98) for
definitions of cheating and plagiarism.
ATTENDANCE
Attendance is not required.
However, class activities are essential for a firm understanding of the
course material. Your participation
also requires good attendance. Failure
to attend will most likely result in a failing grade in the course.
DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR
FSU policy states: “The University will not tolerate
disorderly or disruptive conduct which substantially threatens, harms, or
interferes with university personnel or orderly university processes and
functions. A faculty member may require
a student to leave the classroom when his\her behavior disrupts the learning
environment of the class. A student
found responsible for disruptive behavior in the classroom may be
administratively withdrawn from the course.”
SPECIAL NEEDS
If anyone has special needs or will miss class because of
university activities, please talk to me by the second week to arrange
assistance.
STUDENT PROGRESS
You are encouraged to see me in my office to discuss your
progress in the course. If you feel
that you have been graded unfairly please discuss it with me. When I hand back your midterm exams, I will
include a calculation of your total grade to that point in the course. You are encouraged to discuss this grade
with me during office hours. For legal
and practical reasons, I will not give grades over the phone or the
Internet.
NOTE: This syllabus is subject to change. I will announce changes in class. You are responsible for noting and adhering
to the changes.
Movie List
Avalon Dances
With Wolves Thelma and Louise
The Grapes of Wrath Shane Bonnie and Clyde
Kramer vs Kramer To Kill a Mockingbird Roots
The Color Purple Matewan The
Right Stuff
The Godfather Gone
with the Wind Death of a Salesman
The Birdcage Philadelphia War of the Roses
Note: Family issues are only tangential in some of these
movies. However, each film presents an
informative, sometimes unique, portrayal of at least one American family. You may choose another film if you clear it
with me first.
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Date Tue. Feb 1 Thur. Feb 3 Tue .Feb 8 Thur. Feb 10 Tue. Feb 15 Thur. Feb 17 Tue. Feb 22 Thur. Feb 24 Tue. Feb 29 Thur. Mar 2 Tue. Mar 7 Thur. Mar 9 Tue. Mar 14 Thur. Mar 16 Mar 20-24 Tue. Mar 28 Thur. Mar 30 Tue. April 4 Thur. April 6 Tue. April 11 Thur. April 13 Tue. April 18 Thur. April 20 Tue.April 25 Thur. April 27 Tue. May 2 Thur. May 4 Tue. May 9 Thur. May11 Tue. May 16 Friday May 19 |
Class Topic Introduction Origins of the
American Family Native American
Family Systems Colonial Tidewater
Families Puritans and
Pilgrims DEMOS QUIZ Colonial Families
(cont.) Seeds of Change,
1750-1800 Families in Revolution SIGN UP FOR
RESEARCH MEETING Industrialization
and Work Victorian
Masculinity and Femininity MIDTERM 19th
Century Frontier and the South Black Families in
Antebellum America The Home MOVIE ESSAY DUE SPRING BREAK Sex and Birth in
the 19th Century Alternative
Families and Lifestyles Research
Discussions Childrearing and
Childhood in the 19th Century MIDERM Red and Black
Children in White America Reform and the
Immigrant Family PAPER OUTLINE DUE The Companionate
Family Courtship and
Sexuality, 1880-1960 QUIZ, D’EMILIO
& FREEDMAN (thru ch 11) Families in the
Depression and in War Cold War Families QUIZ ON MAY The Great
Barbeque?: Illusions in the 1950s 1960s and 70s 1980s and 90s PAPER DUE Future of the
Family Final Exam, 2:30-5 |
Readings Begin Reading
Demos Hiner ch 3 Finish Demos Hiner chs 1,2;
D’Emilio Intro, chs 1, 2 Hiner ch 4;
D’Emilio pp. 39-73 D’Emilio pp. 73-84 Sklar, “Victorian
Women,” on Reserve; Rotundo, “Learning About Manhood, on Reserve Faragher and
Stansell, “Women and their Families on the Overland Trail” on reserve White, “Female
Slaves,” on reserve; D’Emilio ch 5 Johansen, “Before
the Waiting Room,” on reserve D’Emilio, ch 6 Hiner chs 5,6,7 Hiner chs 10,11,12 Hiner, ch 15;
D’Emilio, ch 7 Hiner ch 14 D’Emilio chs 8-11 Hiner ch 16 Finish May Jackson, “The Baby
Boom…” on reserve Hiner chs 13, 17 D’Emilio chs 12,
13 D’Emilio, chs 14,
15 |