SYLLABUS
Introduction
This New York City History course is designed for
New York City school teachers, not undergraduates. In New York City,
school teachers are eligible for sabbatical leave after fourteen years
of service and LaGuardia offers them a range of courses, from urban
history to film and humanities to computers. I try to do three
things in this course and in a History of Minorities course that runs
in the spring:
1) expose my students to the city and stimulate/enrich them in the broadest sense
2) encourage them to read good books;
3) develop critical thinking skills.
BOOKS
- Floyd Shumway, SEAPORT CITY (xerox copy)
- Charles E. Rosenberg, THE CHOLERA YEARS
- William Riordan, ed., PLUNKITT OF TAMMANY HALL
- John Kasson, AMUSING THE MILLION (omit the last chapter, pp. 87-112)
- David L. Lewis, WHEN HARLEM WAS IN VOGUE
- Robert Caro, THE POWER BROKER
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
You will be asked to submit three brief (two to three typed pages)
analyses of the assigned books that review their main points under
discussion, not simply report its plot, perspective, etc. You may
write about any THREE of the SIX books for this class; the choice is
yours. These must be yped and they will be graded.
SCHEDULE OF WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
DUE . . . . .BOOK
10/16 . . . . .Shumway, SEAPORT CITY
10/16 . . . . .Rosenberg, CHOLERA YEARS
10/30 . . . . .Riordan, PLUNKITT
11/13 . . . . .Kasson, AMUSING THE MILLION
11/27 . . . . .Lewis, HARLEM
11/27 . . . . .Caro, POWER BROKER
WEATHER ALERT
Occasionally, a walking tour must be cancelled due to poor
weather. If the skies look threatening and a tour seems to be
at risk, call the Archives (718-482-5065); (opens at 9:00) to
find out whether or not it has been cancelled.
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES
9/25 -- Introduction; the Rise of New York Port
Shumway, SEAPORT CITY
10/2 -- Walking Tour of Greenwich Village. We will stop for lunch.
Shumway, SEAPORT CITY
10/9 -- NO CLASS: COLUMBUS DAY AND YOM KIPPUR
10/16 -- The Public Health Crisis
Rosenberg, CHOLERA YEARS
Guest Speaker:
Dr. Bert Hansen, CUNY Research Foundation:
"Popular Reactions to Health Crises in 19th Century New York"
10/23 -- Walking Tour of Early Irish New York, with lunch in Chinatown.
Rosenberg, CHOLERA YEARS
10/30 -- Tammany Hall
Riordan, PLUNKITT
11/6 -- Visit to the Old Merchant's House, 29 East 4th Street, between Broadway and Lafayette. We will stop for lunch.
11/13 -- Leisure Neighborhoods
Kasson, AMUSING THE MILLION
Dr. Deborah S. Gardner, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW YORK CITY: Topic: "Department Stores"
11/20 -- The Brooklyn Bridge and the Subway
11/27 -- Harlem Lewis, WHEN HARLEM WAS IN VOGUE
Guest speaker:
Prof. Larry A. Greene, Seton Hall University,
Topic: "Harlem during Depression and War"
12/4 -- The Fall of New York? The Future of New York?
Caro, POWER BROKER
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