hist 299-01 (transnational): cold war politics, culture ...sakai our course has a sakai site, which...
TRANSCRIPT
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HIST 299-01 (Transnational):
Cold War Politics, Culture, Society
Tu/Th 2:20-3:50, Piskor 214
St. Lawrence University, Fall 2017
Table of Contents
Professor's Contact Information & Office Hours ………..p. 1
Course Overview & Objectives.........................................p. 2
Required Course Texts.....................................................p. 3
Sakai..................................................................................p. 3
Summary of Assignments & Grade Distribution.............p. 4
Class Preparation, Professionalism, & Contribution......pp. 4-6
Policy on having personal electronic devices in class.pp. 4-5
Reading and Videos ………………………………………......……pp. 6-7
Taking notes on reading and videos…………………….p. 6
Advice for reading……………………………….………………p. 7
Responsibility for ALL readings……………………………p. 7
Quizzes…………………….………………………………………………pp. 7-8
Absences…………………………………………………………………pp. 8-9
Formal Written & Spoken Assignments……….................p. 9
Academic Integrity…………………………………………….……..pp. 10-11
Resources to Help You Succeed in this Course………….pp. 11-12
Why You Need to Follow Assignment Instructions.........p. 12
Disability and Accessibility Services Office [DASO]……..p. 13
Course Schedule..............................................................pp. 13-24
Professor's Contact Information and Office Hours
Dr. Donna Alvah, Department of History
Office: Piskor Hall 211
Office hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 1:00–4:00
p.m., & by appointment
(no office hours during the October and
November breaks and finals week, but you
can make an appointment for finals week)
Office phone: (315) 229-5867
E-mail: [email protected]
SLU email is the university's official means of communication. If you send email to me, please
do so from your SLU email account. It is expected that students will regularly check their SLU
email accounts.
I will respond on the same day to emails received by 6:00 p.m. I will respond the next day to
emails received after 6:00 p.m.
mailto:[email protected]
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Course Overview & Objectives
In this seminar for sophomores and juniors we will examine and practice a variety of methods for
interpreting political, social, and cultural aspects of "the Cold War." This rivalry between the
superpowers and their allies encompassed domestic and international politics, fueled a nuclear
arms race, and influenced life and ideas in many countries. We will study scholarly texts that
consider associations between Cold War politics and gender, family, sexuality, race, age,
nationality, religion, and other social categories, and will use ideas from these to analyze diverse
primary sources, including film, art, music, and more. We also will consider how people in different
locations and time periods responded to the Cold War. Students will conduct oral history interviews
of people who experienced this era and scrutinize popular cultural representations of the Cold War
to understand how it has been, and is, remembered. The culminating course project is a
historiography on a focused topic selected by the student.
Course objectives
◻ Knowledge of key events, ideas, issues, individuals, and groups in the Cold War, as well as the Cold
War's influences on society, culture, and the environment, and how people responded to the Cold War
◻ Understanding of interpretations of causes and consequences of the Cold War and its end
◻ Awareness of the geographical extent of the Cold War
◻ Acquaintance with a variety of approaches to interpreting cultural and social aspects of the Cold War
◻ Consideration of different types of evidence that historians use to interpret the past
◻ Awareness of challenges encountered in studying the recent past
◻ Practice in analyzing primary sources
◻ Practice in dissecting historians' arguments to better understand their logic and use of evidence
◻ Practice in conducting an interview and recording and documenting an oral history
◻ Honing skills in identifying and obtaining a variety of types of scholarly sources from libraries and
databases
◻ Ability to identify high-quality sources from reputable open internet sites
◻ Practice in assessing and comparing historical interpretations of a topic, culminating in a
historiographical essay
◻ Refinement of written and spoken communication skills, including discussion and presentation skills.
◻ Using digital tools such as Prezi and Excel for history assignments.
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Required Course Texts
Please purchase the required books right away, and bring assigned readings to class. Required books also
will be on reserve at ODY Library to check out for short periods. You can obtain the information for checking
these out at the SLU Libraries web site, and also by asking for help at the Circulation Desk in ODY Library.
Fink, Carole K. Cold War: An International History, 2nd edition.
Westview Press, 2017
ISBN 978-0-8133-49824 / 0813349826
Hunt, Lynn. Writing History in the Global Era.
W. W. Norton & Co., 2015
ISBN 978-0-3933-51170 / 0393351173
Potter, Claire Bond, and Renee C. Romano, eds. Doing Recent History: On Privacy, Copyright, Video Games,
Institutional Review Boards, Activist Scholarship, and History that Talks Back.
University of Georgia Press, 2012.
ISBN 978-0-8203-43020 / 0820343021
Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History. 8th ed.
Bedford St. Martin’s, 2015.
ISBN-13: 9781457690884 (paper)
In addition to the above books, you are responsible for all other readings made available during the
semester—handed out in class and/or available on Sakai.
Assigned videos that you will access on Sakai also are required course texts.
Finally, it is expected that you will use a writing style guide such as Little Seagull or a manual by Diana
Hacker. The WORD Studio in ODY Library has these guides; you may also check out writing style guides on
reserve at the circulation desk in that library. An excellent comprehensive internet site for writing instruction
and resources is Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL): https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ .
Sakai
Our course has a Sakai site, which you may access at https://sakai.stlawu.edu/ (and via various other SLU
website portals). Students enrolled in the course are automatically added to this site. The syllabus,
discussion handouts, assignment instructions, other documents, and videos will be available on Sakai.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/https://sakai.stlawu.edu/
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Summary of Assignments and Grade Distribution
Class participation: 15%
Quizzes: 10%
Archival source analysis: 10%
Oral history project (including interview, transcription, field notes, abstract): 15%
Oral history presentation: 10%
Historiographical essay (research-based; includes source annotations [10% combined]; + outline, draft, & final
essay [20%]): 30% total
Formal presentation of historiography: 10%
⇨ Please note that the "Pass/Fail" grade option is not available for this course.
Class Preparation, Professionalism, and Contribution To earn this portion of your course grade, attending class regularly is a basic but not the only requirement.
You also must prepare for class and make constructive contributions. Each student's preparation for class,
and demeanor, leadership, and participation in class, influences the classroom environment. In other
words, each of you can help to make the class a positive and worthwhile experience for all.
Occasionally someone will say that s/he is unwilling to speak in class because “I just don’t like talking in
class.” Nevertheless, it does not excuse anyone from class participation. Someone might not like doing the
assigned readings or writing papers, either, but that doesn’t excuse that person from completing these
assignments! At SLU, we want all students to have “[t]he ability to read, write, speak, and listen well.”1
Students are expected to come to every class prepared to talk (and in some cases, write) about readings,
videos, and other assignments. Demonstrate that you have done the readings and watched the videos, and
that you’ve thought about them and are engaging with them.
I would like students to listen to each other and respond thoughtfully and constructively. Discussions and
debates can be informative and useful for thinking through ideas. Feel free to take issue with
interpretations put forward by the course texts and members of our class, in a respectful manner that
advances discussion. Ideally, everyone will contribute to creating an environment in which all students are
expected to participate and are comfortable and feel heard doing so.
Policy on having personal electronic devices in class:
Before coming into class please turn off and put away, out of sight, phones, laptops, tablets, and any other
personal electronic devices. Having these devices out during class distracts their users as well as others,
and thus impedes collaborative learning. We need everyone's undivided attention in this class and we can
all survive for a couple of hours without texting, checking social media sites and sports scores, etc. We will
be studying as well as practicing mindfulness in this course, so you may consider the policy of focusing in
class without the distraction of personal electronics an exercise in mindfulness that is especially important
to cultivate in this age of information overload!
Using these devices in class (unless they are allowed for library sessions or other class instruction) will result
in a reduced class professionalism and contribution grade, since doing so is unprofessional and also
negatively influences the classroom atmosphere. If you have an official accommodation for using a
1 St. Lawrence University, 2012-2013 University Catalog, p. 6, accessed 22 August 2012,
http://www.stlawu.edu/catalog/1213/catalog_1213.pdf.
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computer to take notes in class, then please speak with me about this. Even if you have such an
accommodation, if I find that you are using your device for anything not immediately relating to our seminar
then you will no longer be allowed to use it in class.
Everyone should bring a laptop to our library sessions; please see the syllabus for dates. If your laptop isn’t
working or you don’t have one, computers are available in the library.
Here is an idea of how class preparation, professionalism, and contribution will translate into a grade:
4.0 (“A,” Excellent):
—The student is always prepared for, alert, and focused in class.
—The student has carefully completed and contemplated the assigned texts (readings, videos, etc.), and
participates in a way that demonstrates seriously grappling with the course texts and ideas.
—Listens carefully to other students, the professor, and guest speakers, and responds in ways that advance
the discussion.
—Makes connections to other students’ comments, and also among various course texts—e.g., current and
previous readings, videos, students' presentations, etc.
—Pays attention during students' presentations, asks questions or makes relevant comments after
presentations, and provides constructive feedback in peer reviews.
—Stays on task in pair/group discussions, and makes a fair contribution to these.
—Earnestly engages in class activities (including writing exercises).
—Comes to class on time.
3.0 (“B,” Good):
—The student is clearly engaged, and contributes regularly in class, in a way that demonstrates that s/he has
prepared for class and has thought about the assigned texts (readings, videos, etc.).
—Listens carefully to other students, the professor, and guest speakers, responding to their comments in a
manner that benefits the discussion.
—Tries to make connections to other students’ comments, course texts, etc.
—Pays attention during students' presentations, and afterword sometimes asks questions or offers
comments; provides helpful feedback in peer reviews.
—Stays on task in pair/group discussions, and makes a fair contribution.
—Gamely engages in class activities (including writing exercises).
—Comes to class on time.
2.0 (“C,” Satisfactory):
—The student attends class regularly and appears engaged but usually doesn’t speak unless called upon.
—Is attentive to what’s going on in the class, including what other students, the professor, and guest
speakers are saying (in other words, isn’t sleeping or tuning out).
—When called upon, says enough to indicate familiarity with assigned readings and videos, even if
comments aren’t extensive.
—Pays attention during students' presentations; occasionally asks questions or offers comments; makes an
effort to provide helpful feedback in peer reviews.
—Stays on task in pair/group discussions, and makes an effort to contribute.
—Cooperates in class activities (including writing exercises).
—Usually comes to class on time.
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⇨ Some reasons why a student could receive a grade of 1.0 (“D,” Unsatisfactory) or 0 ("F," Failed) for the class preparedness, professionalism, and participation grade:
—Lack of engagement in class, manifested in such behaviors as dozing, tuning out, checking the phone,
texting, compulsive clock-watching, note-passing, or personal conversations (including during pair/group
activities, student presentations, library instruction, etc.).
—Rarely or never coming to class prepared to discuss course texts.
—Not participating constructively in pair/group discussions or other class activities; letting others do most of
the work.
—Insufficient effort in in-class writing activities.
—Inattention to peers' presentations; insufficient effort in peer reviews
—Not bringing assigned readings to class.
—Doing work for other courses in this class.
—Frequently coming to class late or leaving early.
—Leaving the classroom frequently (e.g., to check phone), and/or for more than a couple of minutes.
—Unexcused absences (including skipping classmates' presentations)
For those worried about participating in class: Throughout the semester, everyone will have numerous
opportunities to participate. If you find it difficult to speak in class, please meet with me in office hours—the
earlier, the better—so that we can strategize about ways to improve your participation. I am happy to help
you find ways to participate in class. Sharing your thoughts with others and listening to what others have to
say helps everyone think through and better understand what we are studying. This is an essential part of
your education here at SLU.
Reading and Videos Completing assigned readings and watching videos before class is fundamental to class preparation, and
evidence of completing and grappling with the readings and videos (or not) will be considered in determining
the class preparation, professionalism, and contribution grade. Please purchase the required books right
away, and bring assigned readings to class. Required books also will be on reserve at ODY Library to check
out for short periods. You can obtain the information for checking these out at the SLU Libraries web site.
You also may ask for help with getting these books at the Circulation Desk in ODY Library (immediately past
the main entrance, in the lobby).
Taking notes on readings and videos To prepare for participation in our seminars, it is expected that each student will come to class with notes on
the assigned texts (readings, videos, etc.). Including the titles of the readings and videos that you are taking
notes on, as well as authors' names, year of publication, and specific page numbers from readings will make
it easy for you to refer to them in discussions and assist your learning about them.
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Advice for reading
Thinking about the following questions and taking notes as you read will help you to read actively rather than
passively and to prepare for in-class activities:
What is the title of the reading (document, article, chapter, book)? What does the title suggest about what this reading will address, and what argument it might make?
What is the purpose of this reading? In other words, what did the author want to accomplish in writing it?
Is the author presenting an argument? What are the main points and central ideas of this reading?
What strikes you about this work? What surprises, puzzles, or provokes you (in positive or negative ways)?
What are the tone, language, and style of the reading?
What does this reading contribute to your understanding of the larger topic being studied? How does it relate to the other assigned texts for this course?
It is important for you to get through the readings before coming to class. If some of it seems difficult, try to
move on in order to finish the assignment, even if you do not understand everything. Make a note of what
you find difficult so that we can discuss this in class. Reviewing introductions and conclusions will help you
understand scholars’ arguments and main points.
Write down questions that occur to you while reading, and bring them to class. I encourage discussion of
students' questions and points in class.
Responsibility for ALL readings Because we’ll have a lot to do in all of our classes, there will not always be enough time to discuss every part
of the assigned readings for every class. Nevertheless, everyone is responsible for completing these
readings, and for being prepared to respond to quiz questions on them and to incorporate them into written
and spoken assignments.
I will create Sakai topic forums so that students can post their questions on readings before each class, and
so we’ll know to address these questions (either in class or on Sakai). If there is something from that day’s
assigned readings that you have a question on or don’t understand and want us to discuss in class, then I
expect you to take the initiative to bring this to our attention so that we can address it.
I also expect students to refer to and follow the writing, speaking, and presentation advice and conventions
addressed in Little Seagull and "Public Speaking: The Virtual Text" (online). These guides are for class
discussions as well as for you to consult while working on course assignments outside of class.
Quizzes The quizzes for this course serve as incentives to carefully complete readings and watch videos and think
about them, and also to be attentive and engaged in library visits and other activities. In other words, the
quizzes are a means to facilitate learning and to encourage you to come to class prepared to contribute to
class discussions. If everyone is a responsible and informed participant in discussions then classes should
be interesting and worthwhile for all. Moreover, studying for and taking quizzes and going over them
afterwards reinforce learning.
Quizzes will address current and recent topics and assigned materials; sometimes they will also ask you to
draw on what you’ve studied earlier in the semester. In making connections between new learning and what
you studied in previous weeks, you are retrieving and building on older information and ideas, which
enhances learning.
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Quizzes will be taken in class, and possibly on occasion completed on Sakai before class. Quizzes may ask
you to provide short answers to questions or prompts; define key terms; identify and briefly explain the
significance of locations on a map; analyze images, or quotations from readings; and answer multiple-choice
questions. There may be extra-credit questions.
During a quiz you may use a single 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper (both sides) of your own notes on the readings,
videos, library visits, peer presentations, etc., but not the readings themselves, nor other people's notes, nor
anything else. Using anything other than the 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper with your own notes will be treated as
a violation of the academic integrity policy. Immediately after each quiz please give your sheet of notes to
Professor Alvah.
Consulting other students or anyone else for assistance with completing these quizzes is not allowed, nor is
assisting classmates or sharing information about the quizzes allowed before everyone has taken them.
Breaching these rules also will be treated as a violation of the academic integrity policy.
Students intending to travel for sanctioned University activities at the time of a quiz should speak with Dr.
Alvah well before the departure date about arranging for the accompanying faculty or staff adviser or coach
to proctor a quiz on the road (this arrangement requires the student to take the quiz at the same time as the
students in class).
I will drop the two lowest quiz grades.
Absences Each student is permitted two absences for any reason during the semester. It will be your decision whether
to use these absences because you are ill, or to drive a friend somewhere, or for a job interview, or to go
home, or because your car breaks down or your flight is delayed, or to do work for another class, or anything
else. However, I strongly recommend that you reserve your absences for a contagious illness or an
emergency. Please don't come to class if you are in the contagious stages of an illness. If you will miss a
class for any reason, please e-mail me before class to let me know.
Each absence beyond the excused two will result in a deduction of one grade point (1.0) from the course
preparation/professionalism/contribution grade.
Regarding illness and emergencies when a presentation is scheduled:
If a contagious or serious illness or an emergency would impede your ability to give a presentation as
scheduled, I will try to find an alternative time for you to complete this assignment. Otherwise, please do not
be absent on a day when you are scheduled to give a presentation; if you do this then the presentation will
be considered late and a grade penalty will apply.
In the uncommon circumstance that a medical condition or crisis will cause you to miss more than two
classes, please contact Professor Alvah about this as soon as possible. Additionally, please contact the
Office of the Dean of Student Life to ask them to inform all your professors. Upon your return to classes it
may also be helpful to meet with support staff in the Office of Academic Advising for assistance with catching
up with your coursework.
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Your responsibilities if you miss a class for any reason:
You’ll need to teach yourself what you’ve missed—by completing the assigned readings, getting notes
from a classmate, etc.
You'll also need to find out whether there were any announcements or handouts for that day (check Sakai, or ask a classmate or the professor).
You also will need to get yourself up to speed for class activities and be ready to fully participate in whatever is scheduled for when you return to class (e.g., a debate or other activity). I encourage you
to come to my office hours so I can help you do this.
Formal Written & Spoken Assignments
Historians write a lot, and history professors want their students to write well. The writing process helps you
to develop your analytical skills and to better understand things, articulate and think through problems,
formulate solutions, and communicate clearly and powerfully. Dr. Alvah wants you to make the most of your
education here at SLU by improving and refining your writing skills, and she is prepared to help you do this. It
takes time and effort, but it's an assuredly worthwhile endeavor.
While writing is an essential skill for self-expression and communication, public speaking and visual design
are also important skills to develop. Familiarity with (and the ability to critique) digital technologies is also
valuable. Thus, this course provides opportunities to hone a variety of skills.
Detailed instructions for the assignments will be provided.
Late or missed assignments
Due dates are indicated in the course schedule. Late papers will be penalized at the rate of one grade point
(1.0 on the scale of 0 to 4 points) per day, beginning at the deadline. If you need a short extension for a
paper, please email me about this beforehand to avoid the late penalty.
It is crucial that presentations be given as scheduled. Missing a presentation for an unexcused reason will
result in a grade of "0" for that assignment if there is no time to make it up during another class. If it is
possible to reschedule a presentation for another class (and there's no guarantee that there will be), then
the grade for that presentation will be reduced by one grade point (-1.0 point). It is not possible to make up
a missed presentation by giving the presentation only to the professor (i.e., without the rest of the class
present). Please also see "Regarding illness and emergencies at the time of an in-class quiz or presentation"
(earlier in this syllabus).
Making back-ups of your work
It is expected that students will make back-ups of all assignments, including drafts. There are many ways to
do this: copy them to your P-Drive or Google Drive or another online storage site, e-mail them to yourself, put
them on a flash-drive, etc. Always back up your work-in-progress; don't wait until finishing an assignment to
make a back-up copy.
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Academic Integrity
It is expected that all students have familiarized themselves with and will adhere to the university's
academic honesty policy. It is the university's policy that "If an instructor encounters any form of academic
dishonesty, s/he has an obligation to call the offending student(s) to account."2 The assigned course
readings include advice on how to avoid plagiarism in papers and presentations. Please review SLU's
"Academic Honor Code" below, and be sure to talk with Dr. Alvah if you have any questions or concerns.
The Academic Honor Code (available in the Student Handbook)
THIS SECTION PERTAINING TO THE ACADEMIC HONOR COUNCIL is not confidential. Your signed
acknowledgment of the code will be placed in your permanent student file. A record of your electronic
signature shall be retained as a record of compliance with the Academic Honor Code. The Academic
Honor Code cited below was designed by students and approved by the elected student government, the
Thelomathesian Society, on February 26, 1992.
All students at St. Lawrence University are bound by honor to maintain the highest level of academic
integrity. By virtue of membership in the St. Lawrence community, every student accepts the
responsibility to know the rules of academic honesty, to abide by them at all times, and to encourage all
others to do the same.
Responsibility for avoiding behavior or situations from which academic dishonesty may be inferred rests
entirely with the students. Students should be sure to learn from faculty what is expected as their own
work and how the work of other people should be acknowledged.
Academic Honesty
A major commitment of the University is “to the intellectual development of the student” (St. Lawrence
University Aims and Objectives) which can be achieved only by strict adherence to standards of
honesty. At St. Lawrence, all members of the community have a responsibility to see that these
standards are maintained. Consequently, St. Lawrence University students will not engage in acts of
academic dishonesty as described below.
Academic Dishonesty
1. It is assumed that all work is done by the student unless the instructor/mentor/employer gives
specific permission for collaboration.
2. Cheating on examinations and tests consists of knowingly giving or using or attempting to use
unauthorized assistance during examinations or tests.
3. Dishonesty in work outside of examinations and tests consists of handing in or presenting as
original work which is not original, where originality is required.
The following constitute examples of academic dishonesty:
a) Plagiarism: Presenting as one’s own work the work of another person--words, ideas, data,
evidence, thoughts, information, organizing principles, or style of presentation--without proper
attribution. Plagiarism includes paraphrasing or summarizing without acknowledgment by
quotation marks, footnotes, endnotes, or other indices of reference (cf. Joseph F. Trimmer, A
Guide to MLA Documentation).
b) Handing in or presenting false reports on any experiment.
c) Handing in or presenting a book report on a book one has not read.
2 St. Lawrence University, Student Handbook, accessed 22 August 2012,
http://www.stlawu.edu/studentlife/sites/stlawu.edu.studentlife/files/SLU%20Handbook.pdf.
http://www.stlawu.edu/studentlife/sites/stlawu.edu.studentlife/files/SLU%20Handbook.pdf
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d) Falsification of records.
e) Supplying information to another student knowing that such information will be used in a dishonest
way.
f) Submission of or presentation of work (papers, journal abstracts, oral presentations, etc.) which
has received credit in a previous course to satisfy the requirement(s) of a second course without
the knowledge and permission of the instructor/supervisor/mentor of the second course.
g) Knowingly making false statements in support of requests for special consideration or special
timing in the fulfillment of course requirements.
Claims of ignorance and academic or personal pressure are unacceptable as excuses for academic
dishonesty. Students must learn what constitutes one’s own work and how the work of others must be
acknowledged. Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty by the Academic Honor Council may
have a letter placed in his or her permanent file.
St. Lawrence students are required to electronically sign the following statement prior to
registration for classes:
“I hereby acknowledge that I have read the above document and I understand my
responsibility in maintaining the standards of academic honesty at St. Lawrence University.”
This is accomplished by checking the box agreeing that you have read the policy on the password reset
page.
More information on academic integrity, including the Academic Honor Council’s Constitution, can be
found at http://www.stlawu.edu/sites/default/files/resource/AcademicHonorPolicy.pdf. For information
about academic integrity or the Academic Honor Council issues, contact the Dean’s Office at x5993.
Resources to Help You Succeed in this Course
Your professor:
It is my job to help students learn. I am happy to talk with you to help you figure out how to do your best
work in this course and how to make the most of your college opportunities, so please always feel free to
meet with me in office hours, or make an appointment.
The WORD Studio [the following text is provided by the WORD Studio]
The Munn Center for Rhetoric and Communication maintains The WORD Studio in ODY Library—a
place to get feedback from peers on assignments in Writing, Oral communication, Research, and
Design of visual projects. You can come for a consultation to plan a paper or presentation; to find ways
to improve the ideas, organization, and style of a draft; to videotape and review a presentation
rehearsal; to practice a PowerPoint presentation, and more. However, peer tutors are not
proofreaders or editors who silently “fix” your work for you; instead, they are trained to have a
conversation with you about ways you can fix problem areas yourself and become better overall
communicators. You may use the WORD Studio for consultations on assignments for any of your
courses. The tutors do ask that you bring your professor’s assignment sheet with you so that their
feedback addresses the parameters of the assignments as specifically as possible.
http://www.stlawu.edu/sites/default/files/resource/AcademicHonorPolicy.pdf
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The WORD Studio is open Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Friday, noon to 4:00
p.m.; and Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. by appointment or for drop -in sessions, if tutors are
available. Consider making an appointment and sending your assignments in advance to minimize
wait time and increase the productiveness of your session. The email address is
Reiteration from Professor Alvah: If you work with a tutor on an assignment, be sure that you and your tutor
read the assignment instructions carefully and refer to them often.
Academic Support [the following text is provided by the Office of Academic Support]
The Office of Academic Support helps students find and utilize the tools they need for academic
success. The office also manages the early warning system, which identifies students who are
struggling in the first weeks of the semester and helps them get back on track. Through workshops
and individual meetings, students learn about time management, metacognition, active reading and
note-taking skills, semester and weekly planning, and test preparation to improve their learning and
academic performance.
Coordinator of Academic Support: Tina Tao, Whitman Annex 16, [email protected] 229-5134
Coordinator of Academic Development: Colleen Coakley, Whitman Annex 1, [email protected],
229-5604
Note from Professor Alvah: The following site provides a lot of good advice:
—"How to Be Successful at St. Lawrence"
http://www.stlawu.edu/academic-support/how-be-successful-st-lawrence
Additional Advice
Why you need to follow assignment instructions:
Your professor puts a great deal of time and thought into composing assignment instructions. Instructions
are not optional guidelines. They exist for good reasons, among them:
—because in completing assignments as instructed, students will exercise particular skills and, ideally,
demonstrate understanding of specified texts, concepts, etc.; and
—because when assessing and grading students' assignments, I want to make sure that I am being fair to
everyone. Overlooking one person's decision to ignore assignment instructions would be unfair to the other
students who did follow the instructions.
If you have any questions about an assignment, please feel free to ask in class (it's possible that other
students will have the same questions) or talk with me during office hours. In the meantime, good general
advice is to reread the syllabus and/or assignment instructions, and refer to them often.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.stlawu.edu/academic-support/how-be-successful-st-lawrence
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DISABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES OFFICE (DASO) [The following text is provided by DASO]:
If you have a disability and need accommodations please be sure to contact the Disability and
Accessibility Services Office right away so they can help you get the accommodations you require at:
http://www.stlawu.edu/disability-and-accessibility-services. If you will need to use any
accommodations in this class, please talk with me early so you can have the best possible experience
this semester. Although not required, I would like to know of any accommodations that are needed at
least 10 days before a quiz or test, so please see me soon.
Course Schedule
Week 1
Th
Aug 31
First day
of class:
Meet with
Director of
Special
Collections
Mark
McMurray
in ODY
Library
Introductions
Reading assignments
Quizzes
Writing exercise (in composition book)
Qualtrics survey (forthcoming)
First assignment: Primary source analysis (handout)
http://www.stlawu.edu/disability-and-accessibility-services
-
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Week 2 Topic Readings (complete before class) Assignment Due
Tu Sept
5
Meet in ODY
Library
Syllabus
questions?
World War II &
the start of the
Cold War
1) Syllabus—ALL—required reading!
2) Carole K. Fink, Cold War: An International
History:
o Skim Table of Contents
o Preface to the Second Edition (pp. xiv)
o Skim pp. xvi-xxx
o Introduction (1-4)
o Ch. 1, "Prelude: Soviet Russia and the
West, 1917-1941" (5-27)
o Ch. 2, "The Grand Alliance" (28-53)
3) Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing
in History (8th ed.):
o Ch. 1, “Introduction: Why Study History?”
o Ch. 2, “Working with Sources”
o Ch. 3, Section 3a: Reading actively in
history; and Section 3f: Taking history
exams
Th
Sept 7
Early Cold War,
1945-1952
Analyzing primary
sources, cont'd
1) Fink, Cold War: Ch. 3, "Cold War, 1945-1952"
(54-88)
2) Penny Von Eschen, "Rethinking Politics and
Culture in a Dynamic Decade," OAH Magazine of
History (2012) (handout)
3) Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History
(8th ed.): Sections
3c, Using primary sources
3d, Using secondary sources
4a, Approaching a history assignment
4b, Thinking like a historian
3) Excerpt from US Senate Subcommittee Report
(1950)—will hand out in class today
Quiz
F
Sept 8
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Week 3 Topic Reading Assignment Due
Tu
Sept 12
Cold War
overview, cont'd
Peer review of
primary source
analysis
1) Fink, Cold War: Ch. 4, "The Widening Conflict,
1953-1963" (89-121)
Before the start of class, please read your peer review partners' archival sources (located in your Sakai Assignments group)
Please bring two printouts of your draft primary source analysis.
Th
Sept 14
Cold War
overview, cont'd
1) Fink, Cold War: Ch. 5, "The Sixties" (pp. 122-
147)
2) Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History
(8th ed.):
o Ch. 6, “Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Avoid It”
o Ch. 7, “Quoting and Documenting Sources” You can skim 7b, 7c, and 7d for now.
Please refer to them when writing papers.
Quiz
Presentations on
articles by Smith,
Brown,
Meyerowitz &
Klein
F
Sept 15
Primary source
analysis due:
Please upload to
Sakai
assignments by
3:00 p.m.
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Week 4 Topic Reading Assignment Due
Tu
Sept 19
◻ Historiography
1) Historiography article: Couvares et al., "The
Cold War and Beyond: Stability, Hegemony,
Chaos?" (2009) (Sakai)
2) Brundage chapter on historiography (Sakai)
3) Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in
History:
o 3b-2: Annotated bibliographies
o 3d-2: Historiographic essays
Presentations on
articles by
Rotter, Dean, &
Romano
Th
Sept 21
Class meets today in ODY
Library, the Frost-
Ferguson Room (upstairs)
Please bring a laptop
Rhonda Courtney:
⯌ Refresher/update:
Encore, RefWorks,
CNY
⯌ Finding a
historiography
topic
Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History:
o Ch. 5, "Writing a Research Paper"
Quiz
Worksheet due
at the end of
class
F
Sept 22
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Week 5 Topic Reading Assignment Due
Tu Sept
26
Oral history
1) Oral History Association, "Principles and Best
Practices (2009)" (handout/Sakai)
2) Southern Oral History Program, excerpts from
"A Practical Guide to Oral History"
(handout/Sakai)
3) In Doing Recent History:
o Willoughby Anderson, "The Presence of the
Past: Iconic Moments and the Politics of
Interviewing in Birmingham" (pp. 139-154)
Presentations on
articles by Rogin
& Frazier
Th Sept
28
Class meets today in
ODY Library, the Frost-
Ferguson Room
(upstairs)
Please bring a
laptop
◻ Rhonda Courtney:
Finding scholarly
sources for your
historiography
⇨ Remember to watch the documentary Two
Days in October (2004; 90 min) before next
Thursday's class (Oct. 5)—available on Sakai
Quiz
Worksheet due
by the end of
class
F Sept
29
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Week 6 Topic Reading/Videos Assignment Due
Tu
Oct 3
◻ Oral history,
continued
Articles (Sakai):
o Jay Mechling, "Oral History and the Evidence
of Children's Lives" (1987)
o Patrick Hagopian, "Voices from Vietnam:
Veterans' Oral Histories in the Classroom"
(2000)
o Elizabeth Loftus, "Memories of Things Unseen"
(2004)
⇨ Remember to watch the documentary Two
Days in October (2004; 90 min) before
Thursday's class!—available on Sakai
Identify
interviewee +
back-up
interviewee for
oral history
Presentations
on articles by
Hallin & Wittner
Th Oct 5
◻ Remembering the
Vietnam War
1) Oral histories from Patriots: The Vietnam War
from All Sides (2003) (Sakai)
2) Discuss documentary Two Days in October
(2004; 90 min; watch before the start of today's
class)—available on Sakai
3) From Doing Recent History (ed. Potter &
Romano): David Greenburg, "Do Historians Watch
Enough TV? Broadcast News as a Primary
Source" (pp. 185-199)
Quiz
Presentation on
chapter by
Hagopian
F Oct 6
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Week 7 Topic Reading Assignment Due
Tu Oct 10
◻ Détente
Fink, Cold War: Ch. 6: "Détente, 1969-1975" (pp.
148-171)
Wed Oct
11
Historiography
topic & preliminary
bibliography due:
Please upload to
Sakai Assignments
by 3:00 p.m.
Th Oct 12
No Class
⇨ Please watch the movie Threads (1984; 1hr 52
min.) before next Thursday's class (Oct. 19)—
available on Sakai
Mid-semester break: Thurs Oct 12 – Sun Oct 15
Week 8 Topic Reading Assignment Due
Tu Oct 17
Decline of
Détente
Obtaining high-
quality sources
from the internet
(Context for oral
history)
Fink, Cold War: Ch. 7, "Détente Collapses, 1975-
1980" (pp. 172-199)
⇨ Please watch the movie Threads (1984; 1hr 52
min.) before Thursday's class
Th Oct 19
◻ Cold War
Resurgence
◻ Life after nuclear
holocaust
1) Fink, Cold War: Ch. 8, "The Second Cold War,
1981-1985" (pp. 200-223)
2) Primary sources (Sakai):
o Ann Snitow, "Holding the Line at Greenham
Common: On Being Joyously Political in
Dangerous Times" (orig. published 1985)
o Carol Amen, "Testament" (1987)
3) Threads (1984; 1hr 52 min)—Please watch
before today's class (Sakai)
Quiz
F Oct 20
Source annotations
for historiography
due: Please upload to
Sakai Assignments by
3:00 p.m.
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Week 9 Topic Reading Assignment Due
Tu Oct 24
How it all
ended
1) Fink, Cold War: Ch. 9, "The End of the Cold War,
1985-1991" (pp. 224-252)
2) Slovenka Drakulic, excerpt from How We
Communism and Even Laughed Survived (Sakai)
Th Oct 26
◻ The post-Cold
War world
◻ Preparing for
oral history
presentations
1) Fink, Cold War:
o Ch. 10, "Aftermath: A New World Disorder"
(253-284)
o Conclusion (285-287)
2) Public Speaking: The Virtual Text:
—available at
http://publicspeakingproject.org/visualaids.html
o ch. 11, "Speaking with Confidence"
o ch. 12, "Delivery"
Quiz
F Oct 27
Oral history project
due: Please upload to
Sakai Assignments by
3:00 p.m.
http://publicspeakingproject.org/visualaids.html
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Week 10 Topic Reading Assignment Due
Tu Oct 31
Oral history
presentations
Oral history
presentations:
Presenters—please
upload your
PowerPoint (or
hyperlink to Google
Sheets) to Sakai
Assignments before
the start of class.
Th Nov 2
Oral history
presentations,
cont'd
Oral history
presentations:
Presenters—please
upload your
PowerPoint (or
hyperlink to Google
Sheets) to Sakai
Assignments before
the start of class.
F Nov 3
Source annotations
due: Please upload to
Sakai Assignments by
3:00 p.m.
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Week 11 Topic Reading Assignment Due
Tu
Nov 7
◻ Challenges of
studying the
recent past
From Doing Recent History:
o Romano and Potter, Introduction: "Just
over Our Shoulder: The Pleasures and
Perils of Writing the Recent Past" (pp. 1-
19)
o Romano, "Not Dead Yet: My Identity
Crisis as a Historian of the Recent Past"
(pp. 23-44)
Th
Nov 9
◻ Challenges of
studying the
recent past,
cont'd
From Doing Recent History:
o Laura Clark Brown and Nancy Kaiser,
"Opening Archives on the Recent
American Past: Reconciling Ethics of
Access and Ethics of Privacy" (pp. 59-82)
o Jeremy K. Saucier, "Playing the Past: The
Video Game Simulation as Recent
American History" (pp. 201-223)
Quiz
F Nov 10 Source annotations
due: Please upload to
Sakai Assignments by
3:00 p.m.
Week 12 Topic Reading Assignment Due
Tu Nov
14
◻ Transforma-
tions in writing
history
Hunt, Writing History in the Global Era:
o Acknowledgments (pp. vii-viii)
o Introduction: "History's Changing
Fortunes" (pp. 1-11)
o Ch. 1, "The Rise and Fall of Cultural
Theories" (pp. 13-43)
Th Nov
16
Peer reviews
of functional
outlines
Please bring to class
two copies (PRINT-
OUTS) of your
functional outline
for peer review
F Nov 17
Please upload revised
functional outline to
Sakai Assignments by
3:00 p.m.
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Thanksgiving recess: Sat Nov 18 – Sun Nov 26
Week 13 Topic Reading Assignment Due
Tu Nov 28
◻ Transforma-
tions in
writing
history,
cont'd
Hunt, Writing History in the Global Era:
o Ch. 2, "The Challenge of
Globalization" (pp. 44-77)
Th Nov 30
◻ Transforma-
tions in
writing
history,
cont'd
Hunt, Writing History in the Global Era:
o Ch. 3, "Rethinking Society and the
Self" (pp. 78-118)
Quiz
F Dec 1
Historiography draft due: Please
upload to Sakai Assignments by 3:00
p.m.
Week 14 Topic Reading Assignment Due
This week: Meetings with
Professor Alvah to discuss drafts
Tu Dec 5
Transforma-
tions in
writing
history,
cont'd
Revising
Course
evaluations
1) Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in
History: Review 5g, “Revising and editing
your paper”
2) Hunt, Writing History in the Global Era:
Ch. 4, "New Purposes, New Paradigms"
(pp. 119-151)
3) Italo Calvino, "A General in the
Classroom" (1953) (Sakai)
Little Seagull exercises (see
instructions)—tailored for each
student
Th Dec 7
Historiography presentations,
Day 1:
Today's presenters: Please
upload your PowerPoint (or post
your Google Slides hyperlink) to
Sakai before the start of class.
F Dec 8
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Week 15 Topic Assignment Due
Tu Dec
12
Historiography presentations,
Day 2
Today's presenters: Please
upload your PowerPoint (or post
your Google Slides hyperlink) to
Sakai before the start of class.
Th Dec
14
Conclusions
Historiography presentations,
Day 3
Today's presenters: Please
upload your PowerPoint (or post
your Google Slides hyperlink) to
Sakai before the start of class.
F Dec 15
Reading day:
No classes
Finals week Assignment Due
Thursday Dec. 21 Revised historiography + cover letter:
Please upload this all in one document
to Sakai Assignments by 4:30 p.m. today.
Best wishes for finals. Happy travels & happy holidays.
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