History 467/567

Winter Term 1998, History 467/567	Professor Peggy Pascoe
THE UNITED STATES WEST IN THE 20^TH CENTURY	Office Hours
CRN: 25896/25897	*Professor's Course Page*
MWF, 1:00-1:50 360 CON	*Professor's Course Page*

Overview

This course offers an overview of the history of the U.S. West in the 20^th century, covering the migration and immigration of the various peoples of the modern West, the development of state and federal power, the incorporation of "Old West" economies into a modern global economy, and the politics of race, ethnicity, and gender in a region that is now, and in many respects always has been, a national and international crossroads.

Books

The following books are required for the course. They are available at the University Bookstore and/or on 2-hour reserve at Knight Library:

	Sucheng Chan and Spencer Olin, Major Problems in California History
	Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water
	Monica Sone, Nisei Daughter
	Ferenc Morton Szasz, The Day the Sun Rose Twice: The Story of the Trinity Site Nuclear Explosion, July 16, 1945
	Peter Iverson, "We are Still Here": American Indians in the Twentieth Century

Requirements

Students are expected to complete the assigned readings by the beginning of each week of class. Class attendance is required; roll will be taken frequently and both attendance and class participation will be taken into account in determining course grades. Students will be required to take in-class midterm and final exams (both exams will be part essay and part short identification) and to write a research paper on a topic selected by the student.

Grades

Grades will be figured along a curve on a scale of points divided as follows:

385 possible points

	100 points for the midterm
	100 points for the book review
	150 points for the final exam
	35 points for attendance and participation

Course Policies

The dates for the exams and the syllabus are clearly marked on the syllabus. Late papers will receive reduced grades. I will consider requests for makeup exams only in cases of emergency and only when requests are made before the scheduled exam date. I will arrange for an "incomplete" grade only in the most unusual of circumstances. It’s much easier—believe me—to meet the deadlines than to try to argue for an exception, so begin now to schedule time to complete the class readings and meet all the deadlines.

Schedule

Week 1

Reading Assignment:

	Iverson, ch. 1: "We Indians Will Be Indians All Our Lives," 1890-1920
	Reisner, Introduction: A Semidesert with a Desert Heart
	Reisner, ch. 1: A Country of Illusion

Mon Jan 4

Introduction

Wed Jan 6

Major Themes of 20^th Century Western History

Fri Jan 8

In the Name of Progress

Week 2

Reading Assignment:

	Chan and Olin, ch. 7: Big Business and Urban Labor, 1860s-1930s
	Nisei Daughter, ch. 1-4

Mon Jan 11

American Dreams and American Land Policy

Wed Jan 13

The Incorporation of Old Western Economies

Fri Jan 15

Corporate Industries, the Global Economy, and Immigration

Week 3

Reading Assignment:

	Chan and Olin, ch. 8: California Progressives: The Ambiguities of Political and Moral Reform
	Reisner, ch 2: The Red Queen

Mon Jan 18

Holiday (NO CLASS)

Wed Jan 20

Western Cities and Water Politics

Fri Jan 29

The Puzzle of Western Progressivism

Week 4

Reading Assignment:

	Chan and Olin, ch. 9: Hollywood and the California Dream, 1910s-1930s
	Nisei Daughter, ch. 5-7
	Reisner, ch. 3: First Causes

Mon Jan 25

A Political Life: Jeannette Rankin

Wed Jan 27

The Legacy of Conservation

Fri Jan 29

Immigration, Citizenship Policy, and the Production of Whiteness

Week 5

Reading Assignment:

Iverson, ch. 2: Confronting Continuation, 1921-1932

Mon Feb 1

How to Take an Essay Exam (like your midterm)

Wed Feb 3

American Dreams and Cultural Capital: The Rise of Hollywood

Fri Feb 5

The Rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan

Week 6

Mon Feb 8

Midterm Exam: Bring Green Books

Reading Assignment (post mid-term):

	Chan and Olin, ch. 10: Farmworker Struggles in the 1930s
	Iverson, ch. 3: Initiatives and Impositions, 1933-1940
	Reisner, ch. 4: An American Nile (1)
	Reisner, ch. 5: The Go-Go Years
	Reisner, ch. 6: Rivals in Crime

Wed Feb 10

The West and the Great Depression

Fri Feb 12

New Deals?

Week 7

Reading Assignment:

	Iverson, ch. 4: The War, Termination, and the Start of Self-Determination, 1941-1961
	Nisei Daughter, ch. 8-12 (to end)
	The Day the Sun Rose Twice (entire book)
	Chan and Olin, ch. 11: The Impact of World War II on California’s Economy
	Chan and Olin, ch. 12: The Changing Lives of Women and Minorities, 1940s-1950s

Mon Feb 15

World War II and the Western Economy

Wed Feb 17

World War II and Asian Americans

Fri Feb 19

The Atomic West

Week 8

Reading Assignment:

	Chan and Olin, ch. 13: Politics and Protest, 1960s-1970s
	Reisner, ch. 7: Dominy
	Reisner, ch. 8: An American Nile (II)

Mon Feb 22

American Dreams and Cultural Crackdowns: The 1950s

Wed Feb 24

A Political Life: Edward Roybal

Fri Feb 26

Democratic Dreams and 1960s Protests

Week 9

Reading Assignment:

	Iverson, ch. 5: The Struggle for Sovereignty, 1962-1980 and ch. 6: "We Are All Indians," 1981-1997
	Reisner, ch. 12: Things Fall Apart

Mon Mar 1

1960s Protests and The Rise of Sunbelt Conservatism

Wed Mar 3

Late 20^th Century Immigration

Fri Mar 5

The Rebirth of Indian Power

Week 10

Reading Assignment:

	Chan and Olin, ch. 14: The Rise of Information Capitalism
	Chan and Olin, ch. 15: The Environment and the Quality of Life Since 1960
	Chan and Olin, ch. 16: Racial and Class Tensions, 1960s-1990s
	Reisner, Epilogue: A Civilization, if You Can Keep It

Mon Mar 8

	Research Papers Due at the Beginning of Class
	New Western Economies

Wed Mar 10

Contemporary Western Politics

Fri Mar 12

A Political Life: Harvey Milk

Final Exam: Friday, March 19, 8:00 a.m. Bring Green Books.