United States Economic and Business
History
History 322; M, W, F
9:00-9:50 am; MAC 111
Spring
2005
Professor Andrew E. Kersten Office:
Mary Ann Cofrin Hall, B330 Phone:
465-2443 (leave message) Course
Email: C3788@uwgb.edu Email: kerstena@uwgb.edu Office
Hours: Tues., Thurs., 2:00-3:00 pm Mail: MAC Hall B310
Description:
This
course is an introduction to the economic history of the United States. It focuses on the rise of big business
as well as the rise of organized labor in the modern period of American
history. Students will examine the
structure of the economy, the creation of wealth and inequality, and the
struggle for economic justice.
Learning
Outcomes:
+ Develop critical thinking skills
+ Exercise problem solving skills
+ Develop a fundamental understanding of major events and movements
in modern
American economic history
+ Identify and clarify individual
and social values in the United States
+ Develop an understanding and
appreciation for cultural diversity
Coursework:
1)
Attend class every single day. Fridays are discussion days.
Each Friday we will analyze and interpret readings. See the syllabus for the
reading.
2)
Turn in two essays, which answer the question posed on our
discussion days. One of these essays is due before the first exam. The other
essay is due before the second exam. You have to choose which week youÕd like
to turn in your papers. There are plenty of opportunities before the exams. Each
essay must answer the question directly, have a thesis, use materials from the
weekÕs readings, be no shorter than 600 words, be stapled, doubled-spaced,
typed, with your name on the front. No cover pages please. Each essay is worth
10% of your grade.
3)
Take two midterm exams (15% each). Essay format.
4)
Complete a final project (30%). The final project will be a group oral presentation on some
aspect of labor history. Take as
your subject as labor leader, a labor union, a local labor organization, or a
critical topic in labor history.
You will research your topic and your oral presentation will be roughly
15 minutes in length. Afterwards,
you will turn in your script and your bibliography. The class will help inform the final grades on the
presentations. Everyone in the
group is expected to contribute and to present.
5)
Take the final exam. 20%. Essay format.
Required
Books
Boris and
Lichtenstein, Major Problems in the History of American Workers
Flynn, Rebel
Girl
Freese, Coal: A
Human History
Johnson, Getting
by on the Minimum
Grading
Grades are not curved. Except in emergency situations, late
work will lose one letter grade per day without prior approval of the
instructor. Attendance will be taken and students
are expected to attend class for the entire period and are expected to
contribute to discussions.
Cheating constitutes a violation of University policy and students will
be subject to University disciplinary actions.
100-93
A 92-90 A/B 89-85
B 84-80
B/C 79-70 C 69-60 D
Jan.
19 (W): Introduction
Jan.
21 (F): Read Swados and Ehrenreich (Chapter 1, 2ff).
Essential Question: What makes workers happy or
frustrated?
Jan.
24 (M): Labor during the Civil War
Jan.
26 (W): The Business of Reconstruction
Jan.
28 (F): Read ÒA Northern Unionist LecturesÉÓ; ÒWe Demand LandÓ;
ÒAfrican-American WasherwomenÉÓ; ÒColored v. ChineseÓ; ÒSharecropper Nate
ShawÉÓ (Chapter 4, 96ff).
Essential
Question: What was life like for Southern workers after the Civil War?
Jan.
31 (M): The Gilded Age
Feb. 2
(W): Progressives
Feb. 4
(F): Read all the articles in Chapter 5 (126ff).
Essential
Question: What was the Òlabor problemÓ at the end of the 19th
century?
Feb. 7
(M): Discussion of Flynn
Feb. 9
(W): Matewan
Feb.
11 (F): Matewan
Feb.
14 (M): Matewan
Feb.
16 (W): Discussion of Freese
Feb.
18 (F): Read the Photographic Essay(237ff)
Essential Question: What do these pictures tell
us about work and workers?
Feb.
21 (M): Labor in a New Era
Feb.
23 (W): Review
Feb.
25 (F): Exam #1
Feb.
28 (M): Great Depression
Mar. 2
(W): New Deal
Mar. 4
(F): Read Chapter 9 (283ff)
Essential Question: How did the New Deal change
life for workers?
Mar. 7
(M): Labor in World War II
Mar. 9
(W): Labor in World War II
Mar.
11 (F): Read Chapter 10 (329ff)
Essential Question: What issues
did workers confront during the war?
Mar.
14 (M): Spring Break
Mar.
16 (W): Spring Break
Mar.
18 (F): Spring Break
Mar.
21 (M): The Cold War
Mar. 23 (W): LaborÕs Cold War
Mar.
25 (F): Read Chapter 11 (362ff)
Essential
Question: What kinds of frustrations did workers have during the Cold War
era?
Mar. 28 (M): Civil
Rights Movement as a Labor Movement
Mar. 30 (W): Great
Society and Labor
Apr. 1 (F): Read
Chapter 12 (398ff)
Essential
Question: How did the labor movement respond to the Civil Rights Movement?
Apr. 4 (M): A.
Philip Randolph
Apr. 6 (W): Review
Apr. 8 (F): Exam
#2
Apr. 11 (M): Labor
in a Conservative Era
Apr. 13 (W): Harlan
County, USA
Apr. 15 (F): Harlan
County, USA
Apr. 18 (M): Harlan
County, USA
Apr. 20 (W): From
Reagan to W.
Apr. 22 (F): Discussion
of Johnson
Apr. 25 (M): Group
#1
Apr. 27 (W): Group
#2
Apr. 29 (F): Group #3
May 2 (M): Group
#4
May 4 (W): Group
#5
May 6 (F): Review
Final Exam:
Wednesday, May 11, 8:00 am to 10:00 am
PROFESSOR KERSTENÕS GUIDE TO GOOD
WRITING
¤
UW-GREEN BAY WRITING POLICY
The faculty of
the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has adopted the following writing policy
for out-of-class assignments.
Acceptable
Writing:
1. Clear writing is a reflection of
logical thinking; therefore, an acceptable paper must be organized. Every essay should be structured around
a thesis and supported by factual evidence and arguments that are organized in
a logical progression.
2. Writers must acknowledge their use of
data or ideas of others; therefore, an acceptable paper must have proper
documentation of all source material, following professional guidelines such as
those approved by the Modern Language Association (MLA), the American
Psychological Association (APA), or the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, or those published in a standard style manual such as
Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
3. An acceptable paper must reflect
control of correct grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation.
4. An acceptable paper must be presented
in appropriate manuscript form, with errors neatly corrected and care taken
with margins, numbering of pages, spacing, and format.
Unacceptable
Writing:
1. A paper without clear organization is
unacceptable. Unclear organization
includes illogical progressions from one idea to another and the inclusion of
unnecessary ideas.
2. A paper without proper documentation is
unacceptable. Failure to
acknowledge the use of another writerÕs words or ideas constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism is both unethical and
illegal. The use of professional
editing for student papers is also unacceptable, as is the use of purchased
papers, which is also a form of plagiarism.
3. A paper containing frequent errors in
grammar, usage, spelling, or punctuation is unacceptable.
4. A paper which does not appear to be
carefully done is unacceptable.
This includes papers with ragged edges, typographical errors and
strikeovers, illegible handwriting, stains, or smudges.
To achieve
acceptable writing standards, students should purchase and use a good
dictionary and a writing handbook.
Assistance in improving writing skills is available through regular
courses in composition and from the Writing Center, which conducts writings
workshops and provides advice and tutoring (but not editing). All students who wish to improve their writing
are encouraged to use these resources.
¤
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING WRITING
Listed below
are some major factors that differentiate good writing from poor writing.
This list may
help you identify particular aspects of your writing that need improvement. For further assistance consult with
instructors who are familiar with your writing skills. Writing assistance is also available in
the Writing Center (CL 109).
1.
PURPOSE
Is the purpose of
your paper clear to the audience?
Is the purpose
appropriate to the assignment and to the audience?
Is the purpose
consistently maintained throughout the paper?
2.
CONTENT
Are the ideas in the
paper interesting?
Do the ideas in the
paper reflect independent thought, a new approach, fresh insights?
Is the writer
actively engaged with the topic?
3.
ORGANIZATION
Are the ideas
developed in a logical order?
Is the organizational
pattern clear to the readers?
Is the discussion
coherent? Are transitional devices
used effectively to shift smoothly from one idea to another?
4.
DEVELOPMENT
Are the major ideas
adequately supported with examples, specific details, and other kinds of evidence?
Are the ideas
presented in meaningful paragraphs?
Is there a general
sense of completeness and closure?
5.
WORDS: CHOICE AND
ARRANGEMENT
Have clear, precise, and appropriate
words been selected?
Have cliches been
avoided?
Have the words been
arranged into correct and graceful sentences?
6.
STYLE AND TONE
Is the style clear, lively, fluent?
Is the tone
appropriate for the purpose and audience?
Are the sentences
varied in length and structure?
Is there appropriate
use of metaphor, analogy, parallelism, and other rhetorical devices?
7.
TECHNICAL QUALITIES:
MECHANICS
Does the writing
conform to the conventions of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage?
Is the format of the
paper appropriate to the assignment?
Has all material from
other sources been properly documented?
Has the paper been
carefully proofread, with all typos neatly corrected?
EXTRA TIPS FROM KINDLY
PROFESSOR KERSTEN
General
Suggestions
¥
Start early.
¥
Have a friend read your early drafts.
Format
¥
Staple your papers including your documents.
¥
No coversheets.
¥
No plastic covers or folders.
¥
Always use page numbers.
¥
Use footnotes, endnotes, or in paragraph citation.
Style
-- avoid these problems
AFW Avoid
Flavoring Words (ÒveryÓ etc)
AWK Awkward
Sentence Structure
COLL Colloquial
Language
DA DonÕt
Abbreviate
DP Dangling
Preposition
DUC DonÕt
Use Contractions
DUF DonÕt
Use First Person
DWQ DonÕt
Write in Questions
KPP Keep
the Past in the Past (use past tense verbs)
MU Meaning
Unclear
MVT Mixed
Verb Tenses
NAS Not
A Sentence
NSB DonÕt
Use History as Your Personal Soap Box
PV Passive
Voice
RSS Repetitive
Sentence Structure
SC Use
Standard Rules of Capitalization
SP Misspelled
Word
TAS Throw-away
sentence (has no meaning)
TL Sentence,
Paragraph, or Quote is Too Long
W Wordy
WW Wrong
Word
Documentation
For all
documentation questions, refer to Turabian. If you do not own a copy, it is worth the price.
Here are some
common formats.
FOOTNOTES
and ENDNOTES:
Published
1Andrew
E. Kersten, Race, Jobs, and the War: The FEPC in the Midwest, 1941-1946 (Urbana: University of Illinois Press,
2000), 1-5.
2Andrew
E. Kersten, ÒJobs and Justice: The FEPC in the Motor City,Ó Michigan
Historical Review 56 (Spring 1999): 1-25.
3 Andrew
E. Kersten, ed., Reach or Breech: The State and Society, 1865-1945
(Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2001): 25-50.
4
Andrew E. Kersten, ÒWillie Webb,Ó in Ordinary Women, ed. Kriste
Lindenmeyer (New York: Scholarly Resources, 2000): 50-55.
GENERAL RULE:
NAME (FIRST, MIDDLE, LAST), TITLE, PLACE IF BOOK, VOLUME IF JOURNAL, DATE,
PAGES.
Unpublished
3Letter,
Andrew E. Kersten to Bethany R. Kersten, 27 May 1997, Andrew E. Kersten Papers,
Box 15, Folder 9, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives.
GENERAL RULE:
KIND OF DOCUMENT, TITLE, DATE, COLLECTION, LOCATION WITHIN COLLECTION, PLACE OF
COLLECTION.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kersten, Andrew E. ÒJobs and Justice:
The FEPC in the Motor City.Ó Michigan Historical Review (Spring 1999):
1-25.
Kersten, Andrew E. Race, Jobs, and
the War: The FEPC in the Midwest, 1941-1946. Urbana: University of Illinois
Press, 2000.
Same general rules above but put last
names first. Always separate your
primary and secondary material in your bibliography. Questions? See
me or use Turabian.
Tips:
1)
Be consistent and thorough.
2)
In your bibliography, separate primary and secondary sources.