United States Economic and Business History

History 322

Professor Andrew E. Kersten

Spring 2009

Course Description:

This course is an introduction to the economic and business 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.

Writing Emphasis: This is a Writing Emphasis Course. See http://www.uwgb.edu/lasdean/gened/writemph.html

Intended Student Learning Outcomes:

• Develop critical thinking skills.
• Exercise problem-solving skills.
• Develop a fundamental understanding of major events and movements in modern American economic and business history.
• Identify and clarify individual and social values in the United States.
• Develop an understanding and appreciation for cultural diversity.

Contact:

Class meeting: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 11:40 am to 12:35 pm (MAC 109)

Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 10:30 am to 11:30 am

Email: kerstena@uwgb.edu; Course Email: C4825-sp09@uwgb.edu

Web page: http://www.uwgb.edu/kerstena/index2.htm

Telephone: 920-465-2443

Office: MAC A 317

Books:

Dubofsky and Dulles, Labor in America: A History

Rees and Pollack, The Voice of the People

LaBotz, CŽsar Ch‡vez and La Causa

Assignments:

1) Three exams, all essay format: each 20%.

2) Biography of labor leader: 15%+5%.

3) Class participation: 10%.

4) Book Essay: 10%

Assignments Explained:

Exams: On the exams, you will have to answer two questions in essay format. You will have a choice.

Biography of a working-class hero: Choose a working-class leader from the list below, gather two books and two articles from historical journals, and write a 1500 word biography. Your short biography must explain how this person was important to the labor movement. I will send you a detailed document about my expectations on your writing. At the end of the course, you will introduce your leader for 10 minutes.

Class participation: I will keep track of your class participation. The more you contribute to class discussions and small group discussions, the better your grade will be. Read the assignments, come to class and ask questions and engage with us. If you talk once a week, thatÕs a C. If you talk 3 times a week; thatÕs a B. If you talk 5 times a week, thatÕs an A.

Book Essay: You will write a 900 word essay on the LaBotz book. I will have out a question sheet later.

Student Conduct:

I expect all students to abide by the UW-Green Bay student conduct policies. See http://www.uwgb.edu/deanofstudents/policies_procedures/index.html and especially

http://www.uwgb.edu/deanofstudents/policies_procedures/students/civility_tolerance.html

Disability Notice:

Consistent with the federal law and the policies of the University of Wisconsin, it is the policy of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to provide appropriate and necessary accommodations to students with documented physical and learning disabilities. If you anticipate requiring any auxiliary aids or services, you should contact me or the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities at 465-2671 as soon as possible to discuss your needs and arrange for the provision of services.

Additional Rules:

• During class, turn off all telephones and other electronic or non-electronic communication devices that ring, vibrate, hum, or otherwise annoy.
• Laptops are acceptable, but if you are caught using them for anything other than taking notes, you and your laptop will be asked to leave class that day, and only one of you can return.
• Never send your written work as an email or email attachment unless specifically instructed to do so.
• You are not allowed to bring in outside resources for any take-home exam or essay assignment unless specifically directed to do so. Violating this policy may result in a significantly reduced grade on that exam or assignment.
• You are not allowed to use the web site Wikipedia unless specifically directed to do so.
• Always keep several updated copies of your files on disk and at least one recent hard copy.
• Try to never miss a class immediately following a major exam. In fact, don't skip class at all.
• In this class, use your best professional skills while writing, speaking, and communicating with others.
• This class welcomes all types of learners. Persons with disabilities that might affect learning should contact me during the first week of class.
• Graded papers are returned once during class. If you fail to pick up your paper, you may retrieve it at my office during office hours. After a while, I recycle old class papers.
• All written work over two pages must be stapled. Quality staplers are available for under $1. Papers that are not stapled will not be accepted.
• Check your UW-Green Bay email twice daily. You are responsible for reading and understanding the email that I send you. Only send me email from your UW-Green Bay email. The campus spam mail filter quarantines mail from yahoo, msn, AOL, hotmail, and other providers.
• Store all your papers and notes on a flash drive as well as your computerÕs hard drive. YouÕll thank me later.
• If you have a question about a grade on a paper or exam or the final grade, please do not email me. Come see me in my office. Likely I will not answer your grade inquiries if sent by email.
• Unless pre-arranged, all assignments including extra credit are due before the last day of class.
• Finally use this syllabus as a class resource. DonÕt misplace it. Refer to it frequently to ensure that you are caught up on reading and studying, that your papers meet the guidelines below, and that you understand when things will happen in this course.

Student Etiquette:

á Attend class every day, and be respectful of others during class.

á Come to class on time and prepared for the dayÕs work.

á Participate in class every day.

á Read and understand all materials.

á Work hard and honestly and professionally.

Writing:

All written work must be at least 1500 words, typed or printed in black ink. You must have your name on your paper, follow good writing etiquette, staple your pages together, and use page numbers for papers longer than two pages. Double-space everything. No cover pages or report covers. See my style guide at http://www.uwgb.edu/kerstena/writingtips.htm.

Grading:

Grades are not curved. Except in emergency situations, late work will lose one letter grade per weekday (Sunday through Saturday) 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. IÕm happy to talk about grades, but not by email. Please see me during office hours or make an appointment.

Extra Credit: Periodically, there will be extra credit opportunities. If you attend one of my recommended campus events and turn in a 300 word summary the next class period you will get a 2% bonus per item on the upcoming exam. 6% max per exam.

Grading Scale:

100-93 A

92-90 A/B

89-85 B

84-80 B/C

79-70 C

69-60 D

As (90-100)	Bs (80-89)	Cs (70-79)	Ds (60-69)	F (59 and below)
Your essay is well constructed. It has paragraphs, topic sentences, and most importantly a clear thesis. Your essay demonstrates a command of the material. It uses quotes from the readings. You have an exceptional command of the English language. You avoid making many grammatical or stylistic errors.	Your essay is very good. It has paragraphs. You probably need to develop your thesis and/or topic sentences. You have a fair command of the reading materials but could have used more quotes or direct references. You have some grammatical and stylistic problems.	Your essay is good. And yet, your essay needs work to improve its structure. You need to work on your thesis and/or topic sentences. You have a fair command of the reading materials. You could have used more quotes. You have serious grammatical and stylistic problems.	Your essay lacks coherence. You make errors in essay structure, style, and grammar. You lack a command of the reading materials. You make many stylistic and grammatical errors. This paper needs a lot of work.	You failed to complete the assignment.

Course Outline

Week One:

M (Jan. 26): Introduction of Syllabus

W (Jan 28): Status of Labor in 2008

F (Jan 30): Discussion of Dubofsky and Dulles Chapters 1–4

Week Two:

M (Feb. 2): Labor in the Gilded Age

W (Feb. 4): Matewan

F (Feb. 6): Matewan

Week Three:

M (Feb. 9): Matewan

W (Feb. 11): Discussion of Rees and Pollack, 63ff; and Discussion of Dubofsky and Dulles, Chapters 5–10

F (Feb. 13): Economy and Labor in the 1920s; and Prospectus Due

Week Four:

M (Feb. 16): Discussion of Rees and Pollack, 87ff; and Discussion of Rees and Pollack, 105ff

W (Feb. 18): Discussion of Dubofsky and Dulles, Chapters 11–14

F (Feb. 20): New Deal Labor Relations

Week Five:

M (Feb. 23): Review for exam

W (Feb. 25): Essay Exam #1 (take home)

F (Feb. 27): Research Day

Week Six:

M (Mar. 2): Discussion of Rees and Pollack, 123–168

W (Mar. 4): Discussion of Dubofsky and Dulles, Chapters 15–18

F (Mar. 6): 10,000 Black Men Named George

Week Seven:

M (Mar. 9): 10,000 Black Men Named George

W (Mar. 11): Labor and Civil Rights

F (Mar.13): Discussion of Rees and Pollack, 169ff

Week Eight:

M (Mar. 16): Spring Break

W (Mar. 18): Spring Break

F (Mar. 20): Spring Break

Week Nine:

M (Mar. 23): Imperfect Union

W (Mar. 25): Hoffa

F (Mar. 27): Research Day

Week Ten:

M (Mar. 30): Hoffa

W (Apr. 1): Hoffa

F (Apr. 3): Review

Week Eleven:

M (Apr. 6): Exam #2

W (Apr. 8): Discussion of Dubofsky and Dulles, Chapters 19–20

F (Apr. 10): Research Day

Week Twelve:

M (Apr. 13): The Rust Belt

W (Apr. 15): Discussion of LaBotz and book essays are due

F (Apr. 17): Discussion of Rees and Pollack, 189ff

Week Thirteen:

M (Apr. 20): Discussion of Rees and Pollack, 207ff

W (Apr. 22): Is Walmart Good For America?

F (Apr. 24): Is Walmart Good For America?

Week Fourteen:

M (Apr. 27): Discussion of Dubofsky and Dulles, Chapters 21–22

W (Apr. 29): Research Day

F (May 1): Paper Discussion: introduce your labor leader.

Week Fifteen:

M (May 4): Paper Discussion: introduce your labor leader.

W (May 6): Rees and Pollack, Working-class Culture, 225ff

F (May 8): Review and ALL Papers Due

Final Exam: Wednesday, May 13, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm

List for biographies:

Abramowitz (Hillman), Bessie

Addams, Jane

Algeld, John Peter

Beck, David

Bellamy, Edward

Berger, Victor

Brandeis, Louis D.

Bridges, Harry

Browder, Earl

Bryan, William J.

Cannon, Joseph D.

Carey, James

Carey, Ron

Chavez, Cesar

Chavez-Thompson, Linda

Commons, John R.

Coxey, Jacob

Darrow, Clarence

Debs, Eugene

DeLeon, Daniel

Dennis, Eugene

Dubinsky, David

Ely, Richard

Fitzpatrick, John

Flynn, Elizabeth Gurley

Foster, William Z.

Frania, Louis C.

Frankensteen, Richard

Frey, John

Furuseth, Andrew

Galbraith, John Kenneth

George, Henry

Goldman, Emma

Gompers, Samuel

Green, William

Harrington, Michael

Haas, Francis J.

Haywood, William D.

Hillman, Sidney

Hoffa, James P.

Hutcheson, William L.

Jones, Mary Harris (a.k.a., Mother)

King, Martin Luther, Jr.

LaFollette, Robert M.

Lewis, John L.

Lloyd, Henry Demarest

Long, Huey

Lovestone, Jay

Meany, George

Moore, Michael

Murphy, Frank

Murray, Philip

Nestor, Agnes

Parsons, Albert

Perlman, Selig

Randolph, Asa Philip

Reed, John

Reuther, Walter

Riis, Jacob

Roosevelt, Franklin D.

Roosevelt, Theodore

Sinclair, Upton

Strasser, Adolph

Sweeney, John J.

Sylvis, William H.

Thomas, Norman

Tobin, Dan

Townsend, Williard S.

Trumka, Rich

Wagner, Robert F.

Walsh, Frank P.

Woll, Matthew

Prospectus for Final Paper

Directions: Reproduce this page on your computer and turn it in. Attach copies of your outline and bibliography. I will return your form and attachments as soon as possible. Remember your form must be typed.

1. Your name:

2. Proposed topic for your biography:

3. Write a 150 word abstract of your presentation

4. On the back, provide a topic outline which describes the sections and major points which will be discussed in your presentation.

5. Provide your primary and secondary bibliography on a separate page.

Paper Turn In Checklist:

Have you remembered the little things?

¬ Have you put your name on the first page of the paper?

¬ Have you remember not to attach a cover page?

¬ Have you numbered your pages?

¬ Have you stapled your paper?

¬ Have you used black ink?

¬ Have you double-spaced your paper?

Have you remembered the big things?

¬ Have you clearly identified your thesis?

¬ Have you used proper paragraph form (with indents)?

¬ Have you used topic sentences?

¬ Have you used quotations to support your ideas?

¬ Have you used proper footnote and bibliographic formats?

¬ Have you revised your paper with several drafts?