Syllabus—The American Mind: What Were They Thinking?

us intellectual history seminar and digital editing practicum, fall 2021 @ suny brockport.Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008), People for the American Way, 1991.Overview

How have Americans thought about themselves and their world? How do ideas matter to history? Is there such a thing as “the American Mind”? How have Americans contested who is part of it? We explore a diversity of past voices that remain relevant today through primary sources and historical scholarship. Students read selected sources and studies in US intellectual history, engage in extensive discussion, and develop a set of analytic writing assignments. To develop employable, professional skills, students also pursue editorial/research assistantships in the course on a book roundtable for the online US Intellectual History Journal, acquiring editing, research, project management, and digital production skills in the process (no previous editorial or digital experience required). Graduate students will complete a “digital sidebar” project (timeline, map, playlist, annotated bibliography, or other component of book roundtable.

Course Material

Available at Brockport bookstore, bookseller of your own choice, and on reserve at Drake Library.

Required:Kevin Mattson, We’re Not Here to Entertain: Punk Rock, Ronald Reagan, and the Real Culture War of 1980s America (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020) **focus for USIH Journal book roundtable**Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen, The Ideas That Made America: A Brief History (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019)Jeremy McCarter, Young Radicals In the War for American Ideals (New York: Random House, 2017)Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, ed., How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective (Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2012)Additional essays, readings, films, and multimedia materials on course websiteAt Library Reserves:David A. Hollinger and Charles Capper, eds., The American Intellectual Tradition, Volume I: 1630 to 1865, 7th editionDavid A. Hollinger and Charles Capper, eds. The American Intellectual Tradition, Volume II: 1865 to the Present, 7th editionLearning Goals

The study of history is essential. By exploring how our world came to be, the study of history fosters the critical knowledge, breadth of perspective, intellectual growth, and communication and problem-solving skills that will help you lead purposeful lives, exercise responsible citizenship, and achieve career success. 

Course Learning Goals

In this upper-level history course, students have the opportunity to learn about:

historical facts concerning US historyhistorical interpretations concerning US historythe field of intellectual history as part of the historical disciplinehow history relates to the presenthow to think, write about, and discuss ideas about the past and presenthow to notice and analyze change and continuity over timehow to notice and analyze structures of power, how they have developed over time, and why they havehow to handle historical complexity through close analysis, paraphrasing, and interpretive questioninghow others have interpreted and debated the past (historiography)how to frame your own historical questionshow to develop close, accurate, compelling interpretations of historical evidence yourselfhow to improve your skills of developing a historical narrativehow to use evidence to develop a historical thesis, an argument-driven, evidence-based historical narrativehow to paraphrase effectivelyhow to use source citation using Chicago Manual of Style effectively and accuratelyhow to connect your historical inquiry to useful, employable professional skills (editing, research, project management, writing, and digital publishing)History Department Learning GoalsArticulate a thesis (a response to a historical problem)Advance in logical sequence principal arguments in defense of a historical thesisProvide relevant evidence drawn from the evaluation of primary and/or secondary sources that supports the primary arguments in defense of a historical thesisEvaluate the significance of a historical thesis by relating it to a broader field of historical knowledgeExpress themselves clearly in writing that forwards a historical analysis.Use disciplinary standards (Chicago Style) of documentation when referencing historical sourcesStudents will identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments as they appear in their own and others’ workStudents will write and reflect on the writing conventions of the disciplinary area, with multiple opportunities for feedback and revision or multiple opportunities for feedbackStudents will demonstrate understanding of the methods social scientists use to explore social phenomena, including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and employment of interpretive analysisStudents will demonstrate knowledge of major concepts, models and issues of historyStudents will develop proficiency in oral discourse and evaluate an oral presentation according to established criteriaGeneral Education Learning GoalsStudents will identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments as they appear in their own and others’ work.  Students will write a short paper or report reflecting the writing conventions of the disciplinary area, with at least one opportunity for feedback and revision or multiple opportunities for feedback. EvaluationStudent info card and course contract – 5%Book review essay – 10%Midterm essay: primary-secondary source analysis – 15%Final essay: primary-secondary source analysis – 15%USIH Journal book roundtable projectEditorial/research work –Contact letter to roundtable writers – 5%Editorial assistant report 01 – 5%Editorial assistant report 02 – 5%Digital work –Scholar interview (audio file and transcription)— or —For graduate students and interested undergraduates, digital sidebar development (timeline, map, audio or video playlist, bibliography, image and caption development, short sidebar writing). – 20% (Draft – 5%)In-class presentations and participation – 20%Schedule

The instructor may adjust the schedule as needed during the semester, but will give clear instructions about any changes.

UNIT 01 – What Were They Thinking?Week 01 – 08/30 and 09/0108/30: Introductions09/01: What does it mean to ask “what were they thinking?,” or what is intellectual history, anyway?Materials:Peter Gordon, “What is Intellectual History? A frankly partisan introduction to a frequently misunderstood field,” unpublished manuscript, 2012Daniel Wickberg, “The Idea of Historical Context and the Intellectual Historian,” American Labyrinth: Intellectual History for Complicated Times, eds. Raymond J. Haberski and Andrew Hartman (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2018), 305-322Brandon R. Byrd, “The Rise of African American Intellectual History,” Modern Intellectual History (2020), 1–32Optional:“Brandon R. Byrd—Redefining Intellectual History,” Fields of the Future Podcast“Brandon R. Byrd on African American Intellectual History,” AHR PodcastKiara M. Vigil, “Introduction: A Red Man’s Rebuke,” Indigenous Intellectuals: Sovereignty, Citizenship, and the American Imagination, 1880-1930 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015), 1-33Due 09/03: Student info sheet and course contract due (see assignments for prompt)Unit 02 – We’re Not Here to Entertain: Punk Rock, Ronald Reagan, and the Real Culture War of 1980s AmericaWeek 02 – No class on 09/07 (Labor Day) and 09/0809/08: Mattson, Preface and Prelude, pp. ix-10 — Discuss USIH Journal Roundtable plan — How to contact your writer draft emailsDue 09/10: Contact roundtable writer (see assignments for prompt)Week 03 – 09/13 and 09/1509/13: Mattson, Ch 1, pp. 11-8109/15: Mattson, Ch 2, pp. 82-173Week 04 – 09/20 and 09/2209/20: Mattson, Ch 3, pp. 174-23909/22: Mattson, Ch 4 and Epilogue, pp. 240-292Unit 03 – The Ideas That Made America: A Brief HistoryWeek 05 – 09/27 and 09/2909/27: Ratner-Rosenhagen, Introduction, Ch 1, and Ch 2, 1-5009/29: Ratner-Rosenhagen, Ch 3 and Ch 4, 51-96Due 10/01: Book review (see assignments for prompt)Week 06 – 10/04 and 10/0610/04: Ratner-Rosenhagen, Ch 5 and Ch 6, 97-13210/06: Ratner-Rosenhagen, Ch 7, Ch 8, and Epilogue, 133-180Unit 04 – Young Radicals In the War for American IdealsWeek 07 – 10/11 and 10/1310/11: McCarter, Introduction and Part 1, pp. xiii-5210/13: McCarter, Part 2, pp. 53-104Due 10/15: Midterm essay (see assignments for prompt)Week 08 – No class on 10/18 (Fall Break) and 10/2010/20: McCarter, Part 3, pp. 105-156Week 09 – 10/25 and 10/2710/25: McCarter, Part 4, pp. 157-24810/27: McCarter, Part 5 and Epilogue, pp. 249-324Optional: Reds, dir. Warren Beatty (1981)Due 10/29: Editorial assistant report 01 (see assignments for prompt)Unit 05 – How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River CollectiveWeek 10 – 11/01 and 11/0311/01: Taylor, Introduction, The Combahee River Collective statement11/03: Digital editing workshopWeek 11 – 11/08 and 11/1011/08: Taylor, Barbara Smith, Beverly Smith11/10: Digital editing workshopDue 11/12: Editorial assistant report 02 (see assignments for prompt)Week 12 – 11/15 and 11/1711/15: Taylor, Demita Frazier, Alicia Garza, Comments by Barbara Ransby11/17: The Examined Life, dir. Astra Taylor (2006)Week 13 – Thanksgiving – No MeetingsUnit 06 – Digital Editing and Wrapping UpWeek 14 – 11/29 and 12/01 – Digital editing workshops/The Examined Life11/29: Digital editing workshop12/01: Digital editing workshopWeek 15 – 12/06 and 12/08 – Wrapping up12/06: Wrapping up12/08: Wrapping upDue 12/10: Digital sidebar draft for graduate students and interested undergraduates (see assignments for prompt)Final – 12/17Final essay (see assignments for prompt)Scholar interview and/or (for graduate students and interested undergraduates) digital sidebar (see assignments for prompt)