HSTRY 388 C: Colloquium: Introduction to History

 History 388, Spring 2022

Meets once a week on Monday from 12:30-3:20 pm.

Professor Susan Glenn, glenns@uw.edu 

Note: This class will meet over Zoom for the entire quarter.  The meetings will be live. Synchronous.  They will not be recorded. Please plan accordingly. Students are expected to show up for and participate in all live Zoom meetings. Students who need a place to live-zoom on campus are welcome to use MEB 102, which has been scheduled for that purpose. 

Here is the Zoom link we will use every Monday throughout the quarter: 

 https://washington.zoom.us/j/98363447013

WAR STORIES: RECORDING, REMEMBERING, AND REIMAGINING WWII

 In the United States the lore and legacy that constitute the national memory of World War II is so familiar to many people that it remains an important touchstone into our own time. In this course we will explore the making of the legacy of World War II from locations often neglected in our collective memory of that time, including the initial indifference of many Americans to the rise of European fascism and the persecution of Jews and the impact of ethnic and racial animosities on the battlefields and on the American home front.  We will read or view a wide range of primary works as well as turning our attention to the contemporary recycling of the meaning of that period in our nation's past.  Readings include accounts by journalists, novelists, filmmakers, and works by historians. Through them we hope to gain a better understanding of the myriad ways in which the war and its effects have been recorded, remembered, and re-imagined.

Students will learn how to work with primary sources, develop competence in the close reading of texts, learn to analyze questions from multiple perspectives, and become attuned to “silences” in the sources by paying attention to what is and is not directly stated in a text. In written work and oral contributions, students will develop their skills in building and substantiating their own arguments.

How to read: Students should approach the reading with the following questions in mind and be prepared to address them in class discussions and in written work. When was the document or book written? Who is writing? What do we know (or can we infer from context) about them? To whom are they trying to appeal and why? What does the author assume about the beliefs and attitudes of the audience? Is the author “preaching to the choir” or trying to convince skeptics, or both?  What are the author’s main arguments? What is directly stated? What is implied? Are there significant silences?  On what grounds does the author base those arguments? What is the “tone” of the piece—impassioned, angry, measured, philosophical, sarcastic, light-hearted, somber, skeptical, or what?

Required reading and films: With the exception of the print books for purchase listed below, all of the required readings and films are in the Weekly Canvas Modules.

Required books to purchase. 

George Roeder, Jr., The Censored War (1993)
Mine Okubo, Citizen 13660 (1946)

Chester Himes, If He Hollers Let Him Go (1945)  

John Hersey, Hiroshima (1946) (please purchase the Vintage edition, which contains an afterword by the author).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: This is a reading, discussion, and writing course. The reading schedule is demanding and students who enroll in this course are expected to have all required assignments completed prior to Monday’s class discussion. Students must show up on time for class, and be fully prepared to discuss, analyze, and critique the assigned material.  Repeated lateness to class meetings and repeated unexcused absences will significantly lower your course grade and may result in a failing grade for the course.

CLASS PARTICIPATION.  (30% of course grade): The consistency and quality of your contributions to class discussion each week are heavily weighted in the calculation of your course grade. Just because another student has already made a point that you agree with does not mean that there is nothing left to say about the matter. You can always add to that point, call attention to a related passage in the reading, mention contradictory perspectives within a text, or raise a related question. Have reading materials with you for class meetings. Be prepared each week to identify and discuss significant passages in each of the required readings. 

DISCUSSION BOARDS: Students will also be required to post responses to weekly Canvas Discussion Boards. Questions will be posted in Canvas “Discussions.” These will be due on Monday morning in advance of the seminar meeting. Consider these a warm-up for the seminar discussions. Discussion Board posts are always due by 11:30 am on Mondays.

PAPERS:  Students will write two short (6 page) analytical essays, each of which counts for 20% of the course grade and one longer (9-10 page) analytical essay, which counts for 30% of the course grade. The essays will focus on themes, questions, and debates that emerge from assigned readings. Instructions for the papers will be posted on the Assignments section of Canvas and will be discussed in class. It is not possible to pass this class without turning in all of the written work.  All papers must be uploaded as Word documents (not pdfs) to Canvas Assignments.

Late papers: Except in cases of emergency, late papers will be penalized. If you are having trouble keeping up with the assignments, notify me immediately so we can figure out a way forward.    

Due Dates for Papers:

First Paper: 11:59 pm on April 20; Second Paper: 11:59 pm on May 25; Final Paper: 11:59 pm on June 8.

CLASS DISCUSSION SCHEDULE:

 WEEK 1 (March 28) MAKING SENSE OF WAR  

Read for Monday’s Discussion: (all readings in Canvas Modules).

• Editors of Life, “Three Dead Americans” (1943). 
• Ernie Pyle, “A Last Word.” (1944)

•  Lucille Milner, “Jim Crow in the Army” (1944). 
•  Ernie Pyle, “Killing is All That Matters” (1942). 

• Also recommended: look at Maps and Timelines (The War in Europe and Asia-Pacific War)

WEEK 2 (April 4): "ENEMIES"

Read for Monday’s discussion (all readings in Canvas Modules):

• Gerald F. Linderman, “Fighting the Germans.”
•  Gerald F. Linderman, “Fighting the Japanese.”
• John Dower, “Race, Language, and War in Two Cultures” 
• Robert Sherrod, “Gone to Earth” and “The Nature of the Enemy.” (1944). 
•  Ernie Pyle, "The Illogical Japs." (1945.)
•  Ernie Pyle, "German Supermen Up Close." ( 1943)
•   Ed Cunningham, “Battle of the Bulge.” (1944-45).
•  Also recommended: John Dower, “War Hates and War Crimes.” 

WEEK 3 (April 11): RATIONING DEATH

Read and Watch for Monday’s discussion:

George Roeder Jr., The Censored War [print].  Bring your book to class.

Film: Bataan (1943).  Link in Canvas Module.

WEEK 4 (April 18):  'LOYAL" AND "DISLOYAL“

Read and Watch for Monday’s Discussion:

Mine Okubo, Citizen 13360 (1946) [print] Bring your book to class.

Ansel Adams, Born Free and Equal (1944). Canvas Module

Film: WRA, A Challenge to Democracy (1944). Link in Canvas Module.

**First Paper Due: April 20 by 11:59 pm. Instructions are in the Canvas Assignments.

 WEEK 5 (April 25): WAR ZONES I

Read for Monday’s Discussion:

• Katharine Archibald, Wartime Shipyard(1947), pp. 1-109.

• Roi Ottley, “Negroes are Saying” (1943).
• Thurgood Marshall, “The Gestapo in Detroit” (1943). 

WEEK 6 (May 2) : WAR ZONES II

Read for Monday’s Discussion:

Chester Himes, If He Hollers, Let Him Go (1945), entire book. [print]. Bring your book to class.

**Second Paper due on May 18 at 11:59 pm. Instructions in Canvas Assignments.

WEEK 7 (May 9) : TRAUMATIC LANDSCAPES I

Read and Watch for Monday’s Discussion: (all in the Canvas Module)

Freda Kirchwey, “While the Jews Die” (1943). 

Fred Eastman, “A Reply to Screamers” (1944). 

1. H. Lawrence, “Nazi Mass Killing Laid Bare” (1944). 

Richard Lauterbach, “Murder, Inc.” (1944). 

Edward R. Murrow, “Broadcast from Buchenwald” (1945).

Martha Gellhorn, “Dachau” (1945). 

Martha Gellhorn, “We Were Never Nazis” (1945). 

Film: U.S. Army, Nazi Concentration Camps (1945).

WEEK 8 (May 16): WAR ZONES III

Read for Monday’s discussion:  

William O’Neill, “The Destruction of Japan.” 

Paul Boyer, By the Bomb's Early Light, chapter 1

Paul Boyer, By the Bomb’s Early Light, chapters 16- 17. 

WEEK 9 (May 23) : TRAUMATIC LANDSCAPES II

Read for Monday’s Discussion John Hersey, Hiroshima (1946),  chapters 1-5. [Print] Bring your book to class.

  (If your edition of the book does not contain the “Aftermath” (chapter 5) you can find a pdf in the Canvas Module.).  

WEEK 10 (May 30) : WHY TELL WAR STORIES?

Read and Watch for Monday’s discussion:

Lisa Yoneyama, “For Transformative Knowledge.” 

Other reading: tba

Film: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).

**Final Paper due by 11:59 pm on June 8.

GRADING RUBRICS:

Grading Rubric for History Papers: 

 An “A” range paper 

• Presents a solid thesis and a clear and well-organized structure that never leaves the reader to figure out the direction of the argument; and
• demonstrates an appropriate use of primary and secondary evidence that is integrated into the argument and properly cited and contextualized.

A high-A paper demonstrates these characteristics, as well as some unique intelligence or creativity indicating the author put extraordinary thought into preparing the argument. It uses strong topic sentences and clear transitions between paragraphs. Each paragraph follows logically from the previous one. It is specific about who, what, where, when, and why.

“B” range papers contain a strong and carefully considered thesis, but is somewhat weaker on overall organization and  

• the clarity of its argument
• the use of evidence; or
• contains enough writing errors to distract the reader from the course of the argument.

The difference between a low “B” paper and a high “B” paper can often be attributed to the amount and type of evidence used, and the level to which it is contextualized and integrated into the argument. 

“C” range papers address the assignment and may contain a thesis and some evidence. Such a paper often summarizes material without analyzing it or forming an argument about it. The degree to which a paper argues a claim and mentions relevant evidence can determine where in the C-range it will be graded. 

“D” papers discuss some of the material for the assignment, but they fail to answer the question.

 Grading Rubric for History Class Discussion:

• “A” range students are both highly engaged and very insightful in class discussion. They complete all reading in advance of the class meeting and come to class fully prepared to discuss key questions in the syllabus and to raise others. They actively participate in every class discussion. They offer important insights into the readings and films, refer to specific passages or scenes to back up their assertions, ask thoughtful and insightful questions, respond in respectful ways to points made by other students, demonstrate an excellent grasp of the issues, make connections between readings from week to week, and generally help elevate the level of discussion.  They always show up for class on time, bring reading materials with them so they can refer to specific passages and follow along when the instructor or another student refers to a passage, and stay for the duration of every class.  
• “B” range students complete all the reading in advance of the seminar and come to class prepared to discuss them. They raise their hands and respond when called upon by the instructor. They frequently make significant points, share ideas, and respond to points made by other students, ask insightful questions and make good observations, demonstrate a good grasp of the issues, and sometimes attempt to make connections between the readings/films for different weeks in the quarter, but the level and quality of their participation is uneven.  The difference between a B+ grade and a B- has to do with the level, quality, and consistency of student involvement in class discussion. 
• “C” range students complete some of the reading in advance of the seminar, or complete all reading for some of the meetings, but little of it for others. In general, their lack of preparation does not allow them to actively participate or to back up their assertions when they do. They occasionally raise their hands, but they rarely make an effort to fully engage with the material or with other students, rarely ask questions, and if they do, they tend to wander from the issues at hand or make irrelevant points when called upon to participate.  Their comments, when offered, show a lack of understanding of the material. They typically forget to bring the reading material, arrive late and/or leave early and have unexplained absences.  
• “D” range students rarely make an effort to do the reading, rarely, if ever participate, show up late and leave early, never bring the reading material, seem generally disengaged, and have many absences. “D” students also behave in a disrespectful manner toward other students.