History of Washington State and the Pacific Northwest (HSTAA 432)
Summer 2025
B-Term (July 24-August 22)
Asynchronous Online
SLN: 11599
Dr. Ross Coen
E-mail: rcoen@uw.edu (E-mail is the best way to reach me. I try to reply to all messages within 24-48 hours.)
Zoom office hours: Mondays, 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Course Description:
History of Washington State and the Pacific Northwest (HSTAA 432) is an upper-division course on regional history. It focuses primarily on the territory that today is the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, with additional attention to British Columbia, Alaska, western Montana, and California, from the mid-18th to the late 20th century. The course places regional developments in both national and global contexts in an effort to appreciate how the Northwest, nation, and world affected one another.
The course considers Pacific Northwest history over two broad eras. Part I, “Contacts and Contests: Euro-Americans, Native Peoples, and Resources, 1741–1900,” considers how, within the context of colonization by Europe and the United States, different groups of peoples interacted with one another and tried to assert or retain control over the region. It examines Native peoples of the Northwest; the arrival, influence, and impact of European and American explorers, fur traders, missionaries, and settlers; and the efforts of the United States at controlling a large part of the region by asserting authority over the land and Native societies. Part II, “The American Northwest: Urban and Industrial Growth, 1846–2000,” considers the emergence of a modern U.S. region by looking at economic, political, social, urban, and cultural developments during the later 19th and 20th centuries.
Three connected sets of themes provide a focus for the course. One is the changing circumstances of and relationships between the diverse peoples and cultures of the region. The chronology of the course begins with the advent of European and U.S. colonizers in the 18th century, and attention is paid as well to the experiences of both Native peoples in the Northwest and the assorted, multiracial newcomers who arrived from other parts of North America and from Europe and Asia. Another set of themes revolves around peoples’ uses for and attitudes toward natural resources. Of course, diverse groups and cultures had different uses for and ideas about such things as forests, fish, and land, and these views changed over time. It is important to understand how some peoples were able to impose their values and uses for natural resources upon others. The third set of themes, intimately linked to the first two, is how a sense of regional identity evolved over time in the Pacific Northwest. Two aspects of this identity especially preoccupy us—the question of who supposedly belonged and did not belong in the region, and the matter of how regional residents related to and identified with the natural environs of a distinctive place. To a large extent, the answers to these questions were shaped by the agendas of the many newcomers who came to colonize, settle, and exploit opportunity in the Northwest. One way of tracing regional identity is to examine different kinds of writing in and about the Pacific Northwest.
Course Schedule:
The following is a schedule of lecture topics, readings, assignments, and exams. Any changes to the schedule will be announced in class and posted to the Canvas site. It is the student’s responsibility to keep apprised of the course schedule. Students should have completed the assigned readings by the start of the class period in which they are listed. All readings will be posted on the Canvas site in the corresponding weekly module.
PART I: CONTACTS AND CONTESTS: EURO-AMERICANS, NATIVE PEOPLES, & RESOURCES, 1741–1900
Week 1: July 24-27
Lecture #1: Introduction to course
Lecture #2: Colonization through Discovery: Europeans and Americans on the Northwest Coast
Reading assignment: None.
Assignments:
(1) Syllabus Quiz: due 11:59 p.m., Sunday, July 27
(2) Lecture Quiz: due 11:59 p.m., Sunday, July 27
Week 2: July 28-August 3
Lecture #1: Development of the Pacific Northwest Land-Based Fur Trade, 1806–1830
Lecture #2: Dividing the Northwest Coast between Britain and the United States
Reading assignment: “George Simpson’s Remarks connected with the Fur Trade &c. in the course of a Voyage from York Factory Hudsons Bay to Fort George Columbia River and back to York Factory 1824/25,” pp. 42-96.
Assignments:
(1) Lecture Quiz #1: due 11:59 p.m., Sunday, August 3
(2) Lecture Quiz #2: due 11:59 p.m., Sunday, August 3
(3) 1-on-1 Zoom meeting with Professor Coen to discuss Simpson reading
Week 3: August 4-10
Lecture: The American Pattern of Colonization; U.S. Indian Policy in the Pacific Northwest; Native Resistance and Accommodation
Reading assignment: Chief Seattle speech
Assignments:
(1) Lecture Quiz: due 11:59 p.m., Sunday, August 10
(2) Discussion Board assignment on Chief Seattle speech: due 11:59 p.m., Sunday, August 10
(3) Midterm Exam: due 11:59 p.m., Sunday, August 10 (more information will be provided)
PART II: THE AMERICAN NORTHWEST: URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL GROWTH, 1846–2000
Week 4: August 11-17
Lecture #1: The Growth of Cities and Industry in the Northwest
Lecture #2: Seattle and the Mastery over Nature
Reading assignment: David B. Williams, “Replumbing the Lakes,” in Too High & Too Steep: Reshaping Seattle’s Topography (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2015).
Assignments:
(1) Lecture Quiz #1: due 11:59 p.m., Sunday, August 17
(2) Lecture Quiz #2: due 11:59 p.m., Sunday, August 17
(3) Discussion Board assignment on Williams reading: due 11:59 p.m., Sunday, August 17
Week 5: August 18-22
Lecture #1: The Great Depression, World War Two, and Cold War
Lecture #2: Northwest Environment and Society in the Late 20th Century
Reading assignment: “The Day Called ‘X’” (video recording)
Assignments:
(1) Lecture Quiz #1: due 11:59 p.m., Friday, August 22
(2) Lecture Quiz #2: due 11:59 p.m., Friday, August 22
(3) Discussion Board assignment: due 11:59 p.m., Friday, August 22
(4) Response Paper on Autobiographical Reading: due 11:59 p.m., Friday, August 22
(5) Final Exam: due 11:59 p.m., Friday, August 22 (more information will be provided)
Assignment Information:
Syllabus Quiz: There is one syllabus quiz that is worth 10 points. The quiz is posted in the Week 1 Module on Canvas, and it must be completed by 11:59 p.m., Sunday, July 27. You should be familiar with the syllabus before taking the quiz, though you may refer to the syllabus while taking the quiz. See the instructions on Canvas for more details.
Lecture Quizzes: There are eight Lecture Quizzes that are worth 10 points each. Each quiz has 10 multiple-choice questions related to that week’s lecture or lectures. Correct answers will be given in each lecture. There is no time limit on the quizzes, so open the quiz when you begin watching the Panopto recording of each lecture, then simply answer each question as the professor provides the information. The goal of the quizzes is primarily to convey important information but also to make sure students are watching the lectures and paying close attention.
1-on-1 Zoom Meeting with Professor Coen: In Week 2 of the quarter (July 28-August 3) each student will have a 1-on-1 meeting with the instructor to discuss that week’s reading assignment, an excerpt of George Simpson’s journal. The meeting will last 10-15 minutes, and questions about the reading will be provided to the student ahead of time. A Google calendar will be provided to the class so that each student can select the 15-minute block that is most convenient for them. This assignment is worth 25 points.
Discussion Board Assignments: There are three Discussion Board Assignments that are worth 25 points each. Each assignment relates to that week’s reading assignment and will be posted in the corresponding Module on Canvas. Each Discussion Board will feature several questions on the reading assignment. You must answer one of the questions in 5-7 sentences, and your response should include specific information from the assigned reading. After posting your answer, you must post a response to at least one of your classmates’ answers. Your response should be 3-4 sentences in length, and it must advance the discussion in a meaningful way (in other words, do not simply respond with “Good point” or “I agree”). The goal of the Discussion Board Assignments is to prove that you have read the materials and thought about them in an analytical way.
Response Paper on Autobiographical Reading: There is one Response Paper worth 50 points. For this assignment, students will choose one of five autobiographical readings and write a two-page, double-spaced essay that responds to the reading in an analytical way. In other words, the essays should not simply repeat or summarize the reading but should develop insights into the reading. More information will be provided. The Response Paper is due by 11:59 p.m., Friday, August 22.
Midterm Exam: Students will take a Midterm Exam worth 100 points in Week 3 (August 4-10). More information will be provided.
Final Exam: Students will complete the Final Exam worth 100 points in Week 5 (August 18-22). More information will be provided.
Texts, Materials, and Supplies:
There is no required textbook for the course. Instead, throughout the quarter students will read a selection of articles, chapters, speeches, and other materials that are posted under the corresponding Module on Canvas. Please see the course schedule for more information. The instructor has attempted to stagger the reading load across the quarter so as to make it manageable for students. The instructor will give reminders during lectures of upcoming reading assignments, and it is the student’s responsibility to keep apprised of the readings and complete them each week.
Other required materials for the class include a computer with internet access. Please note that Canvas does not always work well on phones so using a computer is highly recommended.
Grading Information (How your learning will be assessed):
There are a variety of assignments in this class designed to present historical information in different formats, encourage critical thinking, and assess mastery of the material.
Syllabus Quiz 10 points
Lecture Quizzes 80 points (8 quizzes worth 10 points each)
1-on-1 Zoom Meeting 25 points
Discussion Board Assignments 75 points (3 assignments worth 25 points each)
Reading Response Essay 50 points
Midterm Exam 100 points
Final Exam 100 points
Total 440 points
Grades will be assigned according to the following scale based on the number of points earned in the class. Percentages of total points earned that are decimals will be rounded up to the nearest whole number.
Percentage = Grade
99-100 = 4.0
97-98 = 3.9
95-96 = 3.8
93-94 = 3.7
91-92 = 3.6
90 = 3.5
89 = 3.4
88 = 3.3
87 = 3.2
86 = 3.1
85 = 3.0
84 = 2.9
83 = 2.8
82 = 2.7
81 = 2.6
80 = 2.5
79 = 2.4
78 = 2.3
77 = 2.2
76 = 2.1
75 = 2.0
74 = 1.9
73 = 1.8
72 = 1.7
71 = 1.6
70 = 1.5
69 = 1.4
68 = 1.3
67 = 1.2
66 = 1.1
65 = 1.0
Below 65% = 0.0
Make-up or Late Work: All assignments are due on the date specified in the class schedule. Any late submissions/assignments will be accepted only with the permission of the instructor, and they will be subject to late penalties at the discretion of the instructor. The instructor will be certain that all readings, written assignments, and course material will be posted well in advance of ant deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure assignments are submitted on time, thus it is advisable not to risk submitting them at the last minute. Exceptions to late policies may be granted at the instructor’s discretion if the circumstances warrant them, and they generally require arrangement in advance.
Students must complete the 1-on-1 Zoom Meeting, Response Paper on Autobiographical Reading, Midterm Exam, and Final Exam in order to pass the course. Failure to complete any of these assignments will result in a course grade of zero, regardless of the student’s scores on the other assignments. For example, if a student completes the exams and final paper but does not show up for the 1-on-1 Zoom meeting with the professor, they will not pass the course.
Primary Goals of the Course:
The main goals of HSTAA 432 are (1) to have students become familiar with the course content as presented in the different venues and (2) to enhance their ability to write effectively.
Another goal is to improve students’ abilities to think historically—about the Northwest after 1750 or so, as well as about other places and times. Historical thinking entails the recognition of complexity, ambiguity, and uncertainty in human affairs; the development of a critical—and often skeptical—attitude toward sources of information; and the understanding that events occur sequentially and that the sequence matters. Historical thinking requires that students attempt to understand past events and trends from the diverse points of view held by people living at the time and to consider how and why those points of view from the past are often substantially different from our own today.
Another goal in HSTAA 432 is to improve students’ ability to think conceptually. Coming to terms with the past requires that one impose some intellectual order on the numerous, diverse, sometimes chaotic sets of facts from previous times, to make connections between different trends and events and historical persons. Conceptual thinking links various events or trends together. For example, conceptual thinking has produced the three major themes of this course—relations between diverse peoples, relations between peoples and the natural environment, and the emergence of regional identities—and it also has enabled us to divide the course chronologically into periods. Conceptual thinking also links local and regional history to broader contexts, such as national and international developments. For example, the rise of the fur trade in the Pacific Northwest in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and the emergence of the logging and fishing industries in the late 19th century, can both be regarded as aspects of a changing global system of market capitalism.
Conceptual thinking permits us to pull together selectively a variety of issues, sources, and events into explanations of the past.
Statement on Artificial Intelligence:
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is not allowed in the course, and the instructor considers any such use a form of academic misconduct. Tools that use AI and large language models to generate text or images include, but are not limited to, ChatGPT, GPT4, Bing Chat, and “Write with AI” in Google Docs. Please do not use any AI tools in this course.