Week 1 - George Washington University



Syllabus

Progressive Movements: (Re)Writing History

UW20 Section 31 (Spring 2008)

Prof. Zachary Wolfe

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Introduction and Purpose of the Course

As you know, UW20 sections teach serious scholarship through engagement of a challenging intellectual theme. This course explores social justice movements that brought us many of the rights and social expectations we now enjoy but likely were glossed over in your history classes to date. In the course of exploring this theme, students will master critical analysis, research, and self-reflective and scholarly writing.

One way to conceptualize this course theme is to consider a right that you particularly appreciate. Perhaps you are excited about coming to a new school to live and learn with people of all races and genders. Or maybe you have a renewed appreciation for time off and vacations. How much do you really know about the struggles that produced these benefits to you? You know that there were civil rights, feminist, and labor movements, but is your understanding of them comprehensive, or even accurate? Exploration of these issues raises further questions regarding how history is presented and who writes the accepted narratives of mass movements.

Materially, this course consists of assigned readings, presentations by experienced political activists, papers reflecting on the readings and presentations, and a final research paper on a topic of your choosing that is related to the theme of this course. The syllabus is designed to provide students with a theoretical and factual background, opportunities to work closely with the professor and peers on writing and research, and the chance to culminate the semester with a major paper that will be personally rewarding and reflect your status as a university-level researcher, writer and scholar.

Instructor Information

Zachary Wolfe

zwolfe@gwu.edu * (202) 994-3053 * Rome 557

Office Hours: Tu/Th/F, 1:00-2:00 and by appointment

This is my fourth year of teaching at GW. I first did so as part-time faculty, while also practicing public interest law. (I obtained my Juris Doctorate from George Washington University Law School.) Just over a year ago, I decided that I so enjoyed teaching and academic work that I wanted to pursue it full-time. Last year was my first as a full-time professor. I continue to practice law to a limited extent, mostly by consulting on cases and as chair of the Amicus Curiae Committee of the National Lawyers Guild.

I am readily available for discussion with students outside of class, and encourage all students to meet with me regularly. Formal office hours are listed above; or just approach me after class to speak then or arrange a mutually convenient time. I also check email frequently (zwolfe@gwu.edu).

Librarian Information

David Ettinger (dettingr@gwu.edu – note the missing e) is the reference librarian who will work closely with us for the duration of this course. He holds a Ph.D. in political science and has taught a graduate-level course in international relations research here at GW’s Elliott School. We will meet with him at Gelman Library early in the course to introduce students to research resources at GW. Later in the term, when students should be mid-way through their research, we will meet with him again to discuss advanced research methods and any issues you have encountered.

Course Readings

In addition to the materials below, students will read the New York Times or similar major daily newspaper every day. We begin each class discussion period by exploring newsworthy events and their relation to the course theme.

Some readings will be on Blackboard. The books to be obtained from the bookstore for the course are:

• Zinn, Voices of a People’s History

• Murolo & Chitty, From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend

• Lunsford, Easy Writer

COURSE SCHEDULE

Please note that the outline is not intended to provide a precise schedule for the course. Rather, the order and expected time periods are approximate and subject to change as the course progresses, as is the content itself.

Students are expected to have completed the reading and be prepared to discuss it in class before the first day indicated for each text.

|Week 1 |15-Jan |Introduction to the course. |

| | |Discussion of contrast between NYT OpEd and Rockwell image / popular memory. |

| | |Please review this syllabus carefully. |

| |17-Jan |Zinn, Introduction |

| | |Selection from It was Like a Fever (Blackboard) |

| |18-Jan |Zinn, Chapter 6 |

|Week 2 |22-Jan |Murolo & Chitty, Chapter 5 |

| |24-Jan |Murolo & Chitty, Chapter 8 |

| |25-Jan |Murolo & Chitty, Chapter 9 |

| | |Zinn, pages 378-388 |

|Week 3 |29-Jan |King, “Letter From Birmingham Jail” (Blackboard) |

| | |Discussion of final paper topic options and expectations |

| |31-Jan |Zinn, Chapter 17 |

| |1-Feb |presentation – Imam Mahdi Bray |

|Week 4 |5-Feb |Zinn, Chapter 19 |

| |7-Feb |Zinn Chapter 24 -- except 609-615 |

| | |Impeachment movement materials (Blackboard) |

| |8-Feb |Topic proposals due. In-class discussion of topics. |

|Week 5 |12-Feb |Library instruction – meet in Gelman 300 |

| |14-Feb |Review of paper expectations. |

| | |Familiarize yourself with Lunsford and bring it to class. |

| |15-Feb |Autoethnography draft due. 5-7 pages. In-class discussion |

|Week 6 |19-Feb |Individual meetings (no class meeting) |

| |21-Feb |Individual meetings (no class meeting) |

| |22-Feb |Group work on autoethnography |

|Week 7 |26-Feb |Autoethnography FINAL draft due |

| |28-Feb |Zinn, Chapter 20 |

| |29-Feb |Zinn Chapters 12 & 14 except 291-306 |

|Week 8 |4-Mar |Zinn Chapter 18 |

| |6-Mar |Brian Becker – Anti-war organizing and movements |

| |7-Mar |Draft due: “What we know now, and why we didn’t before.” 8-10 pages. An assignment prompt will provide|

| | |more information. In-class discussion. |

|Week 9 |11-Mar |Individual meetings (no class meeting) |

| |13-Mar |Individual meetings (no class meeting) |

| |14-Mar |Final draft due: “What we know now, and why we didn’t before.” |

| |17-22 March |SPRING BREAK |

|Week 10 |25-Mar |Proposals for University Writing and Research Symposium |

| |27-Mar |Boykoff, Chapter 14 (Blackboard) |

| | |Mass media coverage of last week’s anti-war demonstration |

| |28-Mar |Presentation – Gloria LaRiva |

|Week 11 |1-Apr |Presentations on status of final paper |

| |3-Apr |Library session – meet in Gelman 300 |

| |4-Apr |Group work on final research paper |

|Week 12 |8-Apr |Preparation for University Writing and Research Symposium |

| |10-Apr |University Writing and Research Symposium |

| |11-Apr |University Writing and Research Symposium |

|Week 13 |15-Apr |Final paper outlines and annotated bibliographies due -- bring them to class |

| |17-Apr |Presentations on status of final paper |

| |18-Apr |Library session – meet in Gelman 300 |

|Week 14 |22-Apr |Draft of final papers due -- bring them to class. 12-15 pages |

| |24-Apr |Group work on final paper |

| |25-Apr |Group work on final paper |

| | | |

| |9-May |FINAL DRAFT OF PAPERS DUE |

| | |by email (zwolfe@gwu.edu) before 3:00 p.m. EDT |

Daily Newspaper reading

and starting to think about your final paper

Although much of this course deals with historical movements, we are also interested in contemporary social justice efforts and in how past struggles are reflected in current events. You might even select a final paper topic that is related to ongoing demands and organizing. Moreover, reading a serious newspaper and thinking about the issues of the day is a worthwhile habit. I like to begin most of our class meetings with a discussion of current events.

I strongly encourage you to read the New York Times. It is the “newspaper of record” in this country. The quality of writing is second to none, and it is where every advocate for a position strives to have an OpEd piece placed. I push the Times not because I agree with its editorial bent (in fact, I very often do not), but because I view it as the most respected and highest quality newspaper printed in this country.

GW should again have the “readership program,” which provides free papers in various locations around campus. There have been problems with this program in the past and it was discontinued for a year, but we are hopeful that the Student Association has arranged for delivery of the New York Times in sufficient quantity to convenient locations. Nevertheless, in case you have trouble obtaining a free copy, I have arranged for discounted home (dorm) delivery for students in this course. Your copy would be delivered to the lobby of your building in a wrapper with your name on it. I will send around a link for online ordering, or call 888-698-2655 ext 1 and tell them you are calling for Professor Wolfe’s course. The cost for delivery to your dorm will be $2/week for Monday-Friday, or $4.40/week for 7 days.

If you wish a more conservative paper, a good choice would be the Wall Street Journal. It is less broadly read than the Times, and the OpEd page will not have the same scope of views and authors. It tends to focus on financial issues, but offers good coverage of other topics as well. Another excellent newspaper is the Christian Science Monitor. It is widely respected as the most journalistic newspaper available, providing quality, unbiased reporting. It is not a source for views of advocates with OpEd pieces, however. Also, it is delivered through the mail, so you will be a day behind.

If you must, I suppose you could make due with the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, or Atlanta Journal-Constitution. These are fine and respected papers, but simply are not on the level of the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. Some students may wish to read NY Times during the week and get the Washington Post on the weekends. Please discuss with me if you are considering some other newspaper.

As you become engaged in your daily readings, you will identify topics and events that relate to past social justice movements or reflect contemporary demands. As we will discuss, your final paper topic could be something that came to your attention from the papers, from the syllabus, or due to some pre-existing interest. The first day of class is not too early to begin thinking about and keeping your eyes open for final paper topics.

ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION & REQUIREMENTS

UW20’s Common Goals

UW20 courses make use of a wide variety of topics, approaches, and assignment designs to meet a common set of goals. To prepare students for rigorous academic writing across the range of disciplines offered at GW, the course strives to develop or extend student writers' capacity for critical reading and analytic thinking; their ability to explore information resources; their grasp of rhetorical principles; their ability to frame sound questions or hypotheses; and their ability to edit and proofread carefully. For a full view of the template that all UW20 sections share, please visit

UW20’s Common Workload

Every UW20 course requires 25 to 30 double-spaced pages, or their equivalent, of “finished” writing. In this context, “finished” writing refers to papers that have been developed in a rigorous composition process often consisting of pre-draft preparation, drafts, and revisions based on instructor’s advice and classmates’ comments. In this class, that workload is fulfilled by three papers that are 5-7, 8-10, and 12-15 pages in length. Each paper is revised based on feedback from peers and the instructor, as outlined in the syllabus.

Attendance Policy

Class attendance is required, with limited excused absences; class participation is essential to performance and affects the final grade. Students are expected to take class attendance and participation seriously, understanding such to be essential to obtaining full value from this course. Please advise the instructor well in advance of planned absences (for religious observance, etc.) and take whatever measures are possible to minimize disruption in the event of unplanned absences for illness or other emergencies. As discussed below, class participation accounts for 20% of your grade. A fourth absence in the semester will result in a full-grade reduction in your class participation grade. Five or more absences is grounds for failing the course. Moreover, all peer reviews and class presentations are required for course credit.

Grading

Written work will determine 80% of the grade for this course, with class participation accounting for 20% of the final grade. The final research paper is worth twice as much as the other papers (i.e., 40% of the final grade). Final drafts are assigned a letter grade, which is converted to grade points and averaged to calculate the final grade for the course (4.0 for A, 3.66 for A-, 3.33 for B+, etc.) Although drafts are not graded, please note that revision of written work is part of the course requirements. Accordingly, you cannot receive credit for the final draft of a paper unless you have turned in the first draft on time and gone through the required revision process.

NO LATE PAPERS

Students are expected to approach all deadlines and writing assignments seriously and professionally. All written work must be given to the professor or emailed to zwolfe@gwu.edu by the specified time. Late papers will not be accepted and will result in a zero on the assignment, absent extraordinary circumstances. A cold is not extraordinary. If you are experiencing illness in the days leading up to a paper deadline, you must request an extension as early as possible, and at least 24 hours prior to the deadline.

The “R” Grade

Students must pass UW20 with a grade of C- or above in order to receive credit for the course. A grade of C- or above in UW20 indicates that the student is prepared to write in upper-division, writing-intensive courses.

If a UW20 student is not prepared for the next level of university writing, the instructor will assign the student a grade of R (for Repeat.) The R grade is reserved for students who work hard in the course, complete the main course assignments, but will still benefit from additional UW20 writing instruction. The student will not receive credit for the course; however, the R will not factor into the student's GPA.

Students who do not complete the course requirements, who are consistently absent from class, or who violate other expectations of academic behavior, will receive an F.

Academic Integrity

Academic writing builds on the work of others who have written and created before us.  Academic writers use and cite the ideas, words, and images of others in order to document grounds for knowledge, illuminate contexts of argument, acknowledge intellectual influences, distinguish our own analytical voices, and encourage further investigation and inquiry.  If, on the other hand, we take others' work as our own--using their phrases, images, concepts, or arguments without acknowledgement--we not only hamper these goals but also cross the line into academic dishonesty.

GW's Code of Academic Integrity defines academic dishonesty as "cheating of any kind, including misrepresenting one's own work, taking credit for the work of others without crediting them and without appropriate authorization, and the fabrication of information."  The minimum penalty for such offenses, whether on rough or final drafts, is to fail the assignment; the more common penalty is to fail the course. This instructor takes ethical violations extremely seriously, and students are expected to conduct themselves responsibly and professionally in every respect. You can find more information about the Code of Academic Integrity at .

Disability Accommodations

As a general matter, students with disabilities should be in contact Disability Support Services (Marvin Center 242, x4-7610 or TDD x4-8250). If you have a disability or some other special circumstance that might affect your work this semester, please let me know both verbally and in writing as soon as possible, so I can make appropriate accommodations. For additional information please refer to

In Case of Problems with your Classes

If you are struggling with an individual class, or several classes, your first line of contact is always the professor.

If, for whatever reason, you need more assistance than your professor can provide, seek out your academic advisor. For example, if you have an illness or a family tragedy that requires you to be away from class for an extended period of time, you need to contact and meet with the academic dean for your college (CCAS, SEAS, ESIA, Business, etc.). The dean will inform all your professors of the reason for your absences. Below is the contact information for the dean’s offices at the different schools:

CCAS: Phillips Hall 107; 202.994.6210

ESIA: 1957 E St., NW, Suite 302; 202.994.3002

SPHHS: Ross Hall 202; 202.994.2160

SEAS: Tompkins Hall of Engineering 105; 202.994.6080

GWSB: Duques Hall 456; 202.994.7027

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