DuSable 424 Tues/Thurs 12:30-1:45
Prof. Rosemary Feurer
Office Hours: Tues 2-3, Thurs 11-12 and by
appointment
e-mail: rfeurer@niu.edu Zulauf 618 Ph: 753-6815
DESCRIPTION
How does the history of U.S. from
the perspective of workers shed new light on the past as well as on current
issues? This course challenges you to investigate the history of class and work
issues in the United States; to consider class and power as meaningful
historical relationships; to consider the relationship between the modern
workplace and current dilemmas and those of past generations of workers; to
understand the role the U.S. working class has played in bringing about
historical change, both in the workplace and the larger society; to understand
how workers shaped and were shaped by modern capitalist development. We will
review labor-capital conflict; the rise and fall of labor unions; workers’
culture and communities; the role of law and government in limiting or
expanding workers' power; how race, ethnicity and gender shaped workers'
experience.
While this course’s formal catalog description states that we begin in
1787, we will in fact begin in the colonial period. However, most of the course
material will focus on the late 19th and 20th century.
This course is based on readings, discussion, lecture, videos. You will get the
most out of this course if you read the materials carefully and come prepared
to engage me and your fellow classmates in meaningful conversations and debate
about these materials. The course will help you develop your analytical and
writing skills. This course will give you a better understanding of your own
work lives and culture.
1) Attendance/Discussion: 25%
of grade; you should expect that your grade will be affected if you
miss more than 3 classes. Similarly, any virtual absences (sleeping, reading
the paper, for example) will be noted and will be counted as though you are not
here at all. Most importantly, this course depends on your active participation:
you need to have read the course material assigned for that day before coming
to class. You will not get much credit for occupying the chair. This course
also requires you to view some videos outside of class; if you have a credible
reason that you are not able to make these agreed-upon times, you will be
allowed to obtain these other ways. If you miss the videos, this will count as
an absence.
2) Take-home
midterm and final-- 50 % of grade-- essay responses to 2 questions –
total of 7 pages each, due March 11
and May 9.
3) Formal writing
assignment: 25% of grade due
April 14
One of the following, all
of them 8-10 pages:
·
Research paper
--you will have lots of support from me for topic selection, materials
available in Founders, etc.
·
subject-based teaching Unit– using course materials and
additional research –
·
A historically contextualized “memoir”—your own, your
family’s, or this can be based on a series of interviews that are logically
connected.
·
On-line readings from course website
www3.niu.edu/~td0raf1/history471/index.htm
(On this page you will see a longer version of this syllabus: leading to assignments and other recommended readings for those dates)
Bookmark this site when you locate it. You can navigate to it from
the niu site (www.niu.edu), select A-Z index, find History, click to that, then
at the history main page (http://www3.niu.edu/history/) click “faculty” at top left, then click on
“Rosemary Feurer”, and at the end of my bio my general website address is
available, from there you can click to History 471