hist 299-01 (transnational): cold war politics, culture ...sakai our course has a sakai site, which...

HIST 299-01 (Transnational):

Cold War Politics, Culture, Society

Tu/Th 2:20-3:50, Piskor 214

St. Lawrence University, Fall 2017

Table of Contents

Professor's Contact Information & Office Hours ………..p. 1

Course Overview & Objectives.........................................p. 2

Required Course Texts.....................................................p. 3

Sakai..................................................................................p. 3

Summary of Assignments & Grade Distribution.............p. 4

Class Preparation, Professionalism, & Contribution......pp. 4-6

Policy on having personal electronic devices in class.pp. 4-5

Reading and Videos ………………………………………......……pp. 6-7

Taking notes on reading and videos…………………….p. 6

Advice for reading……………………………….………………p. 7

Responsibility for ALL readings……………………………p. 7

Quizzes…………………….………………………………………………pp. 7-8

Absences…………………………………………………………………pp. 8-9

Formal Written & Spoken Assignments……….................p. 9

Academic Integrity…………………………………………….……..pp. 10-11

Resources to Help You Succeed in this Course………….pp. 11-12

Why You Need to Follow Assignment Instructions.........p. 12

Disability and Accessibility Services Office [DASO]……..p. 13

Course Schedule..............................................................pp. 13-24

Professor's Contact Information and Office Hours

Dr. Donna Alvah, Department of History

Office: Piskor Hall 211

Office hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 1:00–4:00

p.m., & by appointment

(no office hours during the October and

November breaks and finals week, but you

can make an appointment for finals week)

Office phone: (315) 229-5867

E-mail: [email protected]

SLU email is the university's official means of communication. If you send email to me, please

do so from your SLU email account. It is expected that students will regularly check their SLU

email accounts.

I will respond on the same day to emails received by 6:00 p.m. I will respond the next day to

emails received after 6:00 p.m.

mailto:[email protected]

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Course Overview & Objectives

In this seminar for sophomores and juniors we will examine and practice a variety of methods for

interpreting political, social, and cultural aspects of "the Cold War." This rivalry between the

superpowers and their allies encompassed domestic and international politics, fueled a nuclear

arms race, and influenced life and ideas in many countries. We will study scholarly texts that

consider associations between Cold War politics and gender, family, sexuality, race, age,

nationality, religion, and other social categories, and will use ideas from these to analyze diverse

primary sources, including film, art, music, and more. We also will consider how people in different

locations and time periods responded to the Cold War. Students will conduct oral history interviews

of people who experienced this era and scrutinize popular cultural representations of the Cold War

to understand how it has been, and is, remembered. The culminating course project is a

historiography on a focused topic selected by the student.

Course objectives

◻ Knowledge of key events, ideas, issues, individuals, and groups in the Cold War, as well as the Cold

War's influences on society, culture, and the environment, and how people responded to the Cold War

◻ Understanding of interpretations of causes and consequences of the Cold War and its end

◻ Awareness of the geographical extent of the Cold War

◻ Acquaintance with a variety of approaches to interpreting cultural and social aspects of the Cold War

◻ Consideration of different types of evidence that historians use to interpret the past

◻ Awareness of challenges encountered in studying the recent past

◻ Practice in analyzing primary sources

◻ Practice in dissecting historians' arguments to better understand their logic and use of evidence

◻ Practice in conducting an interview and recording and documenting an oral history

◻ Honing skills in identifying and obtaining a variety of types of scholarly sources from libraries and

databases

◻ Ability to identify high-quality sources from reputable open internet sites

◻ Practice in assessing and comparing historical interpretations of a topic, culminating in a

historiographical essay

◻ Refinement of written and spoken communication skills, including discussion and presentation skills.

◻ Using digital tools such as Prezi and Excel for history assignments.

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Required Course Texts

Please purchase the required books right away, and bring assigned readings to class. Required books also

will be on reserve at ODY Library to check out for short periods. You can obtain the information for checking

these out at the SLU Libraries web site, and also by asking for help at the Circulation Desk in ODY Library.

Fink, Carole K. Cold War: An International History, 2nd edition.

Westview Press, 2017

ISBN 978-0-8133-49824 / 0813349826

Hunt, Lynn. Writing History in the Global Era.

W. W. Norton & Co., 2015

ISBN 978-0-3933-51170 / 0393351173

Potter, Claire Bond, and Renee C. Romano, eds. Doing Recent History: On Privacy, Copyright, Video Games,

Institutional Review Boards, Activist Scholarship, and History that Talks Back.

University of Georgia Press, 2012.

ISBN 978-0-8203-43020 / 0820343021

Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History. 8th ed.

Bedford St. Martin’s, 2015.

ISBN-13: 9781457690884 (paper)

In addition to the above books, you are responsible for all other readings made available during the

semester—handed out in class and/or available on Sakai.

Assigned videos that you will access on Sakai also are required course texts.

Finally, it is expected that you will use a writing style guide such as Little Seagull or a manual by Diana

Hacker. The WORD Studio in ODY Library has these guides; you may also check out writing style guides on

reserve at the circulation desk in that library. An excellent comprehensive internet site for writing instruction

and resources is Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL): https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ .

Sakai

Our course has a Sakai site, which you may access at https://sakai.stlawu.edu/ (and via various other SLU

website portals). Students enrolled in the course are automatically added to this site. The syllabus,

discussion handouts, assignment instructions, other documents, and videos will be available on Sakai.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/https://sakai.stlawu.edu/

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Summary of Assignments and Grade Distribution

Class participation: 15%

Quizzes: 10%

Archival source analysis: 10%

Oral history project (including interview, transcription, field notes, abstract): 15%

Oral history presentation: 10%

Historiographical essay (research-based; includes source annotations [10% combined]; + outline, draft, & final

essay [20%]): 30% total

Formal presentation of historiography: 10%

⇨ Please note that the "Pass/Fail" grade option is not available for this course.

Class Preparation, Professionalism, and Contribution To earn this portion of your course grade, attending class regularly is a basic but not the only requirement.

You also must prepare for class and make constructive contributions. Each student's preparation for class,

and demeanor, leadership, and participation in class, influences the classroom environment. In other

words, each of you can help to make the class a positive and worthwhile experience for all.

Occasionally someone will say that s/he is unwilling to speak in class because “I just don’t like talking in

class.” Nevertheless, it does not excuse anyone from class participation. Someone might not like doing the

assigned readings or writing papers, either, but that doesn’t excuse that person from completing these

assignments! At SLU, we want all students to have “[t]he ability to read, write, speak, and listen well.”1

Students are expected to come to every class prepared to talk (and in some cases, write) about readings,

videos, and other assignments. Demonstrate that you have done the readings and watched the videos, and

that you’ve thought about them and are engaging with them.

I would like students to listen to each other and respond thoughtfully and constructively. Discussions and

debates can be informative and useful for thinking through ideas. Feel free to take issue with

interpretations put forward by the course texts and members of our class, in a respectful manner that

advances discussion. Ideally, everyone will contribute to creating an environment in which all students are

expected to participate and are comfortable and feel heard doing so.

Policy on having personal electronic devices in class:

Before coming into class please turn off and put away, out of sight, phones, laptops, tablets, and any other

personal electronic devices. Having these devices out during class distracts their users as well as others,

and thus impedes collaborative learning. We need everyone's undivided attention in this class and we can

all survive for a couple of hours without texting, checking social media sites and sports scores, etc. We will

be studying as well as practicing mindfulness in this course, so you may consider the policy of focusing in

class without the distraction of personal electronics an exercise in mindfulness that is especially important

to cultivate in this age of information overload!

Using these devices in class (unless they are allowed for library sessions or other class instruction) will result

in a reduced class professionalism and contribution grade, since doing so is unprofessional and also

negatively influences the classroom atmosphere. If you have an official accommodation for using a

1 St. Lawrence University, 2012-2013 University Catalog, p. 6, accessed 22 August 2012,

http://www.stlawu.edu/catalog/1213/catalog_1213.pdf.

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computer to take notes in class, then please speak with me about this. Even if you have such an

accommodation, if I find that you are using your device for anything not immediately relating to our seminar

then you will no longer be allowed to use it in class.

Everyone should bring a laptop to our library sessions; please see the syllabus for dates. If your laptop isn’t

working or you don’t have one, computers are available in the library.

Here is an idea of how class preparation, professionalism, and contribution will translate into a grade:

4.0 (“A,” Excellent):

—The student is always prepared for, alert, and focused in class.

—The student has carefully completed and contemplated the assigned texts (readings, videos, etc.), and

participates in a way that demonstrates seriously grappling with the course texts and ideas.

—Listens carefully to other students, the professor, and guest speakers, and responds in ways that advance

the discussion.

—Makes connections to other students’ comments, and also among various course texts—e.g., current and

previous readings, videos, students' presentations, etc.

—Pays attention during students' presentations, asks questions or makes relevant comments after

presentations, and provides constructive feedback in peer reviews.

—Stays on task in pair/group discussions, and makes a fair contribution to these.

—Earnestly engages in class activities (including writing exercises).

—Comes to class on time.

3.0 (“B,” Good):

—The student is clearly engaged, and contributes regularly in class, in a way that demonstrates that s/he has

prepared for class and has thought about the assigned texts (readings, videos, etc.).

—Listens carefully to other students, the professor, and guest speakers, responding to their comments in a

manner that benefits the discussion.

—Tries to make connections to other students’ comments, course texts, etc.

—Pays attention during students' presentations, and afterword sometimes asks questions or offers

comments; provides helpful feedback in peer reviews.

—Stays on task in pair/group discussions, and makes a fair contribution.

—Gamely engages in class activities (including writing exercises).

—Comes to class on time.

2.0 (“C,” Satisfactory):

—The student attends class regularly and appears engaged but usually doesn’t speak unless called upon.

—Is attentive to what’s going on in the class, including what other students, the professor, and guest

speakers are saying (in other words, isn’t sleeping or tuning out).

—When called upon, says enough to indicate familiarity with assigned readings and videos, even if

comments aren’t extensive.

—Pays attention during students' presentations; occasionally asks questions or offers comments; makes an

effort to provide helpful feedback in peer reviews.

—Stays on task in pair/group discussions, and makes an effort to contribute.

—Cooperates in class activities (including writing exercises).

—Usually comes to class on time.

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⇨ Some reasons why a student could receive a grade of 1.0 (“D,” Unsatisfactory) or 0 ("F," Failed) for the class preparedness, professionalism, and participation grade:

—Lack of engagement in class, manifested in such behaviors as dozing, tuning out, checking the phone,

texting, compulsive clock-watching, note-passing, or personal conversations (including during pair/group

activities, student presentations, library instruction, etc.).

—Rarely or never coming to class prepared to discuss course texts.

—Not participating constructively in pair/group discussions or other class activities; letting others do most of

the work.

—Insufficient effort in in-class writing activities.

—Inattention to peers' presentations; insufficient effort in peer reviews

—Not bringing assigned readings to class.

—Doing work for other courses in this class.

—Frequently coming to class late or leaving early.

—Leaving the classroom frequently (e.g., to check phone), and/or for more than a couple of minutes.

—Unexcused absences (including skipping classmates' presentations)

For those worried about participating in class: Throughout the semester, everyone will have numerous

opportunities to participate. If you find it difficult to speak in class, please meet with me in office hours—the

earlier, the better—so that we can strategize about ways to improve your participation. I am happy to help

you find ways to participate in class. Sharing your thoughts with others and listening to what others have to

say helps everyone think through and better understand what we are studying. This is an essential part of

your education here at SLU.

Reading and Videos Completing assigned readings and watching videos before class is fundamental to class preparation, and

evidence of completing and grappling with the readings and videos (or not) will be considered in determining

the class preparation, professionalism, and contribution grade. Please purchase the required books right

away, and bring assigned readings to class. Required books also will be on reserve at ODY Library to check

out for short periods. You can obtain the information for checking these out at the SLU Libraries web site.

You also may ask for help with getting these books at the Circulation Desk in ODY Library (immediately past

the main entrance, in the lobby).

Taking notes on readings and videos To prepare for participation in our seminars, it is expected that each student will come to class with notes on

the assigned texts (readings, videos, etc.). Including the titles of the readings and videos that you are taking

notes on, as well as authors' names, year of publication, and specific page numbers from readings will make

it easy for you to refer to them in discussions and assist your learning about them.

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Advice for reading

Thinking about the following questions and taking notes as you read will help you to read actively rather than

passively and to prepare for in-class activities:

What is the title of the reading (document, article, chapter, book)? What does the title suggest about what this reading will address, and what argument it might make?

What is the purpose of this reading? In other words, what did the author want to accomplish in writing it?

Is the author presenting an argument? What are the main points and central ideas of this reading?

What strikes you about this work? What surprises, puzzles, or provokes you (in positive or negative ways)?

What are the tone, language, and style of the reading?

What does this reading contribute to your understanding of the larger topic being studied? How does it relate to the other assigned texts for this course?

It is important for you to get through the readings before coming to class. If some of it seems difficult, try to

move on in order to finish the assignment, even if you do not understand everything. Make a note of what

you find difficult so that we can discuss this in class. Reviewing introductions and conclusions will help you

understand scholars’ arguments and main points.

Write down questions that occur to you while reading, and bring them to class. I encourage discussion of

students' questions and points in class.

Responsibility for ALL readings Because we’ll have a lot to do in all of our classes, there will not always be enough time to discuss every part

of the assigned readings for every class. Nevertheless, everyone is responsible for completing these

readings, and for being prepared to respond to quiz questions on them and to incorporate them into written

and spoken assignments.

I will create Sakai topic forums so that students can post their questions on readings before each class, and

so we’ll know to address these questions (either in class or on Sakai). If there is something from that day’s

assigned readings that you have a question on or don’t understand and want us to discuss in class, then I

expect you to take the initiative to bring this to our attention so that we can address it.

I also expect students to refer to and follow the writing, speaking, and presentation advice and conventions

addressed in Little Seagull and "Public Speaking: The Virtual Text" (online). These guides are for class

discussions as well as for you to consult while working on course assignments outside of class.

Quizzes The quizzes for this course serve as incentives to carefully complete readings and watch videos and think

about them, and also to be attentive and engaged in library visits and other activities. In other words, the

quizzes are a means to facilitate learning and to encourage you to come to class prepared to contribute to

class discussions. If everyone is a responsible and informed participant in discussions then classes should

be interesting and worthwhile for all. Moreover, studying for and taking quizzes and going over them

afterwards reinforce learning.

Quizzes will address current and recent topics and assigned materials; sometimes they will also ask you to

draw on what you’ve studied earlier in the semester. In making connections between new learning and what

you studied in previous weeks, you are retrieving and building on older information and ideas, which

enhances learning.

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Quizzes will be taken in class, and possibly on occasion completed on Sakai before class. Quizzes may ask

you to provide short answers to questions or prompts; define key terms; identify and briefly explain the

significance of locations on a map; analyze images, or quotations from readings; and answer multiple-choice

questions. There may be extra-credit questions.

During a quiz you may use a single 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper (both sides) of your own notes on the readings,

videos, library visits, peer presentations, etc., but not the readings themselves, nor other people's notes, nor

anything else. Using anything other than the 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper with your own notes will be treated as

a violation of the academic integrity policy. Immediately after each quiz please give your sheet of notes to

Professor Alvah.

Consulting other students or anyone else for assistance with completing these quizzes is not allowed, nor is

assisting classmates or sharing information about the quizzes allowed before everyone has taken them.

Breaching these rules also will be treated as a violation of the academic integrity policy.

Students intending to travel for sanctioned University activities at the time of a quiz should speak with Dr.

Alvah well before the departure date about arranging for the accompanying faculty or staff adviser or coach

to proctor a quiz on the road (this arrangement requires the student to take the quiz at the same time as the

students in class).

I will drop the two lowest quiz grades.

Absences Each student is permitted two absences for any reason during the semester. It will be your decision whether

to use these absences because you are ill, or to drive a friend somewhere, or for a job interview, or to go

home, or because your car breaks down or your flight is delayed, or to do work for another class, or anything

else. However, I strongly recommend that you reserve your absences for a contagious illness or an

emergency. Please don't come to class if you are in the contagious stages of an illness. If you will miss a

class for any reason, please e-mail me before class to let me know.

Each absence beyond the excused two will result in a deduction of one grade point (1.0) from the course

preparation/professionalism/contribution grade.

Regarding illness and emergencies when a presentation is scheduled:

If a contagious or serious illness or an emergency would impede your ability to give a presentation as

scheduled, I will try to find an alternative time for you to complete this assignment. Otherwise, please do not

be absent on a day when you are scheduled to give a presentation; if you do this then the presentation will

be considered late and a grade penalty will apply.

In the uncommon circumstance that a medical condition or crisis will cause you to miss more than two

classes, please contact Professor Alvah about this as soon as possible. Additionally, please contact the

Office of the Dean of Student Life to ask them to inform all your professors. Upon your return to classes it

may also be helpful to meet with support staff in the Office of Academic Advising for assistance with catching

up with your coursework.

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Your responsibilities if you miss a class for any reason:

You’ll need to teach yourself what you’ve missed—by completing the assigned readings, getting notes

from a classmate, etc.

You'll also need to find out whether there were any announcements or handouts for that day (check Sakai, or ask a classmate or the professor).

You also will need to get yourself up to speed for class activities and be ready to fully participate in whatever is scheduled for when you return to class (e.g., a debate or other activity). I encourage you

to come to my office hours so I can help you do this.

Formal Written & Spoken Assignments

Historians write a lot, and history professors want their students to write well. The writing process helps you

to develop your analytical skills and to better understand things, articulate and think through problems,

formulate solutions, and communicate clearly and powerfully. Dr. Alvah wants you to make the most of your

education here at SLU by improving and refining your writing skills, and she is prepared to help you do this. It

takes time and effort, but it's an assuredly worthwhile endeavor.

While writing is an essential skill for self-expression and communication, public speaking and visual design

are also important skills to develop. Familiarity with (and the ability to critique) digital technologies is also

valuable. Thus, this course provides opportunities to hone a variety of skills.

Detailed instructions for the assignments will be provided.

Late or missed assignments

Due dates are indicated in the course schedule. Late papers will be penalized at the rate of one grade point

(1.0 on the scale of 0 to 4 points) per day, beginning at the deadline. If you need a short extension for a

paper, please email me about this beforehand to avoid the late penalty.

It is crucial that presentations be given as scheduled. Missing a presentation for an unexcused reason will

result in a grade of "0" for that assignment if there is no time to make it up during another class. If it is

possible to reschedule a presentation for another class (and there's no guarantee that there will be), then

the grade for that presentation will be reduced by one grade point (-1.0 point). It is not possible to make up

a missed presentation by giving the presentation only to the professor (i.e., without the rest of the class

present). Please also see "Regarding illness and emergencies at the time of an in-class quiz or presentation"

(earlier in this syllabus).

Making back-ups of your work

It is expected that students will make back-ups of all assignments, including drafts. There are many ways to

do this: copy them to your P-Drive or Google Drive or another online storage site, e-mail them to yourself, put

them on a flash-drive, etc. Always back up your work-in-progress; don't wait until finishing an assignment to

make a back-up copy.

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Academic Integrity

It is expected that all students have familiarized themselves with and will adhere to the university's

academic honesty policy. It is the university's policy that "If an instructor encounters any form of academic

dishonesty, s/he has an obligation to call the offending student(s) to account."2 The assigned course

readings include advice on how to avoid plagiarism in papers and presentations. Please review SLU's

"Academic Honor Code" below, and be sure to talk with Dr. Alvah if you have any questions or concerns.

The Academic Honor Code (available in the Student Handbook)

THIS SECTION PERTAINING TO THE ACADEMIC HONOR COUNCIL is not confidential. Your signed

acknowledgment of the code will be placed in your permanent student file. A record of your electronic

signature shall be retained as a record of compliance with the Academic Honor Code. The Academic

Honor Code cited below was designed by students and approved by the elected student government, the

Thelomathesian Society, on February 26, 1992.

All students at St. Lawrence University are bound by honor to maintain the highest level of academic

integrity. By virtue of membership in the St. Lawrence community, every student accepts the

responsibility to know the rules of academic honesty, to abide by them at all times, and to encourage all

others to do the same.

Responsibility for avoiding behavior or situations from which academic dishonesty may be inferred rests

entirely with the students. Students should be sure to learn from faculty what is expected as their own

work and how the work of other people should be acknowledged.

Academic Honesty

A major commitment of the University is “to the intellectual development of the student” (St. Lawrence

University Aims and Objectives) which can be achieved only by strict adherence to standards of

honesty. At St. Lawrence, all members of the community have a responsibility to see that these

standards are maintained. Consequently, St. Lawrence University students will not engage in acts of

academic dishonesty as described below.

Academic Dishonesty

1. It is assumed that all work is done by the student unless the instructor/mentor/employer gives

specific permission for collaboration.

2. Cheating on examinations and tests consists of knowingly giving or using or attempting to use

unauthorized assistance during examinations or tests.

3. Dishonesty in work outside of examinations and tests consists of handing in or presenting as

original work which is not original, where originality is required.

The following constitute examples of academic dishonesty:

a) Plagiarism: Presenting as one’s own work the work of another person--words, ideas, data,

evidence, thoughts, information, organizing principles, or style of presentation--without proper

attribution. Plagiarism includes paraphrasing or summarizing without acknowledgment by

quotation marks, footnotes, endnotes, or other indices of reference (cf. Joseph F. Trimmer, A

Guide to MLA Documentation).

b) Handing in or presenting false reports on any experiment.

c) Handing in or presenting a book report on a book one has not read.

2 St. Lawrence University, Student Handbook, accessed 22 August 2012,

http://www.stlawu.edu/studentlife/sites/stlawu.edu.studentlife/files/SLU%20Handbook.pdf.

http://www.stlawu.edu/studentlife/sites/stlawu.edu.studentlife/files/SLU%20Handbook.pdf

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d) Falsification of records.

e) Supplying information to another student knowing that such information will be used in a dishonest

way.

f) Submission of or presentation of work (papers, journal abstracts, oral presentations, etc.) which

has received credit in a previous course to satisfy the requirement(s) of a second course without

the knowledge and permission of the instructor/supervisor/mentor of the second course.

g) Knowingly making false statements in support of requests for special consideration or special

timing in the fulfillment of course requirements.

Claims of ignorance and academic or personal pressure are unacceptable as excuses for academic

dishonesty. Students must learn what constitutes one’s own work and how the work of others must be

acknowledged. Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty by the Academic Honor Council may

have a letter placed in his or her permanent file.

St. Lawrence students are required to electronically sign the following statement prior to

registration for classes:

“I hereby acknowledge that I have read the above document and I understand my

responsibility in maintaining the standards of academic honesty at St. Lawrence University.”

This is accomplished by checking the box agreeing that you have read the policy on the password reset

page.

More information on academic integrity, including the Academic Honor Council’s Constitution, can be

found at http://www.stlawu.edu/sites/default/files/resource/AcademicHonorPolicy.pdf. For information

about academic integrity or the Academic Honor Council issues, contact the Dean’s Office at x5993.

Resources to Help You Succeed in this Course

Your professor:

It is my job to help students learn. I am happy to talk with you to help you figure out how to do your best

work in this course and how to make the most of your college opportunities, so please always feel free to

meet with me in office hours, or make an appointment.

The WORD Studio [the following text is provided by the WORD Studio]

The Munn Center for Rhetoric and Communication maintains The WORD Studio in ODY Library—a

place to get feedback from peers on assignments in Writing, Oral communication, Research, and

Design of visual projects. You can come for a consultation to plan a paper or presentation; to find ways

to improve the ideas, organization, and style of a draft; to videotape and review a presentation

rehearsal; to practice a PowerPoint presentation, and more. However, peer tutors are not

proofreaders or editors who silently “fix” your work for you; instead, they are trained to have a

conversation with you about ways you can fix problem areas yourself and become better overall

communicators. You may use the WORD Studio for consultations on assignments for any of your

courses. The tutors do ask that you bring your professor’s assignment sheet with you so that their

feedback addresses the parameters of the assignments as specifically as possible.

http://www.stlawu.edu/sites/default/files/resource/AcademicHonorPolicy.pdf

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The WORD Studio is open Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Friday, noon to 4:00

p.m.; and Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. by appointment or for drop -in sessions, if tutors are

available. Consider making an appointment and sending your assignments in advance to minimize

wait time and increase the productiveness of your session. The email address is

[email protected].

Reiteration from Professor Alvah: If you work with a tutor on an assignment, be sure that you and your tutor

read the assignment instructions carefully and refer to them often.

Academic Support [the following text is provided by the Office of Academic Support]

The Office of Academic Support helps students find and utilize the tools they need for academic

success. The office also manages the early warning system, which identifies students who are

struggling in the first weeks of the semester and helps them get back on track. Through workshops

and individual meetings, students learn about time management, metacognition, active reading and

note-taking skills, semester and weekly planning, and test preparation to improve their learning and

academic performance.

Coordinator of Academic Support: Tina Tao, Whitman Annex 16, [email protected] 229-5134

Coordinator of Academic Development: Colleen Coakley, Whitman Annex 1, [email protected],

229-5604

Note from Professor Alvah: The following site provides a lot of good advice:

—"How to Be Successful at St. Lawrence"

http://www.stlawu.edu/academic-support/how-be-successful-st-lawrence

Additional Advice

Why you need to follow assignment instructions:

Your professor puts a great deal of time and thought into composing assignment instructions. Instructions

are not optional guidelines. They exist for good reasons, among them:

—because in completing assignments as instructed, students will exercise particular skills and, ideally,

demonstrate understanding of specified texts, concepts, etc.; and

—because when assessing and grading students' assignments, I want to make sure that I am being fair to

everyone. Overlooking one person's decision to ignore assignment instructions would be unfair to the other

students who did follow the instructions.

If you have any questions about an assignment, please feel free to ask in class (it's possible that other

students will have the same questions) or talk with me during office hours. In the meantime, good general

advice is to reread the syllabus and/or assignment instructions, and refer to them often.

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.stlawu.edu/academic-support/how-be-successful-st-lawrence

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DISABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES OFFICE (DASO) [The following text is provided by DASO]:

If you have a disability and need accommodations please be sure to contact the Disability and

Accessibility Services Office right away so they can help you get the accommodations you require at:

http://www.stlawu.edu/disability-and-accessibility-services. If you will need to use any

accommodations in this class, please talk with me early so you can have the best possible experience

this semester. Although not required, I would like to know of any accommodations that are needed at

least 10 days before a quiz or test, so please see me soon.

Course Schedule

Week 1

Th

Aug 31

First day

of class:

Meet with

Director of

Special

Collections

Mark

McMurray

in ODY

Library

Introductions

Reading assignments

Quizzes

Writing exercise (in composition book)

Qualtrics survey (forthcoming)

First assignment: Primary source analysis (handout)

http://www.stlawu.edu/disability-and-accessibility-services

of 24

Week 2 Topic Readings (complete before class) Assignment Due

Tu Sept

5

Meet in ODY

Library

Syllabus

questions?

World War II &

the start of the

Cold War

1) Syllabus—ALL—required reading!

2) Carole K. Fink, Cold War: An International

History:

o Skim Table of Contents

o Preface to the Second Edition (pp. xiv)

o Skim pp. xvi-xxx

o Introduction (1-4)

o Ch. 1, "Prelude: Soviet Russia and the

West, 1917-1941" (5-27)

o Ch. 2, "The Grand Alliance" (28-53)

3) Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing

in History (8th ed.):

o Ch. 1, “Introduction: Why Study History?”

o Ch. 2, “Working with Sources”

o Ch. 3, Section 3a: Reading actively in

history; and Section 3f: Taking history

exams

Th

Sept 7

Early Cold War,

1945-1952

Analyzing primary

sources, cont'd

1) Fink, Cold War: Ch. 3, "Cold War, 1945-1952"

(54-88)

2) Penny Von Eschen, "Rethinking Politics and

Culture in a Dynamic Decade," OAH Magazine of

History (2012) (handout)

3) Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History

(8th ed.): Sections

3c, Using primary sources

3d, Using secondary sources

4a, Approaching a history assignment

4b, Thinking like a historian

3) Excerpt from US Senate Subcommittee Report

(1950)—will hand out in class today

Quiz

F

Sept 8

of 24

Week 3 Topic Reading Assignment Due

Tu

Sept 12

Cold War

overview, cont'd

Peer review of

primary source

analysis

1) Fink, Cold War: Ch. 4, "The Widening Conflict,

1953-1963" (89-121)

Before the start of class, please read your peer review partners' archival sources (located in your Sakai Assignments group)

Please bring two printouts of your draft primary source analysis.

Th

Sept 14

Cold War

overview, cont'd

1) Fink, Cold War: Ch. 5, "The Sixties" (pp. 122-

147)

2) Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History

(8th ed.):

o Ch. 6, “Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Avoid It”

o Ch. 7, “Quoting and Documenting Sources” You can skim 7b, 7c, and 7d for now.

Please refer to them when writing papers.

Quiz

Presentations on

articles by Smith,

Brown,

Meyerowitz &

Klein

F

Sept 15

Primary source

analysis due:

Please upload to

Sakai

assignments by

3:00 p.m.

of 24


Tu

Sept 19

◻ Historiography

1) Historiography article: Couvares et al., "The

Cold War and Beyond: Stability, Hegemony,

Chaos?" (2009) (Sakai)

2) Brundage chapter on historiography (Sakai)

3) Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in

History:

o 3b-2: Annotated bibliographies

o 3d-2: Historiographic essays

Presentations on

articles by

Rotter, Dean, &

Romano

Th

Sept 21

Class meets today in ODY

Library, the Frost-

Ferguson Room (upstairs)

Please bring a laptop

Rhonda Courtney:

⯌ Refresher/update:

Encore, RefWorks,

CNY

⯌ Finding a

historiography

topic

Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History:

o Ch. 5, "Writing a Research Paper"

Quiz

Worksheet due

at the end of

class

F

Sept 22

of 24


Tu Sept

26

Oral history

1) Oral History Association, "Principles and Best

Practices (2009)" (handout/Sakai)

2) Southern Oral History Program, excerpts from

"A Practical Guide to Oral History"

(handout/Sakai)

3) In Doing Recent History:

o Willoughby Anderson, "The Presence of the

Past: Iconic Moments and the Politics of

Interviewing in Birmingham" (pp. 139-154)

Presentations on

articles by Rogin

& Frazier

Th Sept

28

Class meets today in

ODY Library, the Frost-

Ferguson Room

(upstairs)

Please bring a

laptop

◻ Rhonda Courtney:

Finding scholarly

sources for your

historiography

⇨ Remember to watch the documentary Two

Days in October (2004; 90 min) before next

Thursday's class (Oct. 5)—available on Sakai

Quiz

Worksheet due

by the end of

class

F Sept

29

of 24

Week 6 Topic Reading/Videos Assignment Due

Tu

Oct 3

◻ Oral history,

continued

Articles (Sakai):

o Jay Mechling, "Oral History and the Evidence

of Children's Lives" (1987)

o Patrick Hagopian, "Voices from Vietnam:

Veterans' Oral Histories in the Classroom"

(2000)

o Elizabeth Loftus, "Memories of Things Unseen"

(2004)

⇨ Remember to watch the documentary Two

Days in October (2004; 90 min) before

Thursday's class!—available on Sakai

Identify

interviewee +

back-up

interviewee for

oral history

Presentations

on articles by

Hallin & Wittner

Th Oct 5

◻ Remembering the

Vietnam War

1) Oral histories from Patriots: The Vietnam War

from All Sides (2003) (Sakai)

2) Discuss documentary Two Days in October

(2004; 90 min; watch before the start of today's

class)—available on Sakai

3) From Doing Recent History (ed. Potter &

Romano): David Greenburg, "Do Historians Watch

Enough TV? Broadcast News as a Primary

Source" (pp. 185-199)

Quiz

Presentation on

chapter by

Hagopian

F Oct 6

of 24


Tu Oct 10

◻ Détente

Fink, Cold War: Ch. 6: "Détente, 1969-1975" (pp.

148-171)

Wed Oct

11

Historiography

topic & preliminary

bibliography due:

Please upload to

Sakai Assignments

by 3:00 p.m.

Th Oct 12

No Class

⇨ Please watch the movie Threads (1984; 1hr 52

min.) before next Thursday's class (Oct. 19)—

available on Sakai

Mid-semester break: Thurs Oct 12 – Sun Oct 15


Tu Oct 17

Decline of

Détente

Obtaining high-

quality sources

from the internet

(Context for oral

history)

Fink, Cold War: Ch. 7, "Détente Collapses, 1975-

1980" (pp. 172-199)

⇨ Please watch the movie Threads (1984; 1hr 52

min.) before Thursday's class

Th Oct 19

◻ Cold War

Resurgence

◻ Life after nuclear

holocaust

1) Fink, Cold War: Ch. 8, "The Second Cold War,

1981-1985" (pp. 200-223)

2) Primary sources (Sakai):

o Ann Snitow, "Holding the Line at Greenham

Common: On Being Joyously Political in

Dangerous Times" (orig. published 1985)

o Carol Amen, "Testament" (1987)

3) Threads (1984; 1hr 52 min)—Please watch

before today's class (Sakai)

Quiz

F Oct 20

Source annotations

for historiography

due: Please upload to

Sakai Assignments by

3:00 p.m.

of 24


Tu Oct 24

How it all

ended

1) Fink, Cold War: Ch. 9, "The End of the Cold War,

1985-1991" (pp. 224-252)

2) Slovenka Drakulic, excerpt from How We

Communism and Even Laughed Survived (Sakai)

Th Oct 26

◻ The post-Cold

War world

◻ Preparing for

oral history

presentations

1) Fink, Cold War:

o Ch. 10, "Aftermath: A New World Disorder"

(253-284)

o Conclusion (285-287)

2) Public Speaking: The Virtual Text:

—available at

http://publicspeakingproject.org/visualaids.html

o ch. 11, "Speaking with Confidence"

o ch. 12, "Delivery"

Quiz

F Oct 27

Oral history project



3:00 p.m.

http://publicspeakingproject.org/visualaids.html

of 24


Tu Oct 31

Oral history

presentations

Oral history

presentations:

Presenters—please

upload your

PowerPoint (or

hyperlink to Google

Sheets) to Sakai

Assignments before

the start of class.

Th Nov 2

Oral history

presentations,

cont'd

Oral history

presentations:

Presenters—please

upload your

PowerPoint (or

hyperlink to Google

Sheets) to Sakai

Assignments before

the start of class.

F Nov 3

Source annotations



3:00 p.m.

of 24


Tu

Nov 7

◻ Challenges of

studying the

recent past

From Doing Recent History:

o Romano and Potter, Introduction: "Just

over Our Shoulder: The Pleasures and

Perils of Writing the Recent Past" (pp. 1-

19)

o Romano, "Not Dead Yet: My Identity

Crisis as a Historian of the Recent Past"

(pp. 23-44)

Th

Nov 9

◻ Challenges of

studying the

recent past,

cont'd

From Doing Recent History:

o Laura Clark Brown and Nancy Kaiser,

"Opening Archives on the Recent

American Past: Reconciling Ethics of

Access and Ethics of Privacy" (pp. 59-82)

o Jeremy K. Saucier, "Playing the Past: The

Video Game Simulation as Recent

American History" (pp. 201-223)

Quiz

F Nov 10 Source annotations



3:00 p.m.


Tu Nov

14

◻ Transforma-

tions in writing

history

Hunt, Writing History in the Global Era:

o Acknowledgments (pp. vii-viii)

o Introduction: "History's Changing

Fortunes" (pp. 1-11)

o Ch. 1, "The Rise and Fall of Cultural

Theories" (pp. 13-43)

Th Nov

16

Peer reviews

of functional

outlines

Please bring to class

two copies (PRINT-

OUTS) of your

functional outline

for peer review

F Nov 17

Please upload revised

functional outline to


3:00 p.m.

of 24

Thanksgiving recess: Sat Nov 18 – Sun Nov 26


Tu Nov 28

◻ Transforma-

tions in

writing

history,

cont'd


o Ch. 2, "The Challenge of

Globalization" (pp. 44-77)

Th Nov 30

◻ Transforma-

tions in

writing

history,

cont'd


o Ch. 3, "Rethinking Society and the

Self" (pp. 78-118)

Quiz

F Dec 1

Historiography draft due: Please

upload to Sakai Assignments by 3:00

p.m.


This week: Meetings with

Professor Alvah to discuss drafts

Tu Dec 5

Transforma-

tions in

writing

history,

cont'd

Revising

Course

evaluations

1) Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in

History: Review 5g, “Revising and editing

your paper”

2) Hunt, Writing History in the Global Era:

Ch. 4, "New Purposes, New Paradigms"

(pp. 119-151)

3) Italo Calvino, "A General in the

Classroom" (1953) (Sakai)

Little Seagull exercises (see

instructions)—tailored for each

student

Th Dec 7

Historiography presentations,

Day 1:

Today's presenters: Please

upload your PowerPoint (or post

your Google Slides hyperlink) to

Sakai before the start of class.

F Dec 8

of 24

Week 15 Topic Assignment Due

Tu Dec

12


Day 2





Th Dec

14

Conclusions


Day 3





F Dec 15

Reading day:

No classes

Finals week Assignment Due

Thursday Dec. 21 Revised historiography + cover letter:

Please upload this all in one document

to Sakai Assignments by 4:30 p.m. today.

Best wishes for finals. Happy travels & happy holidays.

Structure Bookmarks12

hist 299-01 (transnational): cold war politics, culture ...sakai our course has a sakai site, which...

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