Welcome to the HI 376 blog

HI 376: American Urban History

University of Massachusetts Boston

Fall, 2007

R. S. Deese

Office M-4-219; Hours: Tu&Th 5:30-6:30

rsdeese@gmail.com

This course will survey American Urban History from the Colonial Era to the present, with a special emphasis on the effects of economic, social, and technological transformations on urban life in the United States. As issues in urban history often reflect evolving ideas about the relationship between humanity and nature, this course will also consider a number of issues relating to environmental history, such as land use, energy, and climate change. The reading assignments for each week, including handouts, should be completed by every Thursday in order to assure an informed discussion. Attendance and participation will account for 20 per cent of each student’s final course grade.

Grade Breakdown:

20%: Class Participation

20%: Book Review 1 (due in class on 9/27)

15% Class Presentation (TBA)

20%: Book Review 2 (due in class on 10/25)

25%: Research Paper (due in class on 12/6)

REQUIRED TEXTS:

1. Chudacoff, Howard P., et al, Major Problems in American Urban History: Documents & Essays, 3^rd ed., Trade Paper, 1994. Publisher: Houghton-Mifflin College Division. ISBN: 0-679-74195-X. ISBN-13: 978-0-669-24376-5.

2. Jacobs, Jane, The Death & Life of Great American Cities, Trade Paper, 1992. Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group. ISBN: 0-679-74195-X. ISBN-13:978-0-679-74195-4.

3. Kunstler, James Howard, The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise & Decline of America’s Man Made Landscape, Trade Paper, 1994. Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc. ISBN: 0-671-88825-0. ISBN-13: 978-0-671-88825-1.

Basic Ground Rules:

1. Turn off all cell phones, beepers, etc. before all class meetings begin.

2. Always come on time to all class meetings, and participate in all discussions. Please don’t be shy about speaking up in class discussions, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Virtually all original scholarship begins by posing questions that others have overlooked or dismissed as simply not worth asking; therefore, the very question you might be afraid to ask because it seems naïve or unorthodox could well be the most interesting and groundbreaking question that anyone could raise. Don’t hesitate to ask it. Also, please remember that I am more than happy to field your questions and address your concerns via email, telephone, and during my regular office hours.

3. Always come to class prepared to discuss all readings for that week. When you do the assigned reading each week, be sure to underline passages that you see as important, and write down questions that you would like to raise in our section meetings and in my office hours.

Term Paper: For this course you will be required to write a 10-12 page research paper that explores the technological, cultural, and political dimensions of a single urban history issue within a specific historical context. Your Student Presentation will be based on your research paper.

Regulations Against Plagiarism: Needless to say, the work you present must be entirely your own and all sources must be diligently credited in your footnotes and bibliography. Any attempt at plagiarism, representing the work of another person as your own, will be result in failure in this course and severe disciplinary action by Boston University. If you should need more information on this subject, consult the website of the History Department.

Readings:

Week One
9/4: Introduction

9/6: Boston, 1630
John Winthrop, "A Model of Christian Charity" (1630)
Week Two

9/11: Sprawl, Peak Oil, James Howard Kunstler

9/13: Boston, 1770; web-log discussion

Boston Gazette, March 1770

Samuel P. Hays, Textbook, pgs. 2-12

Week Three

9/18: City Planning in Colonial Philadelphia and beyond

9/20: Tench Coxe and the birth U.S. industry

William Morley, Textbook, pg. 39

Week Four
9/25: Race, Class, and Gender in Antebellum American Cities

9/27: New York Draft Riots

Karin Wulf, Textbook, pgs 56-63
Nayan Shah, Textbook, pgs 162-170
Week Five

10/2: “Exotic but immoral”: New Orleans

10/4: “I have never seen a busier place”
Estwick Evans, Textbook, pg. 81

Harriet Martineau, Evans, Textbook, pg. 109

Week Six
10/9: A Place to Get Rich BOOK/FILM REVIEW 1 DUE IN CLASS
10/11: Boosterism and the rise Western cities
Bayar Taylor, Textbook, pg. 117
William Cronin, Textbook, pgs. 121-127Week Seven
10/16: Immigration in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era

10/18: Internal Migration in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era

Great Migrations, Textbook, pgs. 225-242

Week Eight
Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Introduction; Chs. 1&2

Week Nine
Jacobs, Chs. 7, 8, 9

Week Ten
Jacobs, Chs. 11 & 12

Week Eleven
Jacobs, Chs. 21 & 22

Week Twelve

Kunstler, Geography of Nowhere. Chs. 1, 2 &3

Week Thirteen

FINISH Kunstler