HIST 498: Women, Culture, and History in New Mexico, 1500-Present

HIST 498: Women, Culture, and History in New Mexico, 1500-Present

Edward S. Curtis, A Taos Woman, ca. 1905. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

Spring 2017

Lecture: Once per week for 1hr 20min [contact hrs: 20hrs]

Room & Time: TBA

On Site: Seven Days (5hrs/day) [contact hours: 35 hrs]

Professor William Deverell

Office Hours TBD

New Mexico offers a remarkable case study environment, a humanities laboratory of the Southwest, in which to study the astonishing diversity of North American history and culture. This course – taught both at USC and in Taos in the spring of 2018 – takes up that rich learning opportunity. As a way to focus our investigation, we will take up the history of New Mexican women and gender as an organizing principle. Our investigation will be divided into specific periods and themes. Part I of the course is our investigation of gender and matrilineal social structure in the pre-contact indigenous cultures of great linguistic and cultural variability. Upon this foundation of anthropological and archeological knowledge, we introduce (Part II) Spanish contact and the establishment of imperial and Catholic missionization in the 16th and 17th centuries; our investigation here will be particularly aimed at the ways in which the Spanish friars, soldiers, and settlers altered and disrupted indigenous social structures and gender roles. Part III takes us into the early American period by way of conquest and settler-colonialism in and around the era of the Mexican War of 1846-48 and its aftermath. This section of the course looks closely at the early pioneer women of both Mexican and American nationality and background. Who were they, why did they come to New Mexico, and what did they find? Parts IV and V move into the modern era as roughly described by 1870-1940, and 1940-present. Part IV posits the idea that modernity found particular purchase in the lives, ideas, and ideals of New Mexican (and especially women) artists. Part V takes us through the eras of indigenous and Mexican American civil rights activism; our focus here will again be on the role that women played in these movements. Throughout the course, we will examine the various themes and ideas by way of multiple entry points into the history under scrutiny: biography, art and culture, diaries and memoirs, historical scholarship, and fiction. Each of the five parts or unit will be presented, discussed, and studied against the changing interface and backdrop of the New Mexican landscape.

As such, the best way to truly understand the history and meaning of our course’s many topics and themes is to go to the very places and spaces of study. Following the conventional course meetings of spring semester, we will travel to New Mexico for 7-10 days of in situ study. From two days and nights in Santa Fe, where we will see historical sites, structures, and the museums of New Mexican art, history, and culture, we travel to Taos, where we will stay and meet at the New Mexican ranch campus of Southern Methodist University. A fully-outfitted ranch (formerly the home/ranch of the governor of Texas), this site offers us seminar space, bunkhouse dormitories, a cafeteria, and a library. It is within easy distance of the town of Taos and of Taos Pueblo, the oldest continually inhabited community in North America. The ranch is also immediately adjacent to an active archeological investigation of ancient Pueblo peoples (we will meet with the lead archeologist while there).

GE Humanistic Inquiry Learning Objectives

Courses in the GE Humanistic Inquiry category prepare students to:

1) Reflect on what it means to be human through close study of human experience throughout time and across diverse cultures.

2) Cultivate a critical appreciation for various forms of human expression, including literature, language, philosophy, and the arts, as well as develop an understanding of the contexts from which these forms emerge

3) Engage with lasting ideas and values that have animated humanity throughout the centuries for a more purposeful, more ethical, and intellectually richer life

4) Learn to read and interpret actively and analytically, to think critically and creatively, and to write and speak persuasively

5) Learn to evaluate ideas from multiple perspectives and to formulate informed opinions on complex issues of critical importance in today's global world

6) Learn to collaborate effectively through traditional and new ways of disseminating knowledge.

Having successfully met the learning objectives, you will have acquired both practical skills and more intangible competencies. You will master strategies for finding, reading and understanding relevant information from different genres, for analyzing complex problems, for making and evaluating compelling arguments, and for preparing effective presentations. You will become a clearer thinker and a stronger writer. You will know how to situate current events and ideas in the right historical and cultural context to be able to make better decisions. You will gain new insights and be inspired. You will be ready for a life of learning and creativity.

Course Notes:

This course meets once a week during the semester and then travels for a week after graduation. Students must be able to attend both sections of the course. Due to the fact that this course uses funds from the Department of History the course is limited to majors in the History Department.

Required Books (available at USC Bookstore):

Susan Shelby Magoffin, Down the Santa Fe Trail

Ramon Gutierrez, When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away: Marriage, Sexuality, and Power in New Mexico, 1500-1846

Roxana Robinson, Georgia O’Keffee: A Life

Willa Cather, Death Comes for the Archbishop

Mabel Dodge Luhan, Intimate Memories: The Autobiography of Mabel Dodge Luhan

Joan Loveless, Three Weavers

Denise Chavez, The Last of the Menu Girls

Brian DeLay, War of a Thousand Deserts

Flannery Burke, A Land Apart: The Southwest and the Nation in the Twentieth Century

Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima[we will read this novel while in New Mexico]

Assignments:

Class Participation: 10%

You will be judged upon the amount you contribute to class each meeting and upon your engagement in our activities in New Mexico.

Food Report: 10%

During our time in New Mexico, we will be having three different “food experiences” based upon cooking and cuisine indigenous to the region. Prior to our going there, our course will be split into three groups and each group will be responsible for researching and presenting on one of these topics to the class so that we are well versed in themes of gender and food once we arrive in New Mexico. Details of the assignment will be discussed early in the term.

Response Papers: 10% each [20% Total]

You must write two 3-4 page response papers for this course, which ask you to engage with the readings. They will be due prior to our departure to New Mexico.

Research Paper: 30%

Students must complete a research paper, chosen from a list of several dozen topics, themes, and time periods, prior to the departure from New Mexico.

Final Report: 30%

On the day following our return from New Mexico, students will turn in a final report on the class and their experiences in it. This will be a detailed, citation-rich summation of things learned in the USC/New Mexico settings.

Requirements and Expectations @ USC:

Attendance & Absences: Your presence in class is important, especially since this class meets only once a week. You are expected to attend every meeting, but if you need to miss one for a medical reason or emergency then you can make up that absence by writing a response paper on the material covered. I prefer to know of missed class periods in advance, if at all possible.

Class Etiquette: This seminar will work best if we build community and sustained inquiry right off the bat. Cell phones are, except in rare “let’s look it up” circumstances, not part of what we do in this course. Turn them off during class – no texting either. Do not use your computers to do anything but take notes - if I find students abusing this privilege I will have to institute a punitive no computers policy. Finally, come on time and stay the whole time - otherwise it looks like the class is not a priority for you.

Make-ups and Extensions:Getting a paper in on time is your responsibility. If you think you will have a problem getting a paper in on time contact me before hand. This class calls on you to demonstrate your ability to write a good paper and to show good time management skills. Late papers will be penalized 1/3 of a letter grade for each day they are overdue. The same rules apply to the activities.

Academic Integrity: Presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words, is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. For a discussion of what plagiarism is see: Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. There is no unauthorized collaboration, cheating, or falsifying records. For USC’s Academic Integrity policies see: Here is a link to tutorials on the subject: If you have questions or doubts please see me.

Requirements and Expectations to/from an in New Mexico:

Heath & Safety: To make sure you can get the treatment needed in an emergency there are a number of forms you must complete before we leave. They include a “Know before you go Informed Consent” form, a “Medical Treatment Authorization” form, and a “Travel Release” form. You must also have USC student health insurance. If you do not possesses this you will need to pay $92 for coverage during the trip.

Other Expenses: The Department of History and your tuition dollars will cover the flight, accommodations, the attractions visited for class, travel around Santa Fe and Taos (and to and from the airport), and most (but not all) meals. You will need to cover all other expenses. Food will be the largest expense. Specifics of these expenses will be thoroughly discussed prior to our departure to New Mexico in May. Other attractions or excursions, not included in the syllabus, which you may chose to visit will not be covered; these are likely to be cultural sites and/or art galleries in Taos.

Ambassadorial Responsibilities: When travelling abroad you are representing both your country and your university by your behavior. Students will be expected to show respect to everyone they come in contact with and to follow the guidelines and restrictions put forth by university representatives. We will be guests of Southern Methodist University while at the ranch in Taos; please represent USC with appropriate behavior at all times.

Class Schedule:

PART I

Week One: The Land and Its People

Please read Introduction and PART I, chapters one and two, of Burke (pp. 3-90).

Week Two: Pre-Contact Migrations, Habitations, and Cultures

Please read PARTS II and III in Burke (pp. 91-220).

PART II

Week Three: The Pueblos and the Pueblo Revolt

Please read Gutierrez, sections on the 16th and 17th centuries (pp. 3-142).

Week Four: Class visit to Special Collections and/or Huntington Library for photographic, cartographic, and other visual depictions of New Mexican life and culture

Please read Gutierrez, chapters on the 18th century, pp. 143-297.

Please read the Foreword to Magoffin (and we will read sections of the diary aloud in class: you will sign up for sections to read ahead of time).

PART III

Week Five: Women and the Clash of Cultures at the Center of the World

Please read DeLay, Introduction, Prologue, and Part II (pp. 141-252).

Week Six: Death Comes for the Archbishop and other laments

Please read Cather, entire novel.

First Response Paper due

PART IV

Week Seven: Women Artists and the New Mexican Landscape I – Indigenous Artists

Please read Three Weavers (full book, pp. 1-217).

Week Eight: Women Artists and the New Mexican Landscape II – The Arrivals

Please begin the Luhan autobiography, “Movers and Shakers” and “Edge of Taos Desert”

Week Nine: The Tourist Culture of Late 19th century New Mexico: Harvey Girls

Class trip to the restored Fred Harvey restaurant space –Super Chief—in LA’s Union Station

Second Response Paper Due

Week Ten: The O’Keeffe Circle I

Please begin the O’Keeffe biography: Part I and Part IV

In-class presentation on O’Keeffe artwork

Week Eleven: The O’Keeffe Circle II

Please complete the O’Keeffe biography, Parts V and VI

PART V

Week Twelve: Culture, Cuisine, and Gender in New Mexico

Food Reports in class

Week Thirteen: New Mexican Women, Politics, and the Cold War - The Manhattan Project

Please read Fiege, “The Atomic Scientists, the Sense of Wonder, and the Bomb”

PDF provided to students

Week Fourteen: New Mexican Women, Politics, and the Environment - Radical Environmental Futures: The Response to the Nuclear Landscapes of Trinity

Please read Wills, “Welcome to Atomic Park”

PDF provided to students

Week Fifteen: Ethnicity, Gender, and Civil Rights -New Mexican Visions of Equality, 1960-1980

Please read the entire collection of Chavez stories and the conclusion of Burke

We also put it all together and get intellectually packed up for our trip

Day of Scheduled Semester Final: Papers due

Week in New Mexico after graduation:

2 Days: Santa Fe

Visits to historical sites, structures, and the museums of New Mexican art, history, and culture

5 Days: Ranch near Taos

Here we will experience life on a fully-outfitted ranch, visit Taos Pueblo and meet with the lead archeologist at an active archeological investigation site nearby.

Statement on Academic Conduct and Support Systems

Academic Conduct:

Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism inSCampusin Part B, Section 11, “Behavior Violating University Standards” Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information inSCampusand university policies on scientific misconduct,

Support Systems:

Student Counseling Services (SCS) - (213) 740-7711 – 24/7 on call

Free and confidential mental health treatment for students, including short-term psychotherapy, group counseling, stress fitness workshops, and crisis intervention.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1-800-273-8255

Provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Services (RSVP) - (213) 740-4900 - 24/7 on call

Free and confidential therapy services, workshops, and training for situations related to gender-based harm.

Sexual Assault Resource Center

For more information about how to get help or help a survivor, rights, reporting options, and additional resources, visit the website:

Office of Equity and Diversity (OED)/Title IX Compliance – (213) 740-5086

Works with faculty, staff, visitors, applicants, and students around issues of protected class.

Bias Assessment Response and Support

Incidents of bias, hate crimes and microaggressions need to be reported allowing for appropriate investigation and response.

The Office of Disability Services and Programs

Provides certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange relevant accommodations.

Student Support and Advocacy – (213) 821-4710

Assists students and families in resolving complex issues adversely affecting their success as a student EX: personal, financial, and academic.

Diversity at USC

Information on events, programs and training, the Diversity Task Force (including representatives for each school), chronology, participation, and various resources for students.

USC Emergency Information

Provides safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued if an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible,

USC Department of Public Safety –213-740-4321 (UPC) and 323-442-1000 (HSC) for 24-hour emergency assistance or to report a crime.

Provides overall safety to USC community.