IMMIGRATION AND ETHNICITY IN AMERICAN HISTORY
HIS 206-01 (SPRING 2017)
M-W-F 12:00 – 12:55 p.m., VAN 113
Hans P. Vought, Ph.D.
TEXTBOOKS: There are two required books. You should purchase them at the college bookstore or your favorite retailer. Readings should be done before class, as they will be discussed in class. You will be responsible for all material in the books in addition to classroom lectures. In college, you should develop the ability to read critically - that is, to determine what the author’s thesis or argument is, and evaluate the evidence which he or she uses to support it. You will probably find it useful to take notes on the reading, both for classroom discussion and in preparing for the exams. In addition, there will be shorter documents which we will read and discuss in class on occasion.
· Jon Gjerde and Mae Ngai, Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History, 2nd ed. (Wadsworth, 2012). ISBN 978-0-547-14907-3. This is a reader which includes both primary source documents and analytical articles by scholars. You will be keeping a journal recording your responses to the readings in this book.
· Roger Daniels, Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life, 2nd ed. (HarperCollins, 2007). ISBN 978-0-060-50577-6. This book gives a broad overview of immigration and ethnic history from colonial times through the present.
CONTACT INFORMATION: My office is in Vanderlyn 239H. My Office Hours are Mon. – Wed. – Fri. 12:00 – 1:00, Tues. – Thur. 11:40 – 1:00, and by appointment. My office telephone number is 688-1594. My e-mail address is . Website: http://people.sunyulster.edu/voughth. Please note that all e-mail communication between faculty and students should occur through the mysunyulster.edu portal, which complies with federal law (FERPA).
COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course will examine the various facets of American immigration and racial/ethnic history from colonial times to the present. We will compare and contrast the experiences of different ethnic groups, examine how gender and racial differences altered the immigrant experience, and analyze the response of native-born Americans to immigrants. Students will complete a research paper on one particular ethnic group.
OUTLINE OF COURSE CONTENT:
Mon. 1/23 – Fri. 1/27: Studying Immigration & Ethnicity (Gjerde, ch. 1)
Mon. 1/30 – Fri. 2/3: Settling the Colonies (Gjerde, ch. 2; Daniels, ch. 1-4)
Mon. 2/6 – Fri. 2/10: Establishing a National Identity (Gjerde, ch. 3; Daniels, ch. 5)
Mon. 2/13 – Fri. 2/17: The “Old Immigrants” (Gjerde, ch. 4; Daniels, ch. 6)
Mon. 2/20: PRESIDENTS DAY – NO CLASSES
Wed. 2/22 – Fri. 2/24: Expansion & Nativism (Gjerde, ch. 5; Daniels, ch. 10, pp. 265-70)
Mon. 2 /27 – Fri. 3/3: Industrial Migration & Asian Immigration (Gjerde, ch. 6; Daniels, ch. 9)
Mon. 3/6 – Wed. 3/8: The “New Immigrants” (Gjerde, ch. 7; Daniels, ch. 7-8)
Fri. 3/10: **MIDTERM EXAM**
Mon. 3/13 – Fri. 3/17: SPRING BREAK – NO CLASSES
Mon. 3/20 – Fri. 3/24: Imperialism & Migration (Gjerde, ch. 8)
Mon. 3/27 – Fri. 3/31: Racism & Eugenics (Gjerde, ch. 9)
Mon. 4/3 – Fri. 4/7: Exclusion & Americanization (Gjerde, ch. 10; Daniels, ch. 10)
Mon. 4/10 – Fri. 4/14: Great Depression, World War II & Japanese Internment (Gjerde, ch. 11; Daniels, ch. 11)
Mon. 4/17 – Fri. 4/21: Cold War Immigration (Gjerde, ch. 12; Daniels, ch. 13).
Mon. 4/24 – Fri. 4/28: Recent Immigration (Gjerde, ch. 13; Daniels, ch. 14-15)
Mon. 5/1 – Mon. 5/8: The Current Situation (Gjerde, ch. 14-15; Daniels, ch. 16)
**INTERVIEW PAPER DUE 5/8**
Tues. 5/9 – Wed. 5/10: MAKE-UP DAYS (if needed for snow or other emergencies)
T.B.A.: FINAL EXAM
STUDENT REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETION OF THE COURSE: You will write a journal recording your observations about the historical documents and essays in the Major Problems book, interview an immigrant, and take two exams over the course of the semester. The two exams will include short answer and essay questions, covering material discussed in the readings as well as material discussed in class. They are closed-book and non-cumulative. No talking is permitted during the exam, and you will not be allowed to leave the room until you have completed and turned in the exam.
The journal entries will be in response to the primary sources and essays in 10 of the chapters of the Major Problems book. You will record your observations and reactions to at least 3 of the primary sources and 1 of the essays in each chapter. Journal entries may be legibly handwritten or typed.
The interview paper will be 5-7 pages, typed, double-spaced, with one inch margins and twelve-point font. It is due at the beginning of class on the last day (Mon. 5/8). Late papers will not be accepted. This paper should be based on your personal interview with an immigrant, discussing her or his decision to immigrate and experiences. Proper grammar, spelling and punctuation are indispensable elements of good communication; therefore, they will be a factor in determining your grades. You will submit your paper to Turnitin.com, a website which checks student papers for evidence of plagiarism. Print out the Originality Report from Turnitin.com and attach it to the back of your paper before submitting it to me.
ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance is mandatory and will be taken each class. You will be allowed three “personal days;” beyond that, each absence will lower your grade. Coming in late or leaving early counts as a half absence. Make-ups are allowed only for valid medical or other emergencies. Missing two weeks (6 classes) or more may lead to your being removed from the course with cause by me.
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. Please note the withdrawal deadlines set by the college.
ASSESSMENT: Grades will be based upon participation in class discussions, the journal entries and interview paper, and the two exams. The average of your journal entries will count as 25% of your grade. The interview paper will count as 25% of your grade. The two non-cumulative exams will count as 25% each of your grade (50% total). There will be no “extra credit;” in college, you are judged by the quality rather than the quantity of your work. Both participation in classroom discussion and improvement will be taken into consideration in determining the final course grade.
The following grading scale is used:
93-100 = A
90-92 = A-
87-89 = B+
83-86 = B
80-82 = B-
77-79 = C+
73-76 = C
70-72 = C-
67-69 = D+
63-66 = D
60-62 = D-
< 59 = F
Please retain all graded papers from this course until you see your final grade posted on your College transcript.
If I suspect you of plagiarism or cheating, you will receive a 0 for that particular paper or exam. You will have an opportunity to meet with me and demonstrate that you are innocent. If a second offense should occur, you will receive a 0 for the course, and face possible expulsion from the college.
FINAL EXAM: The final exam will be given during the regularly scheduled examination period at the end of the semester. It will not be cumulative - it will simply be the second exam.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ACADEMIC HONESTY: Academic honesty means that students are expected to do their own work and follow the rules regarding acts such as cheating and plagiarism. It is the student’s responsibility to maintain academic honesty. That is, ignorance of the standards of academic honesty is not an acceptable excuse for breaking these standards. Academic dishonesty - breaking the standards of academic honesty - is taken very seriously by the College. Breaking the rules of academic honesty will result in immediate disciplinary consequences.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following actions:
1. Cheating on examinations or quizzes. Examples include (a) referring to materials that the instructor has not allowed to be used during the test, such as textbooks or notes or websites; (b) using devices the instructor has not allowed to be used during the test, such as cell phones, text messages, or calculators; and (c) copying from another student’s paper or asking another student for an answer.
2. Plagiarism. Plagiarism means the use of words or ideas that are obtained from other sources without giving credit to those sources. Not only do quotations have to be referenced, but also any use of the ideas of others, even if expressed in the student’s own words, must be referenced. The College has a service to check for plagiarism. Any student paper can be submitted for this plagiarism check.
3. Submission of work that is not entirely the student’s own work. Having another person write a paper or parts of a paper is one example of this offense; allowing another student to copy test answers is another example.
4. Theft or sale of examinations, falsification of academic records, and similar offenses.
5. Submitting work to more than one class without the permission of the second instructor. For example, a student who submits to a class a paper previously turned in to another class is in violation of academic honesty, unless the second instructor has given permission.
6. Unauthorized duplication of computer software or print materials. For example, turning in a term paper downloaded from a website is a violation of academic honesty.
7. Influence. A student should not attempt to get an instructor to change a grade or record for any reason except achievement. For example, trying to get an instructor to change a grade because of personal hardship - or because of a bribe - is a violation of academic honesty.
8. Practice of any other form of academic dishonesty not included in this list.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: To learn more about any of the topics covered in this course, please see the list of recommended books at the end of each chapter in the Major Problems book.
N.B.: This syllabus is not a legal contract. Assignments and policies (other than college rules) are subject to revision at any time throughout the course.
DR. VOUGHT’S RULES OF CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: The essence of courtesy is showing respect and consideration for other people around you. In the classroom, this means both the professor and your fellow students. Anything that distracts you and those around you from your mutual goal (i.e., learning) is rude and disrespectful. To further clarify this, I offer the following rules, which I expect everyone to follow:
1. Class begins and ends on time. Therefore, you should be in your seat, ready to go when class begins, and stay in your seat until class ends.
2. If, for some unavoidable reason, you must miss a class or leave early, please inform the professor ahead of time. Walking in late or leaving early will be counted as a half absence, and two halves make a whole.
3. Never get up in the middle of class and walk around, unless it is a dire emergency. Go to the bathroom before or after class, not during it. Throw out any trash at the end of class as you’re leaving the room.
4. Stay awake. If you fall asleep, I will ask you to leave, and it will be counted as a half absence.
5. No personal grooming during class.
6. Do not read or study for another class, or read for pleasure, during my class.
7. Cell phones and other portable electronic devices should be turned off and out of sight (yours and mine).