Monumental Women:

Portland’s History on the Web & on the Ground

Course Description:

In this course, students will explore the ways that women are remembered and memorialized for their civic contributions to the city of Portland. Students in the Monumental Women capstone will conduct research at local archives, libraries, and use previous capstone student’s work to develop content for and map a women’s heritage tour. This year’s tour will center on the theme of African American women’s political activism, and will highlight women or women’s organizations that have made important contributions in that field. The content created in this course will be used for a public walking tour for the Walk of the Heroines, our community partner. An online map with downloadable content of the tour will be also be created and added to the Monumental Women’s capstone website as well as a link from the Walk of the Heroines.

The Walk of the Heroines is an innovative cultural park on the PSU campus designed to give artistic recognition to women's contributions to our society and to daily life. Portions of the content created by the Monumental Women capstone are integrated into the educational kiosk on the Walk. The Walk of the Heroinescollaborates with our Capstone as a resource and public outreach to visitors to the Walk from the PSU community and the Portland metropolitan area.

Note: This is an intensive 6-credit Capstone course. Students should expect to spend8-10 hours outside of class each week.

Course Objectives: (skills both University Studies and I want you to posses after completing this course):

  • The ability to do research, writing, and presentation in written and visual formats.

UNST Goal: Inquiry & critical thinking (research; response journal; discussions)

  • The ability to understand the historical record, written or visual, as integral to understanding social inquiry in general, with an emphasis on issues of public history.

UNST Goal: Inquiry and critical thinking (research; response journal; discussions)

  • To have hands-on experience with improving an active website and devising ways to extend its use by the community partner and others.

UNST Goals: Communication (between classmates; between the class and our partner; with the public)

  • The ability to work collaboratively, with an emphasis on making interdisciplinary connections in your various assignments and projects.

UNST Goals: Variety of human experience; Social Responsibility (encompassing women from many cultures, time periods, ethnicities, and races in website content)

  • To develop a meaningful public program for the community partner.

UNST Goals: Communication; Variety of human experience; Social Responsibility

Monumental Women, Winter 20131

Capstone Courses: Are designed to provide an opportunity for you to apply the expertise you have developed in your major and in University Studies to real issues and problems in our local community. They are designed to enhance each student’s ability to collaborate with other students and the capstone partners within a team context. Finally, they are designed to encourage active involvement in the community. This capstone will be a hands-on experience that will require your flexibility and willingness to stretch and explore as individuals and in the group work. Capstones are unique opportunities to use what you have learned as a student at PSU for the enrichment of the larger community. Syllabus

Community Partner:

Walk of the Heroines
Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies

Portland State University
P.O. Box 751
Portland, Oregon 97207-0751

Grade Breakdown:

Attendance (20 %) & Constructive Participation (20 %): 40% total

Capstone classes depend on regular attendance for the group process to work and the individual student to be successful. Each student’s ability to meet individual and collective deadlines is critical.

  • Attendance means that you show up to class on time and do not leave early.

Constructive participation constitutes more than just showing up to class. To earn full participation credit you should come to class:

  • Prepared for every class (bring notes, ideas, and appropriate materials)
  • Ready to contribute to discussions, planning sessions, and small group work (your contributions will indicate that you read the assigned materials or completed out-of-class assignments)
  • Willing to take on additional tasks when appropriate

Each student has one excusedabsence (instructor contacted by voicemail, text, or email before class. It is your responsibility to make up work time missed in class and coordinate how to make up work that your classmates or group members are depending on you to do.

Class Project:Walking Tour (Online & hard copy) and Public Program. Worth 25%

Students will develop, produce, publicize, and walking tours, and present tour material at free public program. The tour will also be posted online so community partner and general public can access your work anytime. I will use the following guidelines to assess the final projects:

  • Successfully collaborated with community partner and met their mission goals
  • Showed exceptional initiative, care, and the effort of allstudents
  • Met intermediate and final project deadlines
  • Integrated changes requested by the community partner, instructor, or classmates
  • Final project was professional in content and presentation (evaluation criteria developed by students & instructor)

Note: This grade reflects the overall success of the final project and the instructor will critically evaluate both individual and group efforts.

Small Working Groups: produce components of final project. Worth 20%

Students will be assigned to small working groups that will be responsible for producing parts of the Class Project, the walking tours and public program. It is important for small group work to be evenly distributed, and carried out by all members of the group. I will use the following guidelines to assess the group’s contributions toward the final projects:

  • Work was completed, done professionally, and met all project deadlines
  • Work showed initiative, care, and effort by each member as well as the whole group
  • Successfully collaborated with other small working groups
  • Integrated changes requested by the community partner, the instructor, or classmates

Note: This grade reflects the overall success of the small group’s contribution to the final project, and the instructor will critically evaluate both individual and group efforts.

Response Journal.Worth 15% (See Response Journal Guidelines.) The Response Journals are a mix of writing assignments. They serve as a way for me to know what you are learning; what additional explanations or information I need to provide to you and/or the class, and are a place for you to ask questions of me outside of class. All reading materials are available through PSU’s bookstore, e-reserve, handouts, or online.

Time expectations: Capstone courses are intensive classes. Our class sessions will be used: to learn public history and women’s history theory and practical processes to accomplish our Capstone class project, do small group (committee) work, and revise and evaluate work done outside of class. In addition to class time, you need to schedule time to do the assigned readings, write your response journals, conduct research, and do group work related to the class projects.

Classroom Etiquette & Social Responsibility

Capstone courses require regular interaction between classmates, the community partner, and the broader PSU community, how you carry yourself has a greater impact than in a traditional lecture course. Your actions will help determine how successful these partnerships will be. Use these guidelines to conduct your work during the course:

  • Ask for help when in doubt (from me, your classmates, our partner)
  • Be punctual and responsible (contact me if you anticipate lateness or absence)
  • Be aware of differing conventions of behavior (i.e. is it okay to refer to someone by their first name?)
  • Be flexible
  • No phone calls or texting during class!

Student Code of Conduct: It is strongly encouraged that you read the Student Conduct Code (see It details your rights and responsibilities as a member of the Portland State University community.

Students with Disabilities: If you are a student with a documented disability and registered with the Disability Resource Center, please contact the instructor immediately to facilitate arranging academic accommodations.

Monumental Women, Winter 20131

Class Schedule

Week One – January 8

Tuesday:

  1. Introduction to the course
  2. Complete Capstone Student Inventory

Readings for Thursday:

  • Review Walk of the Heroine (WOH) website, “History of Walk,”Also Featured, 5 segments: “19th Century Reformers”,” Honoring Mothers and Grandmothers,” “Gaining the Vote,” “Women and Public Art,” “and Women Peace Workers.”
  • Read “Oregon Women’s Clubs” essay on Century of Action website, centuryofaction.org//Essays/oregon_womens_clubs

Thursday:

  1. Small group & class discussions on WOH website & Oregon Women’s Club essay, mission of WOH, and Monumental Women class project.

Reading: Too Heavy a Load, Deborah Gray White: Chapters 1-4

  • Response Journal entry #1 due: Sunday, January 13, 2012 by noon. Write one page (500-600 words)about your previous knowledge of, or experiences with, women’s history, African American history, and public history programs: lectures, tours, museums, living history sites, heritage sites.

Week Two – January 15

Tuesday:

  1. Group discussion,Too Heavy a Load, andOPB, Oregon Experience: Beatrice Morrow Cannady

Thursday: Meet at the Walk of the Heroines

  1. Guest speaker: Dr. Sally McWilliams, Walk of the HeroinesCommunity Partner
  2. Group discussion, Too Heavy a Load

Reading: Too Heavy a Load, Deborah Gray White: Chapters 5-7 & Epilogue

  • Response Journal entry #2 due: Sunday, January 20, by noon. Write two pages that about a significant discovery you made from White’s book in your knowledge of Black women’s history, what are some important themes that White identifies that should be incorporated into our class project, and draw connections between the national experiences of Black women that White outlines and those of Beatrice Morrow Cannady.

Week Three – January 22

Tuesday:Meet at the Oregon Historical Society

  1. Tour exhibit: All Aboard: Railroading and Portland’s Black Community

Thursday:

  1. Group discussion on OHS exhibit, and discuss McLagan book.
  2. Outline Small Working Groups duties, brainstorm additional tasks.

Reading: Elizabeth McLagan, A Peculiar Paradise: a History of Blacks in Oregon, 1788-1940, (online version:

  • Response Journal entry #3 due: Sunday, January 24, by noon.
  • Write one-two pages about the important factors that shaped Oregon/Portland’s early, and mid-20th century Black populations. Compare the similarities or differences between Oregon’s history and the history that White tells in Too Heavy a Load.

Week Four – January 29

Tuesday: Meet at PSU Millar Library, Special Collections Room, First Floor

  1. Guest speaker, Dr. Cristine Pashchild, PSU Archivist, Special Collections exhibit

Thursday:

  1. Review visit to Archives, role of research in class final project.
  2. Initial research assignments for potential subjects for tour stops.
  3. Discuss Small Working Groups and goals for Class Project.

Readings:

  • Kathryn Hall Bogle, “An American Negro Speaks of Color”
  • Kathryn Hall Bogle, “Interview, On the Writing of ‘An American Negro Speaks of Color’”
  • Helen Silvis, “ Century of Action Shines Light on Black Suffragist Hattie Redmond,” theskanner.com/Hattie-Redmond-2012-05-10
  • Helen Silvis, “Black Suffragist to be Celebrated July 21 at Lone Fir Cemetery,” theskanner.com/Celebrated-July-21-at-Lone-Fir-Cemetery-2012-07-12

Response Journal entry #4 due: Sunday, February 3, by noon.

  1. Write one-two pages about how the readings to date are shaping the history that you believe should be included in the walking tour content, and the final class program.
  2. Submit “Job application” for Small Working Group assignment. 2-3 paragraphs with your qualifications and interests.

Week Five – February 5

Tuesday:

  1. Short lecture and class discussion on public history. How to create walking tour.
  2. Small Working Group assignments, groups meet until end of class.

Thursday:Meet at Oregon Historical Society

  1. Tour of OHS research library with Scott Daniels

Readings:

  • Boston Women’s Heritage Trail,
  • Augusta Maine Women’s History Trail,
  • Chicago Labor Trail,

Response Journal entry #5 due: Sunday, February 10, by noon.

  1. Compare two walking tour website’s content, format, or logistics that we could use for our tour. This should be one-two pages in length. Bring your responses to Tuesday’s class.
  2. Record research on people/organizations for potential tour stops in the Monumental Women Tour Research Form. Submit completed form as part of Response Journal entry #5.

Week Six - February 12

Tuesday:OPB, Oregon Experience, “Local Color”

  1. Discussion on documentary.
  2. Class brainstorm on tasks for Small Working Groups, and for public program.

Readings for Thursday:

  • Gail Dubrow, “Claiming Public Space for Women’s History in Boston”
  • Dolores Hayden, “Placemaking, Preservation and Urban History”

Thursday:Meet at Golden West Hotel, corner NW Broadway and Everett Street

  1. View historical exhibit and other nearby historical sites.

Week Six - February 12, con’t.

  • Response Journal entry #6 due: Sunday February 17 by noon.
  • Write one page about how you think the history from the readings and documentaries we’ve engaged with can be translated into our tour content. Submit questions about Small Group Work or final public program.

Week Seven – February 19

Tuesday:

  1. Small Working Group progress reports, Peer evaluation on work to date.
  2. Discussion about final public program content.

Readings for Thursday:

  • Rick Harmon, “Interview: Kathryn Hall Bogle on the African American Experience in Wartime Portland”
  • Rose M. Murdock, “The Persistence of Black Women at the Williams Avenue YWCA”
  • Rudy Pearson, “A Menace to the Neighborhood: Housing & African Americans in Portland, 1941-1945”
  • Carl Abbott, “Vanport”

Thursday:

1.Class discussion on readings; Small Working Groups meet in class.

Response Journal entry #7 due: Sunday February 24 by noon. Submit current tour content, hard copy map, online tour content, marketing plan, and tour logistics for review. Include questions, issues, or details I need to know about.

Week Eight – February 26

Tuesday:TBD.

Reading: Avel Louise Gordly with Patricia A. Schechter, Remembering the Power of Words

Thursday:Small Working Group work day. In class, or at other sites, as needed.

  • Response Journal entry # 8 due: Sunday, March 3, by noon. Write one-two pages on how the roles of race and gender changed for Black women in Portland from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century in Portland.

Week Nine - March 5

Tuesday:

  1. Class discussion on reading.
  2. Small Working Group meetings. Final version of hard copy tour booklet ready for printer.

Thursday: No Class.

  • No Reading or Response Journal due this week.

Week Ten – March 12

Tuesday:

  1. Small Working Group meetings. Class discussion on planning public program, tours, as needed.
  2. Final online content completed.

Thursday: Public program materials preparation. Final review of logistics

Saturday: March 16, 2013, Public Program,time and location TBD

Week Eleven – March 18

Monday: No final. Turn in any final materials to my mailbox, or email to me by noon. No late submissions accepted.

Note: This syllabus is subject to change depending on the needs of the class as the term proceeds.

Monumental Women, Winter 20131