1
474i --
Urbanization of Modern America-474I* Honors Seminar-Spring 2006
Special Topic: The History and Cultural Imagery of Los Angeles
Dr. Sarah Schrank
Department of History, CSU Long Beach
Class Meeting Hours: TTH 11:00-12:15pm
Classroom: LA5-248
Office Hours: TTH 12:30-1:30 and by appointment; Office: F02-204
Email:
Phone: 562.985.2293
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Los Angeles is currently the most studied city in the United States. With one of the most diverse urban populations in the world, an incredible 600 square mile land mass, a lost river, and Hollywood, an image-producing fantasy machine, Los Angeles offers historians vast opportunities to examine social, cultural, and political relations in a dynamic urban environment. This course explores both the history of Los Angeles and the city’s place in the American popular imagination. At the same time that Los Angeles came of age in the era of advanced industrialization and the automobile, the city also became the heart of the American film industry. This combination of factors has made Los Angeles extraordinarily interesting to scholars of culture, space, and representation. Students will come away from this class with a new understanding of the metropolitan area in which they live, a background in urban history and theory, and an introduction to analyzing Los Angeles’ rich historiographical literature. Race, class and gender will be key analytical categories as we travel through the weird, wonderful, and too often unjust circumstances that make Los Angeles so fascinating.
COURSE ASSESSMENT:
Student performance will be assessed on the basis of four categories: discussion, research, writing, and oral presentations. Students are expected to attend lecture and keep up with all of the reading. Films, in-class discussion, and reading assignments are an integral part of the class; attendance is mandatory. Students are required to turn in weekly reaction papers in response to the readings. These papers are 1 to 2 pages in length, typed, and due each week, either Tuesday or Thursday.
Discussion: 20%
Devil in a Blue Dress analysis paper: 10%
Weekly Reaction Papers: 15 @ 2% each (30%)
Oral Presentation: 10%
Research Methodology: 10% (Topic and thesis statement 5%; bibliography 5%)
10-Page Research Paper: 20%
TOTAL: 100%
REQUIRED READING (All available at the 49ers Bookstore):
Raúl Villa and George Sánchez, Los Angeles and the Future of Urban Cultures (AQ)
Carey McWilliams, Southern California: An Island on the Land
Walter Mosley, Devil in a Blue Dress
Reyner Banham, Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies
Mike Davis, Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster
HIST 474i Course Reader
*The History Department now requires majors to move through a sequence of courses that begins with History 301, is followed by History 302, and culminates in a senior seminar (History 499) that matches one of the areas of concentration they have chosen for the major. History 499 must be taken in the student's last semester of work or after 18 units of upper-division work in the major. Those 18 units must include at least 6 units, that is, two courses, in the concentration of the History 499 being taken. Students in History 499 are required to assemble a portfolio that contains their work in their upper-division history courses. This portfolio is designed to enable students to show development in the major and mastery of key analytical, mechanical, and presentation skills. As part of this process, history majors (or prospective history majors) should save all work from upper-division history courses for eventual inclusion in this portfolio. For portfolio guidelines, see For questions and/or advising about the portfolio, contact Dr. Sharlene Sayegh.
Course Standards and Requirements
Pagers and cellular phones should be either turned off or switched to “silent” mode during the duration of the class meetings.
Attendance and Participation: I expect students to attend every class meeting and to be prepared to engage the themes/topics scheduled every week. Students are responsible for all materials in the texts, classroom presentations (including screenings), and discussions.
Two (2) or more unexcused absences will result in your grade being lowered one full grade.
Plagiarism and Cheating: In order for you to learn, you must do your own work. Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated and will result in severe disciplinary action including an automatic “F” in the course and possible expulsion from the university. The university guidelines define plagiarism in cases where “you use the ideas or work of another person or group as if they were your own without giving credit to the other person or group.”
Oral Presentation: To promote the development of oral communication skills, the class combines lectures with question/answer format and provides opportunities for classroom discussions. You are responsible for one oral presentation of a week’s reading, offering analysis and questions to open discussion. The oral presentation should run approximately 15 minutes.
Reaction Papers: These short papers are to be between 1 and 2 pages in length, typed, and single or double-spaced. They are intended to encourage you to approach the weekly readings with care and concentration. Rather than summarizing the readings, write about what you find most interesting or troubling or exciting about the work. You are responsible for turning in 15 of these assignments. The best papers will reference readings from other weeks, illustrating students’ ability to develop a historical context and a frame of reference.
Analysis Paper: One of your assignments for the semester is a historical analysis of Walter Mosley’s well-known mystery novel, Devil in a Blue Dress. This assignment requires the student to briefly synthesize the plot, draw out Mosley’s key themes, metaphors, and writing techniques, and place the work within a larger historical context. The novel takes place within the racially charged context of postwar Los Angeles, and issues of segregation, suburbanization, political power, and urban expansion are all in play. An excellent analysis will place the novel within a specific historical context provided through lectures and other course readings. The essay is to be between 6 and 7 pages in length.
Research Paper: Your major assignment for the semester is a historical research paper on Los Angeles. In lieu of a final examination, you are responsible for turning in an original and creative piece of prose that addresses how Los Angeles has been represented historically in art, literature, media stories, music, and other cultural forms. The research paper is to be 10 to 11 pages in length and comprised of primary source materials, secondary sources, and references to the assigned course readings and major themes. You will receive additional information on the research paper as the course progresses.
All written work should be typed, double-spaced, with reasonable font size (12-point is generally accepted) and 1” margins. Paginate your essay (page numbers) and staple the papers together. Only hard copies of all written assignments will be accepted. Disks and email attachments are not acceptable.
Make-ups for written work will be granted ONLY for extraordinary and verifiable reasons. Late papers will not be accepted.
Campus Resource: The Writer’s Resource Lab is open to all students. The lab is located in the Language Arts Building (LAB), the website is accessible through the CSULB webpage.
Assignment Guidelines
Your papers will be graded on a clear articulation of a thesis, effective use of evidence (from the lectures, required readings and film screenings) to support your thesis, analytical critique of the materials, the development and organization (including writing clarity and cohesiveness) of the essay.
Construct a thesis with an argument and provide specific examples from the lectures, readings, and screenings to substantiate your own analyses.
Your paper should have a title, an introduction, a thesis, supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Be sure to acknowledge the source of information. When you paraphrase or quote directly, provide the author’s surname, the title of the book or article, and page number within a set of parenthesis after the sentence. Titles of books should be italicized or underlined, titles of articles should be indicated by a set of apostrophes. For example:
As Gerald Nash argues, “World War II left an indelible imprint on the economy of the American West.” (Major Problems, 309).
“She had fled her hometown because she longed to sing and wanted something more than bowling alleys and drive-ins, and yet here she was back again in the Great Nowhere.” (Echols, p. 90).
University Policies
Withdrawal from the Course: This course follows standard university withdrawal policies. It
is the student’s responsibility to follow the proper procedures to officially drop the course from the Registrar’s records.
Religious Observances: Pursuant to the California Education Code, if you will miss any class meetings or assignment deadlines because of religious reasons, you need to notify me within the first two weeks of the semester.
“Shared Community”: Discriminatory statements of any kind negate the education process and will not be tolerated. This course strictly adheres to the university’s “Principles of Shared Community,” which states that “members of the CSULB community have the right to work and learn in an environment free of discrimination….CSULB is committed to creating a community in which a diverse population can learn, live, and work in an atmosphere of tolerance, civility, and respect for the rights and sensibilities of each individual, without regard to economic status, ethnic background, political views, or other personal characteristics or beliefs.”
Students with Disabilities: I will make every effort for reasonable accommodation of the needs of students with disabilities. Please discuss your request with me within the first two weeks of the semester and/or with the Office of Disabled Student Services in Brotman Hall 270.
Discussion Topics, Reading, and Writing Assignments
Week One
1/26: Introduction to, and Definitions of, Los Angeles
Week Two
1/31: Riding the Bus in Los Angeles
Reading: Marisela Norte, “Best MTA Line,” AQ, pp. 10-12; George Lipsitz, “Learning from Los Angeles: Another One Rides the Bus, AQ, pp. 13-31; Henry Yu, “Los Angeles and American Studies in a Pacific World of Migrations,” AQ, pp. 33-45.”
2/2: Thinking About the City as a Space
Reading: Greg Hise, “BorderCity,” AQ, pp. 47-60; Dana Cuff,” The Figure of the Neighbor: Los Angeles Past and Future,” AQ, pp. 61-84.”
Week Three
2/7: Los Angeles within the History of California or ‘The Indian in the Closet’
Reading: Carey McWilliams, Chapters One and Two, pp. 3-48.
2/9: Missions, Mexican Conquest, and the Spanish Fantasy Past
Reading: Carey McWilliams, Chapters Three and Four, pp. 49-83; Phoebe Kropp, “ Citizens of the Past? Olvera Street and the Construction of Race and Memory in 1930s Los Angeles,” pp. 35-60, Radical History Review. (Course Reader.)
Week Four
2/14: Chinatown, Tourism, and the Cult of the Body
Reading: Carey McWilliams, Chapters Five and Six, pp. 84-112; Chapter Thirteen, pp. 249-272.
2/16: Boosterism and the Selling of Los Angeles
Reading: Carey McWilliams, Chapters Seven and Eight, pp. 113-164.
Week Five
2/21: The Thirsty City; Film: “Cadillac Desert”
Reading: Carey McWilliams, Chapters Ten and Eleven, pp.183-226.
2/23: Water Politics and Hollywood; Film: “Chinatown”
Reading: Carey McWilliams, Chapter Sixteen, pp.330-349.
Week Six
2/28: TheCulture and Politics of African American Los Angeles
Reading: Josh Sides, “Straight into Compton,” AQ, pp. 85-107; Regina Freer, “L.A. Race Woman,” AQ, pp. 109-134.
3/2: Los Angeles and the Multicultural 1950s; Film; “Crossroads: Boyle Heights”
Reading: George J. Sánchez, “ ‘What’s Good for Boyle Heights is Good for the Jews”: Creating Multiculturalism on the Eastside during the 1950s,” AQ, pp.135-159.
Week Seven
3/7: Modernism and Anti-communism in 1950s Los Angeles
Reading: Don Parson, “ ‘This Modern Marvel’: Bunker Hill, Chavez Ravine, and the Politics of Modernism in Los Angeles,” Southern California Quarterly, pp. 333-350 (Course Reader); Sarah Schrank, “The Art of the City,” AQ, pp. 165-193.
3/9: Popular Culture, Music, and the Cold War
Reading: Eric Avila, “Popular Culture in the Age of White Flight,” JUH, pp. 3-22 (Course Reader); Anthony Macías, “Bringing Music to the People,” AQ, pp. 195-219.
RESEARCH PAPER TOPIC AND THESIS STATEMENT DUE THURSDAY,
MARCH 9th
Week Eight
3/14: Devil in a Blue Dress, Film.
Reading: Walter Mosley, Devil in a Blue Dress, pp. 45-167.
3/16: Devil in a Blue Dress, Film.
Reading: Walter Mosley, Devil in a Blue Dress, pp. 168-263.
Week Nine
3/21: The Watts Uprising of August 1965, Film; “The Fire Next Time”
3/23: The 1992 Los Angeles Riots, Film; “The Fire Next Time”
DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS ANALYSIS PAPER DUE THURSDAY, MARCH 23
Week Ten
3/28: Los Angeles as Architecture
Reading: Reyner Banham, Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies, pp. xvii-117.
3/30:* Los Angeles as Architecture
Reading: Reyner Banham, Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies, pp. 119-226.
*Field Trip to the Watts Towersand Venice Beach
RESEARCH PAPER BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE THURSDAY, MARCH 30th
Week Eleven
4/4: Youth Culture and Alternative Urban Landscapes
Reading: Brenda Jo Bright, “Remappings: Los Angeles Low Riders,” pp. 89-123 (Course Reader); Victor Hugo Viesca, “The Battle of Los Angeles,” AQ, pp. 221-241.
4/6: CLASS CANCELED
APRIL 10-APRIL 14 -SPRING BREAK- ALL CLASSES CANCELED
Week Twelve
4/18: Latino Los Angles
Reading: Josh Kun, “What is an MC if He Can’t Rap to Banda?,” AQ, pp. 243-260; Elana Zilberg, “Fools Banished from the Kingdom: Remapping Geographies of Gang Violence,” AQ, pp. 261-281.
4/20: The O.C.
Reading: Kirsten Hill Maher, “Borders and Social Distinction in the Global Suburb,” AQ, pp.283-308.
Week Thirteen
4/25: Imagining the Apocalypse in Los Angeles
Reading: Mike Davis, The Ecology of Fear, pp. 5-91.
4/27: The Case for Letting Malibu Burn
Reading: Mike Davis, The Ecology of Fear, pp. 95-194.
FIRST DRAFT OF RESEARCH PAPER DUE THURSDAY, APRIL 27th
Week Fourteen
5/2: Return of the Repressed: Big Cats and Other Creatures
Reading: Mike Davis, The Ecology of Fear, pp.197-271.
5/4: Disaster Film and Disaster Literature
Reading: Mike Davis, The Ecology of Fear, pp.275-355.
Week Fifteen
5/9: Beyond Blade Runner
Reading: Mike Davis, The Ecology of Fear, pp. 359-422.
5/11: Haunted Spaces and Ghost Neighborhoods
Reading: Phil Ethington, “Ghost Neighborhoods: Space, Time, and Alienation in Los Angeles,” pp. 29-56 (Course Reader).
FINAL DRAFT OF RESEARCH PAPER DUE THURSDAY, MAY 11