Washington Program in National Issues

Spring 2017

Unit: American Cultural Heritage (AMST. 40096, Sec. 001)

Instructor: Dr. Richard Robyn

SYLLABUS

In the American Cultural Heritage (CH), I will ask you to reflect on America’s cultural heritage by visiting museums and touring sites in or near the capital and appreciating them in the context of American politics. The course is organized largely as an independent study, which means you will have a lot of choice as to sites and topics to focus on, depending on your interests. However, all students taking the course will be expected to attend certain group functions and include certain required sites in their study focus.

When doing a site visit not arranged by me, you should attempt to take a docent (volunteer or staff) tour, often provided free of charge. There may be a number of these tours offered. Try to take the overall (or “highlights”) tour, unless you are especially interested in more in-depth tours that focus in on certain parts of a museum, for example. Call ahead to find out the times for the tours.

Attendance = 25 %

Journal = 25 %

Final Paper = 50 %

I. An Attendance assessment is determined based on evidence of conscientious participation in site visits. Attendance is required for a total of ten sites: six required sites (Part I below) and for four of your choosing from the non-required list (Part II). An unexcused absence for those tours arranged for WPNI will result in the loss of 20 points out of 100 on the Attendance portion of your grade. Excused absences will require you to arrange a substitute tour for yourself. Proof of site visits from the required list should come in the form of ticket stubs, brochure, picture (or other proof), handed in with your paper. In addition, you are required to attend meetings aftertwo regular Monday classes (January 30 andFebruary 6) to discuss progress in the course and paper topics.

II.A Journal entry is required for each site visit. You should write no less than a half page for each tour, and are encouraged to take copious notes, as these might help you to write your final paper. The journal can be fairly informal in style, but should demonstrate some observation and reflection. Finally, you should make reference in your journal to your paper and how these sites might or might not fit into your theme; and our discussions about Thomas Paine in Washington and public memory. The journal is due at two different times:

A mid-term check onApril3 (note: after Spring break) at the Monday class and
Final journal byMonday noon, May 8(note: first day of final exams back on campus; any journals or papers may be handed in earlier, whenever finished, however).

Five percentage points will be deducted from the Journal grade for each day the journal is late.

III.The Final Paper requires you to reflect upon your site visits in general (but with specific reference to at least three sites in the lists below) to write a 6-7 page paper that examines a cultural theme, such as Democracy, Multiculturalism, Individualism or another theme of your choosing. Note: for this or any other papers on WPNI, you may go past the maximum number of pages if necessary to explore your topic and explain it, as long as it is not adding unnecessary verbiage. Writing less than the minimum is not advisable.

See below for more possible themes:

American Culture and ______(possible choices: Urbanization, Gender (In)Equality, Religion, etc.)
The American Cultural Heritage in D.C. Architecture
The Theme of Individualism in American Art (or other American cultural traits: Self-Reliance, Democracy, Virtue, Equality, etc.)
America’s Multicultural Legacy Reflected in the ______Museums
The Dark Side of Human History: War (or: the Holocaust, Slavery, Discrimination, Terrorism, etc.)
American Culture and the Evolution of the American Press

The National Mall as “America’s Front Yard”
Memorializing the Second World War in Washington (or: the Vietnam War, the Korean War, etc.)

You are required to submit a one-page outline of the paperon March 6 at the regular Monday class meeting. For the outline, briefly explain the main theme and general direction of the paper, give some ideas on the main component parts of the paper and then finally mention which three cultural sites you MAY focus on for the final paper (you can change the focus and sites as you do your research during the semester). While the outline will not be graded, one point will be deducted from your final paper for each day it is overdue.

The program is an individual study, so you should work with me to choose supplemental readings and museum tours.

While there is no particular requirement for references or sources for this paper other than the cultural sites mentioned above, some paper themes will necessitate an exploration of books and/or articles. No special citations are needed for the cultural site visits within the paper, but you should be clear in your narrative when you refer to the sites to which ones you are making reference. “Reference” to these three sites may be as brief as a sentence or a paragraphand then add other sites of your and my choosing. Or it could be that you decide to base your entire paper on those three references alone. It all depends on how you approach your topic and what needs to be utilized to explain your topic best.

The paper is due noonMonday, May 8. You may hand in a rough draft of your final paper for my commentary, but no less than one week before due date. Five percentage points will be deducted from your final term paper grade for each day the paper is overdue.

Part I. The following sites are required:

1)Pennsylvania Avenue Tour(self-guided tour with my written commentary on line on my personal website: On the website, go to “Washington Program in National Issues” and the link “Pennsylvania Avenue Tour”)

2)Capitol Interior and Exterior Tours (WPNI arranged)

3) Presidential Memorial (choose one among three: Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt)

4)The Library of Congress

5)Arlington National Cemetery

6) The National Archives

Part II. The following sites are recommended:

Capitol Gallery Tour(note: tickets will be obtained by me from our Congressional representative; we may take a tour as a group, or you may go whenever you like once you get a ticket – this is the special tour where you can sit in the Senate and House galleries and listen to the debates)

Art Museum of the Americas -Organization of American States (OAS) 1889 F St., N.W.

The Holocaust Museum (14th Street, near the Mall)

Corcoran Gallery of Art(17th St., near the White House)

National Gallery of Art-East and West Wings(on the Mall)

National Museum of African Art 950 Independence Ave., S.W.

National Museum of Women in the Arts 1250 New York Ave., N.W.

Smithsonian Institution (on the Mall): especially National Museum of American History, National Air & Space Museum, National Museum of the American Indian

The Kennedy Center (note: there are FREE concerts everyday at 6:00 pm – check the Post for ads)

The National Cathedral

Ford’s Theater 511 10th Street NW

Phillips Collection(near Dupont Circle)

Vietnam Veterans Memorial (on the Mall)

The Martin Luther King Memorial (on the Mall)

U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory (near the Capitol Building)

International Spy Museum 800 F Street NW (not free – ticket price around $15)

Sites outside but not far from DC well worth seeing (for those with transportation):

Historic Old Town Alexandria

Mount Vernon

Civil War Battlefields: Manassas (Bull Run), VA; Antietam, MD; Gettysburg, PA

Harpers Ferry, WVA

______

NOTE: There are many other sites that I could recommend that could be of help, depending on your topic. However, you will need to make reference to at least three of the above sites for your paper.