Chicago Syllabus.

History 591 – Readings in Civil War Era, Gilded Age and Progressive Era America (2 Credits)
History 591 – Exploring Civil War Era, Gilded Age and Progressive Era America (5 Credits)

Colorado State University – Pueblo

Spring and Summer 2009

Professors Rees and Harris

Jonathan [dot] Rees [at] colostate-pueblo [dot] edu
Matt [dot] Harris [at] colostate-pueblo [dot] edu

The first course in this sequence is a readings course created to make sure that you have the necessary background in order to understand what you’ll learn in Chicago. The second course is centered around the trip itself in June 2008. You will receive more information regarding the logistics of the trip during our colloquium on April 3rd and 4th, the sole meetings of the readings course. Failure to complete all prerequisites will possibly preclude you from even taking the trip to Chicago, let alone finishing these courses.

Reading

Karen Abbott, Sin in the Second City.
James Green, Death in the Haymarket.
Gerald J. Prokopowicz, Did Lincoln Own Slaves?
Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (University of Illinois Annotated Edition).

Optional: Carl Sandburg, Chicago Poems.

Grades and Assignments

Your grade in the two credit readings course will be based upon the following assignments:
• What does Gerald Prokopowicz’s book, Did Lincoln Own Slaves?, tell us about Lincoln’s politics, character and personality? Your response should be from 800-1000 words long (20%).

• What does James Green’s Death in the Haymarket tell you about the history of Chicago that separates it from other American cities of the era? In what ways was Chicago the same. Your response should be from 800-1000 words long (20%).

• What does Karen Abbott’s Sin in the Second City tell us about gender in turn-of-the-20th-Century Chicago? Your response should be 800-1000 words long. (20%).

• Does the fact that Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is a work of fiction render it more or less effective as a work of propaganda? Your response should be from 800-1000 words long (20%).

• Attendance and participation at required colloquium sessions on April 3rd and 4th (20%).

All written assignments (other than your lesson plans for the second course in this sequence) MUST be posted on your blog, one assignment per post. All assignments for the readings course must be posted on your blog by the opening of the colloquium on April 3rd.  All comments made by faculty members on you assignments/blog posts must be responded to with another comment for that assignment to be considered complete.

Your grade in the five credit Chicago trip course will be based upon the following assignments:

• Write at least nine posts in your blog over the course of trip including one summary post published at least one week after you return from Chicago. E-mail Professor Rees the links to what you think are your three best posts. [The summary post will also be considered automatically.  Your initial lesson plan topic post does not count towards the nine.]  He will base your grade on those and the summary post (a total of five). (40%)
• Offer at least five responses to other people’s blog posts over course of the readings course and the trip. Send Professor Rees the links to what you think are your three most helpful comments. He will base your grade on those. (25%)
• Complete and e-mail one lesson plan based on the template posted on this blog. The grade on this assignment will be either A or F. (35%)
Because of the nature of a travel-based course, we believe that blogging is the best possible way to record scholarly reflection while our travels are ensuing. Those of you who were with us already in Boston and Philadelphia have WordPress blogs you can use for this task. Those of you who don’t will get them before or shortly after the 1/28 meeting.

We ask that you write at least one post for every day that will be seeing sites on the trip (if you skip a day, give us two the next day). The purpose of these posts should be to, highlight what you think the most historically significant information of that day was and why, share your thoughts on how you might use this information in the classroom and share pictures. You will also be able react to your fellow teachers’ reactions on their blog.

Lesson plans are both the most important and the most controversial assignment that we have asked teachers to do. Nevertheless, they are absolutely central to the mission of the grant program that funds this trip because lesson plans based on things you learned on the trip assure that it will change student learning in the classroom. However, we certainly understand that we are not secondary school teachers, and therefore are not necessarily the best judges of the merits of any particular plan.

Therefore, we have changed the way that we will handle lesson plans for this trip. First and foremost, Matt and Jonathan are getting out of the lesson plan grading business. We have brought in a curriculum resource specialist, Eileen Gose, to help us find a good lesson plan template and to help teachers mold those lesson plans into a usable form. Her e-mail is goseranch [at] gmail [dot] com.  All lesson plans that follow the template and few other basic requirements will be awarded an “A” grade. Those that don’t will be awarded a “0″.  Look for the lesson plan template to appear as a page link from this blog before our April meeting. The additional criteria are as follows:

• The lesson plan is based on material you learned during your trip to Chicago.
• It is clear enough that anyone who was not on the trip with us will be able to pick it up and use it in their classroom.
• The sources you use in the lesson plan are footnoted and it ends with a bibliography of sources that you consulted.
• You would be proud to see your work on the Southeast Colorado History Project for the world to see (because that’s what we plan to do with this stuff).
• Final lesson plans should have at least 5 pages of your original writing and explanation.

While your choice of topic is open, as we want to share lesson plans among ourselves, everybody will have to do a different topic. We do not expect you to begin this assignment until the trip starts. Therefore, don’t even think of securing a topic until we arrive in Chicago. In order to secure your topic, e-mail to Professors Rees and Harris at the same time.

While we recognize that all of you teach different grade levels, we ask that you include information in your plan that will help teachers in different grades than you adapt your plan for their classroom. This may require the substitution of a particularly hard document for an easier one or vice versa. If the web site you’re getting your information hasn’t copied them out into a readable type font, we expect you to copy out the parts of the documents you will be using and insert them into your lesson plan. Also, if you don’t have experience with colonial and revolutionary documents already, you’ll quickly see that irregular spelling and other factors can make them very hard to read. Editing them for improved comprehension may also be required.

The first draft of the lesson plan is due two weeks after you return from Chicago on June 27th.  Email your plan as an attachment to Professors Rees and Harris, as well as Eileen Gose, simultaneously.  The final version of your lesson plan is due two weeks after that on July 20th, again via e-mail to the same three people.  Please understand that while this assignment is not going to be graded in a conventional sense, it is still an essential grant-related activity.  If you do not complete a satisfactory lesson plan, in fact if you do not complete any assignment from either course, you will fail the relevent course and will forfeit your $250 deposit.

Schedule of the Class(es)

Wednesday, January 28 at 4PM – Course orientation meeting on the CSU-Pueblo Campus.

Friday, April 3 at 4-8PM and Saturday, April 4 9-3PM – Chicago Reading colloquium and planning session with special guest Professor Thomas Andrews of the University of Colorado – Denver.

Chicago Trip:

Thursday, June 4 – Arrival at O’Hare Airport, Chicago, IL (drive to Springfield)

Friday, June 5 – Lincoln Museum, Springfield, IL.

8:00     LIBRARY Classroom–Welcome and Introductions

8:15    Primary Documents in the Classroom:  Lincoln the Whig
Erin Bishop, Director of Education Division (ALPLM)
Bringing primary sources into the classroom exposes students to multiple perspectives on historic issues and helps them develop analytical abilities.  When students work with primary sources they ask questions, think critically, make inferences and develop reasoned explanations and interpretations of past events.  In this workshop, teachers will explore ways to bring primary sources into the classroom by examining Lincoln’s work ethic and his Whig philosophy.   Teachers will first learn how to identify and evaluate primary sources, then utilize artwork, letters and documents to draw conclusions about Lincoln’s world view.

9:30    Break

9:45    Viewpoints:  Lincoln, Slavery and Race
Erin I. Bishop, Director of Education, (ALPLM)
Slavery played a prominent role in America’s political, social, and economic history in the period leading up to the Civil War. The public discourse in the first half of the 19th century exposed the nation’s conflicting ideas about slavery and race. Politicians were increasingly pressured to make their opinions known. Lincoln was no exception. In this workshop participants will explore the history of slavery and examine primary documents to analyze Lincoln’s position on slavery.

10:45    Break

11:00    Lincoln WebQuest
Erin Bishop, Director of Education (ALPLM)
Working at computer stations, teachers will embark on a WebQuest through Lincoln-related internet sites, looking for primary documents, learning about historic sites and field trip opportunities, finding and searching Civil War databases, and locating interesting factoids about Lincoln’s life and legacy.

12:15    Lunch (on your own)

1:15    Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Bryon Andreasen, Research Historian (ALPLM) and Editor, Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association

2:15    Workshop closes

2:30 – 4:30 PM  Lincoln Scholar

Saturday, June 6 – Other Lincoln sites in Springfield, drive to Chicago and check in at University Center.

Capitol Tour times are EXACT. IF YOU ARRIVE LATE YOU WILL
FORFEIT YOUR TOUR. Parking for buses is available on
Washington Street between 5th & 6th, north of the Old State Capitol.
Cars may park underground for a minimal fee. Please ENTER via the
NORTH DOOR. Suggested donation for adult group tours is $4.00.
State Historic SiteApprox: 0:45 min9:00AM OLD STATE CAPITOL
Parking for buses is available on Washington Street between 5th &
6th, north of the Old State Capitol.  Cars may park underground for a
minimal fee. Suggested donation for adult tours is $4.00.State Historic SiteApprox: 0:45 min
10:00AM LINCOLN HERNDON LAW OFFICE
You have been scheduled for an EXACT reserved tour time.  You
MUST arrive at the Lincoln Home Visitor Center 15 minutes prior to
your tour time.  IF YOU ARRIVE LATE, YOU WILL FORFEIT YOUR
TOUR. Bus parking is north of the Visitor Center on 7th Street.
Length of tour varies, depending on the number of people in your
group.
National Historic SiteApprox: 0:50 min11:20AM LINCOLN HOME
SILENCE IS  REQUIRED. Groups may FORFEIT their tour if they do
not arrive on time. Unloading area & bus turnaround is located at rear
of  lot. BUSES MUST SHUT DOWN after unloading.
**
State Historic SiteApprox: 0:30 min 2:00PM LINCOLN TOMB
Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site:CHAPERONES MUST
ACCOMPANY CHILDREN AT ALL TIMES,NO EXCEPTIONS. Ample
parking for buses and cars. Group must check in at Visitors Ctr. prior
to entering village. For educ. materials access:
www.lincolnsnewsalem.com Adult grps.$4.00 sugg. donation per
adult. Gift shop & New Salem Cafe & Pizzeria  are open 4-1/10-31.
**
Approx: 2:00 hr 3:00PM NEW SALEM HISTORIC VILLAGE

Sunday, June 7 – Morning Off. 1PM: Tour the American collection at the Art Institute of Chicago. Dinner: Chicago Deep Dish Pizza at Gino’s East.

Monday, June 8 – Chicago History Museum.

9:30am-10              Welcome

 

10-11:30                Chicago at the Turn of the Century, 1870s-1910s (Sarah Marcus) – lecture/discussion

 

11:30-11:45            Break

 

11:45am-12:30pm   Mapping Chicago History with Great Chicago Stories (Heidi Moisan)

 

12:30-1:30             Lunch

 

1:30-2:00               Great Chicago Stories (Heidi Moisan) – including review of accompanying lesson plans developed by Chicago-area teachers

 

2:00-2:30               Artifact Analysis (Heidi Moisan) – Teachers will handle artifacts from the Museum’s collection (probably household goods from the 1890s) and use them as the basis for a discussion about mass production, mail-order retailing, advertising, housekeeping, etc.

 

2:30-3:30               Chicago: Crossroads of America (find/analyze artifacts) – The Museum’s Education Department has developed an activity sheet specifically for teachers visiting Crossroads, our main Chicago history exhibition.  The teachers walk through the exhibit in pairs, finding selected artifacts, and using questions and guidelines from the activity sheet to prompt discussion and analysis.

 

3:30-3:45               Wrap up (distribute curriculum guides and other materials)

 

The Museum closes at 4:30, so this leaves about 45 minutes to visit other exhibits or the Museum Store.

Tuesday, June 9 – 9AM: Lecture from the Directors of the DBQ Project at the Chicago History Museum. Mass Transit Tour of Chicago Neighborhoods led by Chicago History Museum.

morning                  DBQ (at Museum)

12:30-1:30pm         Lunch

1:30-3:30pm           “L” tour or Old Town walking tour

Wednesday, June 10 – Morning: Frank Lloyd Wright Studio Tour, Oak Park, IL.  1PM

1PM.  Arrive at Museum of Science and Industry for 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition Simulation at the Museum of Science Industry.

2-5PM  Wander the rest of the museum on your own.  Interested people can walk to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House or Chicago Theological Seminary Co-Op Bookstore.

Thursday, June 11 – Morning: Tour of Jane Addams’ Hull House. Afternoon: Chicago Architecture Foundation Boat Tour of Chicago.

8:00 – 9:15 am Private Tour of the Hull-House Museum
Learn about the life and legacy of Jane Addams and other
residents of Hull-House in this private tour, guided by Lisa
Lee, Director of the museum.  Discover some of the new
museum practices used at Hull-House and find out how they
are changing the face of school tours.  This tour will begin
with a 20 minute screening of the film “An Experiment in
Democracy.”

9:15 – 10:30 am Museum Activities
Participate in one of several activities offered to youth and
adults visiting the museum and reflect on how the activities
might be reproducible in the classroom.  See attached
description of activities.

10:30 – 11:00 pm Food at Hull-House: Then and Now
Meet with Hull-House chefs and educators over coffee to
hear about the museum’s food-related programs and how
we connect history to our own stomachs.

11:00 – 11:45 pm Soup Lunch and Listening Course
Enjoy an organic meal of hot soup, bread, and salad in the
historic Residents’ Dining Hall and experience a tasty
“listening course” of Hull-House History on Call.

1-2:30PM  Chicago Architecture Foundation Boat Cruise.

Friday, June 12 – Bus to Madison, WI. Tour State Historical Museum and State Historical Society of Wisconsin.

6AM:  Leave Chicago

9AM: Arrive State Historical Museum in Madison.

11:30AM-1PM:  Lunch at Great Dane Pub and Brewery.

1-5PM:  State Historical Society program, including lectures from Professors Jonathan Pollack and Stan Schultz.

5-6:30PM:  Memorial Union Terrace Time.

9:30PM  Return Chicago.

Saturday, June 13 – Labor History Walking Tour.

8:30AM  Leave University Center.

9-AM  Tour Haymarket Square area, then drive to next location.

10AM  Tour Haymarket trial and execution sites, then drive to next location.

11AM  See Haymarket Monument and tour Forest Home Cemetery.

12:15-1:15PM  Lunch at Healthy Food Lithuanian Restaurant.

1:50PM  Arrive Pullman.  Tour Museum and Green Stone Church.

3:00PM  Tour the town, viewing homes and, possibly, archeological site.

4:30PM  Depart Pullman for return to University Center before 5PM

Sunday, June 14 – Departure in early afternoon.