Course Welcome 9.12.23

• HIS 379 The Family in America

Course Welcome

The History of Family in America (HIST 379)

Dr. Caitlin Wiesner

Main Hall Room 213

September 12, 2023

About Me: 

Dr. Wiesner (Weez-nur)

• PhD in History, Rutgers University (2021)
• B.A. in History and Gender Studies, The College of New Jersey (2015)
• Between the Street and the State: Black Women’s Anti-Rape Activism Amid the War on Crime (forthcoming, University of Pennsylvania Press)
• Email: [e-mail] 
• Office: Maher Hall Room 205
• Student Hours: Wednesdays 11:00am-2:00pm; or by appointment
  
  

Why Did You Enroll in This Particular Course?

About this Course: What to Expect

• ~ 80 pages of reading per week
• Short Lecture--> Group Exercise--> Break--> FAQ Exercise--> Discussion
• Evaluation Plan
  

•    In-Class Participation and Preparedness:  20%
•    Fact, Argument, Question Exercises: 10%
•    Secondary Source Essay #1 on Briggs and Cott: 20%  
•    Secondary Source Essay #2 on Coontz and Self: 20% 
•    Family Oral History Project: 30%

About This Course: Required Materials

mercy.blackboard.com

What is the relationship between
FACT, EVIDENCE, and ARGUMENT?

    A fact is an objective and incontrovertible piece of information.
    Evidence is the application of one or more facts to support an argument.
    An argument is a subjective claim made about a subject to expand the base of knowledge.
    We will begin discussion of readings each class with everyone writing down the following:
o    A fact that stood out to you in the reading (please include page number)
o    An explanation of how that fact works as evidence for the author’s argument
o    A question that the reading raised for you

A fact is an objective and incontrovertible piece of information.
Evidence is the application of one or more facts to support an argument.
An argument is a subjective claim made to expand an area of knowledge.

We will begin discussion of readings each class with an FAQ (Fact, Argument, Question) Exercise. All students will free write the following:

1.  A fact that stood out to you in the reading (please include page number)
2. An explanation of how that fact works as evidence for the historian’s argument
3. A question that the reading raised for you

What is the purpose of conducting oral history? Why would a historian choose this over more traditional methods (i.e. archives)?

Family Oral History Project 

(30% of Final Grade)

1. Selections and Questions (5%) due Week 5 (October 10)

You will design and conduct oral history interviews with at least three (3) family members of your choosing, consisting of at least five (5) questions that serve your stated research goal

oralhistory.org

2. Oral Presentation (5%) due Week 16 (December 19)

10-15 minutes on:

•   Your interview process and research goal
• The most important episodes of your interviews
• Your reflections on the changing meaning of family

3. Family Oral History Timeline (10%) due December 21

At least five (5) entries (not including title slide), each with:

• Date
• Relevant image
• 200-300 word explanation
  
• Direct quotation
  

timeline.knightlab.com

4. Written Reflection (10%) due December 21

In 750 words, you will have to answer three (3) questions:

• Did you learn or uncover what you had hoped to about your family’s history? Why or why not?
• How did the process of collecting interviews from your family members and analyzing them change your understanding of your family?
  
• How does your family’s history as constructed by your interviews intersect with the changing meaning of “family” in the American past (e.g. legal, social, cultural, economic)?
  

How to Succeed in this Class

Attend regularly and participate actively

• Excused absence (documented illness or emergency, religious observance, college-related activity) vs. Unexcused Absence (everything else)
  
• One (1) unexcused absence has no effect on your participation grade; (2) unexcused absences drop it to 80%; Three (3) unexcused absences drop it to 60%
  

Take effective notes on your reading
Turn assignments in on time

• 72-Hour "Grace Period," then three (3) points per day.
  
• Does NOT apply to FAQs and Oral Presentations 
  

Treat me and your peers with respect
Properly cite your sources and abide by the Academic Integrity Policy 

Give a few examples of the way you have heard "family" discussed in American news media in the past year

Why is the family so important to American culture and the American politics?