HIST 133 - The American West: Myth and History

The American West: Myth and History

History 133

Dr. Rachel D. Shaw

Fall 2001

MWF 2:00-2:55

H403

history-133 @ stolaf.edu

Dr. Rachel D. Shaw Phone: (507) 646-3143

Office: Holland 513C History Dept.: (507) 646-3167

Office Hours: Tuesday 2:30-4:00 and by appointment. E-mail: shawr @ stolaf.edu

(You are also welcome to just drop by!)

Welcome to The American West: Myth and History! In this course we will explore the way the American West has been represented in American popular culture and assess the historical accuracy of that representation. We will consider how the myth of the American West has been changed over time to reflect the needs, hopes and concerns of each successive generation. We will look to the writings of historians to assess the accuracy of the myth; we will also look at how historical interpretations of the American West’s past have themselves shifted over time. In particular, we will be interested in how the use and evolution of the mythic West reflects changes in gender, ethnic and racial relations, the shift of American society from rural to urban, and changing attitudes toward the environment.

Specific Goals: You will learn the history of the American West. You will become familiar with the major features of the mythic West; you will be able to perceive the evolution of those features over time and relate changes to changes in larger American society. You will learn how historians of the West have similarly altered their interpretations of the past in response to the demands of their particular historical context.

Skills: You will learn how to summarize, critically assess and effectively construct an argument, both in writing and in discussions and oral presentations. You will learn how to present your ideas clearly and effectively in writing, discussions, and presentation. You will learn historical research basics. You will learn how to analyze a variety of primary sources, including: text, audio, maps, images, cinema, internet. You will learn how to collaborate with a group on a significant research project.

Required Readings

Robert V. Hine and John Mack Faragher, The American West: A New Interpretive History. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000).

Paul Reddin, Wild West Shows. (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1999).

Owen Wister, The Virginian. (Penguin Books, 1988 ed.)

Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose, (Penguin Books, 2000 ed.)

Patricia Nelson Limerick, Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West. (W. W. Norton, 1988).

Scholarly articles (which will be on reserve) and additional primary sources will supplement these texts.

Additional materials may be placed on reserve at any time during the course. It is your responsibility to make sure that you keep abreast of any changes or additions.

Assignments and Course Work

Class Participation

Presentation

Weekly Reading Reactions

Primary Source Analyses (3 papers)

The Defeat of Jesse James (Class Project)

Grading Breakdown

Class Participation: 25%

Presentation: 15%

Weekly Reading Reactions: 15% (1% each)

Primary Source Analysis: 15% (5% each)

Class Project: 20%

Final Exam: 10%

Grade Scale

In the following grade scale, the grade is centered at the number following it. That is, if you received an 83, it would count as a high B-. Similarly, an 84 would be a low B.

Note that essays and papers are not graded by starting with 100 points and subtracting points for errors. Rather, each paper or essay is weighed on its overall merits, judged to be falling within a given grade range, and the number assigned accordingly. Moreover, comments on written work will focus on major and/or typical problems or strengths; they will not itemize every flaw or contribution.

If you have questions about how to improve your work, I will be happy to meet with you during office hours. You can also contact me by phone, email, or in person to arrange an appointment.

To calculate your course grade, take the number out of a hundred each assignment earned, multiply by the relevant percentage, then add the results.

Example: Participation, 85/100; Presentation, 82/100; Reactions (averaged), 85/100; Analyses (averaged), 82/100; Project, 85/100; Final, 85/100.

Participation: You are expected to attend all sections of class, barring emergencies. Beyond attendance, you will be assessed on how well you contribute to class discussion and work. This includes commenting on and asking questions about the reading, and responding thoughtfully and respectfully to others in the class. All students are expected to participate regularly in class discussions and to keep up with the reading and other assignments. If you have concerns about your ability to meet this requirement, please see me as soon as you can.

Presentation : Each of you will be responsible for presenting one week’s materials to the class as part of a small group. Presentations will summarize the argument of the reading in question, offer an assessment of the material, and provide questions and topics for discussion. Each group of presenters will create an outline of the materials and questions to hand out to the rest of the class. You must give one practice presentation to me before giving the actual in-class presentation. GROUP WORK

Weekly Reading Reactions: (1-2 pages per week) At the beginning of every week each of you will turn in a short paper in which the reading for that week is summarized and assessed. You should also include a few questions for discussion. You may, if you wish, add a brief paragraph summarizing your personal reaction to the readings; this section will not be graded and doesn’t count toward the page total. You may select up to 3 responses to revise. Students who are presenting do not need to turn in a separate response the week that they present.

Primary Source Analyses : (Three 2-3 page papers) During the semester you will select and analyze three primary sources related to the history of the American West. In a 2-3 page analytical paper (one paper per source), you will describe each source and provide a close reading of it, drawing on the course materials for context or interpretive frameworks. A copy of the source must be attached to the paper, so if you intend to use film or television sources, please see me first. You may, if you wish, add an additional section giving your personal reaction to the source; this will not be graded and will not count towards the page total. Each paper may be revised once in response to feedback from other students and from me. First paper due 21 September . Second paper due 12 October . REVISED: due 24 October . Third paper due 2 November .

Packaging Jesse James (Group Project) : As a class, we will work together to examine how the Defeat of Jesse James fits into the larger myth of the American West and how it has changed over time. The format of this project will be determined by the class as a whole, and then we will figure out what tasks must be undertaken to complete it, and how to share them among the class. We will work at our respective tasks over the course of the semester, with the goal of producing a coherent statement about the packaging of Jesse James that can be shared with others. Periodically throughout the semester we will discuss the project’s progress in class and give feedback to each other. To encourage cooperation, the class will share the grade for the final result. GROUP WORK Due 26 November .

Final Exam: The final exam will assess what you have learned as a result of taking this course. Part of it will assess your familiarity with the readings; part of it will test your comprehension of important themes and elements in the history of the American West; and part of it will ask you to reflect at greater length on what you have learned in this course.

This means that (a) you should take careful notes, as text material may be useful in later discussions and vice versa (the weekly responses will help with this); and (b) you should ask questions if you are not sure of the possible connections.

If you wish to read ahead, and have the extra time, you may certainly do so -- but be sure to not lose track of where the rest of the class is in the readings!

Week 2: Origins of the Myth: Frederick Jackson Turner and the Frontier Thesis
Readings: The American West: Intro & Chapter 11, “The Safety Valve”
Frederick Jackson Turner, “The Significance of the Frontier”
Wild West Shows Introduction, Chapters 1-4

Week 3: Cowboys and Indians: Assessing a Central Theme in Western Myth
Readings: The American West: Chapter 10, “The Open Range”
Article: Cathy Luchetti, “Native Americans”
The Wild West: Chapters 5-7, Conclusion

Week 4: Schoolmarms, Cowgirls, and Hookers with Hearts of Gold: Mythic Western Women
Readings: The American West: Chapter12, “A Search for Community”
Article: Elizabeth Jameson, “In Search of the Great Ma”
The Virginian: Chapters I-XVII

Week 5: The Manly West: Thoughts on Men and Maculinity
Readings: The American West: Chapter 7, “War and Destiny” Article: Cathy Luchetti, “A Father’s View” The Virginian: Chapters XVIII-XXXII

Week 6: Good Guys Were White: Ethnic Stereotypes in the 20^th Century Mythic West
Readings: The American West: Chapter 8, “Mining Frontiers”
Article: Douglas Pye, “Double Vision: Miscegenation and Point of View in The Searchers”
Article: Cathy Luchetti, “Many Cultures, Many Ways”
The Virginian: Chapters XXXIII-XXXVI

Week 7: Student Conferences
Readings: The American West, Chapter 9
Review notes and papers

Week 8: Repose in the Turbulent Years: Shifting Attitudes towards the Western Past
Readings: Article: Stewart L. Udall, “The ‘Wild’ Old West: A Different View”
Angle of Repose: Sections I-III

Week 9: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Shifting Visions of the West
Readings: The American West: Chapter 13, “The Urban Frontier”
Article: Jane Marie Gaines and Charlotte Cornelia Herzog, “The Fantasy of Authenticity in Western Costume”
Angle of Repose: Chapters IV-V

Week 10: To Live in an Arid Land: Environmental History of the American West
Readings: The American West: Chapter 14, “Plunder and Preservation”
Article: Donald Worster, “Freedom and Want: The Western Paradox”
Angle of Repose: Sections VI-IX

Week 11: Legacy of Conquest: Historians Rethink the Story
Readings: The American West: Chapter 6, “From Texas to Oregon”
The Legacy of Conquest: Introduction, Part 1 (Chapters 1-5)
Article: Worster et al, “ The Legacy of Conquest, by Patricia Nelson Limerick: A Panel of Appraisal”
Article: Gerald D. Nash, “One Hundred Years of Western History”
Article: Susan Armitage et al, “The New Western History: Another Perspective”

Week 12: An Ethnically Diverse Region: The West as Multicultural Society
Readings: Article: Stephen Aron, “Lessons in Conquest: Towards a Greater Western History”
The Legacy of Conquest : Part II (Chapters 6-10)

Week 13: The Twentieth-Century West: The Myth Continues
Readings: The American West: Chapter 15, “Myth of the West”
Article: Richard H. Peterson, “The Western Rides Again”

Week 14: Whither the West? Thinking about the Future of the Western Past
Readings: The American West: Chapter 16, “The Frontier & West in Our Time”
Article: Rick Worland and Edward Countryman, “The New Western American Historiography and the Emergence of the New Western Historians”
Article: Elliott West, “Stories: A Narrative History of the West”
Article: Gerald Nash, “The Image of the West at the Millennium”

Week 15: Thinking Back over the Semester: Assessing What We Have Learned
Re-read first papers and comment on changes since then

NOTE: We may have a take-home final in lieu of an in-class exam. It is your responsibility to attend class regularly so as to be aware of any possible changes, and to check with me if you are unsure about materials covered in class or miss a section due to illness.