History and Social Sciences (HSS) 2058: The Modern American City

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:45 to 11:20 a.m.

Instructor: Prof. Paul Schmitz
pschmitz@babson.edu

Classroom: Trim 202

Email:

Course Description: Throughout the course of American history, cities have

stimulated economic innovation, cultural creativity, and ethnic diversity. At
the same time, cities have symbolized public fears about social change
especially in regards to community, morality, and identity. In this course, an
intermediate Liberal Arts elective, we will examine how cities have served as
catalysts for Americas economic, cultural, and social development. We will
analyze how cities have revolutionized American society-- serving as centers
of culture and engines of economic development while welcoming fortuneseekers, immigrants, artists, intellectuals, and bohemians. Finally, this class
will consider how urban life has embodied changing notions of race and
gender in American life.
Intermediate-Level Course Goals and Objectives: HSS courses in this
category focus on frameworks for understanding historical, social, and
individual structures, processes, and patterns of continuity and
transformation. These courses introduce various methods for understanding
how the individual is connected to groups, communities, nations, and other
institutional arrangements. Disciplines typically represented in the HSS
category: Anthropology (ANT), History (HIS), Media Studies (MDS), Politics
(POL), Psychology (PSY), and Sociology (SOC). Students are required to take
one LVA, one CVA, one HSS and a fourth course from one of these three
categories.
Office Hours: My office hours will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from
noon to 1:00 p.m. at Hollister 328. You may also contact me via e-mail or
phone if you have questions regarding any aspect of this course. My office
phone is (781) 239-4975.
Required Readings:
Mark Binelli, Detroit City is the Place to Be: The Afterlife of an American
Metropolis
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
John Kasson, Amusing the Million
Upton Sinclair, The Jungle
Richard Wright, Twelve Million Black Voices
In addition, students will be assigned a number of articles or individual
chapters from other texts, as noted in the syllabus (*). All of these
readings will be available on the courses Blackboard site. Please read the
syllabus carefully for specific reading assignments. Note that study questions
for every set of readings will also be posted on the HSS 2058 Blackboard site.

Attendance and Responsibilities: Students are expected to attend every

class session, read all assignments, and actively participate in class
discussions. Arrive to class on time and ready to talk thoughtfully about the
assigned materials. More than two absences or continual tardiness will
reduce your class participation grade (please note that absences will only be
excused in the case of a documented illness or personal issue, or religious or
professional conflict). Class participation grades will be formulated according
to the following criteria:
0-2 absences (with outstanding participation):
3-4 (with strong participation):
B
5-6:
C
7 or more:
F

Grading: All assignments must be turned in to pass the class. Late

assignments will be penalized one grade level (e.g., from a B to a B-).
Final grades will be determined by the following formula:
Class Participation: 20%
Midterm Exam: 20%
Paper 1: 20%
Paper 2: 20%
Final Exam: 20%
Class Participation: As stated above, as part of their participation grade,
students are expected to attend every session, read the assigned texts, and
discuss them thoughtfully in class. The quality, as well as the frequency, of
students input will be factored into their final grades.
Papers: There are two written assignments, each stapled, double-spaced, in
12 point font with standard 1-1 margins. These papers, due Friday,
February 20 and Friday, April 17 should be at least four pages in length.
They should be e-mailed directly to Professor Schmitz by 5:00 p.m. (PST) on
the given due dates. Potential topics will be posted on the course Blackboard
site. Specific details related to the papers will be discussed in class.
Exams: The midterm examination on March 12 will ask you to draw on the
readings and lectures from the first half of the course, and it will consist of
short-answer and essay questions. The final examination, scheduled during
the final exam period, will be structured like the midterm. It will focus on the
second half of the course.
Documentation and Appropriate Style: All work submitted in this course
must be your own and written for this class alone. All sources must be cited,
including course texts, internet sources, and ideas that are paraphrased.
Please use Modern Language Association (MLA) documentation style for your
papers. Lack of proper citation suggests academic dishonesty, or plagiarism.
Please know that I take the issue of academic integrity seriously, and I expect
that you will as well. It is my policy to forward all plagiarism cases to the
campus Judicial Board.

Guidelines for this documentation style can be found in Diana Hackers A

Writers Reference; online at http://libguides.babson.edu/citing,
http://libguides.babson.edu/citing; and at Babsons Writing Center (Babson
Hall 205) and Speech Resource Center (Horn 209).
Honor Code and Academic Integrity: The standards and expectations of
the Babson Honor Code and its academic honesty and integrity policies apply
to this course as well as to any other course you take at Babson. The policy is
articulated in your Undergraduate Handbook. Failure of any student to take
appropriate steps to fully understand the Code will not be an acceptable
excuse for any violations. For your coursework, you will need to affirm your
understanding of and commitment to the academic honesty and integrity
expectations set forth in the Code. You will be required to write the following
pledge on every exam, paper, project, or other academic exercise: I pledge
my honor that I have neither received nor provided unauthorized assistance
during the completion of this work.
Religious Observance: Any student who faces a conflict between the
requirements of the course and the observance of his or her religious faith
should contact the instructor as early in the semester as possible. In such
cases, the instructor will provide reasonable accommodations that do not
unduly disadvantage the student.
Statement on Disabilities: Any student who feels she or he may need an
accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact Mary
Powell, Director of the Learning Center, privately to discuss your specific
needs. She can be reached at (781) 239-4508 in Hollister Hall, suite 122 to
coordinate reasonable academic accommodations.
Week 1:

The City and the Birth of Modern America

Tues., Jan. 20:

COURSE INTRODUCTION

Thurs., Jan. 22: Steven Gillon and Cathy Matson, The New Urban Nation,
18651910, The American Experiment: A History of the United States
(pp. 678-705)*
Week 2:
The City of Big Shoulders: Chicago and Americas
Industrial Age
Tues., Jan. 27:
Thurs., Jan. 29:

Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (pp. 3-58; chaps. 1-4)

Sinclair, The Jungle (pp. 59-119; chaps. 5-10)

Week 3:
Tues., Feb. 3:

Sinclair, The Jungle (pp. 120-211; chaps. 10-19)

Thurs., Feb. 5:
Jane Addams Explains Why the Ward Boss Rules in
Major Problems in
American Urban and Suburban History (pp. 296-99)*
Gunther Barth, Ball Park in American Urban History (pp. 14172)*
Week 4:
Culture

Metropolis: New York and the Making of Modern

Tues., Feb. 10:

Thurs., Feb. 12:

Coney Island (film)

John Kasson, Amusing the Million (pp. 3-55 chaps. 1-4)

Week 5:
Tues. Feb. 17:
Thurs., Feb. 19:

NO CLASS: BABSON MONDAY

Kasson, Amusing the Million (pp. 56-113; chaps. 5-6)

PAPER #1 DUE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20 BY 5:00 P.M.

Week 6:
Tues., Feb. 24:
4)

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (pp. 1-80; chaps. 1-

Thurs., Feb. 26:

Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (pp. 81-180; chaps. 5-9)

Week 7:
Tues., Mar. 3: Alain Locke, Enter the New Negro, Survey Graphic (pp. 1-6)*
Thurs., Mar. 5: Ann Douglas, Skyscrapers, Airplanes, and Airmindedness:
The Necessary
Angel in Terrible Honesty (pp. 434-61; chap. 11)*
Week 8:
Tues., Mar. 10: Richard Wright, 12 Million Black Voices (chaps. 3-4; pp. 92147)
Thurs., Mar. 12: MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Week 9:
Monday, March 16 to Friday March 20: NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK
Week 10:

The Post-War City: From Golden Age to Urban Crisis

Tues., Mar. 24: Kenneth T. Jackson, The Drive-in Culture of Contemporary

America, The
Crabgrass Frontier from The Making of Urban America (pp. 22851)*
Jane Jacobs, The Uses of Sidewalks: Safety, The Death and Life
of Great
American Cities from The City Reader (pp. 114-118)*
Thurs., Mar. 26: Alan Ehrenhalt, The Lost City (pp. 90-110; chap. 4)*
A Real Estate Speculator Explains the Fine Art of Blockbusting,
1962 in
Major Problems in American Urban and Suburban History (pp.
394-401)*
Week 11:
Tues., Mar. 31: Eyes on the Prize II: Two Societies (1965-68) (film)
Robert Fogelson, An Explanation for Ghetto Violence, Major
Problems in
American Urban History (pp. 459-475)*
Thurs., Apr. 2: Mike Davis, Fortress L.A., City of Quartz (223-60; chap. 4)*

Week 12:
Gentry

Cities of the Future: Fortress L.A., Detroit, and the Urban

Tues, Apr. 7:
Davis, The Hammer and the Rock, City of Quartz (pp.
267-322, chap. 5)*
Thurs., Apr. 9:
Blake Fleetwood, The New Elite and an Urban
Renaissance, The New York
Times Magazine 14 January 1979 (pp. 16-20+)*
Frances FitzGerald, The Castro, The New Yorker 21 July
1986 (pp. 34-70)*
Week 13:
Tues., Apr. 14: Andres Duany Applauds Gentrification, 2001 in Major
Problems in
American Urban and Suburban History (pp. 495-497)*
Richard D. Lloyd, Neo-Bohemia: Art and Neighborhood
Development in Chicago, Journal of Urban Affairs Winter 2002
(pp. 517-532)*

Thurs., Apr. 16: Mark Binelli, Detroit City is the Place to Be (Selections TBA)
PAPER #2 DUE: FRIDAY, APRIL 17 BY 5:00 P.M.
Week 14:
Tues., Apr. 21:

BABSON MONDAY: NO CLASS

Thurs., Apr. 23: Mark Binelli, Detroit City is the Place to Be (Selections TBA)
Week 15:
Tues., Apr. 28:

CONCLUSION, FINAL EXAM TBA