Travelling to the West

I found some more background information on travelling to the West for Americans and I wanted to share it with the class. This website (at the end) clarified a few things from the readings such as what a Captain did on the journey to the West. The Captain was basically in charge of the whole journey and he usually made sure everyone was ready to go and decided when it was best to rest or camp out for the night. Another topic was about which wagons were used to go West. The best wagon to travel to the West was the Prairie Schooner. It required less animals to pull which made the cost overall less, but it could only contain 1600 pounds. It also gave some interesting facts such as the cost of a mule, which was $90 and an oxen was $60 in the 1840s. These were just some of the topics given on the website and the article was pretty short.

Website: http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_wagon_train

Reference:
Dollman, Darla S. "The Wagon Train: Emigrant Travel in the American West." American History. 12 Mar. 2009. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. .

Inglorious Basterds

Just as a sidenote for those of who may have seen Quentin Tarantino's lastest film, it is interesting that the character Aldo Raine (played by Brad Pitt) claims to be the descendent of the "mountain man Jim Bridger" and part Apache- and thus this is the reason he collects the scalps of his Nazi kills. Hm.

Manuel Lisa

Manuel Lisa, "I find that I have travelled a great distance while others are deciding whether to start their journey today or tomorrow."



Manuel Lisa appears in our Bent's Fort book a lot in the early chapters. Here is a little background information on Lisa.

• (September 8, 1772 – August 12, 1820)


• fur trader and explorer who was among the founders of the St. Louis Missouri Fur Company, later known as the Missouri Fur Company.


• Lisa was highly influential among American Indian tribes. Due to his personal standing with them, during the War of 1812, he helped neutralize pro-British tribes in the Minnesota region by inspiring the powerful Teton Sioux to attack them.


• 1796 Lisa married Polly Charles Chew, a young widow


• Lisa moved his trading post operations further east and south. He built his first Fort Lisa (1809-1812), also known as Fort Manuel Lisa Trading Post, near a Gros Ventres village between the mouth of the Little Missouri and the Big Knife rivers, in what is now North Dakota.


• He became the master of the upper Missouri by 1820, developing strong relationships with the Omaha, Ponca, Yankton Sioux and Teton Sioux, Mandan and Arikara peoples.


• After several founding members of the Missouri Fur Company left, Manuel Lisa headed the company. After 1814 he renamed it Manuel Lisa and Company


• Before dying in 1820, Lisa had remarried twice (three wives).


• He was buried there in Bellefontaine Cemetery. After Lisa's death, Joshua Pilcher took over the presidency of the fur company.

Bent's Fort Discussion Questions, Pages 1-75/

Picture: 1803 Map of the United States

In the Introduction, "A Place Called Purgatory," what does Lavender say is the goal of this book? (Page 12). Why does he introduce the topic of the book in this way?

How did Lewis and Clark effect the ambitions of tradesmen in the United States?

What kind of town is St. Louis in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century? What would it have been like to grow up there? What effect do you think did it have on the Bents?

What rivers, or "bloody waters" as Lavender calls them, play the most prominent role in the West at this time?

Describe the amount of territory that fur traders are covering at this historical moment?

What is the relationship between the plains and the mountains for the fur traders?

What is the advantage of working for a fur trade company vs. going-it-alone?

Why do certain fur traders begin to focus more on the Southwest than the Green River Valley and areas in Wyoming, Utah, and Montana?

What sort of place is Taos when American fur traders first start going there? (page 64) What major historic event enables Americans to finally be able to trade in the American Southwest without constant fear of arrest?

The Northern Wilderness

Music

For anyone in the class that enjoys local music, Birth Rites are playing Thusday night at the Picador. It's free and all ages so instead of going to the same lame bar you go to every Thursday come do something new! They put on a pretty good show and have been known to wear luchador masks which is how this post relates to the class lol. I think doors open at 10. Check out the website for other up coming shows they always have something good, http://www.thepicador.com/

Jared Diamond

I wasn't sure if any of you were interested in the topics we were speaking about in class today as far as disease and how it impacts a civilization, but an author that I personally love writes about how geographical location is crucial to the rise and fall of an empire. Jared Diamond's book titled, Guns, Germs and Steel, analyzes how Europe was able to conquer so many different regions from the geographic advantages. He even discussed Cortez and his success as well as the fall of the Inca empire, which was pretty significant. Soooo if anyone was interested I recommend that book greatly. He also wrote Collapse, which you can guess what it is about by the title of the book.

Ravenous

A fun movie to watch this weekend that would deal with next week's topic is Ravenous. Guy Pearce is great, its humorous and technically, I think, you would have to consider it a horror flick.

Ted Nugent History Lesson

I thought it would be worthwhile for the class to hear what Ted Nugent has to say about the American West in the classic "The Great White Buffalo".

"It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own" Discussion Questions

1. What is the West? What are its boundaries? What are they according to Richard White?

2. What is the importance of the chapter "The Seeds of the West"? Do you think this is a good place to start the story of the American West? Can you think of any alternatives?

3. What are the European Empires that figure in the early history of the American West? What is the nature of their involvment in the region?

4. What are the changes that the American and Mexican Revolutions bring upon the West? Answer this question in detail.

5. What role do different Indian groups play in retarding and accelerating different European frontiers in the West?

Crazy Heart

Syllabus

016:012:009: The American West and the Historical Imagination
2:30-3:45 T/TR; SH 51
Spring 2010; University of Iowa

Instructor Dennis Kuhnel Phone (620) 694-7798
Office SH303 E-mail dennis-kuhnel@uiowa.edu
Office Hours Tuesday/Thursday 1:00-2:30 P.M.

Coordinator Prof. Paula Michaels Phone 5-2287
Office SH160 E-mail paula-michaels@uiowa.edu

DEO Prof. Colin Gordon Phone 5-2299
Office SH280 E-mail colin-gordon@uiowa.edu

Texts (Available for Purchase at University of Iowa Book Store, All Prices are List Prices):
Willa Cather, The Professor’s House. (ISBN-13: 978-1-4495-3023-5, $4.95)
Pete Dexter, Deadwood. (ISBN-13: 978-1-4000-7971-1, $15.95)
David Lavender, Bent’s Fort. (ISBN-13: 978-0-8032-5753-5, $21.95)
Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men. (ISBN-13: 978-0-307-38713-4, $15.00)
Patrick McGree, From Shane to Kill Bill: Rethinking the Western. (ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-3965-6, $34.95)
Richard White, “‘It’s Your Misfortune and None of My Own’: A New History of the American West.” (ISBN-13: 978-0806125671 $32.95)
Description:
A noted historian once wrote that "the West has been America's most strongly imagined region.” This course, which fulfills the CLAS GER for Historical Perspectives, will examine the West as an historic and imagined place in both North America and Europe, often stressing the influence of popular culture on understandings of the region. This course will think critically about history by studying secondary sources, historical novels and film. Historical topics include: the migrations and meeting of all peoples in the West; saloons and prostitution; violence; changing eco-systems; the fur trade; transportation; ranching and farming; ethnicity and race; political reform; and modern Western life.
Goals of Course:
CONTENT AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
• Students will understand aspects of the history of the American West and how it has been imagined.
• Students will comprehend change and continuity in history.
• Students will improve their ability to evaluate evidence using the tools of historical investigation.
• Students will gain experience and improve their skills in generalizing, explaining, and interpreting historical change.
• Students will gain deeper understanding of the complex issues history and culture through dispassionate inquiry and study, including completing assigned course readings and participating in class discussions.
• Students will utilize dispositions of mind involved in critical thinking, such as questioning assumptions, looking for alternative explanations and analyzing evidence.
Requirements:

Reading: Readings will be assigned regularly from required texts and other sources in class and by email. It is expected that you complete each reading assignment and come to class prepared to discuss it.
Participation (20%): Many of the intended educational benefits of this class are contingent upon the participation of everyone. I expect you to be an active, contributing member in class discussions, exercises and projects. At the end of the semester I will give each student a “participation” grade based upon my assessment of that student’s overall performance and contribution to our class. Attendance alone will not earn you participation marks, even if you come to every class. Positive participation involves completing assigned reading assignments, being prepared for class, asking and answering questions, sharing relevant ideas and opinions, staying on track in small group activities, and making a genuine effort to support your classmates. Another way to contribute to our class discussion will be for you to post comments or questions about the assigned reading to our class blog: http://americanwestimagination.blogspot.com. You will lose marks for negative participation, including but not limited to: showing up late, chatting during class, answering cell phones, doing other homework, reading the newspaper and etc. At the end of the semester, you will complete a self-assessment of your participation performance throughout the semester. I will take into consideration your self-assessment when I evaluate your performance at the end of the semester.
Written Assignments (35%)
In addition to expanding your factual knowledge, this course will develop your critical thinking and persuasive writing skills. You will be assessing historians’ interpretations of trends, events, and ideas, as well as presenting your own, for which analytical reading and writing skills are essential. To this end, you will write one 4-5 page essay worth 20% of your grade. Additionally, you will write one 4 page “film script” interpreting a historical era or event studied in class worth 15% of your grade. I will explain more about each writing assignment in class.
Exams (45%)
There will be one mid-term and one final exam in this course. Both exams will be essay format. The final exam will be partly comprehensive and based upon material from the entire semester.
Evaluation
Feel free to approach me after class or set up an appointment with me if you ever have any questions or concerns about the grade you have received.
Participation (20%) Your participation will be assessed throughout the semester.
Film Script (15%)
Paper(20%)
Midterm (20%)
Final (25%)

For each assigned test and paper assignment I will explain in-depth during class requirements and expectations and distribute handouts on the subjects with topic and etc.

Standard grade rubric:
A+ 97-100 B+ 87-89 C+ 77-79 D+ 67-69
A 93-96 B 83-86 C 73-76 D 63-66
A- 90-92 B- 80-82 C- 70-72 D- 60-62
F=below 60

An A grade demonstrates exceptional work that goes beyond mere recitation of content encountered in the class. A student who earns an A synthesizes concepts learned throughout the course of the semester in a way that produces a unique and insightful perspective on the period and the subject at hand. Papers submitted by this student will display nearly perfect grammar, spelling, and composition skills, as well as creative thinking and a firm, thorough grasp of the material. Tests display a deep understanding of the issues involved and will demonstrate an ability to organize and synthesize ideas. To achieve an A, students must consistently attend class and demonstrate preparedness. An A+ is given only in extraordinary circumstances.

A B grade demonstrates consistent work that rises above the level of mere competence in the field. B work reaches beyond the recitation of facts and names, and attempts to analyze and think critically. Papers often contain modest grammatical, spelling, or composition errors, but reflect the standard rules of organization and argumentation. Assignments and tests will contain few if any factual errors, and the interpretation of materials will be accurate. Students who achieve B-level work consistently attend class and demonstrate preparedness.

A C grade demonstrates a basic level of competence with the materials presented in class. C work demonstrates some lack of comprehension or synthesis of the material. Coursework rarely go beyond the recitation of facts and names, and shows little evidence of critical thinking. Papers often contain errors in grammar, spelling, and composition, as well as flaws in organization or argumentation. Assignments and tests will be marred by factual errors or inaccurate interpretation. Irregular attendance often results in C-level work.

A D grade does not meet basic standards of competency in class. D-level work shows incomprehension of the course content and falls short of expectations for college-level coursework. A significant number of absences and a failure to complete assignments often results in substandard work. D-level work shows no mastery or even familiarity with the assigned readings or other course content.

Course Schedule:

Topic/Readings

January 19 Course Introduction.
January 21 White, 1-54, The Early West.
January 26 Lavender, 1-75, Roots of the Fur Trade.
January 28 Lavender, 76-152, The Santa Fe Trail.
February 2 Lavender, 153-217 , Indians and the Fur Trade.
February 4 Lavender, 218-289, Remembering the Fur Trade.
February 9 Lavender, 289-END
February 11 Class Discussion, No Reading Assignment
February 16 White, 55- 118, Settling the West. PAPER DUE
February 18 McGee, 1-68, Remembering the West in Film and Writing.
February 23 McGee, 69-133, Social Contexts of Western Myth-Making.
February 25 McGee, 134-End.
February 29 Dexter, 1-50, Gold Rushes and the West.
February 31 Dexter, 50-97, Deadwood and Mining Camp Social Dynamics.
March 2 Dexter, 98-End, Remembering Deadwood.
March 4 White, 118-150. The Vanishing Frontier.
March 9 Review, No Reading Assignment
March 11 Midterm
SPRING BREAK
March 23 White, 179-225. The Vanishing Frontier Cont.
March 25 Cather, 1-50, The Academic West.
March 30 Cather, 50-100 , History of Early Archaeology in the West.
April 1 Cather, 100- End. Museums and the West.
April 6 White, 613-633. The Mythical West.
April 8 Article Handout
April 13 Article Handout
April 15 McCarthy, 1-50. The Modern West.
April 20, McCarthy, 51-100
April 22 McCarthy 101-150.
April 27 McCarthy 51-200.
April 29 McCarthy 201-250. Is the Mythical West Still Alive or Lost?
May 4 White, 541-612. The West Reconsidered.
May 6 Review
FINAL

Resources:
Administrative Home
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the administrative home of this course and governs matters such as the add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, and other related issues. Different colleges may have different policies. Questions may be addressed to 120 Schaeffer Hall, or see the CLAS Student Academic Handbook.

Electronic Communication
University policy specifies that students are responsible for all official correspondences sent to their University of Iowa e-mail address (@uiowa.edu). Faculty and students should use this account for correspondences. (Operations Manual, III.15.2. Scroll down to k.11.)

Accommodations for Disabilities
A student seeking academic accommodations should first register with Student Disability Services and then meet privately with the course instructor to make particular arrangements. See www.uiowa.edu/~sds/ for more information.

Academic Fraud
Plagiarism and any other activities when students present work that is not their own are academic fraud. Academic fraud is a serious matter and is reported to the departmental DEO and to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum. Instructors and DEOs decide on appropriate consequences at the departmental level while the Associate Dean enforces additional consequences at the collegiate level. See the CLAS Academic Fraud section of the Student Academic Handbook.

Making a Suggestion or Complaint
Students with a suggestion or complaint should first visit the instructor, then the course supervisor, and then the departmental DEO. Complaints must be made within six months of the incident. See the CLAS Student Academic Handbook.

Understanding Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All members of the UI community have a responsibility to uphold this mission and to contribute to a safe environment that enhances learning. Incidents of sexual harassment should be reported immediately. See the UI Comprehensive Guide on Sexual Harassment for assistance, definitions, and the full University policy.

Reacting Safely to Severe Weather
In severe weather, class members should seek appropriate shelter immediately, leaving the classroom if necessary. The class will continue if possible when the event is over. For more information on Hawk Alert and the siren warning system, visit the Public Safety web site.

Tenative Film Schedule

Film Schedule:

February 2 Lavender, 153-217 (FILM SHOWN IN CLASS: Jeremiah Johnson)
February 4 Lavender, 218-289 (FILM SHOWN IN CLASS: Jeremiah Johnson)
February 23: The Searchers
February 25: The Searchers
March 2 West, 98-End ((FILM SHOWN IN CLASS: The Wild Bunch)
March 4 White, 118-150 (FILM SHOWN IN CLASS: The Wild Bunch)
March 30 Cather, 50-100 (FILM SHOWN IN CLASS: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid)
April 1 Cather, 100- End (FILM SHOWN IN CLASS: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid)
April 8 Article Handout (FILM SHOWN IN CLASS: Once Upon a Time in the West)
April 13 Article Handout (FILM SHOWN IN CLASS: Once Upon a Time in the West)
April 27 151-200 (FILM SHOWN IN CLASS: No Country for Old Men)
April 29 201-250 (FILM SHOWN IN CLASS: No Country for Old Men)

Summer Jobs in the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management

Picture: Summer SCA workers at Homestead National Monument.

I know it seems early to be thinking about summer employment/internship opportunities, but frankly, it is that time of year again.

I would like to highly recommend summer jobs in the National Park Service or Bureau of Land Management to all of you. It is a great experience for a college student, you can make some decent money and it looks excellent on a resume for a variety of future career paths.

NPS and BLM sites around the country are posting job vacancies now and will do so for the next month on the following website: http://www.usajobs.gov/

Job titles that you may think about looking up in the search engine include but are not limited to: Park Guide, Visitor Use Assistant and Park Ranger (Interpretation). For the BLM try searching Recreation Technician, Archeological Technician, Wildlife Technician. There are different jobs for all sorts of majors, so always remember to browse the usajobs.gov website to see what openings there are. Many places offer housing to college students who work at their park during the summer.

If you have any questions feel free to ask me. Personally, I have worked for the NPS atJewel Cave, Agate Fossil Beds, Homestead and Effigy Mounds National Monuments. I have also worked for the BLM in Wyoming. There are many more sites as well in the NPS and BLM, if you are interested in finding where see the map at http://www.nps.gov/ or www.blm.gov.

Also check out if you are interested paid environmental internships with the SCA and Chicago Botanical Garden that can place you all over the country for a summer.

Students in college often neglect the service and work experience part of their resumes. In this down economy, you need every asset you can have on your resume when it comes graduation time. This would be a great way to distinguish yourself from other applicants. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Good luck!